My first gaming rig...

[Denter]

I was initially planning on buying a Dell prebuilt system but I ultimately decided against it and figured now is as good a time as any to start learning my way around desktops. I exclusively plan on using this rig for MAX quality gaming on older titles (Crysis, Oblivion, Champions Online, etc) and a few recent / upcoming ones (BF3, BC2, SC2, Skyrim, Metro 2033, Dead Rising 2, GTAIV, The Witcher 2) and I was wondering if for my $600-800 dollar budget would this rig do the job? Please note even though I state that I want to max the resolution and quality (1920 x 1200) I am willing to sacrifice ridiculous settings such as the uber sampling or anything over 4x AA to squeeze out that extra fps boost.

CPU:I5-2500k
MOBO:MSI P67A-G45 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
GPU: EVGA GTX 460 FERMI (I already have one GTX 460, just with a different core and shader clock speed, I plan on using SLI config)
RAM:ADATA Gaming Series 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (2)
FAN:Sunbeam Twister 120 CW-TWI-120-SV 120mm x 2 MFDB CPU Cooler
CASE:SIGMA ZEN ZEN-WOB
PSU: RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-530SS 530W ATX12V V2.2

The current total is about $670. In the end, i'm ultimately looking to save money on components so if anyone could recommend parts that they think would do the job just as well for less I'd be grateful.

 

[IH8U]

Drop the MSI board (MSI is gonna die), and look to Asus, Gigabyte, ASRock, Biostar, or Foxconn instead. All Raidmax units are trash, look for: Antec, PC P&C, Enermax/Lepa, Silverstone/Seasonic, Corsair, XFX, or newer OCZ units. Pick up the CM Hyper 212 (~$30) instead of the sunbeam. I'd also go for a single 4GB stick of RAM as well. Where are you getting prices through, online or B&M?

 

[Denter]

Drop the MSI board (MSI is gonna die), and look to Asus, Gigabyte, ASRock, Biostar, or Foxconn instead. All Raidmax units are trash, look for: Antec, PC P&C, Enermax/Lepa, Silverstone/Seasonic, Corsair, XFX, or newer OCZ units. Pick up the CM Hyper 212 (~$30) instead of the sunbeam. I'd also go for a single 4GB stick of RAM as well. Where are you getting prices through, online or B&M?

Right now all of these components are from new egg, i decided it'd be more convenient to get it all from one place but I'd consider different retailers if it would subtract from the total cost. Thanks for the suggestions about quality and pricing but what about the performance?

 

[IH8U]

First off, get a case without a goofy A$$ed door (they impede airflow). If you are going to do SLI I'd recommend a 750W at least.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133179
$40 Thermaltake V4 Black Edition Gaming Chassis Mid Tower Steel Computer Case Fully Black Powdered Interior VM30001W2Z (has a $10 MIR)

or an even better case for $20 more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233
COOLER MASTER HAF 912 ($10 MIR, and free shipping)

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049
$95 Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE (has a $25 MIR, free shipping)

MB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128488
$130 GIGABYTE GA-P67X-UD3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX (has a $15 MIR, free shipping)

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231313
$29 G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (free shipping) grab a second later for 8GB

HSF: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
$28 COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" (free shipping)

 

[Denter]

Would there be any adverse performance issues with that motherboard as one of the PCI-E slots is only x8?

 

[IH8U]

Same issue with the MSI board, so not really a downside. Especially since that slot is taken by the second card. Good airflow will affect the internal temps tho, meaning you can get a higher OC from that 2500k.

 

[aznshinobi]

I disagree with some of the choices.
This motherboard. Practically the same price, no MIR though, except you get Z68 and 3 PCI slots. No, 16x/8x/4x would mean 8x/8x/4x when you Crossfire/SLI.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128502&Tpk=z68%20d3h
(Also I disagree with the statement "MSI is going to die" since my GD70 has lasted 2 years)
460's SLI recommendation is 600w not 750w. That's like the 560 Ti and the 6950.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-460-sli-geforce-gtx-480,2694-10.html
Antec EA650 $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044
I'd suggest just getting 2x2gb kit instead of a single 4gb stick. There's no real need for 8GB anytime soon.
Wintec AMPX 4GB DDR3 1333 $26
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161279
ADATA XPG Gaming 8GB DDR3 1600 $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211457

 

[Denter]

Thanks, following some suggestions I managed to bring the funds down to 623 (680 shipped) but can anyone comment on the performance of the dual 460's and 2500k combination? from my research it seems like it'd exceed what I need for most of my games but I am expecting this rig to last me 1-2 years with periodic upgrades.

 

[aznshinobi]

YEs you are correct, the build would last at least 1-2 years. It'll perform exceptionally especially with overclocking.