First Build

[frank_chvz]

Ok so this is my first build so, so don't get mad if i do something wrong. I decided that i wanted to make my own pc. Right now i really dont care how it looks, so it doesn't matter if the colors match or not. I did the best research i could so... yeah. My budget can go up to $2000.00.

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Motherboard:ASUS Rampage III Extreme LGA 1366 Intel
Newegg.com - ASUS Rampage III Extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Cpu:Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W
Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950
(For Cpu: Thermalright Venomous X - RT 120mm CPU Cooler
Newegg.com - Thermalright Venomous X - RT 120mm CPU Cooler)

Psu:Rosewill BRONZE Series RBR1000-M 1000W Continuous@40°C
Newegg.com - Rosewill BRONZE Series RBR1000-M 1000W Continuous@40°C, 80Plus Bronze Certified,Modular Cable Design,ATX12V v2.3/ EPS12V,SLI Ready,CrossFire Ready,Active PFC"Compatible with Core i7, i5" Power Supply

HD:Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Blue WD10EALX 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
(Maybe 2 so i can do raid?)

Ram:CORSAIR XMS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual channel
Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2B1600C9
(Maybe 2 dual channel?)

Gpu:Galaxy 95TGE8DC1CUM GeForce 9500 GT 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Newegg.com - Galaxy 95TGE8DC1CUM GeForce 9500 GT 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
(2 for sure maybe 3? Just to start out and most likely upgrade later. I chose this card because I have currently have one and runs very well for its cost.)

I don't know if i should get fans for it so please help on this. And I don't know what's a good dvd player for it. Lastly, should i add anything else to it, such as , sound cards, thing that make gaming better. Oh i already have a monitor, it is a Dynex™ - 19" Class / 720p / 60Hz / LCD HDTV. I am using a hdmi cable.

[glc]

If you have a $2000 budget and are gaming, you are going about this a bit wrong. You are going way overboard on the CPU and motherboard, and skimping on the video card. Here's my suggestions, and this comes to about $1250.

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Newegg.com - ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500

Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M2A1333C9

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Newegg.com - Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners

Newegg.com - CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-750HX 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Newegg.com - EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

ONE hard drive, ONE video card. No additional cooling needed. The power supply can handle two 570's if you really want to be over the top. ONE 570 will absolutely destroy even 3 9500's.

[frank_chvz]

Thats true now that I look at it. Thanks for the advice, I actually looked at the sabertooth p67 first. I thought it was good, but i wanted more pci express so i can expand off. Also I have had very bad experiences with EVGA. Thank you for helping and please continue to.

[Khalil]

You might want to reconsider, we are no longer recommending the sandybridge platform. If you need to make an immidiate purchase either buy the 1156 or an AMD based hardware!

[frank_chvz]

Thanks for the notice but im not going to use the p67 with the i5 im going to get an i7 because i was talking to my bro and he said he might be able to get me a i7 for a good price. Thank you.

[Khalil]

I7 as in 1366 or X58 chipset?

[Deathdiesel]

The i7 is still sandy bridge in some models, is what they are saying, basically the whole 1155 chipset is bad i think. Had quite a few issues so they are saying go for something else. (I think)

[frank_chvz]

sorry about that, yes a i7 as in 1366 with the asus rampage III extreme

[glc]

We aren't too pleased with that either - if you want a stable i7 go with P55 or wait till the P67 boards with the new chips are out.

[cantputt04]

If you want gaming, that 9500 GT will probably be worse than onboard graphics (I'm almost not kidding about that). Gaming is all about your GPU. The better your GPU, the nicer your eye candy, thus, the more enjoyable the game. With a 2k budget you could CrossfireX a couple of HD 6950s and enjoy flawless perfect gaming Though of course that's over kill, but that direction is the much better way.

Also avoid Rosewill PSUs at all costs. More reputable brands would be basically anything made by SeaSonic (companies who rebadge seasonic PSUs include but are not limited to Corsair, XFX, and SeaSonic just to name a few). Or Antec, though some Antecs are better than others. The Corsair Professional series (or SeaSonic X series, same thing) are excellent units. The wattage, on the other hand, depends on the hard ware you use. If you plan to use a dual GPU setup, the Corsair AX850 (or Seasonic X850) are superb power supplies that will work wonders for you. If you plan to only use one Graphics card, get a 600W power supply (I'm not kidding, more isn't always better). Again, the afore mentioned brands will have one I'm sure you'll love.

If you are planning on overclocking, the Asus Rampage boards are reported to be extremely good stable boards for overclocking. HOWEVER, if overclocking is NOT your thing, there's no reason to get a big expensive super hyper extreme omg motherboard. Look lower on the totem pole of price ranges, you'll find motherboards that are just as stable that will fit your intentions a lot better (and save you money for a nicer graphics card! )


Just giving you some food for thought.


EDIT: Also, in your 2k budget, you may want to throw in a bigger monitor (for even more eye candies!)

[David M]

Overclocking a modern CPU will not get you faster in game frame rates and more eye candy. A fast graphics card will.

Either get an 1156 socket now or wait for the Sandy Bridge chipset problem to be resolved. The 1366 CPU's are for enthusiasts who really know their stuff. Chances are good that you will become frustrated because you cannot get it to work right. Besides, as a gamer, your graphics card will be the bottleneck. Given that, you might as well get the extremely reliable 1156/P55 combination or wait for a Sandy Bridge chipset that works properly to become available. Even then you may want to wait a month or two to see if others are having problems with the revised chipset.

If you ever think you may want to go the route of two graphics cards then choose a Corsair or Antec 750 watt PSU. Amongst the fastest cards out there, one card is plenty for one monitor gaming.

Bottom line, it's unnecessary to spend $2000 for a super fast gamer. This can be done for roughly around $1500...depending.

[cantputt04]

Originally Posted by David M Bottom line, it's unnecessary to spend $2000 for a super fast gamer. This can be done for roughly around $1500...depending.

Well, just the other day, I was on Newegg and decided to see if I could put together a rig for 2000 that utilized AMD's Eyefinity complete with monitors, mouse, keyboard, OS, and everything. Turns out, for $2000, you can get MORE than enough for a fantastic Eyefinity setup. But that's Eyefinity (aka excessfinity). For a single monitor setup, I agree, 1500 is about the max you'd be able to spend without getting ridiculous (IE dual GTX 580s etc)

[Khalil]

$2000 gaming rig with a 9500GT video card?
I wished more people read the stickies before posting so we can help them better, please read this http://www.pcmech.com/forum/build-yo...rig-101-a.html

[glc]

Even 3 9500GT's in 3 way SLI is not going to be very good.

[frank_chvz]

Originally Posted by Khalil $2000 gaming rig with a 9500GT video card? I wished more people read the stickies before posting so we can help them better, please read this http://www.pcmech.com/forum/build-yo...rig-101-a.html

I love it how you posted two times before and then you post this.