Need help shaving off money on new build.

[jjesco5]

Hi,
I am new to building computers. I am looking to make a build that can handle most games at medium/high graphics settings smoothly. I am trying to keep the rigs price at or below $875 but my current plan for parts is at ~$925. Are there any areas of my build that I can/should change to save money?

ASRock Z77 Extreme4 134.99
EVGA GeForce GTX 460 FPB 139.99
INTEL i5 2500k 219.99
COOLER MASTER HAF 912 59.99
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" 74.99
OCZ Agility 3 60GB SATA III 64.99
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x 4GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, 9-9-9-24 49.99
Corsair Enthusiast Series TX550M Modular Power Supply - 550W 94.99
Rosewill RNX-N300X IEEE 24.99
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus 29.99
ASUS 24X DVD Burner 17.99
Cooler Master Silent Fan 120 SI2 - Case fan - 120 mm (4 pack) 12.99

Thanks!

-Justin

 

[aznshinobi]

Solid PSU if you get the rebate even better.

As for the Zotac, looks good for the price. But honestly if you can get the 7850 why not. Though ultimately it is your choice.

 

[jjesco5]

I want to get the 7850 but I can't afford it =/ thanks for the help!

 

[jjesco5]

I can barely wing the 560 ti and thats iffy

 

[jjesco5]

Crap, sorry, one more question, is the aftermarket heatsink absolutely necesary? I won't be doing any real over clocking, maybe just to 3.8ghz but still that is a maybe.

 

[fullmetall]

6870's aren't bad cards, 6870 + i5 2400 Sandy bridge, theres also combo's with the 6870 sapphire with 4gb memory.... 5 pages I think.

 

[azeem40]

Aftermarket coolers are always good to have. They will be quieter.

 

[InvalidError]

Crap, sorry, one more question, is the aftermarket heatsink absolutely necesary? I won't be doing any real over clocking, maybe just to 3.8ghz but still that is a maybe.

The stock HSF will work fine for mild overclocking for the first 2-3 years when properly installed with adequate case airflow.

Beyond the 3rd year, aftermarket may become necessary due to HSF plastic deformation no longer providing sufficient contact force: everyone I know using a C2D with Intel's original push-pin HSF ran into this problem anywhere between the 2nd to 4th year marks so I am expecting Core i3/5/7 to fare similarly.

 

[jjesco5]

Quick, and stupid question,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.957772
^ This is a really good deal right?

 

[fullmetall]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.953390

This is

 

[jjesco5]

I save the same amount of money both ways TT__TT and water cooling would be nice so I don't have to worry about temps

 

[aznshinobi]

Don't get any Hydro series cooler if you want a bang for your buck on a low budget. All the Hydro series are terrible for the price. The Hyper 212 Evo and A50 match up to the H70 which is about $35+ more.

 

[InvalidError]

I save the same amount of money both ways TT__TT and water cooling would be nice so I don't have to worry about temps

The Hyper 212 + or EVO outperform many low-end and some mid-range sealed water-cooling setups without the risk of leaks, water damage to your system and total loss of cooling should either the radiator fan or pump fail. With a 212 and decent case airflow, CPU fan failure is non-critical since the 212 has enough passive cooling capacity at stock clocks to keep things safe.

I would not use water cooling unless I absolutely needed to since it costs twice as much and introduces additional points of failure along with a bunch of unnecessary collateral risks.

 

[jjesco5]

Oh ok