$1500 Gaming Rig (First build)

[acefusion]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within 2 months

BUDGET RANGE: $1400-1600

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Mouse, Keyboard

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: www.Newegg.com

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States of America

PARTS PREFERENCES: Here are the parts I have chosen already from doing my own research and looking at other builds. If you have any suggestions on better parts feel free to change them in your reccomended build.
Feel free to copy and paste this for your replies.

Processor: Intel core i5-2500k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131702

PSU (Very open for suggestions here, idk if 750W is sufficient for this rig or if i will run into problems down the road during SLI and OCing, a similar one with a better price is welcome) : CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345

HDD (Open for suggestions here as well 1tb is plenty for now): Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

Case (Worried about space because I have never built a pc before, any feedback on price and size is welcome): COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

Optical Drive: LG Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 10X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Super Multi WH12LS30 LightScribe Support
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136226

(The total i get for the 7 parts above is about $888 including tax and shipping)

Monitor: Needed

Aftermarket Cooler: Needed

SSD: Needed

GPU: Needed


OVERCLOCKING: Yes

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: In the future yes, for now one card is fine. Would like advice on whether i should invest in a 580 now or just a get a 560 ti and save up for another one in the future.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Not sure, whatever the standard is for a decent gaming rig

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I would like a pretty fast SSD in this build. The SSD doesnt have to be large just enough for windows/games and maybe some other stuff. Im a computer engineering student so I plan on doing all of my projects and programming on this computer as well if that makes any difference. I have no idea what kind of cooling a build like this would need so any recommendations on what i should invest in as far as cooling goes would help alot. If possible I would like Windows 7 OEM in the build as well. Thanks for your time and feedback!

 

[aznshinobi]

^ Well no need to wait for the SLI.

Check out my $850 build a few changes would save you a bit of money. (IE MB+PSU+HDD changes).
http://www.squidoo.com/electronicandmore
With that said, you should get a single 560 Ti TFII OC from MSI (I do state it in the build guide).
An SSD suggestion:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227728
Heatsink suggestion:
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0%3FSubscriptionId%3D19BAZMZQFZJ6G2QYGCG2%26tag%3Dsquid1240995-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB002G1YPH0
Monitor suggestion:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009266

 

[cgleckman]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within 2 months

BUDGET RANGE: $1400-1600

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Mouse, Keyboard

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: www.Newegg.com

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States of America

PARTS PREFERENCES: Here are the parts I have chosen already from doing my own research and looking at other builds. If you have any suggestions on better parts feel free to change them in your reccomended build.
Feel free to copy and paste this for your replies.

Processor: Intel core i5-2500k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131702

PSU (Very open for suggestions here, idk if 750W is sufficient for this rig or if i will run into problems down the road during SLI and OCing, a similar one with a better price is welcome) : CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345

HDD (Open for suggestions here as well 1tb is plenty for now): Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

Case (Worried about space because I have never built a pc before, any feedback on price and size is welcome): COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

Optical Drive: LG Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 10X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Super Multi WH12LS30 LightScribe Support
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136226

(The total i get for the 7 parts above is about $888 including tax and shipping)

Monitor: Needed

Aftermarket Cooler: Needed

SSD: Needed

GPU: Needed


OVERCLOCKING: Yes

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: In the future yes, for now one card is fine. Would like advice on whether i should invest in a 580 now or just a get a 560 ti and save up for another one in the future.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Not sure, whatever the standard is for a decent gaming rig

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I would like a pretty fast SSD in this build. The SSD doesnt have to be large just enough for windows/games and maybe some other stuff. Im a computer engineering student so I plan on doing all of my projects and programming on this computer as well if that makes any difference. I have no idea what kind of cooling a build like this would need so any recommendations on what i should invest in as far as cooling goes would help alot. If possible I would like Windows 7 OEM in the build as well. Thanks for your time and feedback!

Alright so right off the bat I noticed that your using a p67 MOBO, if you are planning to get a SSD i would suggest going with a z68 (recommendations below)

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD4-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128494


Secondly, you will need to upgrade that PSU if you plan to OC and to SLI/Crossfire later. Depending on the GPU that gets decided on, we can give suggestions then. However I would say a 850W PSU is a good place to start (suggestions below)

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply 134.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

COOLER MASTER Silent Pro RS850-AMBAJ3-US 850W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply $129.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171048


Alright then we come to the HDD. The Samsung Spinpoint f3 is 1tb and one of the best on the market for the price. Save yourself some money and go with the Samsung Spinpoint f3. The difference is negligible.

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185


As for the case and cooling I need to know more about how much OC you plan to do and if u do actually intend to go SLI or not.

And lastly the SSD:

Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $114.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148357

If there is anything I missed let me know, or if you have any more questions I am here as well.

 

[inzone]

Right now ram prices are very low , the lowest I have see in a long time so it might be a good time to take advantag of that. I would go with the 580 now because if you wait to buy another card then the 560 will go out of useability faster than the 580. The power suply is one area where you should try to get the highest you can afford now because later on when you are adding things you don't know about now you don't want to have to upgrade the PS as well. It never hurts to have too much it's better than not having enough. The case looks like it is set up for 6 fans and only 2 are included , you should add the extra fans with a nice front bay fan controller , getting a good air flow through your case is just as important as the individual components cooling solutions. Some items to consider ;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130684
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227727
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001425
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106178
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145312

 

[acefusion]

Cgleckman, Thank you for your suggestions! I like the SSD and your advice for HDD is perfect as well. As for the z68 mobo, from what I've read the p67 are better for performance. Is there any particular reason a z68 is needed for an SSD? Also I dont plan on OCing hardcore or anything I just want the performance boost on the computer so a casual 4.2-4.6 is fine for me. I dont really think i need to go SLI since from what ive read one 560 ti can handle most games and im not too picky on having the absolute best performance on a game. Also i will definetely invest in the psu you suggested I dont want to take any chances when it comes to the psu.

