Approximate Purchase Date: (+/- 1 Week Around Feb 1st)
Budget Range: ($800 - $1000) After Rebates
System Usage from Most to Least Important: (Gaming, Audio Recording, General Use, possibly hackintosh)
Parts Not Required: (OS, Keyboard + Mouse)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (Prefer Newegg, as I pay no tax there, but there is a microcenter nearby (20min), and I'd be willing to drive if it would save some $$, also I have amazon Prime, so I'm open to parts there)
Country of Origin: (USA)
Parts Preferences: by brand or type (intel, would like to go sandy bridge)
Overclocking: I have no experience overclocking, but I wouldn't be adverse to trying
SLI or Crossfire: Not at first, but would like to have the option as an upgrade path
Monitor Resolution: (1920x1080)
Additional Comments: (This is my second build, I built a HTPC last year, and this is my first gaming PC)
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Build I put together on Newegg:
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
HIS H685F1GD Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161348
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145251
ASRock P67 PRO3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157222
Total: $797.64 with Shipping Before Rebates
So I need a 1080p Monitor, I was thinking 21.5 inch(ish) and I like the look of the Dells...
Dell 21.5-inch Wide ST2220MB Flat Panel Monitor
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-9332&~ck=baynoteSearch&baynote_bnrank=10&baynote_irrank=0
$161 with tax/shipping
So that puts me at $958.64 before rebates, $910 ish after rebates.
I'm super excited for this build!
Questions:
1. Critique my build! Is there anywhere I save some $, or squeak some more performance out of this build? I'd love to add an SSD if I can drop the budget a little, it seems like that would be a worthwhile investment.
2. Is the 6850 going to be able to handle 1080p gaming sufficiently? I chose it because It seems like a good budget card that I can easily add another one in crossfire to bump up my performance. Am I better off with a GTX 460 for around the same price (seems like nVidia is easier for hackintosh, although that's a VERY secondary concern), or is it just a matter of preference? I've been out of the PC gaming world for a while so I bought a bunch of stuff during the steam sale this holidy in preparation STALKER, Crysis, The Witcher, a bunch of Telltale stuff, etc. Also plan on buying Starcraft 2, and Diablo 3 when it comes out.
3. Is it worth it to get the 2500k as opposed to the 2500 if i'm not SURE i'm going to overclock? Stability is super-important to me, but I know overclocking has gotten a lot more mainstream/easier/more stable. Thoughts?
And thanks!!
Budget Range: ($800 - $1000) After Rebates
System Usage from Most to Least Important: (Gaming, Audio Recording, General Use, possibly hackintosh)
Parts Not Required: (OS, Keyboard + Mouse)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (Prefer Newegg, as I pay no tax there, but there is a microcenter nearby (20min), and I'd be willing to drive if it would save some $$, also I have amazon Prime, so I'm open to parts there)
Country of Origin: (USA)
Parts Preferences: by brand or type (intel, would like to go sandy bridge)
Overclocking: I have no experience overclocking, but I wouldn't be adverse to trying
SLI or Crossfire: Not at first, but would like to have the option as an upgrade path
Monitor Resolution: (1920x1080)
Additional Comments: (This is my second build, I built a HTPC last year, and this is my first gaming PC)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Build I put together on Newegg:
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
HIS H685F1GD Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161348
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145251
ASRock P67 PRO3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157222
Total: $797.64 with Shipping Before Rebates
So I need a 1080p Monitor, I was thinking 21.5 inch(ish) and I like the look of the Dells...
Dell 21.5-inch Wide ST2220MB Flat Panel Monitor
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-9332&~ck=baynoteSearch&baynote_bnrank=10&baynote_irrank=0
$161 with tax/shipping
So that puts me at $958.64 before rebates, $910 ish after rebates.
I'm super excited for this build!
Questions:
1. Critique my build! Is there anywhere I save some $, or squeak some more performance out of this build? I'd love to add an SSD if I can drop the budget a little, it seems like that would be a worthwhile investment.
2. Is the 6850 going to be able to handle 1080p gaming sufficiently? I chose it because It seems like a good budget card that I can easily add another one in crossfire to bump up my performance. Am I better off with a GTX 460 for around the same price (seems like nVidia is easier for hackintosh, although that's a VERY secondary concern), or is it just a matter of preference? I've been out of the PC gaming world for a while so I bought a bunch of stuff during the steam sale this holidy in preparation STALKER, Crysis, The Witcher, a bunch of Telltale stuff, etc. Also plan on buying Starcraft 2, and Diablo 3 when it comes out.
3. Is it worth it to get the 2500k as opposed to the 2500 if i'm not SURE i'm going to overclock? Stability is super-important to me, but I know overclocking has gotten a lot more mainstream/easier/more stable. Thoughts?
And thanks!!