First Build: $1000-$1200 CDN. Need opinions please!

[the_blue_jabberwocky]

Approximate Purchase Date: This Week (before Sept 7 sale end date)

Budget Range: $1000-$1200 Canadian after rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Internet, Media (Video and Audio)

Parts Not Required: All non-tower components

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NCIX.com

Country of Origin: Canada

Parts Preferences: No loyalites or preferences

Overclocking: Maybe, not planned at the moment

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe, not right away

Monitor Resolution: 1440x900 then 1920x1080 very soon. Could be immediately if there are compatibility issues

Additional Comments: Still a green newbie, but from what I understand, this build is feasible. Any comments or concerns are welcome.


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ASUS P8P67 Pro REV3.0 ATX P67 LGA1155 DDR3 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI Sandy Bridge B3 Motherboard
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=59317

Intel Core i5 2500 Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 6MB
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=57963&promoid=1370

Corsair CML8GX3M2A1600C9B Vengeance Bl Lowprofile 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Memory Kit
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=62281&promoid=1370

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB 3.5IN SATA 6GB/S With NCQ Internal Hard Drive OEM
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=58611&promoid=1370

Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB GDDR5 PCI-E 2XDVI HDMI DisplayPort Video Card
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=62195&promoid=1370

XFX 750W PRO750W Core Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 62A 24PIN ATX Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze PSU
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=59617&promoid=1370

Samsung SH-S243D/BEBE 24X Black DVD Writer SATA OEM
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=45667&promoid=1370

Apex VORTEX3620 Mid Tower ATX Case Black 3X5.25 2X3.5 5X3.5INT Front USB X4 Front Audio X4 No PSU
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=46039&promoid=1370

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=45271&promoid=1370

 

[danraies]

Build is pretty good. A couple of thoughts, though:

For the power supply, maybe go a little lower on the wattage with a better brand. Newegg has a really good deal on this very popular Antec 650W for $60 (no mir):
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044

The Samsung Spinpoint F3 will perform the same as your Seagate HDD but for cheaper. However I can't find it on ncix.com.

Your RAM is fine but it says on that page that you can choose between 1.5V and 1.35V. You want the 1.5V version.

If you do ever want to overclock your cpu you'll want the i5-2500K instead of the i5-2500. The "K" means it's unlocked and you can overclock it.

Finally, you've picked a good mobo but if you give up on sli/crossfire, you can go a little cheaper with the asus p8p68 le:
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=59319&vpn=P8P67%20LE%20REV%203%2E0&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1370

 

[aaron88_7]

You should get a decent aftermarket CPU cooler. The stock one from Intel blows.

I also second the recommendation to go with a 2500k. I have the Asus P8P67 Deluxe which is basically the same board and they are really easy to overclock, so it's worth at least keeping that option open for the future.

 

[legendkiller]

The Stock Heatsink are fine if your not going over 4GHz... It was said that the K Series(2nd Gen) can push up to 4GHz on stock intel heatsink which is great...

 

[danraies]

You should get a decent aftermarket CPU cooler. The stock one from Intel blows.

I use a 2500K and the stock fan was fine (not great) on cooling but was REALLY loud, so I second the aftermarket fan if you can afford it. The Coolermaster Hyper 212 is a fan favorite:
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=41337&vpn=RR-B10-212P-G1&manufacture=COOLERMASTER

One thing, though, the 120mm heatsinks will often interfere with fans on the side panel in mid tower cases. Not a huge thing, but something to keep in mind.

 

[the_blue_jabberwocky]

Thank you for your input aaron88_7 and danraies.

I've taken your advice and replaced the 2500 for the 2500K, switched to the mobo and the power source you recommended danraies. The PSU is a little more expensive ($30) at NCIX but I also want them to build the comp for me. Thank you again. Here are the updated parts:

Intel Core i5 2500K Quad Core Unlocked Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 6MB
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=57962

ASUS P8P67 LE ATX LGA1155 P67 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI IDE USB3.0 Sandy Bridge B3 Motherboard
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=59319&promoid=1370

Antec Earthwatts Green 650W Power Supply ATX12V V2.2 EPS12V Active PFC 80PLUS 120MM Fan
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=59339&promoid=1370

 

[the_blue_jabberwocky]

Was changing my order and more posters. Thank you guys. I've added the heat sink too.

 

[aaron88_7]

The Stock Heatsink are fine if your not going over 4GHz... It was said that the K Series(2nd Gen) can push up to 4GHz on stock intel heatsink which is great...

That has little to do with the heatsink and more to do with the chip itself. The heatsink, however, is noisy and does a terrible job at keeping the chip cool. They also use some weird push button tabs to lock it in which really doesn't feel safe pressing down so hard on a $300 chip. Call me paranoid but I don't like to hear creaks and other odd noises as I use physical force to press a heatsink down over a brand new CPU. I still don't understand why you screw the tabs to remove the heatsink, seems like it should be the other way around!

 

[danraies]

That has little to do with the heatsink and more to do with the chip itself. The heatsink, however, is noisy and does a terrible job at keeping the chip cool. They also use some weird push button tabs to lock it in which really doesn't feel safe pressing down so hard on a $300 chip. Call me paranoid but I don't like to hear creaks and other odd noises as I use physical force to press a heatsink down over a brand new CPU. I still don't understand why you screw the tabs to remove the heatsink, seems like it should be the other way around!

The stock fan is fine, though it's loud. I wouldn't take it to 4.0 Ghz with the stock fan, but it cools just fine at stock and with a light overclock. The push-button pins feel more secure to me than the thumbscrews that come with aftermarket heatsinks - they get good contact without squeezing really hard on your $300 chip. I always feel like I'm tightening the aftermarket fans too tight and as far as physical force goes, if you know how things work they take much less force than installing RAM and I don't get any creaking.

 

[legendkiller]

The stock fan is fine, though it's loud. I wouldn't take it to 4.0 Ghz with the stock fan, but it cools just fine at stock and with a light overclock. The push-button pins feel more secure to me than the thumbscrews that come with aftermarket heatsinks - they get good contact without squeezing really hard on your $300 chip. I always feel like I'm tightening the aftermarket fans too tight and as far as physical force goes, if you know how things work they take much less force than installing RAM and I don't get any creaking.

^+1 Agree lol... 4GHz is fine on stock heatsink but depends on how big it is, a 2 inch intel stock heatsink can cool it at 4GHz(Maybe not but around 3.7GHz), other 1/2 - 1 inch intel heatsink are useless, seen it on a Q9550 and with idle temp above 70*C

 

[the_blue_jabberwocky]

Best answer selected by the_blue_jabberwocky.