 

[aznshinobi]

^ QQ was my suggestions not even looked at.

P67 is sweet, but Z68 just offers more features for the money. IE the ability to use the IGPU of the CPU whenever you wanted to or Quick Sync even if you have a dedicated card. There is the usage of SSD Caching which is what Cgleckman was pointing out however OP, no reason to use that really since it doesn't really give you that much more performance.

The 560 Ti is fine, infact the one I recommended in my post as well. The 560 ti TFII OC would give you great performance since it already performs at the 570's level for about $70 less.

 

[acefusion]

Right now ram prices are very low , the lowest I have see in a long time so it might be a good time to take advantag of that. I would go with the 580 now because if you wait to buy another card then the 560 will go out of useability faster than the 580. The power suply is one area where you should try to get the highest you can afford now because later on when you are adding things you don't know about now you don't want to have to upgrade the PS as well. It never hurts to have too much it's better than not having enough. The case looks like it is set up for 6 fans and only 2 are included , you should add the extra fans with a nice front bay fan controller , getting a good air flow through your case is just as important as the individual components cooling solutions. Some items to consider ;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130684
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227727
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001425
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106178
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145312

Thanks for your reply, I was originally planning on going for 16G of ram but when i talked to an ASUS live agent online about the mobo he said 16g of ram could damage the motherboard so i decided to play it safe. But i do understand the importance of ram and your suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[acefusion]

^ QQ was my suggestions not even looked at.

P67 is sweet, but Z68 just offers more features for the money. IE the ability to use the IGPU of the CPU whenever you wanted to or Quick Sync even if you have a dedicated card. There is the usage of SSD Caching which is what Cgleckman was pointing out however OP, no reason to use that really since it doesn't really give you that much more performance.

The 560 Ti is fine, infact the one I recommended in my post as well. The 560 ti TFII OC would give you great performance since it already performs at the 570's level for about $70 less.

Oh i see, alright thanks Ill adjust my build so far and you are definetely saving me a bunch of money. Im glad to here about the 560 since I wasnt too eager to spend 500+ on a gpu. And sorry for the late reply I started from the bottom up when i started reading them :\

 

[acefusion]

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD4-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128494

There seems to be a problem with the mobo not having enough connections for fans or something along that line? Since this is my first build I can't really assess how big of a deal that will be, does any1 have a better suggestion for a z68 mobo that would go nicely with the build?

 

[aznshinobi]

Broken link, but the board is fine. Even with that fan connection thing. Most of your fans are going to be hooked up to the controller or just directly to the PSU, the MB fan connections are mostly just for the heatsink, some people like to connect them all to the MB since you can control it through the voltage from there.

As for another MB, to save money again check out my build guide. The Asrock Extreme3 Gen3 Z68 is a solid board that is only $130 and would be great.

 

[cgleckman]

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD4-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128494

There seems to be a problem with the mobo not having enough connections for fans or something along that line? Since this is my first build I can't really assess how big of a deal that will be, does any1 have a better suggestion for a z68 mobo that would go nicely with the build?

Your link is broken so I dont know what your refering to.

Cgleckman, Thank you for your suggestions! I like the SSD and your advice for HDD is perfect as well. As for the z68 mobo, from what I've read the p67 are better for performance. Is there any particular reason a z68 is needed for an SSD? Also I dont plan on OCing hardcore or anything I just want the performance boost on the computer so a casual 4.2-4.6 is fine for me. I dont really think i need to go SLI since from what ive read one 560 ti can handle most games and im not too picky on having the absolute best performance on a game. Also i will definetely invest in the psu you suggested I dont want to take any chances when it comes to the psu.

As far as the ssd is concered I believe aznshinobi covered it perfectly

P67 is sweet, but Z68 just offers more features for the money. IE the ability to use the IGPU of the CPU whenever you wanted to or Quick Sync even if you have a dedicated card. There is the usage of SSD Caching which is what Cgleckman was pointing out however OP, no reason to use that really since it doesn't really give you that much more performance.

As for your cooling. Here is what I found on the case you chose.

It comes with 2 120mm fans. 1 front 1 rear. If you are OCing you need more cooling so heres some things you may want to consider:

Cooling System:
-Front: 120 mm fan x 2, 1200 RPM, 17 dBA (one is optional,can be swapped for one 200mm fan)
-Top: 120 mm fan x 2 or 200mm fan x 1(optional)
-Rear: 120 mm fan x 1, 1200 RPM, 17 dBA
-Side:120/140 mm fan x 1 (optional)

Basically these are all the options for fans you have. However I dont think you need them all.

I would recommend getting a 200mm fan for the top, and then 2 additional 120mm fans. 1 more for the front and 1 for the rear.

I would also recommend getting a heatsink

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 $28
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&Tpk=cooler%20master%20heatsink%20212

should do the trick.

Also here is a nifty bundle to save you some money on the sandybridge 2500k and the 560TI (and this ones OCed

CPU + GPU Combo: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K 453.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.717976&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=f5l5kohzkivn

 

[acefusion]

Best answer selected by Acefusion.

 

[acefusion]

Thanks Cgleckman! I was really worried about the cooling. I had no idea how many or which fans to get but you broke it down very nicely. Thanks for the bundle also!

 

[cgleckman]

Thanks Cgleckman! I was really worried about the cooling. I had no idea how many or which fans to get but you broke it down very nicely. Thanks for the bundle also!

Glad to be of service and not a problem. Enjoy! Any other questions feel free to respond ( i will keep this post on my tracking) or make a new post with a final build to be examined before you buy either way enjoy