Gaming Will this config make a good gaming rig?

[alphaspunk]

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 69.7 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P67X-UD3-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1GB Video Card ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Apevia 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($34.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $621.92

I have selected these parts hoping that I can run the games to be released in the next 12 months with max graphics.
Can I get anything better than this below the total price of of this config...?
Thanking in advance...!

 

[DiscostewSM]

I would say your video card listed there is going to hold you back from your dream of max settings for games coming out within the next year.

On another note, I noticed you're choosing 1333Mhz speed RAM, even though the MB you selected can go up to 2133Mhz.

 

[KingBlank]

over the next 2 or so years graphic requirements will be hugely increased with next gen consoles being released.
i have a 560 ti and can max out all my games but battle field 2 crashes (can be fixed with certain drivers).
you may want SLI or if you dont want to risk that, get a better GPU.

 

[ZAFDeltaForce]

Your graphic card is going to bottleneck your rig. Swap it out for a HD6970 2GB or a GTX570.

I'd recommend investing in a small SSD for your OS on top of your 2TB drive. It makes boot times lightning fast

Oh, and if you don't plan to overclock, ditch the CPU cooler. The stock cooler will work just fine.

 

[alphaspunk]

I would say your video card listed there is going to hold you back from your dream of max settings for games coming out within the next year.

On another note, I noticed you're choosing 1333Mhz speed RAM, even though the MB you selected can go up to 2133Mhz.

So in that case I shud go for an 8GB 2133Mhz speed RAM...Thanks buddy...Can u name some good GPUs to replace the one I selected?

over the next 2 or so years graphic requirements will be hugely increased with next gen consoles being released.
i have that graphics card and i can max out all my games but battle field 2 crashes (can be fixed with certain drivers).
you may want SLI or if you dont want to risk that, get a better GPU.

The Motherboard I picked is SLI compatible... But still which one do u think is the best GPU under $130...?

Your graphic card is going to bottleneck your rig. Swap it out for a HD6970 2GB or a GTX570.

I'd recommend investing in a small SSD for your OS on top of your 2TB drive. It makes boot times lightning fast

Oh, and if you don't plan to overclock, ditch the CPU cooler. The stock cooler will work just fine.

Thanks mate u really did help a lot... What shud be the minimum SSD size I shud go for...?

 

[ZAFDeltaForce]

Your graphic card is going to bottleneck your rig. Swap it out for a HD6970 2GB or a GTX570.

I'd recommend investing in a small SSD for your OS on top of your 2TB drive. It makes boot times lightning fast

Oh, and if you don't plan to overclock, ditch the CPU cooler. The stock cooler will work just fine.

Thanks mate u really did help a lot... What shud be the minimum SSD size I shud go for...?

Depends on your OS really.

Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit (Something I highly recommend if you're going for gaming) needs a minimum of 20GB. I'd get a 30ish GB SSD just for the OS alone.

Oh, and it is very important you pick a 64bit operating system, as 32bit OSs will only recognise up to 4GB of RAM (Rendering your 8GB of RAM useless)

An additional tip, don't bother too much with SLI or CrossFire, I'd rather get a GTX590 or a HD6990 as they have dual cores. If I recall, using 2 way SLI or CrossFire will cause synchronising problems or something. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Something I forgot to mention, I just realised you're getting an i5 2500K, where the "K" means the processor is unlocked. Save yourself some money by picking a non "K" processor (Like an i5-2500), as unlocked processors are only useful for some hardcore overclocking and are generally more expensive.
Now I'm just assuming you won't be overclocking. If you are however, stick with the 2500K and invest in a good liquid cooling system. Shit's gonna get real.


If anyone thinks I'm talking shit, feel free to correct me. Peace

 

[Originality]

Seriously?

Ok, I'll start with graphics. As mentioned, the 550 will be the bottleneck. Get a 560 Ti or better. Gaming entirely depends on your graphics (ok, and a lil on your processor). Do not consider multi-GPU graphics for gaming because microstuttering. This applies to the 6990 and GTX 590 too. Just get a good single graphics card.

Next, RAM. The CPU can only handle 1333Mhz. People get 1600Mhz because when.you overclock, it reduces your RAM speed. Going higher gives no performance gain.

For drives, you need a fast boot drive and a big storage drive. If you get a SSD, minimum 60GB, preferably 90GB or more. If you don't get a SSD, get a 500-1TB drive from EITHER Western Digital or Samsung. Caviar Black or Spinpoint F3. For storage, get a 2TB WD Caviar Green. Never get Seagate, they are prone to failure in the first year.

