First time build, will this be a good setup?

[runnin_round]

I'm looking to build a gaming PC, and this will be my first time building a computer. I have a budget of $1000, and think I have found some good components, but I am not sure if I can get anything better for the money. I am have some brand loyalty towards Intel/Nvidia, so yell at me as much as you want about that. Here's my list:

CPU: Intel i5 2500k
GPU: eVGA GT 640 4GB
PSU: SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD (copied from newegg cart, not very familiar w/ PSUs)
MB: Asus p8Z77-V LK
Case: Cooler Master RC-692A-KKN5
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0GB/s 3.5"
SSD: (For OS) OCZ Onyx series 2.5" 32GB SATA2 SSD
RAM: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB)

Do I need an optical drive for loading the OS, or is there a way to do it from a 16GB flash drive?


If you have any suggestions, questions, completely alternative systems, or advice, please respond.

Thank you!

 

[achu2096]

Yes you should be able to put an iso of the os on the usb and boot from that.

Also do you have access to a micro-center?

 

[excella1221]

The GTX 640 won't get you anywhere.
For a gaming rig, the video card is cheaped out on too much.

There's no point getting the i5-2500k, it's an older generation and the 3rd generation i5-3570K is only $10 away.

PSU is overkill. You'll only need 500-550w for a single GPU system.

Don't bother with 32gb of SSD capacity. It won't be enough even for OS, the actual size is below 32gb.

Would do somethig like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($116.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($217.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master NV-692A-KWN2 ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.57 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($53.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $913.05
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-28 23:12 EST-0500)

Note that the only reason I put a GTX660 is 'cause of your "strong" nVIDIA preference. Otherwise, I would recommend the Radeon 7870(same price as the 660) whose performance is on the levels of the GTX 660 Ti, a ~$300 video card and 1 tier higher than the 660.

 

[runnin_round]

Thanks so much! I was wondering about the 2500k vs the 3570k. From what I've heard the 3570k (ivy bridge) gets hotter when OC'd. Am I able to find all of these parts @ newegg? I'd prefer if they all got here at about the same time.

 

[runnin_round]

Best answer selected by runnin_round.

 

[excella1221]

You could.... but the case you want isn't available on Newegg, the Crucial M4 SSD is $60 more, and a few other. The total amount would go over $1000.

Here's a build centered on Newegg and NCIX.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($118.67 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($217.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master NV-692A-KWN2 ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.57 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($53.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $951.72
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-29 21:01 EST-0500)