New Gaming/everything Build

[Wiggly Jiggles]

Hello techies!

 

I'm a computer builder/designer, and I want to make myself a gaming PC that will last for some time (throughout Uni at least). Unfortunately I feel like I'd build the wrong kind of PC, as I've NEVER chosen water cooling parts before, I've been given parts to hook up at work, but not really known anything about it.

Basically I would like a PC with a budget of about £2000 (about 3150 CAD; http://bit.ly/11MVxRZ) that can be adequately water cooled (i.e doesn't need RAM cooling or anything silly like that, but CPU/GPU coolers definitely)

Along with the gaming aspect though, I obviously want HDD space. When building a PC for medium storage, I'd go for 2-4 TB in 2 drives HDD and maybe a 128 GB OS SSD. But this time, I want SSD's that can record from FRAPS quickly, but not having the HDD being the slowest part of recording.

I was thinking for my build 2x2 TB Seagate Barracuda and 2x2 240 SSD in RAID 0

 

So here's a list of components I would LIKE, but are too expensive, so my question to you techies is, what parts should I compromise on, and ALSO can anyone help me with pricing to the adequate water cooling components needed for it.

Any comments on changing out parts for others are also REALLY appreciated (I admit I am a very biased builder)

 

Hardware:

CASE: NZXT Phantom Black / Cooler Master HAF X V2 - these are my favourite to build with, I know HAF V2 has good water cooling capabilities

CPU: Intel Core i7 3930K Unlocked - This is one of my favourite cores, but very expensive, would a 3770k be fine for gaming?

PSU: Corsair 800W Gaming PSU - 800W seems to pull in enough volts for what I need

MOBO: Gigabyte GA-X79-UP4 - I like the black theme, but I'd possibly like more USB 3.0 headers

RAM: Corsair 16GB PC3-12800 1600 MHz (4x4GB) - This may be a bad decision to go with the mobo, as it had 8 RAM dims, also what do you guys feel about having 16 GB for gaming? I'd also be editing videos, and Java rendering at Uni

GPU: 2x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 - Not sure if this is overboard, and should go with a single, better GPU, like I said, very biased

Sound: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 - nice and cheap 7.1 surround

WiFi: TL-WDN4800 450 Mbps - To utilise a university's internet speeds, and lack of Ethernet access

SSD: 2x 256GB OCZ Octane - RAID 0 - better SSD ideas please?

HDD: 2x 2TB Seagate Barracuda - No RAID. One for all normal files, and one for storing huge files (gaming videos, films taken from my collection)

Optical Drive: Samsung 24x DVD/CD Re-Writer/Reader - generic DVD drive

Card reader: Icy box 50-in-1 card reader - This is for images taken and uploads, as I'm an avid photographer, as well as my fiancé

Fans: Noctua silent

 

Cooling:

This is chosen by you people if you don't mind

 

Monitors:

I'd like to say I know a lot about monitors, but I don't. My go-to monitors are always either:

BenQ GL2450HM

Samsung S24B300HL

I'd like a dual set-up, on extended display

 

 

Software from the outset:

Windows 8 x64

CyberLink PowerDVD 10

Nero V10 Essentials Suite 2

 

Peripherals:

Keyboard

Something mechanical, I really can't make up my mind. Something like....

Razer Deathstalker

Corsair Vengeance

Steelseries

 

Mouse

Currently, I have a low grade perixx MX1000 iron, which I LOVE, so I don't think I'll go for a new one, but if I do, it might be Razer Naga Hex, League of Legends Edition

Also, I have a Razer Goliathus control edition

 

Speakers

I have some incredibly old Creative speakers, in 2port 3.5pin, but I LOVE them, they won’t change

 

Headset

I have a Creative Fatality, that's getting a bit worn and has a very twisted cable, hints at a cheap, but good alternative would be appreciated

 

 

 

This build currently comes out, around £2,600, without water cooling. This is why I need help on cutting out stuff I don't need. Just to point out, I'm not going for a 4k crysis 3 20fps build, but more of a generic, can play/record most games above 30/40 fps.

