First PC Gaming Build

[mrlambo1399]

I am building my first PC and plan to use it for gaming and school. I have a budget of around $1100, but am willing to pay a little more and will of course pay less. I plan to play A variety of games, mostly FPS such as COD and Battlefield. Will also definitely play some skyrim and minecraft. This is the setup I have. Please add any suggestions and/or constructive criticism.

CPU: intel i5 2500k Quad core 3.3 ghz 6 mb cache

Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast Series TX 750

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 SUPERCLOCKED 2048MB GDDR5

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache

Network Adapter: TP-Link 150Mbps High Gain Wireless USB Adapter

Memory: Corsair Vengeance Blue 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 MHz

Motherboard: MSI Computer Corporation LGA 1155 Intel B75 SATA 6 Gb/s USB 3.0 1 PCI-E x16 3.0 ATX Motherboard

Monitor: Asus 22-Inch-Class (21.5") LED Monitor

Optical Drive: Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive

OS: Windows 8 system builder DVD 64 bit

Case: Not sure. Do I need a mid or full ATX case for this setup?

 

[dunn2k]

personally id upgrade your processor to the 3450??

A mid atx case is more than big enough mate, iv just done my last build with a 'micro' case - i tell you its not that small lol

also would be good if you could find some spare money for a 128Gb SSD!!? boot up times of 8 secs for your PC is so awesome 😀

Also 22" should be a min monitor size, im using a 24" with my hd7870 and wish i had a 26 lol

 

[Sunius]

^
Changing CPU to 3450 would be a downgrade. Though, I'd pick up a Z77 board instead.

 

[jwk3]

yeah I'd second the 3450 upgrade.

you can also get a smaller power supply, maybe look at getting a quality 500-600w instead. A mid sized case will be fine for this build

 

[Sunius]

Why do you guys think 3450 would be an upgrade? It's a straight downgrade.

 

[Swordkd]

It is a downgrade. However, there is no reason to buy a 2500k over a 3570k. Right now, often times, the Ivy Bridge is less expensive too! You'll definitely want to get a z77 motherboard, probably around the 150 dollar mark. Look for a modular power supply, around 600w from a trusted manufacturer. A 22in. monitor like was said earlier should be baseline. 23in. or preferably 24in. is probably more in line with that budget. I usually pick out all my parts on new egg, but then visit pc partspicker .com and get the lowest prices among several online retailers.

Another thing, upgrade from the 1600mhz ram to 2133mhz. The price difference is rather negligible, as are the performance gains...but just for a few dollars more...why not?

 

[Sunius]

^
There might be budget reasons for not choosing that 😛.

@OP: Tell us your budget too .

 

[mrlambo1399]

I did state my budget of $1,100 in the OP, but its okay everyone misses something once in a while. The 21.5 monitor is plenty for me as I am used to a 16 inch laptop screen. How much of a performance difference is there between the 3570k over the 2500k? I will get the 650 watt version of the same PSU as in the OP. And what is the difference between the motherboard I picked and a z77 one? Sorry, this is my first build. I have also chosen the Cooler Master HAF 912 as my case and have added a 64gb SSD Asa boot drive and a few favorite games. Thanks a lot for the feedback. 😀

 

[Swordkd]

Off the top of my head, I couldn't list the differences between the two chipsets. Z77 is pretty much the standard atm though. There is a performance difference between the 2500k and 3570k. However, one thing to consider is are you going to overclock? If not, then don't spend the money for a "k" processor. If you are going to overclock, don't forget to budget for a decent cpu cooler.

 

[mrlambo1399]

I probably won't over clock right of the bat, but I do have plans to over clock. Here's an updated parts list using the awesome pcpartpicker.com
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LX ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($229.95 @ B&H)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G215HVBbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ CompUSA)
Total: $1009.34
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[wr6133]

I would lose that SSD spend the cash on a better graphics card or reach higher to a 128GB. That SSD is too small to be worth it.

 

[mrlambo1399]

I would lose that SSD spend the cash on a better graphics card or reach higher to a 128GB. That SSD is too small to be worth it.

Yea, I was just thinking that. It all depends on how much money I get for my birthday. If I can get enough I will upgrade that part, if not it will be the first to go.

 

[Sunius]

Something like this one would be perfect 😉.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.68 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Acer G236HLBbd 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($89.99 @ CompUSA)
Total: $1104.09
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[mrlambo1399]

Congratulations, I believe you may have picked my PC. Thanks a lot Sunius.

 

[mrlambo1399]

Best answer selected by mrlambo1399.

 

[Sunius]

No problems, glad to help .

 

[Swordkd]

Please remember that the low price on the cpu is only valid for in-store pickup. If that works for you, I'm jealous, but otherwise the lowest price is 219.99. I'm a big fan of the gigabyte ud3h-z77 board. Currently 140 or so on newegg. It's gotten some really good reviews and would work really well with 1600mgz ram. I've personally been looking at an Asus board just to take advantage of 2133mhz ram though.

After reading some of the suggestions, I have a few questions. How much hard drive storage do you think you'll need? Are you brand biased towards Ati or nVidia for a video card? You've stated a definite preference for the Coolermaster Haf 912 case, and that's a solid pick, is there anything else that you are deadlocked in on?