Advice on $1000 First Build

[klocwork]

Approximate Purchase Date: within the next month

Budget Range: ~$1000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, surfing the internet

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Country of Origin: US

Parts Preferences: None

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe someday

Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050

Additional Comments: Hi all, I've been lurkin around the site for the last year. Hopefully, I'm ready for my first build. Please let me know if you see any compatability issues, glaring mistakes, etc. Also any advice on your experience with particular parts would be welcome. I would like to be able to play the newest games with this PC, although they don't have to be on the highest settings. Thanks in advance for your help.


CPU:

Intel Core i5-2400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074

MOBO:

MSI P67A-G43 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130583

RAM:

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-8GBXH
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231440

PSU:

CORSAIR Professional Series HX650 (CMPSU-650HX) 650W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012

Hard Drive:

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

Video Card:

XFX HD-687A-ZNFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150506

Case:

Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium Grey ATX Mid Tower Silent PC Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352004

DVD:

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
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

+Windows7 64 bit OEM

 

[Why_Me]

This build just needs a case added to it. For good cooling with plenty of room, look at the Cooler Master mid towers like the CM Scout, Enforcer, 922 HAF, 912 HAF, etc..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049 $89.99 - $64.99 after mail-in rebate FREE SHIPPING
Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128502 $128.99 FREE SHIPPING
GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Virtu, Touch BIOS, Smart Response SSD, 2-Way SLI, HDMI

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.694804 $266.98 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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065 $27.99 FREE SHIPPING
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

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/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604 $239.99 - $214.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

or.....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127594 $239.99 - $219.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 $99.99 FREE SHIPPING
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

Total: $933.99 *not including mail in rebates

 

[trolling troll]

Wow that's a good build for the money lol. I wish my budget was 1000 $

 

[klocwork]

Thanks for the info, Why_Me. I'll be checking those components out.

A few specific questions:

1) What should I be looking for in a motherboard, beyond the requisite RAM and PCI slots?

2) I see a lot of recommendations for the 560 Ti. Would that be overkill at my monitor's resolution (1680 x 1050)?

3) Anyone have experience with the Fractal R3 case? Noise dampening sounds like a plus. However, I was wondering if noise dampening = less air = higher fan speeds = more noise = what's the point.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks for the info, Why_Me. I'll be checking those components out.

A few specific questions:

1) What should I be looking for in a motherboard, beyond the requisite RAM and PCI slots?

2) I see a lot of recommendations for the 560 Ti. Would that be overkill at my monitor's resolution (1680 x 1050)?

3) Anyone have experience with the Fractal R3 case? Noise dampening sounds like a plus. However, I was wondering if noise dampening = less air = higher fan speeds = more noise = what's the point.

Thanks for the help.

For the mobo...look for one that supports both SLI and Crossfire along with dual cards running @ x8...which that one up above does. Spacing on a board is another biggie. Most the cards these days are two slot cards and are going to cover up some slots, but not many peeps use any slots other than the PCI-E slots (vid cards) and maybe a PCI slot for wireless adapter or a sound card for the hard core audiophile.

As far as the 560ti goes with your resolution...it's a match made in heaven.

No idea about that case...never used it before. Google some reviews on it maybe and see what you come up with.