First Time Builder Looking for Critique ~$600

[tacogrande]

Hi everybody, I've been doing some research the past couple weeks on these boards as well as others to make my first build. So far this is what I have come up with. My budget is roughly around $600 with rebates included, I am trying to stick to this because I still need an OS and a monitor. I live in the States and have access to a microcenter as well. I am a gamer looking for a mid range PC, and am looking to buy asap, and if no big problems turn up today.

CPU - i5 - 2500k LGA 1155
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589
$180

Motherboard - P67A-G43 (B3) LGA 1155 P67 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0358172
$80 when bundled with the cpu from microcenter

GPU - ZOTAC ZT-40408-10P GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500202
$120

Memory - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBXL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231425
$31

PSU - COOLER MASTER GX Series RS650-ACAAE3-US 650W ATX12V v2.31 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171052


Case - Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid Tower ATX Case (RC-912-KKN1)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233
$75 after psu and case bundle + rebate


Hard Drive - Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$45

Optical Drive - Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B - OEM
$20

Grand Total - Roughly $600 after rebates and shipping costs on select items

I also do not pan on overclocking right now and am sticking with the stock fan. As i understand it with the case I have chosen accessing the back of the motherboard is relatively easy so installing a different cooler now is not necessary.

Of all the parts the hardest component I have had picking was the video card and was looking for suggestions, I have looked at the radeon HD 6850 as well.

Overall do all these parts fit together and are compatible? Any suggestions on alternative parts?


Thanks!

 

[jmsellars1]

WOW @ being able to get this build at this price. Also, i wouldn't recommend SLI on that board so you could drop the PSU to 450-500W. I would suggest doing that and upgrading your 460 to the MSI cyclone because i think it will be a lot quieter and cooler.

As for the HD 6850, that and the GTX 460 1GB are equally good cards at this budget. I would say if youre not going to overclock it then the HD 6850 probably edges it but with overclocking i think the GTX 460 1GB would beat it. Basically theyre very similar performance.

 

[jmsellars1]

You can get an Antec EA-500 or Corsair CX-500 for like $20 less than that GX-650 and i would be willing to bet theyre better quality too.

 

[tacogrande]

Yea I thought the deals looked pretty good. The processor and mobo combo deal ends today so I'm thinking about pulling the trigger. Overclocking is not something I am anticipating to do right now but later on in the future I may go that route.

The main reason I have the GX-650 chosen as the PSU is because of the bundle deal that it has with the case. With the bundle anda rebate both are $75 combined which cuts cuts out some cash. I looked over the cooler master reviews for the PSU and they seem to be on the good side.

After looking at some video cards in a similar price range to the msi cyclone whats the gtx 460 superclocked and how does that stack up to the rest of the field?

 

[chillin15]

Video cards with 2 fans tend to run cooler and quieter than video cards with just one fan, especially when gaming.

 

[jmsellars1]

If you mean the EVGA one, it's probably quieter and cooler than the Zotac one yeah.

 

[tacogrande]

I've bought part of the build so far but before I finish it up I have one last question. Since I am getting an OEM optical drive and hard drive, do I need to buy any cables specific cables or will they be provided for with the motherboard?

Thanks

 

[jmsellars1]

You should get some SATA cables with the motherboard.