Building A Gaming PC: Several Questions.

I am looking to build a gaming PC which will be able to play upcoming games such as Battlefield 3, Elder Scrolls: Skryim, Guild Wars 2 etc smoothly on relatively high settings. I've come up with the following list of hardware that I need to buy.


- OS: Windows 7

- 22" HD Monitor: (http://www.ebuyer.com/241902-lg-e2260v-pn-full-hd-wled-lcd-21-5-hdmi-monitor-e2260v-pn)

- Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V PRO Z68 Socket 1155 ATX (http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68V_PRO/)

- Video Card: 1.25gb Nvidia GeForce GTX 570 (http://www.nvidia.com/object/product-geforce-gtx-570-us.html)

- CPU: 3.30Ghz Intel Core i5-2500K (http://ark.intel.com/products/52210)

- Ram: 6-8gb DDR 3 (Unsure of which Mhz to get yet)


I have several questions though:


1) First of all, does everything look as if it'll work OK with each other? I did some research beforehand, but if anything looks out of place, will you please let me know.

2) Would it be worth getting 8gb of RAM over 6gb, or will I not notice that much of a performance increase (gaming wise)?

3) I read in several places that 32 bit Windows doesn't recognise more than 3.5gb of ram, so does that mean I'll have to get a 64 bit version of Windows if I want to install 6-8gb of RAM? Also, have you any idea what Mhz of RAM I should be looking to get? The motherboard I chose supports: 4 x DIMM, max. 32GB, DDR3 2200(O.C.)*/2133(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066 MHz.

4) I already have a PC, which I'll be stripping & selling on eBay to help fund this. I'll be keeping a couple things though. The PC has a 'Thermaltake Toughpower 750w' PSU which is still working, and was wondering if that would be sufficient enough to power everything in my new PC?

5) Finally, how does it look gaming wise? Will it hold up decently enough for a couple of years?


Thank you very much, I'd greatly appreciate any help I can get.

 

1. Everything looks compatible. My only thought would be to spend a little extra and upgrade to a 24" monitor (the URL link doesn't seem to work, so just search "Hanns G 24" on the same website). Hanns G is a decent brand - have used several here in The States for IT setups; good color quality and no RMAs to date.

2. DDR 3 is so cheap now, spring for 8GB if using a 64-bit OS (see next answer). The board specs state anything over 1600 has to be overclocked - sometimes problematic when it comes to glitches and BSODs. I'd be safe and stick with 1600 off ASUS' qualified vendor list (QVL) for this model.

3. For the PC to recognize/use anything over 4GB of memory you must be using a 64-bit OS. If you decide to stick with your current 32-bit license, buy only 4GB (2x2GB) for now; add additional memory if/when you upgrade to a 64-bit OS.

The board specs state anything over 1600 has to be overclocked - sometimes problematic when it comes to glitches and BSODs. I'd be safe and stick with 1600 off ASUS' qualified vendor list (QVL) for this model.

4. 750 watts should be fine. The only "if" is the age of the power supply: If it is over 3-4 years old, I'd consider a new one.

If I looked at the board correctly, I believe it has no IDE hookups. All the drives you plan on using will have to be SATA.

5. I'm more of a graphic design person versus being a gamer. Although this will be an incredibly fast system, I'll leave this answer to those with gaming experience.

Hope this helps.

 

That is a dual channel motherboard so your RAM needs to be installed in pairs for optimal performance - meaning, go for 8Gb with 2 x 4Gb or 4 x 2Gb.

Oh? I'm looking but don't see that anywhere (including the manual I downloaded and read through).

 

I am currently considering upgrading or building a new pc as well. I've been looking at the nvidia 5xx series, too. One thing i've noticed, is that the power requirements have changed since my purchase of the 8800gt (what else is new? )
the power supply has to have a minimum of 30amps on a single 12v rail. my older (but still very capable) 650w psu wont suffice for a new card. I'm not too sure how your's works. A quick google search shows that it can handle a combined load of up to 60 amps on 4 rails. I don't know exactly what that means.

Doesn't the O.C. in the description stand for Over Clocked?

4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066 Hz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
Dual Channel Memory Architecture

 

Much appreciated guys. Thanks for answering all my questions