[Prebuilt] Advice on mid-range build $2k

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me12345

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Aug 8, 2011
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18,510
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Approximate Purchase Date: (e.g.: this week (the closer the better)) Within the next two months

Budget Range: (e.g.: 600-800) Before / After Rebates 2k before rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: (e.g.: Folding@Home, gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies) gaming

Parts Not Required: (e.g.: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS) **Include Power Supply Make & Model If Re-using**

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (e.g.: newegg.com, ncix.com -- to show us selection & pricing) ibuypower

Country: (e.g.: India) we need to know where these parts are being assembled USA

Parts Preferences: by brand or type (e.g.: I would like to use an AMD CPU & Biostar mobo with a 24" LCD and full tower case)

Overclocking: Yes / No / Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Yes / No / Maybe

Monitor Resolution: (e.g.: 1024x768, 1280x1024, 1440x900, 1600x1200, 1680x1050, 1920x1080, 1920x1200)

Additional Comments: (e.g.: Need to have a window and lots of bling, I would like a quiet PC) I would like a quiet PC, that will be easy for me to upgrade in the future.



------------------------------------
Edit-Updated CPU based on feedback

This is my dream build. It's 300 dollars over my budget. Please comment on build/suggest optimization on how I can lower costs a bit, without too much of a determent to performance. Ideally, I'd like to keep the 7970 and the SSD in, but I realize doing so does not give a lot of room, budget wise.

Alternatively, I can maybe wait it out until April/May to see if prices come down. I'm buying this PC to play skyrim, witcher 2, swtor, guild wars 2, etc.



Case
CoolerMaster HAF 932 Advanced Full Tower Gaming Case - Black

Case Lighting
None

iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction
Advanced - iBUYPOWER Harmony SRS Sound Reduction System

iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion
None

Processor
Intel® Core™ i7-2600K Processor (4x 3.40GHz/8MB L3 Cache)

iBUYPOWER PowerDrive
None

Processor Cooling
Asetek 550LC Liquid CPU Cooling System (Intel) - ARC Dual Silent High Perfornamce Fan Upgrade (Push-Pull Airflow)
Memory

8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - A-DATA Gaming Series
Video Card

AMD Radeon HD 7970 - 3GB - Single Card
Video Card Brand
Major Brand Powered by AMD or NVIDIA

Motherboard
ASUS P8Z68-V LX -- Lucid Virtu Technology
Intel Smart Response Technology
None

Power Supply
1000 Watt - CoolerMaster Silent Pro

Primary Hard Drive
120 GB Corsair Force Series GT SSD - Single Drive

Data Hard Drive
2 TB HARD DRIVE -- 64M Cache, 7200rpm, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive

Optical Drive
[12X Blu-Ray] LG BLU-RAY Reader, DVD±R/±RW Burner Combo Drive Black
2nd Optical Drive
None

Flash Media Reader / Writer
12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer - Black

Meter Display
None
USB Expansion
None
Sound Card
3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card
Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
Operating System
None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only
Keyboard
iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard
Mouse
iBUYPOWER Internet Mouse
Monitor
None
2nd Monitor
None
Speaker System
None
Video Camera
None
Case Engraving Service
None
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty Service
Rush Service
Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days
Advanced Build Options
1 x iBUYPOWER Specialized Advanced Packaging System Protect your investment during transportation!
Advanced Build Options
1 x Tuniq TX-2 High Performance Thermal Compound The best interface between your CPU and the heatsinks
Advanced Build Options
1 x Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower Achieve exceptional airflow in your chassis
Advanced Build Options
1 x Basic Pro Wiring
Advanced Build Options
1 x Advanced - Power Package (Individually Sleeved 24-pin ATX, 8-pin CPU, and SATA Drive Power Cabling)
Advanced Build Options
1 x Advanced - Video Package (Individually Sleeved 8-pin and 6-pin PCI-E VGA Power Cabling)

Total: $2,366
 
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Novuake

Novuake

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Aug 27, 2011
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The only thing I really have an issue with is the older CPU you have chosen. Why socket 1366?

Why not sandy-bridge(1155) or sandy-bridge extended if you have the cash(2011).
1366 is dying out with 1156...

And to be honest an I7 would be overkill for your application anyway but if that is what you want then the I7 2600K is a much better choise. Or the i7 3630K.
 
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M

me12345

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Aug 8, 2011
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Thanks for the response. I didn't realize the cpu was so out of date. Updated build to reflect changes.


Any additional comments on the motherboard I choose? I honestly have no idea when it comes to motherboards. I'd like to add another 7970 in another 2-3 years in crossfire, but I'm not sure if it will be cheaper just to get a new single card .

What do people think about sound cards, are those still needed?

Thanks!
 
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Novuake

Novuake

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Aug 27, 2011
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Not at all neccesary for a sound card if you get a decent board. Z68 boards are nice.

By the way you would not have been able to use the PCI-e 3.0 HD7970 in that board anyway. Its a very nice card but you need a PCI-e 3 board for it and only the Z68 and x79 boards support it depending on manufacturer. They also only have one PCI-e 3 slot so Xfire of HD7970 is not yet possible.

Although I doubt it would be neccesary to Xfire it in even 3 years.

Better to just a new single better card in 4-5.

If you wish to xfire get the HD6950 rather and xfire now.
For xfire get board with atleast 2 PCI-e 2.0(one 16x and other atleast 8x) or one PCI-e 3 and one 2.0.

 
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me12345

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Well, you've convinced me! I'll stick with the I5 2500k, and save an extra $100. Thanks again for the input. These are the motherboards I can choose from: I just went with the cheapest one.

I'll go with the ASRock, as well. It's only 57 dollars more expensive, but the reviews seem to be a lot better. The full list of motherboards are below.


ASUS P8Z68-V LX -- Lucid Virtu Technology
Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3 [+$0]
[SLI] ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 -- 2x PCI-E 3.0 x16 [+$57]
[SLI] ASRock Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 -- 2x Gb LAN, 2x PCI-E 3.0 x16, 4x USB 3.0 [+$120]
[SLI] ASUS P8Z68-V -- 3x PCI-E 2.0 x16, On-Board Bluetooth, Lucid Virtu Technology [+$87]
[SLI] ASUS P8Z68-V Pro -- 3x PCI-E 2.0 x16, On-Board Bluetooth, Lucid Virtu Technology [+$104]
[SLI] ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe -- 2x Gb LAN, 3x PCI-E x16, 4x USB 3.0, On-Board Bluetooth, Lucid Virtu Technology [+$171]
[SLI] Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 -- 3x PCI-E 2.0 x16, Lucid Virtu Technology [+$21]
[SLI] Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 -- Lucid Virtu Technology [+$57]
[SLI] Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 [+$92]
[3-Way SLI] ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z -- 2x Gb LAN, 4x PCI-E 2.0 x16, 8x USB 3.0, On-Board Bluetooth, Lucid Virtu Techonology [+$293]
[3-Way SLI] Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD7-B3 -- 2x Gb LAN, 4x PCI-E 2.0 x16, 6x USB 3.0 [+$235
 
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me12345

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Thanks again for the reply! Just wondering, how upgradable will this system be in 3-4 years? I don't know how to build my own system yet, but I plan on doing all the upgrades myself, when the time comes.
 
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Novuake

Novuake

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Aug 27, 2011
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Well the 1155 Socket seems to be turning into a longer living socket like the 775 that was used for +/- 3 years.

With the PCI-e 3.0 socket you will be able to upgrade to new graphics for atleast another 6 years.

Even DDR3 still has a really long lifetime ahead of it as DDR4 is estimated to debut in late 2013 or early 2014.

 
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