What do you guys think of using AMD in this build? I never touch it, but it may be good for the price?

 

This is a very chop/chase build, but I hope it helps in some way to understand me, and I know it’s a lot of work for whoever decides to help me! I really know nothing about water cooling.

 

Thank you for reading until the end and possibly replying!

 

Chris

[Guest]

If you're looking at doing this just for gaming I would seriously look at dropping to a 3570K or if you feel you need it then the 3770K. Games are struggling to utlizise the 4 cores of the 3570K let alone the 6 cores and 12 threads on a 3930K. I would also then drop to a P8Z77-V Pro from Asus. That'll save you money both on the board because you're dropping to the 1155 platform but also because it has onboard WiFi. The speed rating of which only really matters on internal network transfers unless you have 300mbit+ download connection but even then I doubt you'll consume all of the bandwidth.

 

For your GPU situation, SLI'd 670's is one of the best options you can go in my book. However if you're only going to be gaming on a single monitor then I wouldn't really bother with the second GPU though granted they do look pretty boss when SLI'd. Personally I don't mind but be aware that the 670 uses a shorter PCB than most cards so that's just something to think about - it doesn't affect performance, just aesthetics. 

 

In regards to your storage situation, do you really need that much storage based on SSD's? Could you survive with a single 250gb Samsung 840, 840 Pro, OCZ Vector or Plextor M5?

 

8GB of RAM is enough for gaming - just something to keep in mind. 

 

Now, water cooling - where in the world are you and do you want to buy from a single store or are you happy to go to multiple places? I'd look at the usual list of suspects; Swiftech Apogee HD, Swiftech Microres, Swiftech MCP655 pump and an assortment of fittings from bitspower and some decent rads. For the 670's I would personally and am infact going to be using XSPC Razor blocks on my dual 670's. With the res and pump you could go for an all in one solution from XSPC which uses 3 5.25" bays.

[Wiggly Jiggles]

Thanks for the reply. I would have sent this earlier, but I didn't get a message about a reply, or I overlooked it...

 

So:

3570k rather than 3930k

My descision for it was because I'll be doing Java rendering at Uni as well as editing gaming videos (YouTube stuff) I thought the hyperthreading would be quite good.

Same thing with the 8GB RAM rather than 16GB

 

P8Z77-V Pro rather than GA-X79-UP4

My descision for it was the black theme, I like the idea of a sleak colour, but from the looks of the P8Z77-V, I can work around that colour scheme, possibly using white tubes to accent the white RAM clips and PCI slot

This also means a drop out on the TL-WDN4800, reducing price

 

Stick with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 SLI

I'd be gaming with dual display, with a possible 3rd as extended (I play League of Legends, so a build guide could go there)

 

Regards to SSDs. I chose a dual RAID 0 set up becuase of FRAPs files. I'm aware that the files can be huge, and I like to record long videos then edit them down, say. Record 2 hours of footage in 1 go. I thought I could use a good buffer with that much.

Also, price vs performance, I'd go Plextor M5 over Samsung 840 Pro, what would your thoughts be?

 

For water cooling:

I'm in England, and I'd like to go for a single store, but multiple is fine.

I do like Swiftech products, so I'd definitley warm to these quickly

Swiftech Apogee HD

Swiftech Micro Res Rev2

Swiftech MCP655

MCRx20-QP / XSPC RS 120 - The L-Shape on the MCR here is putting me off..... Also, should this system have a 120 rad on the rear exhaust?

Fittings from bitspower:

Once the full product list has been made, I'll figure of what parts to get. I wonder if they do blue o-rings, rather than green? Or what colour to get in general...

 

2x XSPC Razors

 

What do you feel about all this?

