~$1,000 Ivy Bridge gaming build- my first computer!!!

[lambson1]

Approximate Purchase Date: This week

Budget Range: $1,000 - 1,200 after rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: MMO and RTS gaming

Parts Not Required: I’ll be buying everything new for this build

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: Ivy Bridge i5 3450, NVidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti

Overclocking: would be cool but not necessary if it’s too much hassle

SLI or Crossfire: SLI would be neat if possible

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: This is my first time building a computer! Are the components in this build compatible with each other? Is there anything that I should be aware of? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

(prices are rounded up, after rebates)

Intel Core i5-3450 Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.5GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 ~$200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116506


BIOSTAR TZ77MXE LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS ~$110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138351


MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card ~$225
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.879883


Rosewill Stallion Series RD500-2DB 500W ATX12V Power Supply ~$45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182044


CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMP8GX3M2A1600C8 ~$90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145344


Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2BAA 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) ~$130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148525


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 ~$50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153


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 - OEM ~$20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204


ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ Speakers 300 cd/m2 20000 :1 (ASCR) ~$150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059


Rosewill RK-800G Black 104 Normal Keys PS/2 Wired Gaming Keyboard ~$15
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823201038


GIGABYTE GM-M6800 Noble Black 5+1 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 1600 dpi Dual Lens Gaming Mouse ~$20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826146009

Approx total cost after rebates: $955, some of these items are combos with each other, which brings down the cost. I suspect it may be higher once they add in tax and shipping.

 

[azeem40]

Good choices!

 

[lambson1]

So will the power supply be sufficient for all the other components? Will it be compatible?

Rosewill Stallion Series RD500-2DB 500W ATX12V Power Supply ~$45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182044

Also, would I need to make any changes in the rest of the build if I wanted to purchase the i5 3570k and the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 mobo instead?

 

[ebola28]

I'd take a 2500k for $20 more...

 

[lambson1]

I see the 2500k has nothing but excellent reviews. Is there any value in buying an Ivy Bridge i5 over the 2500k?

 

[ebola28]

ivy is brand new and uses slightly less power. Rumor has it that ivy also runs hotter as well and doesn't overclock as well. Ivy also has better built in graphics, which don't matter since you are also buying a graphics card.

One thing to consider is that you need an ivy cpu to fully use pci-e 3.0, although current cards don't even saturate 2.0. Your 560 ti will be extremely happy without having pci-e 3.0

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Tower-Case-RC-912-KKN1/dp/B003ZM7YTA/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335827676&sr=1-1 $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid Tower ATX Case (RC-912-KKN1)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341047 $69.99 - $44.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
OCZ ZS Series 550W 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.909998 $319.98
ASRock B75 PRO3 LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX806237I53570K

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=B75%20Pro3 <----- another look at that board

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335827842&sr=1-3 $24.51 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231544 $44.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-8GAO

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-AD-7280S-0B-Internal-Drive-Black/dp/B0057FRTPW/ref=pd_cp_e_0 $17.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Sony AD-7280S-0B 24x SATA Internal DVD+/-RW Drive (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST1000DM003/dp/B005T3GRNW/ref=sr_1_6?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335686168&sr=1-6 $99.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1 TB 7200RPM SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST1000DM003

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102986 $249.99
SAPPHIRE 11200-00-20G Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

http://www.amazon.com/ML228H-22-Inch-Ultra-Slim-Widescreen-Monitor/dp/B00413PHEQ $149.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Asus ML228H 21.5" 1920X1080 2ms Full HD LED BackLight LED Monitor Slim Design 250 cd/m2 10,000,000 :1 (ASCR)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236099 <----- that same monitor @ newegg

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.908895 $374.98 FREE SHIPPING
ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX806237I53570K

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341049 $89.99 - $64.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
OCZ ZS Series 750W 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom

 

[dreadlokz]

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX - $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197


ASRock Z77 Pro3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157297


MSI R7870 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Video Card - $369.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127662


Seasonic SS-560KM Active PFC F3, 560W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91, 80Plus Gold - $124.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151098


Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor - $249.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

Kingston SSDNow S50 Series SS050S2/32G 2.5" 32GB SATA II Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139947

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - $124.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442


Mushkin Enhanced Redline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory - $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226311


Tt eSPORTS CHALLENGER Gaming Keyboard Black KB-CHL002US - $38.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823162011


Acer G235HAbd 23'' WideScreen LCD monitor - $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009266


Logitech G9x Black Two modes scroll USB Wired Laser Gaming Mouse - $67.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104261

Antec Kuhler H2O 620 Liquid Cooling System - $61.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209049


Subtotal: $1,528.88

If you go cheaper then that, you won't have a gaming PC, just an expensive Windows console!

I would get a better keyboard (~$80) and a decent headset (~$80).

With this rig you can overclock and play any games with a very good quality for several years! This rig is also very high quality, quiet and low power hungry! Can't get better/cheaper than that. Sry if I couldn't help!!

 

[jewie27]

I see the 2500k has nothing but excellent reviews. Is there any value in buying an Ivy Bridge i5 over the 2500k?

Lower 77 Watt TDP from Sandy Bridge's 95 Watt TDP. Also PCI-E 3.0 support, Native Intel USB 3.0, and higher supported memory dividers on the IMC.

 

[aznshinobi]

Check out my $850 build here:
http://www.squidoo.com/electronicandmore
Gives you a board allowing 8x/8x CF/SLI. Plus PCI 3.0 support and overclocking. The Ivy Bridge i5 3570K. Plus you get the 7850 which although AMD it is the better option. Runs cooler, better, faster and quieter. Plus after overclocks it's much much faster as it can get up to as fast as the GTX 580 with much lower temps and power consumption. Then you have a PSU that'll support SLI/CF.

 

[lambson1]

Best answer selected by lambson1.

 

[lambson1]

I just built it last week! I ended up with the i5 3570k, a Z77 motherboard, and the Geforce 560 Ti video card. It runs like a dream! Thanks for the help