Well if you want to spend the extra money it certainly can't hurt.

I've got the money, so I might as well.


Hey, is this a good http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118054? I've heard the one that comes with the i7 svcks.

Can anybody tell me if that's a good CPU cooler?

It looks good to me. I have two of http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118003&cm_re=zalman_9500-_-35-118-003-_-Product and they're great. The only problem is that the fins have sharp edges...I've cut my fingers on them a few times.

Have you tried not sticking your finger in there when the fan is spinning? I've told you not to do that how many times now? *muttering about how some people never learn*

:P

I have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118074 which is similar but.... preeetty lightsss. :drool:

I'd personally drop the size of your hard drive, perhaps a few 1TB drives, or smaller. The reason being that if your 2TB drive falls over, first and foremost it's a heck of a lot of data to potentially lose and they take a [censored] tonne of time to scan with hard drive diagnostic tools.

Only get the 2600K is you're actually going to make use of those extra threads....like video encoding/rendering/editing while you're gaming or something. If the main purpose is just to game, then the 2500K is plenty and will save you $100.

If you're buying a system very soon, stick with Intel's Sandybridge offerings. There is not much of a reason for you to go with a Phenom II X4 or X6 CPU now at all, especially with your budget. The 2500K is one of stronger chips in the market and it's relatively cheap for the performance it gives. AMD will be releasing Bulldozer some time in August-September, which is to compete with Sandbybridge if you want to wait.

If you plan to overclock, make sure to get another CPU cooler....the stock one is terrible. For cheap, the CM Hyper 212+ is a great choice:
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1307781992&sr=8-1

The Scythe Mugen 2 is awesome cooler though:
http://www.amazon.com/Scythe-Mugen-rev-B-SCMG-2100-nickel-plating/dp/B002SCPH9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1307782071&sr=1-1




A quality 500W PSU would run that setup. A quality 650W unit would run two GTX 560 Ti's in SLI easily. If you're getting the GTX 570, then you can just go for a 650W unit for more breathing room. Seasonic (X650 Gold), Corsair (TX, HX, AX models), XFX, and Antec (non-Basiq models) are a few quality vendors.

I'm also getting an SSD that will likely store my OS, and any other potentially vital data. As for a hard drive, I'll maybe just get two 1TBs. Dunno yet really.

Make sure you regularly back up your hard drive if you're going to be using SSD. I know some of the new ones are more stable, but I'd still be careful. I read too many horror stories of people losing information from an SSD hard drive, although they do load information really fast. (Enough to make it worth buying the smaller ones, but I'd leave larger capacities alone.)

I'd recommend getting an Intel SSD then. I remember seeing a comparison site that put up all the failure rates for hard disks and SSDs, and Intel SSD were about 4x less likely to fail than basically every other brand.

In any case, you need to store your vital data in another location, not in your computer, preferable off site.