[Guest]

I'd you're wanting a blak theme then Gigabyte boards may be for you. I can't remember if they include wifi through.

With your rads, it really depends on what else you're putting in. Generally a 120 in e back isn't worth it but if you've oly got say a 360 in then maybe yes, you would need it.

[Wiggly Jiggles]

Now, water cooling - where in the world are you and do you want to buy from a single store or are you happy to go to multiple places?

For water cooling:

I'm in England, and I'd like to go for a single store, but multiple is fine.

I do like Swiftech products, so I'd definitley warm to these quickly

Swiftech Apogee HD

Swiftech Micro Res Rev2

Swiftech MCP655

MCRx20-QP / XSPC RS 120 - The L-Shape on the MCR here is putting me off..... Also, should this system have a 120 rad on the rear exhaust?

Fittings from bitspower:

Once the full product list has been made, I'll figure of what parts to get. I wonder if they do blue o-rings, rather than green? Or what colour to get in general...

 

2x XSPC Razors

Just had to put that in again, cos its so confusing to me XD

 

Also, I was actually going for a 240 and then 120 in the back, but I saw a general trend of 120 per water block:

GPU x2 & CPU makes 3; so a 360 and a 120 would seem like a good idea?

 

With the themed colours, I'm not sure about giggabyte anymore, especiall with the large mount of unpopulated RAM dim's

And the fan's, I could use corsair air series as they come with white or blue accents (giggabyte or asus respectivley)

[XiaoPigs]

I'd you're wanting a blak theme then Gigabyte boards may be for you. I can't remember if they include wifi through.

With your rads, it really depends on what else you're putting in. Generally a 120 in e back isn't worth it but if you've oly got say a 360 in then maybe yes, you would need it.

Most medium to high end Gigabyte boards now do include wifi :)

[XiaoPigs]

Just had to put that in again, cos its so confusing to me XD

 

Also, I was actually going for a 240 and then 120 in the back, but I saw a general trend of 120 per water block:

GPU x2 & CPU makes 3; so a 360 and a 120 would seem like a good idea?

 

With the themed colours, I'm not sure about giggabyte anymore, especiall with the large mount of unpopulated RAM dim's

And the fan's, I could use corsair air series as they come with white or blue accents (giggabyte or asus respectivley)

 

Hmmm if possible try going for a 360 on the top and a 240 at the bottom if you're going for the Phantom 820, just in case you want to add more GPU's to the loop and/or keep the temps even lower, but if you're okay with 50 ish temps a 360 and a 120 should be enough.

 

The AF series have 3 types of coloured rings that they come with red white and blue.(Same goes for the SP series)

[Wiggly Jiggles]

Hmmm if possible try going for a 360 on the top and a 240 at the bottom if you're going for the Phantom 820, just in case you want to add more GPU's to the loop and/or keep the temps even lower, but if you're okay with 50 ish temps a 360 and a 120 should be enough.

I was actually thinking of getting the 410, a good case and quite cheap. The 820 is abotu £100 more expensive. I'll look at the prices nearer the time of thue build, when I have the rest of the budget set out

[Wiggly Jiggles]

This is what I have so far (can't decide on monitors yet)

 

 

Created on PCPicker UK

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU:  Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£167.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard:  Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX  LGA1155 Motherboard  (£164.30 @ Amazon UK)
Memory:  Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£59.81 @ Amazon UK)
Storage:  Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  (£149.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage:  Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  (£149.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£118.47 @ Ebuyer)
Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£118.47 @ Ebuyer)
Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  (£363.99 @ Dabs)
Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  (£363.99 @ Dabs)
Case Fan:  Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition (2-Pack) 63.5 CFM 120mm  Fans  (£17.33 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan:  Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition (2-Pack) 63.5 CFM 120mm  Fans  (£17.33 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive:  Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  (£15.95 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1707.61
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-30 07:34 BST+0100)

 

[Raptus]

Looks like a beast build! The 3770k would be better for video editing and frapsing. Although you have to consider the extra price. Right now it's pretty balanced with a great storage solution. You might just be better off with the 3570k. You could perhaps drop one of the WD's to weigh up for a more expensive CPU.

