Maximum PC

I am totally replacing my old rig (as it is 3y old), and only keeping monitor/mouse/keyboard/audio.

I plan to use new computer for mostly gaming with light content creation sporadically. I am looking to spend around ~$1000, but can go slightly higher as needed. I initially based most of the ideas off of the "sweet spot pc" article maxpc put out while ago, but since then Ivy has dropped and I'm less sure how that effects everything. I've head some say it overclocks poorly because of bad solder/thermal paste, while many others report its faster clock for clock. Honestly I don't plan to overclock (or crossfire) anything initially, but room to do either/both would be nice down the road. I'm also striving for decreased noise (thus the case), but am not interested in water cooling currently.

Parts I'm firm on:
Case - fractal r3 (already bought for a nice price several months ago)
GPU - sapphire 7950 OC (dual fan model) ~$350
Ram - have 16gig (4x4) ripjaw 1600's left over i'd like to use unless newer system needs/benefits from faster?

Unsure:
Proc - i5 ivy or an i5 sandy ~$200
Mobo - prefer newer chipset and will allow crossfire down the way ~$ ???
PSU - ??? which is prefered now? heard sea sonic alot, but several others as well
SSD - ??? (thinking 120-256, where good price point is now) ~$ ???
HDD - 3tb Seagate barracuda ~$150
OS - Win7 home premium (norm would go OEM, but i've head its problematic if you upgrade or reinstall now?) ~$100+


Well any help would be appreciated. I had the idea planned out several months ago, but just haven't kept fresh on how Ivy impacted my original plan. I'm also SSD newbie, but since I never sleep/idle my computer that means I need constant garbage collection.... i think?

Thanks

Definitely go with Ivy Bridge. It is clock for clock, about 10% faster. It also uses less power.
The PSU, just go with a quality brand, Corsair or Sea Sonic are good in my experience. I would also say go modular. The space saved from not having the extra cables is worth it.
I purchased an OEM copy of Windows 7 a few weeks ago, and got a new processor a few days ago. Windows has a Reactivation Policy that the only part requiring a reinstall seems to be the Motherboard.

Also, with that massive 3tb drive, a 120gb ssd should be fine. I managed to get a new Vertex 3 120gb for $100, although prices change.

There is few benefits from higher speed memory, unless using integrated graphics.

Someone else should be able to help with choosing a motherboard. The Z77 chipset is the way to go for Ivy Bridge, make sure your motherboard has that. Sorry about the messy reply. I basically answered in order of my personal experience.

The only caveat with this is if you don't have dedicated plugs for graphics cards (i.e., the PCI-E cable only plugs into certain plugs), then you have to be aware of where you're plugging. I've ran into issues where I was more or less overloading a rail and I killed the power supply.

That's why I said Corsair would be a good bet. I personally have the 650 watt TX version myself. It has dedicated plugs for graphics cards and a single rail, so you can't overload it by plugging stuff into the wrong rails.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/d18K

Just slightly off budget @ $1,034.79

Seasonic is a great brand, but you might want to try OCZ, like this 700W PSU. It's quite a bit less and has enough power.
And why would you want 3TB? I'm asking because that is a ton of money for someone that is gaming. HDDs are cheaper than they used to be about a year ago, but I suggest getting a 2TB for about $100 and put the money into other components. If you need more storage later, hopefully you can get a better deal later.

And I'm saving you all this cash because I suggest bumping up the SSD to 240GB. You mainly experience the benefit of the SSD at startup and when you launch programs. If you plan on gaming, then you'll want to put as many games as possible on your SSD. I know from experience that 120GB fills up quickly, meaning you'll have to constantly swap out games. With 240, you get more room; with the prices dropping, I think the new sweet spot is at this capacity.

Personally, I've bought 2 Agility 3 240GB and these offer excellent performance for the price.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the quick help!

Got it almost all narrowed down now, just asking some input on final motherboard choice.

While a nice asus ATX board was recommended, i've used some "full fledged" mATX boards before and successfully saved some $ and still had a nice produce. In that vein of thought I narrowed it down to these 2 boards:
Mobo 1: MSI Z77MA-G45 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130647) -$115 (99 with rebate)
mobo 2: ASUS P8Z77-M LGA 1155 Intel Z77 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813131832) -$129 [both mATX]

They seem both equally full equiped with 2x PCI-6 slots, onboard raid, voltage controls, usb 3 slots, etc etc. While the ports would allow it, would crossfired 7950's be possible down the road on both (or only ATX)? If its possible on well equiped mATX's, then anything to distinguish the 2 besides brand/price?
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Rest of system is looking like this: which is about what I wanted and near budget goals

CPU: ivybridge i5-3570k (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819116504) -$215 [needs code for price, expires 8/2]
GPU: Sapphire 7950OC dual-x cooler (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814102991) -$350
PSU: SeaSonic M12II 750 SS-750AM 750W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817151107) - $102 [needs code for price, expires 26th]
HDD: Seagate 3tb barracuda (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822148844) -$150
SSD: Intel 330 maplecrest 120gb sataIII SSD (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820167121) -$100
Win7 home pro: $99
DVD: Asus 24x DVD burner black - $16
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total: $1,159

Already obtained/using
Case: Fractal refine R3 black
Ram: PC 1600 Ripjaws, 4x4gig=16gig

*EDIT* Just saw post above me
HDD well I have a ton of files already, I keep my movie and music collection on my primary computer and it serves as a mediaserver throughout home when I'm not gaming etc, I'll likely need MORE HDD space later (I did forget to mention though). Its $10 either way on the PSU, but I DO like the SSD suggestion. Its $70 more, which i may not have right now, but double size is a NICE bang for buck. If I can come up with a bit more I think I'll change to it.

Not sure why you are firm on that 7950, for 50$ more you can grab a GTX 670 which is way more powerful, and AMD drivers are pretty terrible (I have a 5870 and I have to use 10.7 drivers or I lose about 50 fps in all games).

For the MOBO, either one will be fine, just pick the one that has the number of inputs you need (SATA III, USB 3.0). ASUS is considered the top MOBO manufacturer at the moment, so you can't go wrong with them. The rest of your build looks solid.