Need Feedback on First Build

[mambah92]

Approximate Purchase Date: 1 Month


Budget Range: $1,000 (Not afraid to go a bit over, but I'd like to stay under $1,200.)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Typical streaming, some animation in the future.


Parts Not Required: Monitor


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, Amazon


Country of Origin: New York City, USA


Parts Preferences: by brand or type: None, as long as it is of quality.


Overclocking: Yes / in the future. Never OC'ed a PC, but I like having the option

SLI or Crossfire: Yes / in the future. Again, I like having the option.


Monitor Resolution:1920x1080 Dell 23" LED Display


Additional Comments: My first custom-built PC, I've done lots of research, but there are still some things I'm unsure of. I want to future-proof it as much as I can, but I get a little overwhelmed by the amount of components, even after narrowing my search.


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Case- Corsair Obsidian Series 650D (CC650DW-1) ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139006

(I'm pretty much set on this case. I've looked at dozens and this one is by far my favorite. It's a bit pricey compared to others but I think I'm sticking with this case for many upgrades to come.)

MoBo- EVGA P67 SLI 130-SB-E675-KR LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188073

OR this one I saw in a another thread

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229

(I'm open to any others that may be better/cost less)

GPU- EVGA 01G-P3-1561-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $239.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130623

(Will this last on my current resulotion? I don't want a $500 card that puts out twice as much res if I don't need it.)

PSU- CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

(I've used different PSU calculators and they've given me 450W to 510W, what do you think? Also, i realize using another GPU in SLI will need more power, but i don't think I'll be doing that for a long time.)

CPU- Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K $219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

(I don't know if I should stick with the stock fan/heatsink or get an aftermarket one.)

RAM- CORSAIR Vengeance 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9 $28.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233141

HDD- Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

(Is getting an SSD on the side worth it?)

Opt Drive- ASUS Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM 8MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS - OEM $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135252

Total- $1,100(ish), many components are undecided.

I'm buying the OS on Amazon. It costs pretty much the same everywhere and theres no real debate to it. I just want a rig that can handle anything I throw at it and that will last. I do plan on gaming (Battlefield 3) but I want it to have diverse capabilities and to be easily upgradable.

 

[sadams04]

Ready to be overclocked and PSU is plenty to handle future upgrades (SLI). An SSD would help boot and load times, but won't do anything to add FPS while gaming.


CPU: Intel Core i5-2500k - $220

CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus - $28
-Must go aftermarket if overclocking.

Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 Pro (REV 3.1) - $170
-AROCK over that EVGA, but the ASUS P8P67 would be my first choice.

RAM: GSkill 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 1.5v 7-8-7-24 - $55
-Low latency (CL7)

Graphics Card: MSI GTX 570 - $275 after MIR

Hard Drive: SAMSUNG F3 1TB - $60
-Fast and reliable.

Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 650D - $170 after MIR

Power Supply: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series 750w - $95 after MIR
-Dual GTX 570 GPUs would consume around 650w in SLI.

DVD Burner: Samsung 22X DVD Burner - $23

$1096

 

[michxymi]

I would get a Z68 motherboard from Gigabyte. I'm sure the rest will follow, but for now Gigabyte offers upgradebility to Ivy Bridge and PCI-E 3.0 with a simple bios update. Plus with Z68, you don't have to spend a lot for SSD thanks to Smart Response Technology!

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD4-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128494

Secondly, you will need a more powerful PSU. For me, that's the best for it's price range!

XFX Core Edition PRO550W (P1-550S-XXB9) 550W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013&Tpk=xfx%20550w

RAM is cheap this days, so definitely get 8GB. 1333MHz is enough, you don't need a higher speed kit!

Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model 996770
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226095

6950 is more powerful than 560ti and also it costs less. Also this XFX model comes with lifetime warranty! There's no real world difference between 2GB and 1GB model when resolution is 1920x1080.

XFX HD-695X-ZNDC Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150524

You can save some money, by getting a Samsung HDD. They 're fast and reliable!

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=samsung%20spinpoint%20f3

 

[mambah92]

Ok, I'm definitely getting the CM Hyper 212 Plus for overclocking.

I like the XFX 6950, I'll probably get that instead of the 560 Ti.

I'm incredibly torn on the motherboard though. I'd like to stick with a P67, but there are so many different ones with so many features I may or may not need! The ASUS one sadams04 recommends looks good, but will it support the fan controller on the case? (That is, if I'm getting my facts straight and it goes through the MoBo...again I'm new at this)

Also, would 550W be enough for all that? The case itself has 3 fans, plus the new CPU fan must use more power.

 

[phenom90]

maybe you can try this build instead...
all from newegg...

cpu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
intel core i5 2500k - $219.99

mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131705R
open box: asus p8p67 (rev 3.0) - $119.99

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265
asrock p67 extreme4 gen3 - $159.99

ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220558
patriot gamer 2 series 8gb 1600mhz - $37.99 after MIR

graphics card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102951
sapphire hd 6950 2gb toxic - $269.99 after MIR

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127552
msi gtx 570 - $284.99 after MIR

hard drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
samsung spinpoint f3 1tb - $59.99

cpu cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
coolermaster hyper 212 plus - $27.99

push/pull fan: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103069
coolermaster blademaster 120mm fan - $9.99

power supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207016
XFX PRO750W XXX Edition semi-modular psu - $99.99 after rebate

optical drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136236
LG GH24NS70 - $18.99

casing: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139006
corsair obsidian 650d - $169.99 after MIR


total: $1089.9 - if you selected both gtx 570 and asrock p67 mobo...
but will be cheaper if you take the open box for asus p8p67 mobo...

note:
- i suggest that you take the asrock mobo as it has pcie 3.0 support which is compatible only with ivy bridge cpu(due to 2012 release) then you don't need to upgrade your mobo anymore if you want to upgrade to ivy bridge and a pcie 3.0 graphics card.... just a quick bios update and you're ready to go!!

- get the aftermarket cooling solution... the stock cooling for i5 2500k is not good... even without overclocking.... if you willing to spend more money... try this one..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018
it is better than hyper 212 plus...

- get the modular psu... full of semi... because it will make your build look cleaner...
you don't need to hide extra cables that you won't use... the xfx that i've picked may not be the best or the cheapest... but at $99.99... it's a good buy...

- for this type of build i hope that you will only use single graphics card as you need a bigger psu to do the job well...

- finally... the case that you chose good indeed... but... correct me if i'm wrong... i doubt that having only one 200mm intake fan and 120mm and 200mm fans as an exhaust can do the job well to cool the hardware... ecspecially the front fan blocked by the hdd cage... and since u willing to spend $170 on a case... i have a better choice... but it all depends on you...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163173
personally... i think this case cools like a champ....


overall... this is just my opinion...
sorry for typing 2 much...

 

[mambah92]

Ah that Silverstone case is very sexy indeed...the internals are a little funky but I like it. I'll think about the asrock mobo, since it has pci 3.0 support it is very future-proof. I still have to consider Windows 7 and MS Office 2010...they easily tack on another $200...but without an OS its just an expensive paperwieght...and I don't like Linux...sigh. Anyway, thanks for the feedback. I have a better understanding and some solid choices now.

 

[mambah92]

Best answer selected by mambah92.