My First Build ~1k Gaming PC

[ADH636]

EDIT: UPDATED BUILD IN POST #7

Hello All!

Looking to spend around $1000 building a new PC for gaming purposes. This is my first time building a computer so if I have trouble understanding certain things, be gentle! After doing a little research here is the build I'm looking at currently. It's a little over my budget at the moment.

How can I improve it, and where can I cut a little cost?

CPU ---- Intel Core i5 2500K LGA 1155 ---- 179.99

Video Card ---- EVGA 01G-P3-1567-KR NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti DS Superclocked 1024MB GDDR5 ---- 239.99

MOTHERBOARD ---- P67A-GD65-B3 LGA 1155 P67 ATX Intel Motherboard ---- 154.99

HARD DRIVE ---- Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive ---- 129.99

DISK DRIVE ---- ASUS 24X DVD Burner ---- 19.99

MEMORY ---- Corsair Vengeance Series 8GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) ---- 52.99

CASE ---- Rosewill BLACKHAWK Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ---- 99.99

POWER SUPPLY ---- CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC ---- 59.99

SPEAKERS ---- Logitech S220 2.1 Speaker System with Subwoofer ---- 19.99

MONITOR ---- ViewSonic VA2431WM 24-Inch Widescreen LCD Monitor ---- 169.99

OS ---- Windows 7 Home Premium ---- 99.99


How does this look? Any dumb choices? Everything look compatible?

For cost cutting, I'm thinking Video Card, Case, Hard Drive (I have a 1.5tb external), and monitor are possible places to look.

Thanks for your help!!

[David M]

If you are looking to save money, right now hard drives are really expensive. I would buy small, inexpensive and slow for now. When they come down in price then consider a large and fast WD Black. For Gaming the green would work although it would be slow.

Or maybe if you bought the Green you could use it in the future for an external backup drive when Blacks are back to a normal price.

[ADH636]

Yea I have the 1TB green selected right now, but I'm thinking about going down to 500GB.

What kind of performance difference are we talking between the GeForce GTX 560 and the GeForce GTX 560 Ti? I could save about 60 bucks if I went down the the 560, but I'm not sure if I want to sacrifice video card performance. Is the upgrade to the Ti worth the money?

[jdeb]

The 560 has great performance in most games. I guess the question is, what games do you play?

Stay away from Corsair builder series power supplies. You want Seasonic, Antec, or Corsair (except builder series).

Smaller hard drive will help until the prices come back down.

[ADH636]

Originally Posted by jdeb The 560 has great performance in most games. I guess the question is, what games do you play? Stay away from Corsair builder series power supplies. You want Seasonic, Antec, or Corsair (except builder series). Smaller hard drive will help until the prices come back down.

Right now I'm really only playing Starcraft 2, but I'll probably pick up Battlefield 3 and want to be able to play any other cool games that come out in the near future.

For a video card I'm now thinking about the Radeon HD 6870. Looks like it might be a little more bang for your buck than the GTX 560.
Newegg.com - hd 6870

Newegg has many different brands who make this video card... how big of a deal is which one I pick? I can get the XFX for $150 with free shipping from newegg, so I'd prefer to get that one if there isn't really a difference in quality/reliability. $10 more for gigabyte, $20 more for ASUS, $30 more for MSI.

For Memory I'm thinking about switching to G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL

I'm also looking to get a better power supply, Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Thoughts?

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by jdeb The 560 has great performance in most games. I guess the question is, what games do you play? Stay away from Corsair builder series power supplies. You want Seasonic, Antec, or Corsair (except builder series). Smaller hard drive will help until the prices come back down.

I've been looking around for a while, but haven't been able to find much; what kind of issues are there with the Corsair builder series? I've used a few of them so far for lower priced gaming rigs and the psu provided enough power (I only gave about 10% headroom from PSU calc recommendations) and at stable voltages.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by Masaki 7-11 I've been looking around for a while, but haven't been able to find much; what kind of issues are there with the Corsair builder series? I've used a few of them so far for lower priced gaming rigs and the psu provided enough power (I only gave about 10% headroom from PSU calc recommendations) and at stable voltages.

I bought 12 of them at a good price and I used three in a matter of a week. Two of the three came back within 30 days and the third was replaced in less than 6 months. All systems were budget builds requiring at full load around 225W. Blown capacitors in all three. glc warned me after the purchase and lo and behold he was right. When I opened them up, they were very low quality. Maybe something has changed since then but I have zero confidence in them.

I looked them up after the fact and if I recall correctly, they were not made by Corsair or Seasonic. I do not remember who made them but I recall thinking... no wonder they were so cheap.

You may be o.k. I have worked on this guys PC a few times over the past couple of years and his PS is a Coolmax 750W with a beefy gaming card and the thing has worked fine. Every time he calls I expect it is a call about a power issue but never is.

