First PC build, requesting quick review, questions on overclocking - Hardware & Software

Hey guys, never built a PC from scratch before, so I'm just here to check that I have everything I need, and that everything will work in harmony. I've done my research but it doesn't hurt to check :buddy:. I'm open to suggestions on hardware changes for the sake of saving money or getting more performance though I do have a few requirements. I titled everything, sorry if it seems wanky but I ended up writing more than I thought I would. [b]Uses[/b] This is primarily a workstation for recording music, photoshop work, MATLAB, Hammer and multitasking in general on several large monitors. It will also be used for some gaming, at a minimum I want to be able to run source games maxed at 2560x1600. Most of the games I play are quite old (retro games ftw :buddy:). Running the latest games is not really a priority but would be a nice bonus. Also, I'm dead set on a nVidia GPU. I've had several ATi cards in the past (using one now) and have always had little niggles like problems running older games and problems in Hammer. My nVidia cards have been fine. [b]Overclocking?[/b] Is it worth overclocking the i7 2600? I've been reading that SB CPUs overclock like mad without spending a fortune on cooling, however it seems the 2600K costs $70 more than the 2600, and I can get a H67 mobo for $20 cheaper than a P67. So basically I'm spending $100 extra for the privilege of overclocking. Worth it? [b]Budget[/b] My budget was initially $1000, but they stopped selling the GTS 250 for $89 :v:. All prices are in AUD, and I would prefer to get everything from the same store because I live close enough to pick it up, and it generally seems to be the best priced store in Australia anyway. I'm happy to go over budget by a little as I have here, but this is as far as I can stretch. [code]CPU $399 Intel Core i7 2600K MOBO $159 MSI P67A-C45 Motherboard GPU $159 MSI GeForce GTX 460 Cyclone 768MB Overclocked RAM $118 (2x) Corsair CMX4GX3M1A1333C9 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 PSU $109 Silverstone Strider Plus 600W ST60F-P HDD $69 Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB HD103SJ DVD $29 Lite-On IHAS524 24x DVDRW Super AllWrite CASE $59 Antec Three Hundred Case OTHER $19 (2x) Zalman ZM-F3 120mm Case Fan $1.50 Black Cable Ties (20) $0.50 Felt Case Feet 4-Pack ---------------- TOTAL $1122[/code] CPU [url]http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16416[/url] MOBO [url]http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16439[/url] GPU [url]http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15618[/url] RAM [url]http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15304[/url] PSU [url]http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15349[/url] HDD [url]http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12711[/url] DVD [url]http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15136[/url] CASE [url]http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=6754[/url] FANS [url]http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15465[/url] Assuming everything here will work, is there anything else I'm going to need? I'd like to buy the stuff, drive home and be able to build it straight away basically. Anything like cables, cable ties and stuff that I might need. Thanks in advance.

What general area do you live in? (So we know what stuff you can buy, etc.) Edit: Looks like Australia [editline]10th January 2011[/editline] Do you have an operating system? And if you're getting the i7-2600k, you should definitely overclock. You could probably get to at least 4.0 GHz without additional cooling.

Yes, I live in Australia, and I'd rather keep to stores in Geelong and Melbourne unless there's some ludicrously cheap store out there that would offset the shipping cost. I'm set for software (OS included). As for the question of overclocking, I only ask because I could save $100 by not getting the K version of the 2600 and the P67 mobo. From what I've been reading it's probably worth it though, I was just wondering if anyone had any input.

Bump, I've ordered the i7 2600K, Antec 300 and Spinpoint F3. From a cheaper, closer store. Just looking for someone to come in here and tell me I'm not buying anything stupid :)

I'd say your build looks pretty solid.

Good solid build but I would get a cheaper power supply and maybe get a little more Ram or something special that you wanted because you don't NEED a Silverstone PSU

It's the cheapest modular PSU on the store, with what I think is enough overhead to overclock

[QUOTE=TheGuru;27361656]It's the cheapest modular PSU on the store, with what I think is enough overhead to overclock[/QUOTE] Yes, you will have enough Extra "juice" to overclock