How is this rig?

[bromanbro]

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1336964&CatId=4910

Motherboard:MSI P67A-C43 B3 Intel P67 Motherboard - ATX, Socket H2 (LGA1155), Intel P67 Express, DDR3 2133MHz (O.C.), SATA 6.0 Gb/s, Gigabit LAN, 1 x PCI-Express x16, USB 3.0
CPU:Intel Core i5-2500K BX80623I52500 Unlocked Processor - Quad Core, 6MB L3 Cache, 1MB L2 Cache, 3.30 GHz (3.70 GHz Max Turbo), Socket H2 (LGA1155), 95W, Fan, Retail
RAM:Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance 8GB PC12800 DDR3 RAM - 1600MHz, 2x4096MB, Non-ECC, Unbuffered
Case:Corsair CC-9011011-WW Carbide Series 400R Mid Tower Gaming Case - ATX, mATX, 4x Ext 5.25" Bays, 6x Int 3.5" Bays, 2x 120mm White LED Fans, 1x 120mm Fan, 2x USB 3.0 and 1x FireWire Front Ports
PSU:Corsair TX850W Power Supply - 850W, ATX, 80Plus
For $689 CANADIAN
I plan to use it to play the latest games at 1080P such as BF3, Metro 2033, etc. I'm planning on getting a GTX 570, any suggestions? Would getting the 2.5GB RAM model be better because of games like RAGE needing tons of VRAM for its texture cache and to prevent popin? Thoughts?

 

[ares640]

Motherboard is a little cheap, otherwise not bad. I prefer to have more fans in my case, but thats just me. Go with the 1280 Mb model of the 570, it isnt worth $50-70 to double the vram, in that case it is better to just SLI the 570's.

 

[bromanbro]

Motherboard is a little cheap, otherwise not bad. I prefer to have more fans in my case, but thats just me. Go with the 1280 Mb model of the 570, it isnt worth $50-70 to double the vram, in that case it is better to just SLI the 570's.

Would the motherboard be bad for OCing?

 

[nagol567]

the 570 will deff do anything you need it to! looks like a really solid build make sure you get a nice cooler for that CPU though.

 

[bromanbro]

the 570 will deff do anything you need it to! looks like a really solid build make sure you get a nice cooler for that CPU though.

Any suggestions on GTX 570's from Tigerdirect or canadian newegg? Also, I never bought an aftermarket cooler before. Are they hard to attach/do they break warrenties?

 

[ares640]

Would the motherboard be bad for OCing?

OCing should be perfectly fine. I'm referring to how it only has 1 PCIe x16 slot, and does not have front panel USB 3.0 support. Actually, looking at the image of that motherboard, it looks like it does have a USB 3.0 connector on the bottom, but it isn't listed in the specs.. not sure on that.

 

[bromanbro]

Ah, so I can't SLI then....would it be safer to get the 2.5GB 570 then?

 

[ares640]

Any suggestions on GTX 570's from Tigerdirect or canadian newegg? Also, I never bought an aftermarket cooler before. Are they hard to attach/do they break warrenties?

For the 570, it depends on how much you care about temps and overclocking. A good stock 570 will cost around $330. A good dual cooler will cost around $350-370. I personally recommend the MSI Twin Frozr III for $369.99.

Aftermarket CPU coolers are essential if you want to overclock. They are easy to attach assuming you do so before putting your motherboard into your case. The stock cooler that comes with your processor should never be used, its junk in comparison. Get the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, cheap and very effective.

 

[bromanbro]

For the 570, it depends on how much you care about temps and overclocking. A good stock 570 will cost around $330. A good dual cooler will cost around $350-370. I personally recommend the MSI Twin Frozr III for $369.99.

Aftermarket CPU coolers are essential if you want to overclock. They are easy to attach assuming you do so before putting your motherboard into your case. The stock cooler that comes with your processor should never be used, its junk in comparison. Get the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, cheap and very effective.

Whoh, I'm looking at aprox. $1100 budget, I don't think I'm in the market for a $350ish cooler O.O. Would my computer blow up without it? Do barebones not include cooling?

Also this computer is a barebones prebuilt. I assume the motherboard and CPU will already be attached on delivery...

 

[ares640]

Whoh, I'm looking at aprox. $1100 budget, I don't think I'm in the market for a $350ish cooler O.O. Would my computer blow up without it? Do barebones not include cooling?

Also this computer is a barebones prebuilt. I assume the motherboard and CPU will already be attached on delivery...

I meant, a GPU with dual fans for $350 The combo is not prebuilt by the way, It will come in individual boxes that you have to put together yourself. It is very easy, don't be intimidated.

 

[bromanbro]

I meant, a GPU with dual fans for $350 The combo is not prebuilt by the way, It will come in individual boxes that you have to put together yourself. It is very easy, don't be intimidated.

Ahaha, thanks. Yeah, never built a computer before, though I've done small things like add RAM/change GRFX card.

 

[ares640]

Ahaha, thanks. Yeah, never built a computer before, though I've done small things like add RAM/change GRFX card.

I was the same as you. I built my first rig about 3 weeks ago, and I never had one issue. Instruction manuals show you the small stuff, like where each screw needs to go. Actually putting the hardware in is the easy part. If you are concerned, watch videos on youtube about install specific parts, they helped me get become more knowledgeable before my parts arrived.

 

[bromanbro]

I was the same as you. I built my first rig about 3 weeks ago, and I never had one issue. Instruction manuals show you the small stuff, like where each screw needs to go. Actually putting the hardware in is the easy part. If you are concerned, watch videos on youtube about install specific parts, they helped me get become more knowledgeable before my parts arrived.

Wondering if http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=500648&CatId=4910 is better? Comes with a different motherboard, 4GB of RAM instead of 8GB, and has a 1TB hard drive too. I could buy the extra 4GB for cheap? It also comes with a 600W PSU instead of 850.

 

[ares640]

Wondering if http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=500648&CatId=4910 is better? Comes with a different motherboard, 4GB of RAM instead of 8GB, and has a 1TB hard drive too. I could buy the extra 4GB for cheap? It also comes with a 600W PSU instead of 850.

No, stop looking at the combos. They usually are only about 5% cheaper, but come with 1 or 2 crappy components. Pick each part individually, you will get exactly what you want that way. Look for parts on sale or for promotional discounts. Newegg has better prices than tigerdirect too by the way. Each week they have an email promotion with individual parts for good prices. I saved about $60 that way when I built my rig.

 

[bromanbro]

No, stop looking at the combos. They usually are only about 5% cheaper, but come with 1 or 2 crappy components. Pick each part individually, you will get exactly what you want that way. Look for parts on sale or for promotional discounts. Newegg has better prices than tigerdirect too by the way. Each week they have an email promotion with individual parts for good prices. I saved about $60 that way when I built my rig.

Yeah, but unfortuntly I'm not sure if it's ever a good deal or if the componant if "good" ie is that case on sale big enough/cooled enough for my PC.

 

[ares640]

Yeah, but unfortuntly I'm not sure if it's ever a good deal or if the componant if "good" ie is that case on sale big enough/cooled enough for my PC.

The only way you will ever know is by comparing them to others and reading reviews on every single thing you are interested in. It took me about 40-60 hours of research before I finally decided on my new build.

 

[bromanbro]

Guess I'll wait till Boxing day when everything's cheap . Thanks guys.