New build plan - part 2

[Highlander]

Hi folks. Back in March I posted a rough list of parts for a new build and received some very helpful advice - thanks to CAT-THE-FIFTH, Bambooz and nickchong. That advice led me to wait a bit longer to see what would happen with the advent of the Z77 chipset. The following list is what I'm poised to buy, unless there's overwhelming opinion that anything in it is disastrously ill-advised. Cost has been a major factor in each decision and I'm on a very tight budget; other reasons are in brackets:

Case: Fractal Designs R3
Processor: Intel i5 2500k ('mature' product with plenty of life left in it)
Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 Pro
Mobo: MSI Z77A-GD55 motherboard (Z77 to provide future-proofing options)
Memory: 8GB Kingston DDR3 1600MHz
SSD 1: Crucial M4 64GB (already owned)
SSD 2: OCZ Vertex 120GB (bought, awaiting delivery)
PSU: OCZ ModXStream 700w (overkill for this spec but allows for possible Crossfire in future)
GPU: Probably Radeon HD6850/70 (will have to wait until end of month to afford best sub-£100 card)
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

Originally I was intending to utilise the SRT option in conjunction with a (relatively) cheap HDD but opinions on the forums seems heavily against it, instead favouring OS installation straight on to an SSD. The second drive in the list came up at a bargain price a week or so back, so I grabbed it (although I'm aware that reliability issues have been widely reported). I'm now planning on using it for programs as a short term measure until HDD prices have dropped to an affordable level.

Any and all thoughts on this set up will be much appreciated!

[Rookie1986]

Just a quick Q but what future proofing are you expecting to get by putting a SB CPU on a Z77 MB that will be replaced by Haswell next year?? Wouldn't it make more sense to put the IB i5 3570k on the board and take full advantage of the extra features now because once Haswell hits next year the Z77 won't allow you to upgrade to the newer CPU and your only options are going to be the 3770k or 3570k which your going to have to buy at full retail rather then adding the extra few £££'s now and getting the i5 3570k?? Just a thought anyway

Rookie

[Highlander]

Good point, Rookie1986, thanks.

My reservations on buying a 3570k are mainly the increased heat problem over the 2500k when overclocked, plus a general reluctance to buy the first iteration of any product (Windoze 95 1st edition was a major lesson). Your suggestion is a definite possibility, although there's another one - just stick with Z68 and plan on a major rebuild, including mobo, probably in 2-3 years time. The advantages of IB over SB seem pretty slim. Or does anyone have experience to the contrary?

[Rookie1986]

I think going the i5 2500K with z68 could be your best bet if your willing to do a smaller upgrade now but are planning a large upgrade in the next 2 years (Most likely just in time for 2nd-Gen Haswell).

On the flip-side I've just bought a 3570K and Z77 but I'm coming form a C2D E8500 on an Asus P5Q Pro so this is a HUGE step up for me and I have no plans of upgrading for at least another 5 years.

It's really hard to make a decision because the next best thing is always just around the corner, I guess it comes down to cost, performance and wants//needs. Personally I don't think you can go wrong with either the 2500k + z68 or 3570k + z77.

[Demonwar]

Nice case, had a mate choose that one and he seems to think it's a nice case overall.

Sorta agree with what's been said, if you are on a budget then the Z77 with a 2500k might be over it. You can bet if you really upgraded that further down the line the mobo lineup will be cheaper and maybe improved as well.

Who's to say though. I'm currently kicking myself for not grabbing some deals at the weekend.

[Phage]

As above, I'd probably chuck in a 3570k, but there's not much in it.
I have the R3, and think it's a great case. The cable management holes aren't as well done as I'd like but overall very nice. I've had an OCZ Vertex 2e for over a year without an issue. I recently secure erased and re-installed to bring it back to spec.