For cooling, the stock cooler is fine, but third party coolers are cooler and quieter. Your choice. Make sure your case has at least one intake and exhaust fan though, or your graphics card will cook the insides like an oven.

I'll give more specific help when I get home, since typing long posts on a smartphone is a bit.......

 

[alphaspunk]

Your graphic card is going to bottleneck your rig. Swap it out for a HD6970 2GB or a GTX570.

I'd recommend investing in a small SSD for your OS on top of your 2TB drive. It makes boot times lightning fast

Oh, and if you don't plan to overclock, ditch the CPU cooler. The stock cooler will work just fine.

I came up with this in the end...
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.33 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P67X-UD3-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $704.27

Let me know whether the PSU is good enough to handle the PC and whether the new GPU I have selected is good enough to satisfy my needs...

 

[Originality]

You haven't mentioned what case you are getting. Or listed a DVD drive.

 

[alphaspunk]

Your graphic card is going to bottleneck your rig. Swap it out for a HD6970 2GB or a GTX570.

I'd recommend investing in a small SSD for your OS on top of your 2TB drive. It makes boot times lightning fast

Oh, and if you don't plan to overclock, ditch the CPU cooler. The stock cooler will work just fine.

Thanks mate u really did help a lot... What shud be the minimum SSD size I shud go for...?

Depends on your OS really.

Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit (Something I highly recommend if you're going for gaming) needs a minimum of 20GB. I'd get a 30ish GB SSD just for the OS alone.

Oh, and it is very important you pick a 64bit operating system, as 32bit OSs will only recognise up to 4GB of RAM (Rendering your 8GB of RAM useless)

An additional tip, don't bother too much with SLI or CrossFire, I'd rather get a GTX590 or a HD6990 as they have dual cores. If I recall, using 2 way SLI or CrossFire will cause synchronising problems or something. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Something I forgot to mention, I just realised you're getting an i5 2500K, where the "K" means the processor is unlocked. Save yourself some money by picking a non "K" processor (Like an i5-2500), as unlocked processors are only useful for some hardcore overclocking and are generally more expensive.
Now I'm just assuming you won't be overclocking. If you are however, stick with the 2500K and invest in a good liquid cooling system. Shit's gonna get real.


If anyone thinks I'm talking shit, feel free to correct me. Peace

Seriously?

Ok, I'll start with graphics. As mentioned, the 550 will be the bottleneck. Get a 560 Ti or better. Gaming entirely depends on your graphics (ok, and a lil on your processor). Do not consider multi-GPU graphics for gaming because microstuttering. This applies to the 6990 and GTX 590 too. Just get a good single graphics card.

Next, RAM. The CPU can only handle 1333Mhz. People get 1600Mhz because when.you overclock, it reduces your RAM speed. Going higher gives no performance gain.

For drives, you need a fast boot drive and a big storage drive. If you get a SSD, minimum 60GB, preferably 90GB or more. If you don't get a SSD, get a 500-1TB drive from EITHER Western Digital or Samsung. Caviar Black or Spinpoint F3. For storage, get a 2TB WD Caviar Green. Never get Seagate, they are prone to failure in the first year.

For cooling, the stock cooler is fine, but third party coolers are cooler and quieter. Your choice. Make sure your case has at least one intake and exhaust fan though, or your graphics card will cook the insides like an oven.

I'll give more specific help when I get home, since typing long posts on a smartphone is a bit.......

Finally Came Up with this...

Thanks Originality and ZAFDeltaForce ur suggestions helped a lot...!!!

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter) (Not goin to overclock but the locked version i5-2500 is no cheaper)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.33 @ NCIX US) (This one must do the job as I am not goin to overclock)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P67X-UD3-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg) (Kindly let me know whether this is a good choice or not)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($36.99 @ NCIX US) (Considering that I don't need a RAM with 2133Mhz of speed as I am not goin to overclock)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($134.99 @ SuperBiiz) (Don't have issues with booting speed so I am not considering a SSD right now)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg) (After many suggestions...Let me know whether this GPU will do the trick... Hope it doesn't bottleneck my pc anymore...)
Power Supply: XFX 550W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $686.27

---

 

[Pyrmon]

Finally Came Up with this...

Thanks Originality and ZAFDeltaForce ur suggestions helped a lot...!!!

