Advice on a gaming/family computer

Hi all, am looking for some advice. Pasted below a configuration that I'm considering. Thanks for any thoughts you can share.

Specific questions/concerns:
1. SSD - I am leaning toward an SSD for the OS and frequently used apps, plus HDD for regular file storage. Is SSD worth the (significant) extra $?

2. Motherboard - I'm struggling to select one. I probably will never have dual video cards, but am interested in USB 3.0 support/connections (for future 3.0-compatible external hard drives). I expect that eventually I'll upgrade to 16GB of RAM, but 32 GB is possible but iffy.  For my purposes I think the ASUS P8Z68-M PRO is perfectly OK. But I'm willing to spring the extra $ if the P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 is significantly better for my needs.

3. CPU - Reading around, it looks to me like the Intel Core i3 2100 3.10GHz (Dual Core) would be sufficient.  Does the quad core in the i5 make a huge difference in gaming or video editing?  If so I'm willing to spring for it, but would rather save myself $75-115 if it's overkill for my needs.

4. OS - What's the real scoop on running XP games in Win7?  I hear conflicting info on the web. Some say XP mode in 7 Pro/Ultimate is fine; others say it's not fine for gaming and I should plan on two drives and dual boot (which I really really don't want to have to do).  I want to be sure I can play at least a good number of my old XP games. Thanks to parenthood, I only invest in a new game 1-2 times a year now; instead I mostly replay old ones (easy to squeeze in just a couple of hours at naptime or after kids' bedtime) -- the GTA series, Thief, MOH, NOLF, Crysis, even Deus Ex. I'm almost exclusively a solo (not online/MP) gamer.

5. Power source - the configurator pretty much limits me to a minimum of 800 watts, which is probably more than I need.  But I'm stuck with the epoch line (which seems to not go below 800w if I choose Intel CPU) mostly because of case size - I hate to enclose my PC in a small space, but since it's in a public room, that's life (DS seems to install more fans than, say, Dell, so hopefully cooling won't be an issue). I'm guessing 500-600 watts is perfectly fine if I can downgrade somehow.

A few notables:
- I want to be able to play the newest single-player, FPS games. But I don't want to bother with dual graphics cards and probably won't be heartbroken if I cannot run every game that comes out this decade at its max settings.  But games for the next 5+ years do need to be nicely playable.

- This is the family computer, sitting in the LR.  So yes I use it for gaming, but that's not its only purpose.  My wife also does some video editing of home movies on it and it's connected to the HD TV (thus the blueray player option).
It's replacing a Gateway 840GM (pentium D 830 / 3.0 GHZ) with nVidia GeForce 9600 GT, 2GB RAM, running XP media center ed. Not perfect, but has been perfectly sufficient. New-ish games (like GTAIV) don't have super performance, but are playable.  I probably could install Win 7 and get a couple more years out of it, but since Windows just died and all I had was a really old restore disk, I figure I'd might as well just replace it now rather than set everything up again in a year or two. It was hitting the low end of performance acceptability for newer games, anyway.

- It's replacing a computer that is 7 years old, and I expect a similar lifespan from a new computer.  I usually add RAM, maybe an additional hard drive, and upgrade the video card a couple of times over the life of my PCs, but want the motherboard, CPU, power source, etc. to be good enough to last.  I CAN work inside the case, but am always nervous doing it.  I know enough to follow steps 1-2-3 in the instruction booklets, but not enough to fix unforeseen problems or conflicts.

- I don't have a set budget but am looking in the $1200-$1700 range (no peripherals are needed). I'd rather save a few bucks to sock into college funds, but I'll spend at the high end if it means a computer that will last another few years over one on the low end.

Build I'm considering:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Carbide 300R
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i3 2100 3.10GHz (Dual Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-M PRO (Intel Z68 Chipset) (Features Intel Quick Sync Technology)
System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 800W Corsair GS (Dual SLI Compatible)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (500GB Seagate Barracuda (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: Force GT Series CSSD-F120GBGT-BK) (SATA 6Gbps)
Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader (Burn + Play Blu-Ray & DVDs) (12x BD-R) (LG WH12LS39)
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB (PhysX Technology) (Overclocked EVGA 01G-P3-1563-BR)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Corsair A50 120mm Fan High Performance Cooler
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition)



Edited by usher - 08 Apr 2012 at 10:21am

But on a second thought, how about you get the ODE 1, that totally beats your budget AND is a better build pretty much


http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadode.asp?id=571777

You get the i72600k - great CPU
600w PSU (from corsair) which you were thinking about
NON pro motherboard, but in your situation, you may not need it if push comes to shove
Corsair ram with heat dispersion
500 WD HD (you will need to add SSD later)
GTX570 vid card (better than the 560 TI)
same air cooling as your build
INTERNAL LIGHTING SYSTEM!!!!
AND overclock level 1 for you !!!

you should consider it!!

HI all. Thanks for the great feedback.  I probably should have specifically mentioned my size limitations.  I am putting this in a cabinet (I know, I know, really unhappy but that's my lot in life), since it's in the living room. My cabinet's PC area has room for a case that's at most 19D x 18H x 9.5 W.  The ODE 1 case didn't fit in my space.  That's actually why I ended up with the Epoch, which seems to be the only one that will fit (though barely).  And why I'm not bothering with a case that has USB/headphone or other connectors on the top.

-  Great idea about installing the blue-ray myself. Should be very do-able and save me a few $.

- Thanks for the tip about using the expert mode. I'd tried it once before but it crashed Firefox. I'll try on Chrome and see if I can tweak a little more (like the power supply and maybe the case) based on your suggestions.

- Good ideas about graphics cards. The contrasting advice is actually helping me think through whether I want to spend the $ now or will be OK with a bit less performance in the near term.

- I think I'm still leaning toward SSD. I *hate* messing with the OS/drives/setup and would rather not deal with changing my primary from an HDD to SSD later. I'm just not that experienced and messing with that stuff scares me. Plus since this thing is the hub of home entertainment at my house, quick startup of OS and frequent apps would make everyone really happy.

Can't wait to plug in all your build suggestions and compare them closely. Thanks!


Edited by usher - 08 Apr 2012 at 12:39pm

Hi Frank.

Great advice.  Airflow is definitely a concern and your point about a side fan is totally fair.  I've partly mitigated the problem (which I have with my current machine, too) by sawing a large hole in the cabinet's back, and always leaving the front of the cabinet open when my PC is powered on.  But maybe what I need is a case that blows air only toward the back, not out the side.  The cabinet size is why I've been looking (mostly unsuccessfully) for a case that does not completely fill the space.

Unfortunately I can't afford to replace the cabinet, and I dare not leave the PC sitting outside it on the floor (twin toddlers play havoc with expensive components not tucked away -- just ask the old VHS that had 3 CDs stuffed into it recently -- "So *that's* where Winnie the Pooh disappeared to last week").  A possible but undesirable option would be to buy or construct a small table to sit the PC under, to the side of the cabinet, and screw it to the wall so the kids couldn't move it, and to put some kind of mesh door on the front and mesh on the sides, to discourage curiosity but maintain airflow.  Definitely would not be attractive in the space but it would be better than ruining a $1700 machine.



Edited by usher - 08 Apr 2012 at 3:14pm