Help me build an affordable (1Kish) gaming&recording system

[crjcook]

Hello community!

I'm going to try to build a computer, for the very first time, from the bottom up. However, I have no idea what I need to make my system work for me. I am capable of making some decisions on those 'build-your-own' websites like ncix, but I end up totally lost when it comes to suitable heat sinks, power supplies and motherboards. The last thing I want is to end up with a system that doesn't hold up to my expectations for playing video games like Starcraft 2 while recording my gameplay experience in FRAPS. Please take a look at my topic as I try to describe what would make my personal computer a perfect companion!

Approximate Purchase Date: October 1st

Budget Range: 800-1200, less is more!(more gooder!!!)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming & recording game footage while Skyping 10/10. social networking and video viewing and streaming also to be done but who cares, i'm sure that'll work if it can do the important things!

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: Well, I'm building it from scratch, aren't I?

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.ca, or whoever happens to have the better deal & shipment to Toronto, Ontario.

Location: Toronto, ON. Canada.

Parts Preferences: one of these top tier, affordable CPUs http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html ex: i5-3570(k?) I'm not picky. I'm sure those willing to answer know better than me!

Overclocking: Maybe. How essential is this to me? I don't know the deal here. I need to be able to run games such as DotA 2 on good looking settings, in 720p, while capturing at a framerate of 26fps+ in FRAPS.

SLI or Crossfire: I don't know what this is ^___________^

Your Monitor Resolution: Not sure. I will find a monitor to fit the computer after the fact. preferably 1280×720

Additional Comments: I will be making great use of FRAPS while playing games such as League of Legends and DotA 2, among others. Not interested in playing crisis 2 or any of tomorrow's latest game releases.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My laptop is kaput. I'm going to go for a desktop this time around so that I can do everything I wished my laptop could. like playing Warcraft 3 faster than 20fps on the lowest settings while FRAPSing ;p


Please help me find out what will be right for me while I wait for my cheque to roll in.

 

[Why_Me]

Free Shipping on orders over $50



http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180AC2961&vpn=P1550SXXB9&manufacture=XFX $62.02
XFX 550W PRO550W Core Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 44A 24PIN ATX Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530BD2284&vpn=P8B75-M/CSM&manufacture=ASUS $86.32
ASUS P8B75-M/CSM mATX LGA1155 B75 DDR3 1PCI-E16 1PCI-E4 2PCI SATA3 DVI HDMI USB3.0 Motherboard

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12200BD7004&vpn=BX80637I53470&manufacture=INTEL $196.56
Intel Core i5 3470 Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.2GHZ Ivy Bridge 6MB Retail

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15380BD5211&vpn=F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL&manufacture=G.SKILL $44.57
G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Memory

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530DR5213&vpn=DRW-24B1ST%20Bulk&manufacture=ASUS $18.05
ASUS DRW-24B1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer OEM Black

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950AC0275&vpn=ST500DM002&manufacture=SEAGATE $64.79
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB 3.5IN 16MB Cache SATA3 Internal Hard Disk Drive HDD

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950BD9124&vpn=GV-N560448-13I&manufacture=GIGABYTE $205.80
Gigabyte GeForce GTX560 Ti Core 448 732MHZ 1280MB 3.8GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI HDMI DP PCI-E Video Card

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12850SW2113&vpn=GFC-02050&manufacture=MICROSOFT $89.79
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT SP1 DVD OEM

 

[DeusAres]

Try this...

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 ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($86.63 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($259.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ATX Mid Tower Case ($88.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($105.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $961.53
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-03 00:40 EDT-0400)

I tried to leave room for the OS and a monitor. This will play all those games you list at high settings and high fps. I recommend a monitor such as this. Has all the features you want.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236175

These links are just for referencing. Just look up the parts on your favorite online vendor. I know NCIX.ca is a good place to get computer parts.