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter) (Not goin to overclock but the locked version i5-2500 is no cheaper)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.33 @ NCIX US) (This one must do the job as I am not goin to overclock)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P67X-UD3-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg) (Kindly let me know whether this is a good choice or not)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($36.99 @ NCIX US) (Considering that I don't need a RAM with 2133Mhz of speed as I am not goin to overclock)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($134.99 @ SuperBiiz) (Don't have issues with booting speed so I am not considering a SSD right now)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg) (After many suggestions...Let me know whether this GPU will do the trick)
Power Supply: XFX 550W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)

This seems pretty good. But if you aren't going to overclock, the aftermarket HSF might be a little overkill. Don't get me wrong, temps will be much lower, but the stock cooler is made to handle the stock clock speed and should keep the CPU temperature well below critical point. And that 30$ you'd save would go to a better PSU. One with more wattage and good reviews. Wouldn't want the thing to explode and screw up your system, now would we? Plus with a higher wattage, you'll be able to upgrade it with no problem in the future.
For the GFX, the 6870 is a pretty solid choice. But, again, don't know much about XFX. I usually go with ASUS, Sapphire, or MSI cards. But that's just me. If it got good reviews then go for it.

 

[alphaspunk]

Finally Came Up with this...

Thanks Originality and ZAFDeltaForce ur suggestions helped a lot...!!!

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter) (Not goin to overclock but the locked version i5-2500 is no cheaper)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.33 @ NCIX US) (This one must do the job as I am not goin to overclock)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P67X-UD3-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg) (Kindly let me know whether this is a good choice or not)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($36.99 @ NCIX US) (Considering that I don't need a RAM with 2133Mhz of speed as I am not goin to overclock)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($134.99 @ SuperBiiz) (Don't have issues with booting speed so I am not considering a SSD right now)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg) (After many suggestions...Let me know whether this GPU will do the trick)
Power Supply: XFX 550W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)

This seems pretty good. But if you aren't going to overclock, the aftermarket HSF might be a little overkill. Don't get me wrong, temps will be much lower, but the stock cooler is made to handle the stock clock speed and should keep the CPU temperature well below critical point. And that 30$ you'd save would go to a better PSU. One with more wattage and good reviews. Wouldn't want the thing to explode and screw up your system, now would we? Plus with a higher wattage, you'll be able to upgrade it with no problem in the future.
For the GFX, the 6870 is a pretty solid choice. But, again, don't know much about XFX. I usually go with ASUS, Sapphire, or MSI cards. But that's just me. If it got good reviews then go for it.

Kindly Suggest a PSU and a Cooler...

 

[Pyrmon]

Finally Came Up with this...

Thanks Originality and ZAFDeltaForce ur suggestions helped a lot...!!!

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter) (Not goin to overclock but the locked version i5-2500 is no cheaper)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.33 @ NCIX US) (This one must do the job as I am not goin to overclock)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P67X-UD3-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg) (Kindly let me know whether this is a good choice or not)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($36.99 @ NCIX US) (Considering that I don't need a RAM with 2133Mhz of speed as I am not goin to overclock)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($134.99 @ SuperBiiz) (Don't have issues with booting speed so I am not considering a SSD right now)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg) (After many suggestions...Let me know whether this GPU will do the trick)
Power Supply: XFX 550W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)

This seems pretty good. But if you aren't going to overclock, the aftermarket HSF might be a little overkill. Don't get me wrong, temps will be much lower, but the stock cooler is made to handle the stock clock speed and should keep the CPU temperature well below critical point. And that 30$ you'd save would go to a better PSU. One with more wattage and good reviews. Wouldn't want the thing to explode and screw up your system, now would we? Plus with a higher wattage, you'll be able to upgrade it with no problem in the future.
For the GFX, the 6870 is a pretty solid choice. But, again, don't know much about XFX. I usually go with ASUS, Sapphire, or MSI cards. But that's just me. If it got good reviews then go for it.

Kindly Suggest a PSU and a Cooler...

Cooler: Normally, if you buy the retail version of the CPU, it comes with a cooler. Referred to as "stock cooler".
PSU:
http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/part/ocz-power-supply-ocz550fty
----------Altough it may not be better in wattage, this thing is modular and good quality.
http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/part/ocz-power-supply-ocz700mxsp
---------700w should get you going for a while.
http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/part/ocz-power-supply-ocz750fty
--------That's the PSU that's in the new rig I just ordered. Modular, red and black theme with lights, good reviews and 750w.

 

[ZAFDeltaForce]

Finally Came Up with this...

Thanks Originality and ZAFDeltaForce ur suggestions helped a lot...!!!

