$1300 gaming rig, advice needed.

[build3r]

Hello,
I am making my first build (approximately in one to three months) and i need some advice from experienced builders. I searched around the web and came up with these parts:

Case - Corsair Graphite Series 600T CC600TM Mid-Tower Gaming Case $159,99

CPU - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz - $219.99

GPU - EVGA GeForce Gtx 570 SC - $339.99

PSU - Antec EarthWatts Series EA-750 Green 750W - $89.99

Ram - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - $51.49

Motherboard - ASUS P8P67 (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS - $154.99

CPU Cooler - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus - $39.99

HDD - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $74.99

DVD Drive - Already owned.

OS - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - $109.99

Is there a better option for any of these parts (to save more money with equivalent power)?
Also, is waiting till boxing day worth it (will there be newer or better parts, better deals)?

 

[Sky03]

For gaming, the 2600k only has a very very small advantage over the 2500k. Actually they are almost equal, definitely not worth The 100$ difference.

That hdd is slow, get the samsung spinpoint f3 1tb.

For mobo, get the asrock extreme3 gen 3.

 

[build3r]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I'll change the CPU and hdd.

What are the differences between the Motherboards?

 

[boiler1990]

The ASRock boards are pretty good, and the Extreme3 Gen3 has most of the standard features - USB 3, SATA III, etc. It supports PCI-E 3.0 with the new Ivy Bridge CPUs. It's also cheaper.

+1 to the F3 and 2500K. Other than that, you'll have a great gaming system on your hands.

 

[build3r]

It won't be cheaper for me due to shipping costs for the Asrock mobo, and i also get rebate for the Asus.

If i consider overclocking in the future, will it be possible with these motherboards?

 

[boiler1990]

Didn't know you were in Canada The ASRock Extreme3 Gen3 is about $20-30 cheaper in the USA, and is significantly cheaper than the Asus boards, so in this case I'd go with the Asus board.

As long as you get a P67 or Z68 motherboard you will be able to OC with a 2500K.

 

[build3r]

I thought you would have guessed since all the links were directed to newegg.ca... my bad.

By the way, how much can i OC the 2500k to make it "stable". ( I don't want to fry my first cpu in the first months )

 

[build3r]

Well, i guess I'll have to learn the basics of overclocking once i get my system assembled, because right now, I'm a noob.

 

[boiler1990]

I thought you would have guessed since all the links were directed to newegg.ca... my bad.

By the way, how much can i OC the 2500k to make it "stable". ( I don't want to fry my first cpu in the first months )

Didn't check the links since you had the component names/prices listed. But few people do that, and it's nice when someone does

OCing is getting easier with these new chips, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get started once you get cracking.

 

[build3r]

Well i just hope i don't screw up XD.

Also, is it worth getting the superclocked version of the Gtx 570?

And... how would you compare the Gtx 570 SC with the Radeon 6950 2gb (because you have the 6950 on CrossfireX)?

 

[Sky03]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU11/188

Pick the gpus ou want and review the comparison.

 

[build3r]

And what about the case? Is there something nicer around that price? (Not the Haf series... i just don't like their design)

 

[Nim Chimpsky]

Well i just hope i don't screw up XD.

Also, is it worth getting the superclocked version of the Gtx 570?

And... how would you compare the Gtx 570 SC with the Radeon 6950 2gb (because you have the 6950 on CrossfireX)?

It depends on what resolution you plan to play at. 1920 x 1080 and below, the 570 should beat the 6950. Above that, the 6950's larger frame buffer will pull ahead. And it supports more than 2 monitors, which is awesome. GTX 570 has PhysX, which you might like depending on what games you'll be playing; it's becoming less important, and AMD has Havok.

 

[build3r]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU11/188

Pick the gpus ou want and review the comparison.

Thanks.

So i guess the Gtx 570 is better because I'm gonna be gaming on a 1920x1080 resolution.

 

[Nim Chimpsky]

And what about the case? Is there something nicer around that price? (Not the Haf series... i just don't like their design)

I second that. Uuuuugly.

I have the CM 690 II Advanced and love it. Corsair just came out with their Carbide case, review here. There's also the 500R, with a big fan on the side and a fan controller.

 

[build3r]

It depends on what resolution you plan to play at. 1920 x 1080 and below, the 570 should beat the 6950. Above that, the 6950's larger frame buffer will pull ahead. And it supports more than 2 monitors, which is awesome. GTX 570 has PhysX, which you might like depending on what games you'll be playing; it's becoming less important, and AMD has Havok.

Yeah the Gtx 570 will be better for me because i won't use more than 1920 x 1080.

What are the advantages of PhysX against Havok. Which one do you prefer?

 

[Nim Chimpsky]

Yeah the Gtx 570 will be better for me because i won't use more than 1920 x 1080.

What are the advantages of PhysX against Havok. Which one do you prefer?

Havok actually isn't exclusive to AMD, so you don't have to choose.

 

[build3r]

Oh ok

 

[build3r]

I second that. Uuuuugly.

I have the CM 690 II Advanced and love it. Corsair just came out with their Carbide case, review here. There's also the 500R, with a big fan on the side and a fan controller.

The only thing is that i have to pay an extra 30$ for the shipping on those Corsairs if i buy them from newegg.ca.

 

[Nim Chimpsky]

The only thing is that i have to pay an extra 30$ for the shipping on those Corsairs if i buy them from newegg.ca.

Mm, then the CM 690 II. It, like the Carbide, has great fan placement options and a sensible interior. Front USB 3.0 is all it's missing.

 

[build3r]

Mm, then the CM 690 II. It, like the Carbide, has great fan placement options and a sensible interior. Front USB 3.0 is all it's missing.

USB 3.0 doesn't matter to me. Seriously, what are the uses of USB 3.0?

So the CM 690 II Advanced it is.

 

[Sky03]

The in-win buc has some nice reviews as well.

 

[build3r]

The in-win buc has some nice reviews as well.

It seemed awesome just before i saw the interior yellow ugly rear and top fan and the hdd mounting trays. Such a dumb thing in my opinion.

 

[build3r]

Does anyone know where i could buy an awesome looking fan controller panel and some green or blue led fans. Newegg.ca sells them for 10$+ 10$ shipping...
i can manage to put aside 100$ for accessories later on.

 

[build3r]

After a little further search, i came up with the COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KXN1-GP Black Steel, ABS Plastic, Mesh bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case. It is priced at $139.99 right now + free shipping and $15 rebate. It looks WAYYYY better than the HAF series and has 2 x 200mm Blue LED fans with speed & LED controls on top of the case.

I don't think i can get a better option than that for now.