My first gaming PC: Thoughts?

[lewadd]

Right, so I'm a first time PC gamer and over the past few weeks I've been fiddling around on the site trying to come up with a decent setup for gaming and I think I'm ready to order. Just thought I'd ask for a second opinion though before I fork out for anything. Here are my specs:

Case
COOLERMASTER CM STORM ENFORCER - GAMING ENTHUSIAST CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5-2500k Quad Core (3.30GHz, 6MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z77-V: PCI-E 3.0 READY, WIFI, SLI, CROSSFIREX
Memory (RAM)
16GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 8GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 670 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
2TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD2002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
2nd Hard Disk
120GB INTEL® 520 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ TX650 V2-80 PLUS® BRONZE (£69)
Processor Cooling
SPIRE GEMINI REV.3-THERMAX HDT TWIN FAN CPU COOLER (£39)
Extra Case Fans
2 x 12CM Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof) (£9)
Fan Controller
NZXT Sentry 2 Fan Controller with upto 5 Fitted Case Fans
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Monitor
IIYAMA E2273HDS 22" LED WIDESCREEN, HDMI/DVI-D 1920x1080 (£119)
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH MX5500 REVOLUTION BLUETOOTH KEYBOARD & MOUSE (£122)
Speakers
LOGITECH S120 2.0 BLACK SPEAKER SYSTEM (£9)
Headsets (VOIP)
LOGITECH® STEREO HEADSET H110 - IDEAL FOR CALLS, MUSIC & GAMES (£12)
Surge Protection
6 Socket Compact 2M UFO Surge Protector + Auto Power Off Function (£19)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,625.00 including VAT and delivery.

I plan on playing Skyrim, battlefield 3, total war. I'm also aiming for something that won't go obsolete anytime soon and was wondering if the above will cut the mustard. Have I made a decent PC here? Or have I constructed some kind of technological timebomb? If any of the components need upgrading I suppose I could raise my budget if it's absolutely nessecary, but I'd prefer not to. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks. :cowboy:

 

[Wolvo7]

Hello, you have quite a nice build here, there are just some tweaks to make.

- CPU wise the 2500k is part of the older generation. I'd get the i5 3570. Are you planning to overclock? It won't really help for gaming and you could save some money with a non-OC rig. If you don't want to you can get the triple copper CPU cooler. If you do keep that cooler and get the 3570K.

- 16GB is overkill for gaming, 8GB is already plenty. RAM is quite cheap tho so it's up to you

- Switch your drive order, you want your SSD as primary as the OS is gonna be installed on it, as well as your programs and a few games.

- You've got a mobo that supports SLI but you'll need at least a 750W PSU to add a 2nd GTX 670. I'd go with 850W if you plan to add some more drives, lights etc..

- Get the silver warranty for £5

With those changes you'll have a killer gaming rig

 

[lewadd]

Thanks for the advice my friend really appreciate it

 

[lewadd]

Erm just a few more questions, I don't really plan on overclocking (always seemed like playing with fire to me, given the risk of damage it carries.) So does that mean I'd be better off with the older 2500k? (I heared there wasn't that much performance difference between the it and the 3570k and also I heared produces less heat than the newer model) which would probably be better for me (I don't want to take too many risks with this PC it being that it's my first.) Ideally I'd like a processor with good performance but is safe and dependable heat emission-wise.

Also do the i7 processors offer any advantage over the i5 for gaming, just wondering?

(sorry for the double post by the way.)

 

[keynes]

I5-3570+ triple copper heatpipe CPU cooler, at stock clock speed you wouldn't have any issues with temperatures. I7 will be more beneficial for more CPU intensive tasks.

 

[Grinder]

The 2500k is less efficient but will oc cooler .
The 3550 runs cooler but will get hotter quicker when you start to oc.

 

[lewadd]

^ Ah right, the latter one is the one for me then given that I don't plan on Over-clocking.