[ADH636]

Okay, here is my latest build, which cuts a couple hundred bucks off the original. I cut some cost with the video card, motherboard, case, and memory. Thoughts?


CPU - Micro Center - Intel Core i5 2500K LGA 1155 Boxed Processor 179648- 179.99

VIDEO CARD - Newegg.com - XFX HD-687A-ZHFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - 149.99

MOTHERBOARD - Micro Center - Biostar TZ68A+RCH LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel Motherboard 784694 - 99.99

HARD DRIVE - Micro Center - Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive WDBAAY0010HNC WDBAAY0010HNC-N - 129.99

DISK DRIVE - Newegg.com - ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - CD / DVD Burners - 19.99

CASE - Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Elite RC-310-OWN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - 39.99

MEMORY - Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL - 44.99

POWER SUPPLY - Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - 69.99

SPEAKERS - Micro Center - Logitech LS21 2.1 Stereo Speaker System 980-000058 - 19.99

MONITOR - Viewsonic VA2431wm 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor | eBay - 169.99

[glc]

1. Stay away from XFX video cards - for Radeons, look at Asus, Sapphire, or HIS.

2. I'd spend a bit more for an Asus P8Z68-V LE motherboard.

3. I would not use a WD Green drive for a primary hard drive - it's a variable speed energy-saving drive more suited for data storage.

4. G.skill ram has been having quality and compatibility issues, I'd recommend Corsair Vengeance, and if you plan on an aftermarket CPU cooler, get the low profile version without the big heatsinks.

[ADH636]

Ok, I wasn't sure sure about the brands on the Video Card, thanks for that. I also felt like I was cheaping out only spending 100 on a motherboard, so that makes me feel a little better as well.

MOTHERBOARD - Newegg.com - ASUS P8Z68-V LE LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS - 132.99

There is also this option at Microcenter (where I will be picking up some of my parts). Micro Center - ASUS P8Z68-V LX LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel Motherboard 809988 - 119.99

Is there any real difference between these two products? All the random numbers don't really mean anything to me...


Is this a good choice for memory? Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9R - 52.99

It's a little more expensive, which I don't like, but if it's worth upgrading I have no problem with it.

I'm looking at Sapphire for the HD 6780 Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100314-3L Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - 149.99
Sapphire and HIS are both 149.99, with the ASUS costing nearly $30 more anywhere I look. Do you prefer one over the other?


What's a good suggestion for a faster Hard Drive? I would be fine going with a 500gb HD now, and investing the money I save into getting one that is better quality/faster. I can always add on more storage later when the prices come back down. I also have a 1.5tb external HD, so storage isn't that big a factor.

THANKS!

[David M]

I wouldn't waste any money on a faster or larger hard drive right now, not at these prices. Get a cheap one with just enough space to hold your OS and software. It's not really an investment, you will never get all your money back if and when you sell it...so minimize how much you lose by buying cheap.

The Corsair RAM is better than the Ripjaw.

[glc]

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9

The LX board is okay. The only differences are the sound chip and the LE has 2 USB 3.0 port headers in addition to the 2 on the rear panel.

I'd take the Sapphire.

Micro Center - Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7,200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive WD5002AALX - OEM 488320

Go get one TODAY - it's $50 more at Newegg.

[ADH636]

I don't believe the case I choose supports USB 3.0, but I'm not buying a sound card so if the sound card in the LE is worth spending an extra 12 bucks, I'll do it.

Is there any difference between the memory you posted and the one I posted (besides mine looking bad ass but costing $4 more)? Is the low profile memory easier to deal with? It looks smaller.

I like the look of that Hard Drive, thanks for the suggestion.

[glc]

The LX still has a sound chip, it's just not the same one. They are both 8 channel Realtek.

The low profile memory allows for the use of a large aftermarket CPU cooler, which you may find you need. Some people with the "K" processors are finding that the CPU runs too hot under full load when Turbo is enabled and/or are overclocking.

The shipping charges on that case are pretty high - you may want to explore alternatives. Here's one with free shipping:

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case

[ADH636]

Okay, I think I'm almost there! The only thing I'm not really set on at this point is the case and the power supply. I have no idea if I'm getting the best bang for my buck on either of them. I like the idea of having a steel case because I feel like it would be more solid. Plus is looks like the one I choose has plenty of fans (I think that's good?).

I am also wondering about an extra cooler for my CPU. I think I would like to overclock it if that will increase the performance of my machine significantly. Is that something I will need? If so, is there one you could recommend that wouldn't break my budget?

