Maximum PC

It's been a while since I've built a system and I'd like some feedback on my proposed gaming system upgrade.

Case - Corsair CC600TWM-WHT Special Edition Graphite Series 600T Mid Tower
MB - ASUS P9X79 PRO
CPU - Intel Core i7-3820
CPU Cooler - Corsair Hydro Series H100 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
RAM - CORSAIR Vengeance 32GB (8 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
VC - XFX Double D Black Edition Radeon HD 7950 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16
HD - Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s


My main questions are:
Is there really any point to 32Gb of RAM? Would 8GB be enough for gaming for the immediate future?
I'm a bit concerned about spacing in the case for that MB and the H100 cooler. Has anyone used this particular combo?

I appreciate you guys chiming in on this!

There's no point going beyond 8GB. For all intents and purposes, all games are 32-bit programs still. And it's safe to say that, due to how 64-bit Windows allocations available memory to userland programs, all games have a 2GB limit before they claim "out of memory!". Only a few games have exceptions to this where the full 4GB is available (I believe Skyrim does now, and Oblivion can with an unofficial fix), but this isn't something you can switch on, the executable has to be compiled with this.

So 8GB is the most you'll ever need as far as gaming is concerned, until developers get off their rear and make 64-bit executables. If you're a heavy multitasker however, and depending on what else you use, you might be able to get away with more than 8GB.


I haven't used it, but it looks like the radiator was designed to take two 120mm fan mounts side by side.

You would be better off with Ivy Bridge.

In regards to your question about the case, it is about an inch longer than my Cooler Master HAF 922, and that radiator will not fit in my case.

I suggest you go somewhere that has that case, Micro Center, or somewhere else, bring a tape measure with you and measure the inside of the case at the top. Those drive bays may be in the way, and/or the rear fan removed and placed on the outside [if possible] - get a fan grille if you do that.

And, if this is going to be a gaming rig, I agree that Ivy Bridge would do better for you, actually, many benchmarks show Ivy Bridge winning over your choice of CPU.

An Intel Core i5-3570K would be a very good choice if you overclock or not and a motherboard with at least 8 phase CPU [mosfits to share the load to keep them cooler]. When you find a motherboard, sometimes 12 phase or higher will be listed on the box, however, 8 phase seldom is, but is fine for overclocking Ivy Bridge.

If you want to pay more money a Intel Core i7-3770K can be used.

Compare prices at NewEgg to Micro Center, if you have one near you for Ivy Bridge prices: http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.phtml?sortby=pricelow&N=4294966995%2B4294930330%2B4294922744