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter) (Not goin to overclock but the locked version i5-2500 is no cheaper)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.33 @ NCIX US) (This one must do the job as I am not goin to overclock)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P67X-UD3-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg) (Kindly let me know whether this is a good choice or not)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($36.99 @ NCIX US) (Considering that I don't need a RAM with 2133Mhz of speed as I am not goin to overclock)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($134.99 @ SuperBiiz) (Don't have issues with booting speed so I am not considering a SSD right now)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg) (After many suggestions...Let me know whether this GPU will do the trick)
Power Supply: XFX 550W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)

Your PSU will be fine. I personally use a 650W with a Core i5-2320 and HD6970, but as long as you're not overclocking, you should be fine.

I have no idea about that HD6870 though, but this might help clear things up for you. I use a HD6970 myself. Price was a little steep, but my rig clocked an average of 50FPS on Skyrim (Max settings) and I never looked back.

I back your decision about ditching that SSD. The cost doesn't really justify the means, yet at least.

Oh and you don't need to buy an aftermarket cooler. The cooler that comes with your processor will work just fine, so you can save yourself the $29.33 on beer or something.

As far as I'm concern, you're good to go. You might want to downgrade that WD Black Caviar for a recent WD Blue Caviar, as the new Blue Caviars perform quite competively next to their Black Caviar brothers but at lower cost. The money saved could bring you that tasty HD6970 with 2GB of GDDR5 RAM, but that's just me

Otherwise, what're you waiting for? Hit that order button and prepare some recent games (Crysis 2, Skyrim, RAGE) for a benchmark test

---

 

[alphaspunk]

Finally Came Up with this...

Thanks Originality and ZAFDeltaForce ur suggestions helped a lot...!!!

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter) (Not goin to overclock but the locked version i5-2500 is no cheaper)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.33 @ NCIX US) (This one must do the job as I am not goin to overclock)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P67X-UD3-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg) (Kindly let me know whether this is a good choice or not)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($36.99 @ NCIX US) (Considering that I don't need a RAM with 2133Mhz of speed as I am not goin to overclock)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($134.99 @ SuperBiiz) (Don't have issues with booting speed so I am not considering a SSD right now)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg) (After many suggestions...Let me know whether this GPU will do the trick)
Power Supply: XFX 550W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)

Your PSU will be fine. I personally use a 650W with a Core i5-2320 and HD6970, but as long as you're not overclocking, you should be fine.

I have no idea about that HD6870 though, but this might help clear things up for you. I use a HD6970 myself. Price was a little steep, but my rig clocked an average of 50FPS on Skyrim (Max settings) and I never looked back.

I back your decision about ditching that SSD. The cost doesn't really justify the means, yet at least.

Oh and you don't need to buy an aftermarket cooler. The cooler that comes with your processor will work just fine, so you can save yourself the $29.33 on beer or something.

As far as I'm concern, you're good to go. You might want to downgrade that WD Black Caviar for a recent WD Blue Caviar, as the new Blue Caviars perform quite competively next to their Black Caviar brothers but at lower cost. The money saved could bring you that tasty HD6970 with 2GB of GDDR5 RAM, but that's just me

Otherwise, what're you waiting for? Hit that order button and prepare some recent games (Crysis 2, Skyrim, RAGE) for a benchmark test

---

 

[Originality]

Could've sworn microstuttering would be reduced with a single dual-core card though. Oh well

Single GPU (or graphics card), no problem. Dual-GPU (either via CF/SLI or with two GPUs on the same PCB, such as the HD 6990 or GTX 590), bad microstuttering. Triple-GPU, mild microstuttering. It's the third GPU that makes it better.

Oh and you don't need to buy an aftermarket cooler. The cooler that comes with your processor will work just fine, so you can save yourself the $29.33 on beer or something.

As I said, he might not need an after-market cooler (the stock cooler is adequate, but noisy), but getting one makes the system cooler and quieter. For those who don't care about overclocking, I typically recommend an Arctic Freezer 7 or 13, simply because they're cheap.

For the graphics card, anything from the HD 68xx or 77xx or higher is good, as is anything from GTX 560 Ti or higher (GTX 6 series will be out soon, as benchmarks have already been revealed). Put as much money as you can into the graphics card, because that's what makes games (modern and future ones) play smoothly. The more you spend (up to a point... I'd never consider the HD 7970 or GTX 580 for now), the longer it will last you.

For the motherboard, it is a good choice. Personally in the P67 series I always recommend the MSI P67A GD53 because it runs much cooler, although the Asus Sabertooth P67 does achieve the best performance from games at stock speeds. The best 2 motherboards at the moment are the Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z and Maximus IV Extreme (which is considerably more expensive). I went for the Gene-Z.

Regarding the CPU, there is an additional (if useless) benefit to getting the K series CPU. It has a better graphics core built in (HD 3000 graphics, instead of HD 2000). That is all.