 

[aznshinobi]

Check out my $850 build here:
http://www.squidoo.com/electronicandmore
Would try and check out this retailer as Why_Me suggested.
http://directcanada.com/

 

[Why_Me]

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.ca, or whoever happens to have the better deal & shipment to Toronto, Ontario.

Location: Toronto, ON. Canada.

Try this...

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 ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($86.63 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($259.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ATX Mid Tower Case ($88.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($105.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $961.53
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-03 00:40 EDT-0400)

I tried to leave room for the OS and a monitor. This will play all those games you list at high settings and high fps. I recommend a monitor such as this. Has all the features you want.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236175

These links are just for referencing. Just look up the parts on your favorite online vendor. I know NCIX.ca is a good place to get computer parts.

 

[DeusAres]

These links are just for referencing. Just look up the parts on your favorite online vendor. I know NCIX.ca is a good place to get computer parts.

 

[aznshinobi]

^ You can change the country in PCPartPicker lols.

The pricing for your build is actually WAY more, the i5 3570K isn't $190 in CAN and the Asrock Extreme4 Z77 is about $180 CAN but just saying.

 

[azeem40]

^ You can change the country in PCPartPicker lols.

The pricing for your build is actually WAY more, the i5 3570K isn't $190 in CAN and the Asrock Extreme4 Z77 is about $180 CAN but just saying.

Still below the max of his budget.

http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/dIRo

 

[aznshinobi]

Solid then. OS would put the build above the budget. Before rebates that is but PCPartPicker always has the price after them.

 

[azeem40]

Before rebates it is $1116. It would push him, but only by $16. I am sure he can find $16 laying around somewhere. :lol:

 

[aznshinobi]

Haha true that. Hopefully shipping isn't going to hit him too hard. Most Newegg things ship with like a $5 fee tacked on for Canada. Sucks.

 

[crjcook]

Thanks to everyone for their very rapid responses! However, I would much prefer it if you treated this topic a bit less like a competition and more like a discussion :]
As I explained, I'm not even sure what I need so it would be very helpful to me if you could give wordy comparisons or reasons for certain parts, or things I should be considering such as whether or not to overclock.

Please keep in mind the fact that I am not rushing to purchase this tomorrow. I will be making my final decisions in late September. Perhaps the market will have changed slightly by then but we can assume that what is affordable today will be affordable then as well.


All of your posts have been helpful to me and I am taking the time to look through them now.

From what I know....
GPU: the Radeon HD 7870 looks to be of higher quality than the slightly more affordable and allegedly better valued GeForce GTX560 Ti. I wonder if I would need the power when it came down to recording 720p footage? They both appear to be wonderful choices.

CPU: You all seem to have chosen the same one. i5-3470 or i5-3570K. As I learned, a few hours ago from my friend, the K means it is Kapable of overclocking. Overclocking sounds like something that I don't need, but it would be better if I could do should the need arise.

HDD: the Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB looks like the best one for me. I do not need more than 500gb, though 1tb wouldn't be too much for me to say no. It really comes down to quality assurance here. Any words from you guys?

RAM: I don't know anything about RAM other than that I would need at least 8gigs of it, and it has to work with the motherboard selected....

MoBo: My friend told me to go with a Z77 for some reason known to him. So the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 is looking like a solid choice.


So let me sum this up once more, all prices will be ESTIMATES. I'm worried more about parts than prices. This is why my price range is shown to be very flexible. After I decide parts I will search prices and retailers. Much thanks of course for the lists of retailers you've given that I was unaware of.

GPU: Radeon HD 7870 or GeForce GTX560 Ti, $250ish or $200ish (find the ish button on your calculators!)
CPU: Intel Core i5 3470 or Intel Core i5-3570K, $200 or $220
MoBo: ASRock Z77 Extreme4, $135
RAM: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory, $45
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB $65

Adding those prices up gives me "$645-$715" AKA "a lot of room to work with".

I guess an OS is another 100.