[Wiggly Jiggles]

Thanks for all the good ideas!

[Wiggly Jiggles]

Well the CPU's go as such:

3570k: £167.99

3770k: £243.54

 

Storage reduced from:

£536.92 overall

to

£418.45

 

So total:

£704.91 - 3570k, 2 HDD

to

£661.99 - 3770k, 1 HDD

 

Anyone think that's a fair exchange?

[acidydragon]

Depends how much space you take up and what you're doing. If you find that you're using tons of space as is, then you either should get the two HDD set up, or you could back up files more/compress files. The 3770k is a nice CPU, but as is the 3570k. I doubt you'll be disappointed with either.

[WoodenMarker]

From what I've read so far, I highly recommend get 16gb of ram. You'll find that 8gb will limit you quite quickly once you pack on several programs at once.

[MzCatieB]

why not go for duel Xenon's and Gaming GTX graphics cards

[Wiggly Jiggles]

Finally got my final lot, this doesn't encorperate the gpu waterblocks as hey aren't out, but a price guess is there:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU:  Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£167.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard:  Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX  LGA1155 Motherboard  (£164.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory:  Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£99.30 @ Dabs)
Storage:  Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  (£119.99 @ Aria PC)
Storage:  Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  (£119.99 @ Aria PC)
Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£119.99 @ Ebuyer)
Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£119.99 @ Ebuyer)
Video Card:  MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  (£330.96 @ Dabs)
Video Card:  MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  (£330.96 @ Dabs)
Case:  NZXT Phantom 820 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case  (£179.99 @ Aria PC)
Case Fan:  Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition (2-Pack) 63.5 CFM 120mm  Fans  (£17.70 @ CCL Computers)
Case Fan:  Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm  Fans  (£21.98 @ CCL Computers)
Case Fan:  Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm  Fans  (£21.98 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply:  Corsair Professional Gold 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply  (£140.97 @ Dabs)
Optical Drive:  Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  (£15.85 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor:  ViewSonic VX2453mh-LED 24.0" Monitor  (£142.14 @ CCL Computers)
Monitor:  ViewSonic VX2453mh-LED 24.0" Monitor  (£142.14 @ CCL Computers)
Other:  XSPC LCD Temp Sensor (Blue) V2 + G1/4 Plug Sensor  (£6.59)
Other:  XSPC LCD Display Temperature Sensor (Blue) - V2 (£5.82)
Other: XSPC 5.25 LCD Bay Temperature Sensor Frame  (£8.84)
Other: XSPC Acrylic Dual 5.25 Reservoir/Pump Combo w/ One DCC  (£87.19)
Other: XSPC RS360 Triple Fan Radiator - Black  (£41.66)
Other: XSPC RS120 Single Fan Radiator - Black  (£24.99)
Other: XSPC RayStorm CPU WaterBlock - INTEL  (£41.66)
Other: XSPC Razor SLI Flow Bridge (2 Slot)  (£7.49)
Other: XSPC 1/2 ID, 3/4 OD High Flex 2m (Retail Coil) - CLEAR UV x2m (£5.82)
Other: XSPC - EC6 Non Conductive Coolant - UV Blue x2 (£14.98)
Other: XSPC G1/4, T Fitting - Black Chrome x14 (£34.86)
Other: Hose Cutter - Medium (11 - 25mm Max) (£5.49)
Other: Perixx H1000 Iron Mouse (Already Owned)
Other: AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable 6.5 Feet x2 (Might not get) (£7.98)
Other: 20M CAT5e RJ45 ETHERNET LAN NETWORK PATCH LEAD CABLE (£1.51)
Other: Logitech G430 Surround Sound Gaming Headset (£64.99)
Other: GIGABYTE OSMIUM GAMING KEYBOARD (£114.99)
Other: Cordless Anti Static Wrist Strap Elastic Wristband Skyblue 2 in 1 Set (£2.32)
Other: 2x GTX 770 Waterblocks when avaliable... (£240.00)
Other: Shipping on custom items.... (£5.49)
Total: £2979.58
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-01 21:13 BST+0100)

