First custom PC Build

[quqq]

Hey all

I feel like I have researched my new PC to no end but I think I am ready to build it. I would like to get some feedback just to make sure that I haven't missed anything compatibility wise or anything else. I want to play games at very high settings but I will only be on one monitor (maybe two). The less noise while it is idle the better for me.

Case: SilverStone Raven RV02B-EW
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD5-B3
CPU: Intel Core i7 2600k
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Silver arrow cooler
Graphics Card: 2x GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GV-N560SO-1GI GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
PSU: Silverstone ST1000G 1000w
SSD: OCZ Agility 2 OCZSSD2-2AGTE60G 2.5" 60GB
HDD: 2x Western Digital Caviar Blue WD10EALS 1TB
Optical Drive: LG Black 12X Blu-Ray

For the RAM, is it better to have 2x 4GB sticks or 4x 2GB sticks?

I only plan on storing my OS and a few apps on the SSD for now until they drop way down in price.

Any advice you have for the design of my system would be great!

Tahnks

[RickyTick]

Looks like a killer build.

That cpu cooler is obnoxiously huge. Have you considered the Corsair Hydro Series, like the H60.
I would suggest 2x4gb.

[quqq]

I'm trying to avoid liquid cooling since this is my first build. But if you know of any better CPU coolers that will be quiet but still allow for great cooling that would be great. From my research, this appeared to be one of the best bets since I might start to get my geet a little wet with over clocking.

When I used a calculator to check how large of a power supply I needed, it seemed like a 1000w one will be more than enough. Is this right or did I plug something inot the calculator wrong? Also, it looked like the power supply should have enough connectors but I'm not a 100% sure.

[RickyTick]

The Hydro Series is not your typical liquid cooler. It's a simple closed system that doesn't require maintenance. Check it out as well as the Antec Kuhler 620. Both are excellent products.

1000 watt is more than enough.

[geniusnot]

I just finished a similar build. I think you will be much happier with a larger SSD. I used 128 GB and in my opinion, it is only adequate. Windows 7 uses a lot of space. New Egg has dropped the price of the 128GB to $199. I am not an expert so check this out with others. Geniusnot.

[RickyTick]

That's a good point. 60gb is fairly small. I've also heard a lot of bad things about OCZ drives, but I don't have any first hand experience. This is very highly rated, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148348

[quqq]

That does look like a very good SSD and $200 for 120gb is a good deal. I'll have to look into the coolers you mentioned but part of me just doesn't like water being that close to my mobo if I'm spending this much money on my system. How reliable are they because I want this system to last me several years?

[RickyTick]

It's a sealed system. Water can't escape unless you cut the lines somehow. I think there are some video reviews on Newegg or Youtube.

[quqq]

The H60 does look like it is getting a lot better reviews than the other one so I think I will go with that. Will there be any issues mounting it in my case since everything is rotated 90 degrees (heres a link to the specs on silberstone's website http://www.silverstonetek.com/raven/products/r-spec.php?model=RV02-E&area=usa ). Also, how long before I should plan on replacing it? Sorry for all the questions but I'm a newb when it comes to water cooling.

You mentioned that it is a sealed systems but do i need to take any extra precautions when I'm moving it? It's only a 3 hour drive that I'm making in two weeks but I haven't decided if I should just wait and build it when I get home.

Newegg is running some specials so I am hoping to pull the trigger on this by sunday.

[RickyTick]

Oh that's right, this is one of those crazy cases that's turned 90 degrees. I don't think there's any reason why the liquid cooler won't work anyway. You may want to check with Corsair tech to see how they recommend installing it.

I would suggest putting it together at it's home and not moving it around a lot.

[quqq]

Thanks for the help. What do you think that the life is on products like the H60 H70...? How often should they be replaced?

[RickyTick]

That's a good question. I really don't know the answer. I would think that it should last as long as any normal computer component. I'm thinking 4 to 6 years, but that's just a guess.

[quqq]

After getting to do a little bit more research, it looks like going with the H60 will require some modification to some of the fans in the case, at least the one on top. Since I'm trying to keep this as straight forward as I can since this is my first build, I'm leaning back towards air cooling with the Silver Arrow. Here is a link to an article about putting in this case a H70 in the RV02 case. http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/08/05/corsair_h70_cpu_cooler_first_install Let me know if I am thinking this will be harder than it actually is.

[RickyTick]

I like the way they have the radiator and fan exhausting out through the top of the case. Great setup. This doesn't look any more difficult than installing it the normal way.

[quqq]

Ok think I'll go for it then. It does only have one fan compared to the H70 that they were installing so that should make it a little easier. Since I would install it on in this case the top 120mm fan plate with it pulling air out of the case, will the radiator block the rest of the air from properly venting to the top of the case or will that not be an issue? I feel like I'm way over thinking this and making it harder than it really has to be.

[RickyTick]

I think It'll be fine.

[quqq]

Pulled the trigger on it. I ended up going with the silver arrow cooler even though its huge and not the best looking, but it will get the job done and i don't have to worry about mounting a rad on the top of my case. Only other big change that I made was that I down graded the 2 graphics cards to the 950mhz overclocked ones. Figured those would probably be a little more stable than the 1Ghz ones.