CPU - Micro Center - Intel Core i5 2500K LGA 1155 Boxed Processor 179648- 179.99

VIDEO CARD - Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100314-3L Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - 149.99

MOTHERBOARD - Newegg.com - ASUS P8Z68-V LE LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS - 132.99

HARD DRIVE - Micro Center - Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7,200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive WD5002AALX - OEM 488320 - 99.99

DISK DRIVE - Newegg.com - ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - CD / DVD Burners - 19.99

CASE - Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - 69.99

MEMORY - Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9 48.99

POWER SUPPLY - Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - 69.99

SPEAKERS - Micro Center - Logitech LS21 2.1 Stereo Speaker System 980-000058 - 19.99

MONITOR - Viewsonic VA2431wm 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor | eBay - 169.99


EDIT: I signed up for a free 30 day trial on newegg for free 2 day shipping, so shipping costs aren't an issue with any parts I order.

[glc]

I wouldn't go any cheaper on a PSU.

Cooler: Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7

[ADH636]

Yea, I guess I should get a CPU Cooler. Reading the reviews it sounds like that one is very big. Do you think it will work in either of these cases?

Newegg.com - Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan - 49.99

Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - 69.99


Still having a a lot of trouble deciding on a case... I think I like the mesh steel better than the plastic cases.

[David M]

Get the case width and the CPU cooler height from the manufacturers. Then subtract out about an inch from the top of the CPU to the case panel under it.

There are also low profile CPU coolers where the 120 mm fan is mounted parallel to the CPU.

[ADH636]

Thanks for all the advice so far guys, been a huge help in getting this figured out. I'm holding off for the moment to see what kind of sales there are Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

I also found this at Microcenter, November Deals Flyer.

These i5 2500k, motherboard combo deals seem too good to pass up. Which of those 4 bundle deals at the top look the best? I was thinking the i5 2500k + ASUS P8Z68-V LX 1155 ATX for 244.98 looked pretty good.

The other thing I'm thinking about is spending more on the graphics card as it seems that is where my bottle neck will be, especially if I overclock the CPU.

I've been hearing a lot about the Radeon HD 6950, specifically these 2 cards.
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100312-3SR Radeon HD 6950 Dirt3 Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Newegg.com - MSI R6950 Twin Frozr II Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

From what I've been reading, these cards are easily unlocked to be HD 6970 cards, which usually cost nearly $100 more. What have you guys heard about this, and would this be a good card for my build?

[David M]

Yes, the BIOS of the 6950 can be flashed to the BIOS of a 6970 and the card will not be bricked if the flash is unsuccessful.

http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/159

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by ADH636 Thanks for all the advice so far guys, been a huge help in getting this figured out. I'm holding off for the moment to see what kind of sales there are Black Friday or Cyber Monday. I also found this at Microcenter, November Deals Flyer. These i5 2500k, motherboard combo deals seem too good to pass up. Which of those 4 bundle deals at the top look the best? I was thinking the i5 2500k + ASUS P8Z68-V LX 1155 ATX for 244.98 looked pretty good. The other thing I'm thinking about is spending more on the graphics card as it seems that is where my bottle neck will be, especially if I overclock the CPU. I've been hearing a lot about the Radeon HD 6950, specifically these 2 cards. Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100312-3SR Radeon HD 6950 Dirt3 Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity Newegg.com - MSI R6950 Twin Frozr II Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity From what I've been reading, these cards are easily unlocked to be HD 6970 cards, which usually cost nearly $100 more. What have you guys heard about this, and would this be a good card for my build?

While it's true that the first release of the HD6950 could be easily unlocked to a HD6970, those versions are no longer being sold (most having been sold off before February of this year).

The newer versions of HD6950 are a lot less likely to be unlocked though it's still a possibility. That being said the HD6950 is a strong gaming card and should be fine as it is even if you can't get it to unlock.

Out of the two options you picked, the MSI has the best chance of being unlocked as it has the dual bios switch, so you can try to reflash the first BIOS to a HD6970 and if it doesn't work, you just flip the switch to the read only version of the original bios so you can use the card again. The MSI card also have better cooling, so it would run better unlocked than the Sapphire one if the unlocking is successful.

[wrecks135]

That is a great price on the microcenter bundle. Is there is significant difference between the ASUS P8Z68-V LE that you had in your build breakdown and the P8Z68-V LX that is on sale in the Microcenter deal?

[glc]

No significant differences. The LE has 2 USB 3.0 headers on the motherboard in addition to the 2 rear ports and a different audio chip - both audio chips are 8 channel Realtek.

[ADH636]

Awesome, it sounds like the MSI Twin Frozr II HD 6950 might be the way to go. Now lets just hope I can find a good deal on that card on Black Friday or something. Even if I have to spend the extra $100 over the HD 6870, it sounds like it's probably worth it.

As for the LX board compared to the LE board I had in my original build, GLC covered that in post #12 of this thread. It doesn't sound like it's a big difference, and considering I save over $100 with the microcenter bundle compared to ordering it from newegg, I'd say it's worth it. That's $100 that is going right into my video card.