[WoodenMarker]

Finally got my final lot, this doesn't encorperate the gpu waterblocks as hey aren't out, but a price guess is there:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU:  Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£167.99 @ Aria PC)

Motherboard:  Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX  LGA1155 Motherboard  (£164.99 @ Amazon UK)

Memory:  Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£99.30 @ Dabs)

Storage:  Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  (£119.99 @ Aria PC)

Storage:  Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  (£119.99 @ Aria PC)

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£119.99 @ Ebuyer)

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£119.99 @ Ebuyer)

Video Card:  MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  (£330.96 @ Dabs)

Video Card:  MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  (£330.96 @ Dabs)

Case:  NZXT Phantom 820 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case  (£179.99 @ Aria PC)

Case Fan:  Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition (2-Pack) 63.5 CFM 120mm  Fans  (£17.70 @ CCL Computers)

Case Fan:  Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm  Fans  (£21.98 @ CCL Computers)

Case Fan:  Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm  Fans  (£21.98 @ CCL Computers)

Power Supply:  Corsair Professional Gold 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply  (£140.97 @ Dabs)

Optical Drive:  Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  (£15.85 @ Amazon UK)

Monitor:  ViewSonic VX2453mh-LED 24.0" Monitor  (£142.14 @ CCL Computers)

Monitor:  ViewSonic VX2453mh-LED 24.0" Monitor  (£142.14 @ CCL Computers)

Other:  XSPC LCD Temp Sensor (Blue) V2 + G1/4 Plug Sensor  (£6.59)

Other:  XSPC LCD Display Temperature Sensor (Blue) - V2 (£5.82)

Other: XSPC 5.25 LCD Bay Temperature Sensor Frame  (£8.84)

Other: XSPC Acrylic Dual 5.25 Reservoir/Pump Combo w/ One DCC  (£87.19)

Other: XSPC RS360 Triple Fan Radiator - Black  (£41.66)

Other: XSPC RS120 Single Fan Radiator - Black  (£24.99)

Other: XSPC RayStorm CPU WaterBlock - INTEL  (£41.66)

Other: XSPC Razor SLI Flow Bridge (2 Slot)  (£7.49)

Other: XSPC 1/2 ID, 3/4 OD High Flex 2m (Retail Coil) - CLEAR UV x2m (£5.82)

Other: XSPC - EC6 Non Conductive Coolant - UV Blue x2 (£14.98)

Other: XSPC G1/4, T Fitting - Black Chrome x14 (£34.86)

Other: Hose Cutter - Medium (11 - 25mm Max) (£5.49)

Other: Perixx H1000 Iron Mouse (Already Owned)

Other: AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable 6.5 Feet x2 (Might not get) (£7.98)

Other: 20M CAT5e RJ45 ETHERNET LAN NETWORK PATCH LEAD CABLE (£1.51)

Other: Logitech G430 Surround Sound Gaming Headset (£64.99)

Other: GIGABYTE OSMIUM GAMING KEYBOARD (£114.99)

Other: Cordless Anti Static Wrist Strap Elastic Wristband Skyblue 2 in 1 Set (£2.32)

Other: 2x GTX 770 Waterblocks when avaliable... (£240.00)

Other: Shipping on custom items.... (£5.49)

Total: £2979.58

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-01 21:13 BST+0100)

Why not go with a z77a G45? It' save money.

Caviar blacks are a waste of money if you're getting ssds. Get seagate barracudas or caviar blues.