Now that I have (sort of, almost) chosen the important parts, the next logical (in my head) step is to select power supplies, towers and cooling systems that will fit their needs. I want to make sure of a few things. I will want to plug my dead laptop's HDD into the beast, and I will possibly want to double the RAM in the future. I might also want to be overclocking. With this in mind, I wonder about the compatibility differences between the 550W power source and the 750W. I don't think Why_Me included a cooling system, which is probably something important, but he wasn't suggesting a K series CPU either.

I feel like I'm going in circles... but I guess I'm half decided about the important specs, and I have a lot of good options presented for casing, power supply and cooling. With roughly $300 to work with I should be able to get those things easily. However, I had no idea cases costed that much. Seems like a good place to cut corners so that I'd be able to afford a better monitor or maybe some cheese cake.

Thanks again for the help so far, and please feel free to keep the discussion going, my ignorance is not very blissful. I am severely oblivious and you people are life-savers.

 

[DeusAres]

Alright then. Let's try this again.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Memory Express)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.98 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G43 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($94.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.49 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.79 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($257.92 @ DirectCanada)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: XFX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $893.13
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-03 13:07 EDT-0400)

Sorry, I tend to go on a copy and paste spree and don't bother to give any reasoning for my parts list.

CPU: I chose the i5 3570k simply because of it's power straight out of the box. If you need more power in the future, all you have to do is overclock this bad boy to around 4.0-4.5GHz. There are plenty of tutorials out there on youtube.

CPU Cooler: It's cheap, reliable, and a high performer. One of the best bang for the buck coolers on the market today. You'll want one of these lest you fry your CPU if you try overclocking with the stock heatsink fan. The hyper 212 evo will allow you to overclock your CPU as well as keep it cool and stable.

Motherboard: I decided to change it up this go around. In Canada boards are more expensive for whatever reason. This mobo will have all the features you need at a reasonable price. If you can afford a better board such as the Asrock, get it. You may appreciate the extra features in the future.

RAM: Honestly, this part doesn't really matter. I typically just go for trusted brands for reliability. They all do the same thing. In your case, you're gonna want to grab RAM with low heatspreaders. This way, you won't run into clearance issues with your aftermarket CPU cooler. G.Skill is a reputable company and offers some amazing quality RAM.

Storage: The Seagate drives are reliable, fast and cheap. Just go ahead and get the 1TB version. It's not particularly a significant difference. In the long run, you'll be paying more for a smaller 500GB drive due to the drives costing nearly the same as a 1tb drive.

GPU: Just grab the hd 7870. It's a strong performer. It's one of the strongest cards you can get at your price point. I tried to fit a gtx 670 but it just wouldn't work. Sorry 🙁 ...At any rate, the 7870 will more than meet your needs. It will run any modern game on ultra settings and at comfortable frames.

Case: Since you mentioned above that you'd be willing to cut corners for performance, I decided to downgrade the case a bit. It's mostly downgraded in price, though. The HAF 912 (just like the HAF 922) offers high airflow, decent cable management, and fairly stylish aesthetics. This case comes in at around $50 so it's a good pick.

PSU: I chose the xfx 750 watt power supply due to it's reliability, efficiency and price. Just in case you decide to do Crossfire (I'll explain that later) that option will be present with this PSU. This PSU is 80+ Bronze certified and provides 750w of continuous power... Something you'll appreciate...especially when it's feeding raw power to all those delicate computer components.

ODD: Any cheap dvd burner will get the job done. Just look for something under $20.

Now, you mentioned you weren't sure what SLI/Crossfire was? All that does is provides you with the option of bridging two video cards together (so long as they are the same GPUs) and gain extra performance.

Alright, on to the next term...
Overclocking: This allows you to push your CPU or GPU above their base clock speeds (hence the term overclocking) and gain extra performance at a cost of heat. This is why you want a case with great air flow and a heatsink for your CPU.

Hope this helps; good luck!

 

[crjcook]

Best answer selected by crjcook.