Buying a $1300 computer, NEED HELP!

[SMITZ]

Case: CoolerMaster HAF 912 Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ Adjustable HDD Cage (Black Color)
Laser Engraving: None
Laser Engraving Message:
Freebies: None
Internal USB Extension Module: None
Neon Light Upgrade: None
Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Maximum 120MM Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+9]
Noise Reduction Technology: None
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-2550K 3.40 GHz 6MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified)
Performance Tuning Protection Plan by Intel: Intel® Core™ i5-2550K Performance Tuning Protection Plan by Intel [+24]
Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: Extreme OC (Extreme Overclock 20% or more) [+49]
Cooling Fan: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo Gaming Cooling Fan [+4]
Coolant for Cyberpower Xtreme Hydro Water Cooling Kits: Standard Coolant
Motherboard: * [CrossFireX] GigaByte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ Intel Smart Response Tech. & 7.1 Dolby Home Theater Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, 2x SATA-III RAID, mSATA Connector onboard, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI (All Venom OC Certified) [+5]
Intel Smart Response Technology for Z68 & Z77: None
Memory: 16GB (4GBx4) DDR3/1333MHz Dual Channel Memory [+35] (Corsair or Major Brand)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+261] (EVGA Superclocked)
Freebies: None
Video Card 2: None
Video Card 3: None
Power Supply Upgrade: 1,000 Watts - Standard Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready [+37]
Hard Drive: 500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [-13] (Single Hard Drive)
Data Hard Drive: None
Hard Drive Cooling Fan: Vigor iSURF II Hard Disk Drive Cooling System [+21] (1 x System)
External Hard Drive (USB3.0/2.0/eSATA): None
USB Flash Drive: None
Optical Drive: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: None
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
3D Vision Glasses: None
LCD Monitor: None
2nd Monitor: None
3rd Monitor: None
Speakers: 600Watts PMPO Subwoofer Stereo Speakers [+15]
Network: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
Keyboard: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
Mouse: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
Mouse Pad: None
Gaming Gear: None
Extra Thermal Display: None
Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: None
External Wireless Network Card: None
Wireless 802.11 B/G/N Access Point: None
Bluetooth: None
Flash Media Reader/Writer: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
Video Camera: None
Headset: None
Printer: None
Cable: None
Power Protection: None
IEEE1394 Card: None
Internal USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
USB Port: None
Operating System: None - FORMAT HARD DRIVE ONLY
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: None
Office Suite: None
Ultra Care Option: None
Service: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Rush Service: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 10~15 BUSINESS DAYS


I am buying this PC hoping it will be able to play Battlefield 3 on Ultra, as well as the other popular games out today. Any who, here is the website in which you can view the Computer itself as well as the parts
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1E3UPM

The only issues are:
- The Video Card having only 1.5gb in it.
- And the price, I am wondering if there are any modifications I can make to it to save me some money! I was hoping to keep it under a grand, and as you can see, it did not go so well.. I am not 100% sure I would be able to order the parts, then assemble it at home as I am quite new to this.

Any quick responses would be GREAT!

 

[Kmc313]

first off you can save about 30$ going w/ 2500k instead of 2550k. also dont pay for pre-overclock there are guides online that make it pretty straightforward. unless your inclined on the 580, a 570 will be sufficient to max out most games. there is no reason for a hard drive cooling fan. 1000 watts is way overkill 750 would be fine. also 8gb of RAM is plenty. that all i can think of hope i helped

 

[SMITZ]

This helps A LOT! Thanks so much

 

[Kmc313]

welcome

 

[mojorisin23]

First off, i see coolant for a water cooler but the Hyper EVO 212 is a fan. Lose the coolant. And you dont need the HD cooler. the case and the fans will keep it cool.

I am assuming you are gaming with this, no video editing or anything like that. so go down to 4gb x 2, you can upgrade in a few years when you will actually do something that will use the extra 8 gb. Games won't even use 8gb. so its overkill.

OC-ing is very easy... youtube videos can show you step by step. no reason to pay them to do it. takes 3 minutes.

but the speakers from newegg or amazon, cyberpower peripherals are crap.

MOST IMPORTANT: remove that PSU. cyberpower uses crap xtremegear PSUs as "standard" and are notoriously shoddy. it can fry your whole system. go to a corsair 750w. its more than enough for the system you have plus another video card if you want to SLI in the future....

 

[SMITZ]

So I have changed my mind... I am wanting to simply build this machine myself, just out of the fact that it will cost a lot less, and I will get a kick out of it! I hear I can build a computer for under $1000 and have it still able to run Battlefield 3 on Ultra, all I need to know, is what parts I am needing for this. I want to keep it an Intel processor rather then an AMD, and I am a fan of the Nvidia Geforce series..

 

[mojorisin23]

i5 -2500K
GTX580
1Tb HD
Hyper EVO 212 Heat sink
Cd/Dvd drive
Corsair 850w v2 PSU
ASRock Extrem3 Gen3
4gb x 2 RAM (@1600), preferably Hyper X or Corsair Vengeance
Case (your preference - I love the Corsair 400R Carbide mid tower)

Then peripherals. optional would be a SSD.

Hit up newegg and amazon. also, sign up for newegg's promotion daily emails and pick up these items with a promo code. within any given week you can get at least half of the above promo'd and/or with MIR.

 

[SMITZ]

Thanks, I really appreciate this. Also, could you link me to a GTX580 that has 2gb in it? Because I hear that 1.5 or so is too little..

 

[mojorisin23]

Oh... the 580 i believe comes in 1.5gb and 3gb. no 2. but dont quote me on that. i think 1.5gb is plenty, this card will handle anything you throw at it for the foreseeable future. plus i'm not sure there is any way of getting the 3gb and staying under 1k.

i have the 560 Ti 1gb and play skyrim on high and bf3 on max with 55 fps. i plan on getting a second 560 Ti a year or so from now and SLI-ing them.

 

[SMITZ]

Alright, thanks! Helped a lot

Check out this part list, http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7x6T for my updated parts

 

[mojorisin23]

Two things:

First off, 1,000W for a single card config is extreme overkill. i bet half that would be fine. unless you plan on doing some huge things in the future, like triple 580s, then its overkill. i would go MAX 850w and even with that you could easily SLI two 580s.

Second: why did you go with the P67 mobo? i would go with a Z77 or if they are too expensive since they just came out, with a z68. i like ASRock and ASUS but make sure its gen 3 (if z68).

 

[SMITZ]

Okay I shall change my motherboard, could you link me to one you would think suites this system best?

 

[SMITZ]

Is this one alright?
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z77extreme4m

 

[SMITZ]

Actually, this one's good.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z68extreme3gen3

 

[mojorisin23]

I have the 4... 3 is good enough though. they didnt have it when i got the 4.


Here's a good link for the difference. it predates the z77 but that is obviously the latest and greatest.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/302087-30-tomshardware

 

[SMITZ]

Sweet, thanks. Glad you pointed this out ;D