$1200 Gaming build

[crch]

Hi guys,

Approximate Purchase Date: next few weeks

Budget Range: $1200 after Rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (crysis 2, dragon age 2, Deux ex human rev...etc), Photoshop, HTPC.

Parts Not Required: Monitor (1080p samsung plasma), Speaker, OS, mouse, keyboard, 1tb external HD

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon preferably (I get free shipping), or if you know of someplace cheaper. Newegg tends to be more expensive because they charge tax and shipping (I live in California) but if its cheaper than I can go for it.

Country of Origin:US

Parts Preferences: no preference

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: yes down the line

Monitor Resolution:1920x1080

Additional Comments: Well, its my first build, so part compatibility/reliability is a priority (anything that will make my first build easier). I do want to use a SSD as my primary hd, with my external for my larger files, but I am open to anything. Basically, I am not tied to any of these parts, if something looks wrong, or incorrect, please feel free to add any input. I really can use all the help I can get. I really appreciate the help, thanks in advanced!


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VisionTek AMD Radeon HD 6950 2 GB GDDR5 PCI Graphics
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B [...] PDKIKX0DER

ASRock P67 Extreme4 B3 Intel P67 ATX DDR3 2133 Motherboard
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QTHYZK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Antec HCG-750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231308

Cooler Master HAF 922
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

Intel Core i5 Processor i5-2500K
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B [...] PDKIKX0DER

Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4829307&sku=L12-1312%20OEM

Cooler Master Hyper 212
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B [...] PDKIKX0DER

Crucial CT128M4SSD2 m4 2.5" Solid State Drive - 128GB, SATA 6Gb/s
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=365475&sku=C19-8025


Total: $1,069

While its nice that I am under by $130, I am wondering if there is any upgrades you can see that I should have. I see that I can get a gtx 580 for around $409

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6942947&CatId=3669

which would be nice over sli, because I could then just buy another gtx 580 in the future. Or should I just keep my current build and pocket my $130. What do you guys think? Any input is appreciated thanks!

 

[candlelarbra5212]

Dont get a 580 they aren't worth it. Other than that who knows with graphics I think the GTXs get slightly better performance at lower res' but their all good choices if are going Xfire go the radeons because they scale. It all depends
and get the z68 extreme 4, it will help with video.
I would put an internal HDD in for your large files, get a samsung F3 that way if you loose or drop your external drive you have got on your pc

 

[Why_Me]

Nice build you have going.

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-DL-DVI-I-SL-DVI-D-PCI-Express-100312-3SR/dp/B0055Y66A4 $264.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Sapphire DIRT 3 EDITION Radeon HD 6950 2 GB DDR5 DL-DVI-I/SL-DVI-D/HDMI/DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 100312-3SR

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1312081809&sr=1-1 $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Samsung Desktop Class Spinpoint F3 1 TB SATA 3.0 Gb-s 32 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare-OEM Drives, HD103SJ

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-SATA-Internal-Drive-AD-7260S-0B/dp/B003MRHOQG/ref=dp_cp_ob_pc_title_2 $19.99 Free Standard Shipping (3-5 days)
Sony 24X SATA Internal DVD+/-RW Drive AD-7260S-0B - Bulk (Black)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.694804 $269.98 save: $13.00 - $20.00 Mail In Rebates FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory with heatshield Model PSD38G1600KH

 

[shadow1942]

if you wanted to go with the 580GTX and possibly SLI later you'd need a bigger power supply.

 

[need4speeds]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128520
$109.99 GIGABYTE GA-Z68P-DS3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125385
$495.98 ($247.99 each) GIGABYTE GV-R695OC-1GD Radeon HD 6950 1GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106178
$75.99 Thermaltake CLP0575 Frio OCK Universal CPU Cooler Ultimate OverClocking King Supports up to 240W TDP Dual 130mm VR Fans

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121069
$79.99 KINGWIN ABT-850MM 850W ATX 12V v2.2 / EPS 12V v2.91 / SSI EPS 12V v2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811322020
$49.99 Sentey Black Box Series 4284 Mid Tower Case w/ HD Audio/ SECC .7mm 2x USB/ 4x 120mm Fans (3x w/LED)/ ATX-MATX

Subtotal: $811.94

I left out the 2500k,mem, ssd, dvdrw.

 

[crch]

Nice build you have going.

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-DL-DVI-I-SL-DVI-D-PCI-Express-100312-3SR/dp/B0055Y66A4 $264.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Sapphire DIRT 3 EDITION Radeon HD 6950 2 GB DDR5 DL-DVI-I/SL-DVI-D/HDMI/DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 100312-3SR

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1312081809&sr=1-1 $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Samsung Desktop Class Spinpoint F3 1 TB SATA 3.0 Gb-s 32 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare-OEM Drives, HD103SJ

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-SATA-Internal-Drive-AD-7260S-0B/dp/B003MRHOQG/ref=dp_cp_ob_pc_title_2 $19.99 Free Standard Shipping (3-5 days)
Sony 24X SATA Internal DVD+/-RW Drive AD-7260S-0B - Bulk (Black)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.694804 $269.98 save: $13.00 - $20.00 Mail In Rebates FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory with heatshield Model PSD38G1600KH

Thanks great information, for my resolution, from reading around it seems that the 6950 is better than the gtx 560 ti at my 1080P resolution, is that correct?

 

[genghiskron]

do u live near a microcenter? theres one near LA and one near San Jose.

 

[crch]

Sorry more noob questions, If I was going to do a 6950 or a gtx 560 ti in SLI or CF in the future, is 750W sufficient for my system? Or should I go for the 850W?

Also certain 6950 can be unlocked to the 6970 is my understanding. Also 560 ti can go to 570 with OC. Are the temperature changes (I assume there would be some) going to require additional cooling/fans, if so do you guys have any suggestion on which ones?

Again, thanks for all the helpful input.

 

[crch]

do u live near a microcenter? theres one near LA and one near San Jose.

I live around 30 miles away from San Jose. I've found one or two parts that were a little cheaper ($10), but its not worth the gas needed to make the trip out for one or two parts, lol. But if I found quite a few parts there for cheaper then its definitely worth it

 

[genghiskron]

750w is fine for 560 ti's or 6950's. 850w for 570's.
the newer 6950 2gb's cant be unlocked, and youre going to have a hard time finding an old one. the 1gb's cant be unlocked.

http://www.microcenter.com/specials/promotions/save40_promo.html
^you can grab an i5-2500k+ asrock p67 extreme4 for $295 before tax, ~$325 after.

an additional 200mm side fan on your haf 922 should give some nice airflow to those graphics cards, but its probably not even necessary.

 

[crch]

750w is fine for 560 ti's or 6950's. 850w for 570's.
the newer 6950 2gb's cant be unlocked, and youre going to have a hard time finding an old one. the 1gb's cant be unlocked.

http://www.microcenter.com/specials/promotions/save40_promo.html
^you can grab an i5-2500k+ asrock p67 extreme4 for $295 before tax, ~$325 after.

an additional 200mm side fan on your haf 922 should give some nice airflow to those graphics cards, but its probably not even necessary.

Great, thanks. I'll check out that promo.

 

[crch]

Best answer selected by crch.