New System Build Project/advice,help 1.5-2k$

[exiledpinoy]

Approximate Purchase Date: By the end of February

Budget Range: 1,500-$2,000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: will be mostly gaming

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com


-----Parts

-processor
$229
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

-motherboard
$204
SUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790

------Hard Drive

-SSD
$189
Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F120GBGT-BK 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233191

-HDD --- help recommend me one pls at least 1T
if anything ill get this
$139
Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697

------RAM
$60
G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460

-------Power Supply
$169
CORSAIR Professional Series HX850 (CMPSU-850HX) 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011

------Graphics card
$379
PowerColor PCS+ AX6970 2GBD5-PP2DHG Radeon
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131394

------Optical
$60
LG Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Drive Model UH12LS28 OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136232

-------Case
$104.99 and a $15 rebate makes it $89.99
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
www.tomshardware.com/forum/333109-31-system-build-project-advice-help#t2487916

------Fan/heatsinks
$30
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1fnvqrq25mcu4

Other thoughts
Please give me advice of what should i improve and change what i really don't need. thank and anyone can give me some recommend me some good gaming mouse and keyboard.

 

[Silvune]

Yes you should get the i5-2500K, as the i7 offers no more performance in games than the i5.

The Gen3 version of that board is actually cheaper than the non Gen3 version.

That Seagate HDD is a good choice.

That PowerColor 6970 is 27.5cm long, which is only about an inch longer than ATX motherboards are wide. So you have a wide range of options.
It's hard to recommend one when I don't know your personal taste. And the case is such a personal choice item as the buyer has to live it.

 

[inzone]

The i5-2500k is going to save you $100 over the 2600k and will have the same performance in gameing.
I would get the Corsair Force GT over the Agility SSD.

Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F120GBGT-BK 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233191

As for a case the Cooler Master cases are usually big on inside space and will have no trouble fitting large video cards.

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$104.99 and a $15 rebate makes it $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

I would take the savings from the cpu change and get this video card;

SAPPHIRE 21197-00-40G Radeon HD 7970 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
$559.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102961

It is temporarily out of stock but by the end of Feburary it should be back in stock. If you plan on SLI/Crossfire then you would want to up the psu a little more , maybe 1000w , and if not then the 850w will be fine.

 

[exiledpinoy]

okay ill get the i5-2500k...

but i was planning on CF the 6970 later on or should i just get the 7970?

 

[a4mula]

There's a myriad of issues with crossfire (and sli) from micro-stuttering to increased heat/tdp/driver support/game support ect. I'd go with a single 7970 or wait to see how the less expensive 7950 is going to perform.

If gaming is your main goal the 2500k is the way to go. If however you're going to use this rig for content creation then the hyperthreading of the 2600k would be a worthwhile investment.

A few decent midtowers you can look at:

CM 690 II Advanced
CM Storm Enforcer
Fractal Design Arc Midi
Lancool K-63

All offer tool-less design, painted interiors, internal USB3.0 front ports, great cooling, 2.5" SSD trays, wire management.

Cases are very subjective to personal opinion though and your best bet is to use something like the newegg advanced search feature to input your price range along with any other options you are seeking, and find what you like.

Edit: Also, if you're planning on any of the 'K' processors you should be looking at add an aftermarket heatsink/fan so you can take advantage of the unlocked multipliers these processors offer. Even if it's just a pre-set bios enabled overclock it's free additional processor power and relatively safe assuming you're not using the stock intel piece of junk. If you have no intent on overclocking, you might consider the less expensive i5-2400 or i3-2120.

 

[exiledpinoy]

There's a myriad of issues with crossfire (and sli) from micro-stuttering to increased heat/tdp/driver support/game support ect. I'd go with a single 7970 or wait to see how the less expensive 7950 is going to perform.

If gaming is your main goal the 2500k is the way to go. If however you're going to use this rig for content creation then the hyperthreading of the 2600k would be a worthwhile investment.

A few decent midtowers you can look at:

CM 690 II Advanced
CM Storm Enforcer
Fractal Design Arc Midi
Lancool K-63

All offer tool-less design, painted interiors, internal USB3.0 front ports, great cooling, 2.5" SSD trays, wire management.

Cases are very subjective to personal opinion though and your best bet is to use something like the newegg advanced search feature to input your price range along with any other options you are seeking, and find what you like.

Edit: Also, if you're planning on any of the 'K' processors you should be looking at add an aftermarket heatsink/fan so you can take advantage of the unlocked multipliers these processors offer. Even if it's just a pre-set bios enabled overclock it's free additional processor power and relatively safe assuming you're not using the stock intel piece of junk. If you have no intent on overclocking, you might consider the less expensive i5-2400 or i3-2120.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103057
will that fan be okay? or is it too big? ya im planning on overclocking

 

[a4mula]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103057
will that fan be okay? or is it too big? ya im planning on overclocking

The N520 is quite dated going back to the old 775 socket. It's been surpassed by newer designs.

If you're looking for a budget good enough cooler that will be within 5-6 degrees of top end coolers take a look at the CM 212+ $29.99

If you're looking for a top end cooler then the Noctua NH-D14 $89.99 or the TR Silver Arrow $79.95 would be two you should consider.

As far as these coolers fitting, it really boils down to which case you decide on. Most midtower or larger cases will easily fit the 212+, the Noctua and Thermalright on the other hand are monsters. The cases I listed earlier will fit them, but other than those I'd just make sure and check then double check the specs.

edit: The other thing to keep in mind with larger coolers is that typically you'll need low profile ram. Nothing with big heatsinks or fins or decorative alloy sparklers that give off bursts off gamma radiation.

 

[exiledpinoy]

The N520 is quite dated going back to the old 775 socket. It's been surpassed by newer designs.

If you're looking for a budget good enough cooler that will be within 5-6 degrees of top end coolers take a look at the CM 212+ $29.99

If you're looking for a top end cooler then the Noctua NH-D14 $89.99 or the TR Silver Arrow $79.95 would be two you should consider.

As far as these coolers fitting, it really boils down to which case you decide on. Most midtower or larger cases will easily fit the 212+, the Noctua and Thermalright on the other hand are monsters. The cases I listed earlier will fit them, but other than those I'd just make sure and check then double check the specs.

edit: The other thing to keep in mind with larger coolers is that typically you'll need low profile ram. Nothing with big heatsinks or fins or decorative alloy sparklers that give off bursts off gamma radiation.

Thank you. I'll go for the "good enough cooler" because i probably wont be really overclocking until i really need it. thank again.

 

[exiledpinoy]

can anyone double check on what else i should improve...im still deciding on the graphic card but anything else i want it to be check thank you.

 

[phenom90]

get a hd 7970... since this is your new build... and your budget allows to... i see no reason not to get the single fastest gpu on the market....


cpu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Intel Core i5-2500K - $230

mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 - $122

ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231461
G.SKILL Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR2 - $50

hsf: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181011
CORSAIR CAFA70 - $25 after rebate

hdd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB - $130

ssd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB - $182

odd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136236
LG DVD Burner 24X GH24NS70 - $19

psu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703028
PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W - $130 after rebate

gpu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102961
SAPPHIRE 21197-00-40G Radeon HD 7970 3GB - $560

case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147053
Rosewill THOR V2 - $130


total: $1578 after rebate excluding shipping

 

[exiledpinoy]

one last question should i get the 7970 or stick with the 6970 and get a 24 inch monitor? but i have an monitor i could take out from my hp pavilion p6787c-b which included 2 23"inch monitor

 

[exiledpinoy]

Best answer selected by exiledpinoy.