Final Check - HD 6870/i5-2500k under $1k

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pluberus

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Aug 3, 2011
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After many hours of research, and tons of help, I think I've come up with the best compromise for my needs and budget:
https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=21031467

- NZXT ATX Mid Tower Case
- Z68 SATA 6Gb/s ATX Motherboard (Crossfire ready)
- Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 PCIe 2.1x16
- Raidmax 700W PSU - 80+ Bronze Certified
- i5-2500k 3.3GHz
- Kingston 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333
- 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s Seagate
- HP CD/DVD Burner
- Windows 7 H.P. OEM
- Extras: Cat 5 cable, Monitor (Debranded 20"; $130 off), Keyboard, USBWifi
- Already own: Mouse, DVI Cable,
- Total Price: $970

Is there anything I'm missing before I pull the trigger? Cords, components, anything?

-----

Original post:
Hey guys, looking for some help in my first homebuilt PC. I'm currently using a laptop, and could use a major upgrade.

1) What is your budget?
Under $1000. Under $900 would be awesome.

2) Are there any brands/resellers that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Nope

3) What tasks will you be performing with the Desktop?
Gaming; Browsing; Watching videos;

4) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Yes. Global Agenda, BFBC2, BF3, TA, GW2

5) Do you mind buying parts online without seeing them in person?
Online is fine

6) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS X, Linux, etc.
Windows 7

7) How much hard drive space is needed?
7200RPM - 500GB+

8) What size desktop would you like?(All in one, compact, large)
Any

9) Does the case need to be stylish?
Nope

10) What resolution will the screen run at? One or Two screens?
1366x768 or more. One screen

11) Do you need any particular hardware?(Ports, HDD slots, double DVD drives, etc.)
CD/DVD Burner

12) How would you rate your technical skills?
7 on a 1-10 scale.

13) Have you ever built a desktop before?
Yes (lonnnng time ago, but I still mess with hardware)

14) Do you need wireless connectivity?
Yes

15) When are you going to be building this?
Within the next few months

16) Have you considered a pre-built desktop? Or even a notebook?
Yes. Already have a notebook. Need something more powerful and upgradeable.

17) Are you going to overclock?
Not initially, maybe later on.

Other
I really want an i5-2500k or something similar (prefer Intel). I also want a GTX 560 or something similar, if possible.

Came up with this:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=21031467

Does that build look ok? Are there any parts I could switch out for some price savings, but while getting similar performance? Thanks!
 
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Well, I really want to leave the option for CrossFire open for the future (so I prefer to keep the 700W psu). I could drop to a 6850 and save a little money, but I'm not sure its worth it. 6870 and 6850 are really close in performance though, so I probably wouldn't notice the difference.
 
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Don't drop to a 6850. Everything that you have in your wishlist is great. I'm also wondering, what's wrong with the reviews on Newegg? You say it's not trusted aznshinobi? What about the 66 people that say other wise on Newegg?
 
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I cringe at the idea that you want him to run a 6870 OR a 6850 on a 450W. I've got a 6870, and I'm running it on a 500W and that's cutting it close, and it's because I don't have the money to spend on a larger one. However, he DOES have the money, and you never want to cheap out on a power supply. It could lead to the demise of your rig....
 
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Can you show me a reputable review. Such as one website specifically. JohnnyGuru? The very best of PSU reviewers haven't reviewed the Blackstone yet. Also please take a look at the $500 SBM build from THG, it is sporting a 380w Antec 80+ Brnze running 6850 and a i3 2100.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/diy-gaming-pc,2970.html
And it works just fine.

Why not drop down to 6850? The monitor (1600x900) he is upgrading would get maxed out with a 5770 which is about 1-2 tiers down from the 6850. A single 6850 would run fine at that resolution.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/Radeon_HD_6850/7.html
Looks like BC2 is running fine at 1680x1050 with the 6850. 1600x900 is not exactly hard to run at. But if you think you do need the 6870. Fine by me.

 
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Good. You don't need to worry about the psu or anything. I've never even heard of JohnnyGuru, and those other weird reviewers.. so... if I were you, I would trust the 66 people that have actually bought that psu, from newegg. They say it's good, then why wouldn't it be? Seems like he is just trying to get you a good deal, but that also comes with sacrifices, such as cheaping out on parts......
 
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Why do you trust gigabyte more? And why should he just because you do? A lot of what you are trying to get him to buy is all just personal preference. And too late anyways.
 
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No problem. Let me know if you have any problems with it. I'd be glad to help.
 
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Just wanted to follow up real quick:

Received all the parts last night, built the rig, and it ran the first time - no problems. Its so nice being able to play BFBC2 at 90+ FPS on Max settings as opposed to ~25 on minimum. 😀

Thanks again for all your help!
 
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^+1

Lol Jrwizbang, you have no idea what you are talking about. From what I'm looking at I see that Gigabyte has a longer track record of high overclock boards than Biostar. Plus the Gigabyte board, SEEMS, and I emphasize that as I don't know, to have a better SB and NB cooling. Which would assure a cooler board when you're OCing.
 
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^ Are you running Crossfire now?
It's not always about at the moment. It's also about duration. For instance capacitor quality.

The Cooler Master GX750 is an example. The GX750 is a 80+ Bronze rated power supply. However the capacitors are cheap branded and just the internals aren't the best they could be. The capacitors ensure the efficiency for a longer while. If they are crap you can expect the PSU to die fast (or over time) and/or have the efficiency deteriorate after a while (no real timeline, though some have it faster than others). The GX750 has a lot of reviews with updates where the PSU has died after a while. Cooler Master has since fixed that issue with the new (old now it's been awhile) Silent Pro line.

I don't know anything about that Raidmax though, since no reviewers have done a review. That includes the great JohnnyGuru page. If you've done enough research you'll know JG is the best PSU reviewer there is.
 
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Ah, then I won't worry about it. 😀
 
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I love how many people on here are so close minded. Because a psu doesn't say it's "Crossfire, or Sli ready" doesn't mean that it can't do it. And besides, what's with all this hating on raidmax? They don't have much of a reputation, yeah, but they don't have a bad reputation.
 
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