the ultimate gaming build for my friend

[jokawild69]

hey everyone
my friend wanted me to build a gaming computer for him recently and so i got to work. in the end i think i built him a very good solid build that wont need to be upgraded for a long time. my only concern would be the mobo, im debating on which one i should put in the build. here are the specs:

MOBO - ASUS Rampage III Formula
Newegg.com - ASUS Rampage III Formula LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

OR

ASUS Rampage III Extreme
Newegg.com - ASUS Rampage III Extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard



PSU - XFX Black Edition P1-750B
Newegg.com - XFX Black Edition P1-750B-CAG9 750W ATX12V v2.2 / ESP12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Case - NZXT ZERO 2 Crafted Series
Newegg.com - NZXT ZERO 2 Crafted Series CS-NT-ZERO-2 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Video Card - SAPPHIRE 100280SR Radeon HD 5970 (Hemlock) 2GB 512
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100280SR Radeon HD 5970 (Hemlock) 2GB 512 (256 x 2)-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

CPU - Intel Core i7-960 Bloomfield 3.2GHz
Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-960 Bloomfield 3.2GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80601960

Ram - CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3
Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model HX3X12G1333C9

SDD - Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH160G2R5 2.5" 160GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive
Newegg.com - Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH160G2R5 2.5" 160GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Keyboard - Logitech G19 Black 104 Normal Keys USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard
Newegg.com - Logitech G19 Black 104 Normal Keys USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard

Monitor - SAMSUNG P2770H Rose Black 27"
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG P2770H Rose Black 27" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 DC 70,000:1(1,000:1)

Mouse - Logitech G500 10 Buttons Dual-mode
Newegg.com - Logitech G500 10 Buttons Dual-mode Scroll Wheel USB Wired Laser 5700 dpi Gaming Mouse

CD/DVD - ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X
Newegg.com - ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

Blu Ray - ASUS 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA
Newegg.com - ASUS 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Drive Model BC-08B1ST

Sound Card - Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty
Newegg.com - Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional 70SB088600002 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card

Speakers - Logitech Z-5500 505 Watts 5.1 Digital Speaker System
Newegg.com - Logitech Z-5500 505 Watts 5.1 Digital Speaker System

im open to ideas and suggestions. thanx in advance for the help

 

[patonb]

Get a 930 and a decent cooler. Then OC it to like 4gigs for alot less.

 

[Abstract Hero]

Ditch the sound card and get the rampage formula mobo. The on board sound is the exact same technology and the mobo itself is more than enough.

 

[jokawild69]

thanx for the help, my last question is if the psu would be enough for my friend's rig. the reason being is because i myself already have that psu unused from a side project i was doing and i was gonna sell it to him. is it strong enough or should he get a stronger one

 

[Abstract Hero]

If you go with what we have suggested. You'll need atleast 600 or higher.

So your fine

 

[jokawild69]

schweet, i'll show him the build tomorrow and hopefully get a couple dollars off him for my psu hehe >
thanx for the help ya'll

 

[farinha]

You don't need the i7 960. Get the i7 950 and you can easily OC it to 960 stock speed.
I would buy a more powerful PSU in case he wants to crossfire later on.

 

[PP Mguire]

If your friend isnt an audiophile then go with the onboard sound.

If you plan on buying OCable gear and plan on OCing this rig for your friend (or he plans on it) then as suggested get the 950 instead.

Ditch the SSD and get this one instead.

Newegg.com - Corsair Force CSSD-F160GBP2-BRKT 2.5" 160GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Has a faster Sandforce based controller and 4 bucks cheaper.

 

[jokawild69]

when it comes to computers my friend has no knowledge on anything about them, i myself know the basic things and not much else but im still trying to learn more. im honestly amazed that the build i posted had very few mistakes. my friend wouldn't crossfire later on because i know very little about crossfire and how to do it. to put it simply if i dont know how to do it then my friend wont bother to do it, im sort of his tech mechanic in a way lol. i know the term OC and what it means but when it comes to actually doing it i have no idea on how to do it. thanx for the sdd suggestion, i've kicked the other one and added it to the build. the sound card part was my fault, i had a another mobo in the build that didn't have onboard sound so i picked that card, when i switched to the new board i never checked to see about the onboard sound, my bad

 

[PP Mguire]

Well if your not OCing IMO you could probably just use a standard board from Asus instead of getting the OCers pick.

Also, which board did you choose that didnt have onboard audio? Ive never seen a modern board without onboard audio.