[New BUILD] Help with new gaming rig! (Will all these work together?)

[nick419123]

Approximate Purchase Date: 1 - 3 weeks from now.

Budget Range: 1k

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming and surfing the web mostly.

Are you buying a monitor: No. I already have one.


Do you need to buy OS: No.


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com

Location: Ashland, Ohio. 44805, United States

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Yes

Your Monitor Resolution: I have no clue. As long as it looks pristine.

Additional Comments: I'm buying seperate parts from Newegg.com.. IM NOT UPGRADING! .. I just want to build my own custom PC for Christmas. I already know what I want, but I want to know if I need anything else along side these items or not, and if you can recommend other items than the ones I have posted, I would also look at them too. Thanks.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: IM NOT UPGRADING!

Here is the build I currently have in mind:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146025 (NZXT Apollo Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $70)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293 (ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $119.99)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 (Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K - $219.99)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121653 (ASUS GTX660 TI-DC2-2GD5 GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $299.99)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182132 (Rosewill HIVE Series HIVE-650 650W Continuous @40°C, 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified, Modular Design, Single +12V Rail, ATX12V v2.31/EPS12V v2.92, SLI Ready, CrossFire Ready, Active-PFC Power Supply - $79.99)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220638 (Patriot G2 Series Division 4 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model PGQ316G1333ELQK - $69.99)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769 (Western Digital WD Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $79.99)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 (ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM - $19.99)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833425002 (INTELLINET Network Solutions 524773 USB 2.0 Wireless 150N USB Mini Adapter - $15.99)


PLEASE MAKE SURE THEY ARE ALL COMPATIBLE TOGETHER! Thanks!


-Nick

 

[djosbun]

Looks good Nick. Let me ask you: the 3570K is really geared towards overclocking, so do you plan on doing so? If your answer is "yes, or definitely in the future", then you'll want to spend an extra $30 on the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU cooler. If you do add a large cpu cooler, make sure your RAM sticks will not interfere! I went with low profile heat spreaders on mine (there are plenty of options) to play it safe for clearance.

Last week I purchased a 1TB Seagate Barricuda 7200rpm drive for $10 less than you're paying for that 500gb one. Maximize your value!

Actually, I just looked at your RAM choice and it is low profile, so you're fine.

 

[djangoringo]

Change the ram for 8GB 1600 mhz, you don't need 16GB and at 1333 mhz.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226191

or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147096 (recommended it has lower voltage, overclocks well with good timings and speeds)

See if you can fit a 670 gtx in your budget : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685

or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130782


Also if you plan to overclock get a cooler : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

 

[nick419123]

@ djangoringo Theres no way I can afford those cards. I'm already at 930 with all my items added up, and if I get one of those cards and replace the one I already had in the list would put me over 1k. No thank you! The graphics card is fine.

@ djosbun, Thanks for the reply. Much appreciated, since after you said the processor was geared towards overclocking I decided to change the processor to an i5-2500k. Thanks! I know its out-of-stock but when they restock ill be all over it. Thanks again!

 

[djangoringo]

Yes, i said if you had the budget, the 660 gtx ti still a good card.
I recommend going with two sticks dual channel 8GB 1600 from samsung and a hyper 212 evo for overclock.

 

[nick419123]

Yes, i said if you had the budget, the 660 gtx ti still a good card.
I recommend going with two sticks dual channel 8GB 1600 from samsung and a hyper 212 evo for overclock.

Thanks for the reply, but also the 2 sticks of 8gb would put over my budget.

 

[djangoringo]

No lol, i said 2x4GB, which means 8GB, it's 39.99$.

 

[Isaiah4110]

@ djosbun, Thanks for the reply. Much appreciated, since after you said the processor was geared towards overclocking I decided to change the processor to an i5-2500k. Thanks! I know its out-of-stock but when they restock ill be all over it. Thanks again!

The i5-2500K is essentially the old version of the i5-3570K (lower performance, but identical features). It is also unnecessary (even moreso than the 3570K) unless you want to overclock. You should switch to either the i5-3450 or i5-3570 (non-K model) if you want to get a processor not geared toward overclocking.

