Going over budget! need advice

rusty_shackleford

Distinguished
Jul 5, 2012
13
0
18,510
first i would just like to apologize because i have no clue what im doing. all ive done so far is research on these forums and go to newegg and see what the highest rated components were that fell into my budget

what i have come up with so far is

CPU - i5 2500K
MOBO - ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68
GPU - EVGA 025-P3-1579-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) HD 2560MB
RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
CPU Cooler - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO
SSD - ???

Approximate Purchase Date: this week

Budget Range: i would like to keep this at 700

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming (ARMA2 BF3 and good ole' CS)
Parts Not Required: im going to re-use my 600W OCZ PSU, mouse, monitor, keyboard, speakers, my old HDD and CD/DVD drive and put them in my old case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=11-208-001&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=2&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1#scrollFullInfo

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: w/e is cheapest. i do not have access to a microcenter though :(

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: Intel. everything else i dont care as long as its quality

Overclocking: Not unless i need to

SLI or Crossfire: Yes. when/if i need to down the road

Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Additional Comments:

i would like to try out a SSD but i'm almost $100 over my budget on newegg but only 15 on my build here

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bs6o

is there anything i can downgrade like maybe the motherboard so i can get the SSD? and what SSD would you recommend? how does this build look? i would like to run BF3 on high if thats possible. also is there anything i'm forgetting?

PS - the case only has two fans which is why i included a cpu cooler. am i off in my reasoning? would i even need a cooler?
 
Solution
I think the biggest problem in that budget is the GPU. Why overspend on that when you can get one for a fraction of the cost that outperforms it.

I'm not sure if this helps but I definitely cut down on a lot and this includes a great SSD:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($137.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive:...

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
I think the biggest problem in that budget is the GPU. Why overspend on that when you can get one for a fraction of the cost that outperforms it.

I'm not sure if this helps but I definitely cut down on a lot and this includes a great SSD:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($137.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($256.97 @ Newegg)
Total: $844.79
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
 
Solution

rusty_shackleford

Distinguished
Jul 5, 2012
13
0
18,510
is there any benefit using the 3570K vs the 2500K?

i think im going to have to up my budget a little bit because i doubt the measly two fans in my old case are going to do anything especially if i ever decide to overclock.

do you know how long either of the two rigs should last? could i just SLI down the road when bigger and better games come out or would i have to revamp everything?
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


3570K unlocks PCI Gen 3, and if you're using a newer GPU you will get the full functionality of it.

Both of those rigs will run everything on high / ultra for the next couple of years at 1080p.
 

rusty_shackleford

Distinguished
Jul 5, 2012
13
0
18,510
alright this is what i have so far. does this look pretty decent? ive really been getting into DayZ so i would like to play that on high/ultra if possible. also, would i need the cpu cooler if i upgrade to that case? that case has 4 fans as opposed to the two in my current case. would i be able to get by without a cpu cooler and the new case if i dont overclock the card? thanks for all your help guys. this truly is an invaluable resource

and yes i up'd the budget to ~800. hopefully less. its not that i cant afford it i just have other priorities at the moment

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($114.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($246.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Raidmax Smilodon ATX-612WEBP ATX Mid Tower Case w/500W Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $846.91
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
 

rusty_shackleford

Distinguished
Jul 5, 2012
13
0
18,510
why that ram as opposed to the ripjaws? just curious b/c everything i've read (in my limited research) said to use 1600mhz and lower timing which would both fit the ripjaws. does that really not matter or is the difference negligible?

mushkin timing is 9-10-9-27/1866mhz
g skill is 8-8-8-24/1600mhz
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


Raidmax cases are completely worthless, ugh - one of the worst brands on the market. Try this instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139011

Good choices on everything else though, but words can't express how much I hate Raidmax.
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


I'm eventually going to Crossfire my 7870 but currently don't have the funds to do it.

Something like 2/3 of the computers I work with use Raidmax cases - the words "cheap junk" don't even begin to accurately describe them.
 

I have the funds, but not the motive because I now am a believer on getting a single best GPU.
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


The GTX 670 wasn't an option when I got mine otherwise I would have without even thinking about it, but I like the 7870 - it's been really good so far.
 

rusty_shackleford

Distinguished
Jul 5, 2012
13
0
18,510
haha i just chose that because of the green/black theme since thats what my mouse and keyboard are as well and to be honest there arent a lot of choices out there with green leds unless i want to go and buy new fans.

do you think my case now would cool enough with two fans if i get the cpu cooler and just skip out on buying a new case? its old. like 2007 old so im not sure if hardware now puts out more heat or what
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


Just get the fans - don't bother with Raidmax, and especially don't use a case with a built in PSU - those are pretty crappy for the most part.