Couple of queries on a new build

[aiuda]

Planning to do my first self build using : (apologies i cant put links in)

Intel i5 2500K 3.3ghz
Asus P8P67 REV 3.0 lga1155 ddr3 atx
Corsair Vengeance 8GB ( x2 4GB) ddr3 1600mhz
OCZ Tech PSU ModXStream Pro 700w
Samsung 1TB spinpoint f3
Coolermaster cm 690 II Advanced
HD 6950 2GB GDDR5 - Sapphire/ MSI Twin Frozr II

If anyone can spot obvious errors with hardware compatability or alternatives for almost identical prices and better performance id love to hear them otherwise..
Queries I have are :
- what if anything is the difference between that mobo and the "PRO" version apart from a £20+ price increase
- is 700w enough to run this, pretty sure the gpu claims to need 500w
- will most probably overclock so need a cpu cooler, when looking a lot dont seem to support 1155 chips but 1156, can you use one for 1156 on a 1155?
- I would much prefer a modular psu to manage cables but dont want to pay huge prices for it
- Is there any difference between graphics cards from different manufacturers except the looks and price?

[Saithes]

The PRO has 2 extra SATA 6Gbps ports over the normal. 700w is more than overkill as that 500w requirement/recommendation is an estimate for an entire system surrounded around the GPU. Any heatsink that supports LGA 1156 will typically work on LGA 1155. I recommend a Noctua NH-D14 Heatsink or if you want cheaper go for a Corsair A70/Coolermaster Hyper 212+.

For graphics cards, some manufacturers tend to put different heatsinks on their cards that improve the overall cooling capability of it while also making it quieter than normal heatsinks. Honestly it's up to you if you want to spend the little extra but I definitely would recommend it.

[aiuda]

thanks for that info.

Another thing that may help is feedback on graphics cards, started pondering over the 6950 2gb for ~£220 or gtx 570 1280mb for ~£250 (both msi twin frozr editions)
quite honestly from reviews they are fairly close but ive noticed the 570 seems to be ranked a tier higher and generally outperforms the 6950 and £30 saving from opting for the 6950 seems nothing.
I've always had nvidia cards but in the past they have seemed to be overpriced compared to other amd/atis
hoping some comment can settle my mental battle ^^

[OhpUldum]

The 2GB of GDDR5 on the 6950 is a bit of a waste unless you are running multiple monitors or plan too. While it would be great to say that over the next 3 or 4 years we're going to see games that can utilize that much video memory no one knows for sure.

[vesseblah]

Another thing that may help is feedback on graphics cards, started pondering over the 6950 2gb for ~£220 or gtx 570 1280mb for ~£250 (both msi twin frozr editions)
quite honestly from reviews they are fairly close but ive noticed the 570 seems to be ranked a tier higher and generally outperforms the 6950 and £30 saving from opting for the 6950 seems nothing.
I've always had nvidia cards but in the past they have seemed to be overpriced compared to other amd/atis
hoping some comment can settle my mental battle ^^

GTX570 is indeed 'tier up' from Radeon 6950, that's why the higher price. 6970 is meant to compete with 570 and both perform about the same. Whatever you end up buying, take the "twin frozr" model simply because the cooler is better than in 9 cards out of 10 from other manufacturers.

[aiuda]

think im sold, thanks for advice \o/

[taekvideo]

6950 is a great buy, especially if you overclock... it has a lot of headroom for overclocking (did mine 800mhz -> 950mhz).