There's little point getting 2 770's since they only have 2GB vram. Get a single 780 instead.

Get 2 sticks of the cheapest 8gig CL9 1600 ram to save money and leave room for expansion.

850w gold is overkill. A bronze 750 will do. As for a single 780, a cx600 will do.

[Wiggly Jiggles]

Why not go with a z77a G45? It' save money.

Caviar blacks are a waste of money if you're getting ssds. Get seagate barracudas or caviar blues.

There's little point getting 2 770's since they only have 2GB vram. Get a single 780 instead.

Get 2 sticks of the cheapest 8gig CL9 1600 ram to save money and leave room for expansion.

850w gold is overkill. A bronze 750 will do. As for a single 780, a cx600 will do.

Mobo:

This is why really:

http://motherboard.findthebest.com/compare/608-611-674/ASUS-P8Z77-V-vs-MSI-Z77A-G45-vs-ASUS-P8Z77-V-PRO

It's a better all-round performer, and it has 6 fan connectors, something I'd need

it has more USB 3.0 ports, which I'd need, as I'm making this build as futureproof as posible

 

GPU:

A single 780 against dual 770's is a difference I think is worth it, might wat for a 4GB version though. Have a look at this:

 

Storage:

Just looked up the Barracudas, thought they were expensive, but I was wrong, about half the price. Do you know anyone that has had problems with them, and is cutting from 5 years warranty to 2 worth it (remember I'm going futureproof)?

 

Memory:

I had a look at this, and in fact, did change my ram, but I UPPED it (same price) to Patriot Intel Extreme edition, because of the price to performance barrier

 

PSU:

I went for the 850 Gold as once overclocked, my components may run up to 800W, especially with the pump I have, I'd like a buffer is all, and Gold because of efficiency, and the price of this PSU, its also the best designed PSU I've ever seen, but open to specific suggestions....

 

This may seem all negative, but its not, I like to explain myself is all XD

[WoodenMarker]

Mobo:

This is why really:

http://motherboard.findthebest.com/compare/608-611-674/ASUS-P8Z77-V-vs-MSI-Z77A-G45-vs-ASUS-P8Z77-V-PRO

It's a better all-round performer, and it has 6 fan connectors, something I'd need

it has more USB 3.0 ports, which I'd need, as I'm making this build as futureproof as posible

 

GPU:

A single 780 against dual 770's is a difference I think is worth it, might wat for a 4GB version though. Have a look at this:

 

Storage:

Just looked up the Barracudas, thought they were expensive, but I was wrong, about half the price. Do you know anyone that has had problems with them, and is cutting from 5 years warranty to 2 worth it (remember I'm going futureproof)?

 

Memory:

I had a look at this, and in fact, did change my ram, but I UPPED it (same price) to Patriot Intel Extreme edition, because of the price to performance barrier

 

PSU:

I went for the 850 Gold as once overclocked, my components may run up to 800W, especially with the pump I have, I'd like a buffer is all, and Gold because of efficiency, and the price of this PSU, its also the best designed PSU I've ever seen, but open to specific suggestions....

 

This may seem all negative, but its not, I like to explain myself is all XD

Considering your explanation..

 

The motherboard seems like a valid choice.

 

It's less about the performance between the 770/780 but whether or not you need the 770's now when you could upgrade later on for a lower price.

 

Barracudas have more bad reviews than the WD blacks because they are much more popular. People who have problems complain but satisfied customers don't speak up. Despite this, barracudas have a good name. 

I don't care about warranty myself since I would not expect a barracuda to fail from anything short of a 3-4 foot drop on hard wood.

If you're likely to drop your hdds, go for a longer warranty if you want but if you're a bit more delicate with hardware like me, you're fine.

 

I still wouldn't get a gold plus psu as the difference between the bronze/gold isn't worth the price. I'd say anything bronze plus or above is fine. If the gold isn't really that much more expensive though, who am I to tell you to downgrade?