 

[Isaiah4110]

For comparison of the list in the same format, here is the build as you currently have it:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot G2 Series Division 4 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($288.49 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Apollo Black NP ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Other: INTELLINET Network Solutions 524773 Wireless 150N USB Mini Adapter ($15.99)
Total: $962.39
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-20 14:40 EST-0500)

I definitely recommend a few minor adjustments that I think will give you nice performance improvements without changing the total cost. Here's what I would recommend if you are 100% set on that graphics card:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($288.49 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Apollo Black NP ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: OCZ ZT 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($85.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Other: INTELLINET Network Solutions 524773 Wireless 150N USB Mini Adapter ($15.99)
Total: $973.38
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-20 15:00 EST-0500)

Now, if you are willing to consider changing out that graphics card, I would make 4 more changes and recommend this build even more:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($112.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($231.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Apollo Black NP ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: OCZ ZT 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($85.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Other: INTELLINET Network Solutions 524773 Wireless 150N USB Mini Adapter ($15.99)
Total: $968.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-20 15:07 EST-0500)

I might catch a little flak for this, but I really like the benefits of a solid state drive. It won't improve your FPS levels, but I think the boot and software load time improvements are well worth the slight GPU performance difference between the 660TI and the 7870GHz edition. As an added bonus, the GPU I included in this build come with a lifetime warranty (provided you don't OC it of course). I changed to a less expensive processor as well because you won't see a real gaming performance difference there either and switched to 8 GB total RAM because you don't really need 16 GB unless you are running memory intensive applications.

Most of the other changes were quality/price related. If you have any questions about the specifics behind any of them then feel free to ask and I'll be happy to explain my thought process.

 

[djscribbles]

My .02$

Replace the USB wifi adapter with a PCI adapter. The PCI slot provide more reliable power, allows for better ventilation, and has a full sized antenna. USB units can get quite warm if you don't have good signal, and with miniaturized USB adapters like that you'll have weaker signal than a full card. They are great for laptops, but for a desktop you are better off with a full size card. There isn't much price difference.

Go for the i5-3570k with a z77 mobo if you want to overclock, or the i5-3470 with an H77 mobo (z77 is fine if it's cheaper, but you don't need it) if you won't ever overclock. You don't need the heatsink/fan right away, it's easy enough to replace the stock one when you want to OC, just be sure you have low profile ram so you don't limit your options.

Just FYI, here is a review of your PSU, it looks like a fine choice. http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Rosewill-HIVE-650-W-Power-Supply-Review/1460/11
However, if you do intend to SLI/CF in the future, a 650w is just a little too small for comfort; if you are serious, spend the extra $ now to get a PSU that can handle it, rather than buying another one in a year. For the same price you can get this (Seasonic made, and plenty for 2x 660ti): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207015 (or if you don't mind slipping 15$ for some extra power: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207011) Here is a review: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/XFX-PRO-750-W-Power-Supply-Review/1182/10

While I'm normally one to try to push an SSD into a build, I don't think it's worth sacrificing other components to work it in; if you want to switch to AMD that is fine, but you should go for the 7950 before trying to work in an SSD. An SSD is also something you can easily add later on, so, like the fan, it can certainly wait (I do recommend adding one later if not now, they are spectacular for making the computer more responsive).

As others have said, go for a 2x4GB-1600 low profile kit, rather than 4x4GB. Games don't use more than 4GB (there are very few 64 bit games, and even fewer need to be 64bit) , your GPU will hog up 2GB, and you have 2GB for everything else. 16GB just isn't beneficial for gaming. (for the record, low profile just means no gawdy heatsinks on the RAM that sticks up above the stick)

 

[Swordkd]

I prefer this:


CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($63.72 @ Amazon)
Storage: OCZ Agility 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($93.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Apollo Black NP ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: OCZ ZT 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($70.78 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $949.41
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-20 15:58 EST-0500)

Essentially the same idea as the above build, with some parts swapped out. It is missing the wireless adapter though. The cpu is the "K" version for it's ability to overclock. Also, he is right about the need for 16gb vs. 8 gb of ram, not needed for gaming. If you choose to go crossfire, the psu will support the extra needed power requirement. And it's modular for inside aesthetics.

Another thing though, the case you have picked out doesn't have a USB 3.0 front header. Might be something to think about.

 

[Isaiah4110]

I prefer this:


CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($63.72 @ Amazon)
Storage: OCZ Agility 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($93.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Apollo Black NP ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: OCZ ZT 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($70.78 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $949.41
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-20 15:58 EST-0500)

Essentially the same idea as the above build, with some parts swapped out. It is missing the wireless adapter though. The cpu is the "K" version for it's ability to overclock. Also, he is right about the need for 16gb vs. 8 gb of ram, not needed for gaming. If you choose to go crossfire, the psu will support the extra needed power requirement. And it's modular for inside aesthetics.

Another thing though, the case you have picked out doesn't have a USB 3.0 front header. Might be something to think about.

Keep in mind the OP wanted the parts to come from Newegg. Not sure how that affects your prices...

 

[J_E_D_70]

I'm down with Isaiah's third build. But... if you can stand long load times you can drop the SSD and throw that money at an even faster GPU.