And the power supply... well, XFX and OCZ are roughly at the same mid-ranged quality. Corsair, Antec, Enermax and Tagan are much better brands, but as long as they are known brands and supplies enough wattage (especially on the 12V rail), then that's all that matters.

 

[DjoeN]

Keep the CPU cooler (The cooler the better and we all know once a system runs a few months and collects dust, it runs a bit hotter with the stock cooler then the first 2 months)
Thats why i always blow out my pc with an aircompressor every 2 months

 

[exangel]

Regarding SSD, even though the OP is probably not going to get one, I really want to mention something about them because I've been using SSD for about a year now. (Went from using a 60GB SATA 2 SSD as boot, then reverted to mechanical HDD as boot with my Steam directory & a couple other games on a 120GB SATA III SSD after some testing last summer/fall.)

I often see people suggesting them for a boot drive but I disagree until the prices drop dramatically further. Especially considering the change to boot technology that Windows 8 will introduce.

Boot times aren't important for gaming unless you play competitive multiplayer games and want to be prepared for worst case scenarios of having to reboot in the middle of grouping. But that doesn't mean getting an SSD is useless. It's just that, at the current price per gigabyte, one should consider these things instead:

1. A 7200 RPM mechanical HDD for boot, for most apps, and for basic storage. Partitioning can, of course, be of help for organization. I suggest this especially since boot times will significantly speed up with Windows 8's hiberfile technology, if you're looking at it from the future-proof angle. ("Green" 5400 or 5900 RPM mechanical drives are better for archival/static file storage such as media files and ISO's & they draw less power.)​

2. A 60GB or larger SATA II or SATA III SSD for games installation directory. Depends on how many games you own, and how big they typically are, obviously. But right now I have many of my Steam games installed to a 120GB SATA III SSD, as well as Aion & The Sims 3, and I still have over 22GB free. Installing games such as Skyrim or The Sims 3 which have very noticeable load times -- even on a high end system -- is a far better use of this High-Cost-per-GB medium, than for your OS, which doesn't do much "loading" from disk after having booted.​

3. Consider using RAMdisk software to make a virtual disk dedicated to ReadyBoost; or, if you're willing to do something more advanced, just look into registry editing to increase the Windows 7 file system memory cache (which would bypass the need for the RAMdisk or the use of ReadyBoost).​

 

[alphaspunk]

Regarding SSD, even though the OP is probably not going to get one, I really want to mention something about them because I've been using SSD for about a year now. (Went from using a 60GB SATA 2 SSD as boot, then reverted to mechanical HDD as boot with my Steam directory & a couple other games on a 120GB SATA III SSD after some testing last summer/fall.)

I often see people suggesting them for a boot drive but I disagree until the prices drop dramatically further. Especially considering the change to boot technology that Windows 8 will introduce.

Boot times aren't important for gaming unless you play competitive multiplayer games and want to be prepared for worst case scenarios of having to reboot in the middle of grouping. But that doesn't mean getting an SSD is useless. It's just that, at the current price per gigabyte, one should consider these things instead:

1. A 7200 RPM mechanical HDD for boot, for most apps, and for basic storage. Partitioning can, of course, be of help for organization. I suggest this especially since boot times will significantly speed up with Windows 8's hiberfile technology, if you're looking at it from the future-proof angle. ("Green" 5400 or 5900 RPM mechanical drives are better for archival/static file storage such as media files and ISO's & they draw less power.)​

2. A 60GB or larger SATA II or SATA III SSD for games installation directory. Depends on how many games you own, and how big they typically are, obviously. But right now I have many of my Steam games installed to a 120GB SATA III SSD, as well as Aion & The Sims 3, and I still have over 22GB free. Installing games such as Skyrim or The Sims 3 which have very noticeable load times -- even on a high end system -- is a far better use of this High-Cost-per-GB medium, than for your OS, which doesn't do much "loading" from disk after having booted.​

3. Consider using RAMdisk software to make a virtual disk dedicated to ReadyBoost; or, if you're willing to do something more advanced, just look into registry editing to increase the Windows 7 file system memory cache (which would bypass the need for the RAMdisk or the use of ReadyBoost).​

Yes now I feel to have made the right choice...Have added a WD Black Caviar 7200 RPM 1TB... will consider adding a 5900 RPM HDD for storage.

 

[Splych]

Ivy Bridge. I recommend waiting for the release of Ivy Bridge at least before jumping the gun and getting an i5-2500k. It supposedly has better performance than Sandy Bridge so it must be worth waiting for