I blew around $1500 about 5 or 6 years back on a new PC and haven't touched it since, and have had no problems running games/apps at high levels but I figured with the new Sandy Bridge release it was a good time to invest in something to last me another 5 or 6+ years. With parts so much cheaper than they were 5 years ago, compared to the performance increases, I'm opting for a ~$1000 build, but cheaper is always better.
Having said that, I haven't paid attention to new hardware coming out very much at all and had several questions while researching my new build. A lot of what I chose was based on the System Builder Marathon.
Motherboard
?? Asus P8P67 I have read is a good choice for the i5 2500k, newegg has several but there are many out of stock, not sure if some in stock (ASUS P8P67 EVO) are just as good, if not better, or if I should wait/try to find one of the out of stock models. I'll need to research this more to compare each but any input is greatly appreciated, as well as better/comparable alternatives.
Processor $224.99
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Memory $59.99
Mushkin Enhanced SP 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model 998586
Graphics $264.99
EVGA 012-P3-1472-AR GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) SuperClocked 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 **I'm only getting one right now, and a 2nd down the road for SLI
System Drive
?? I have never used an ssd, but it was listed on the system build. I'm not sure how useful this is for me.
Storage Drive $79.99
Seagate Barracuda LP ST32000542AS 2TB 5900 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Optical $19.99
LITE-ON DVD Writer - Bulk - Black SATA Model iHAS224-06 LightScribe Support - OEM **I have no use for a blu-ray burner/reader, would just as well keep my drive but it's partly broken and I have to push open 25 times before it catches and opens
Case $39.99
NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Power $89.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ...
Heat Sink
? Do I need one if I most likely will not be overclocking? Won't the one that comes with the i5-2500k be sufficient?
CPU Fan
? Never used one before, not sure what would be best for me or if needed at all if I'm not overclocking.
Total Cost $780 (without motherboard, system drive, heat sink or cpu fan
Approximate Purchase Date: Within a month
Budget Range: ~$1000
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, movies/tv, most used apps: CS5 Photoshop, Flash, etc
Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, OS, monitor
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com
Country of Origin: US
Parts Preferences: None
Overclocking: Doubtful
SLI or Crossfire: SLI, eventually
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)
Having said that, I haven't paid attention to new hardware coming out very much at all and had several questions while researching my new build. A lot of what I chose was based on the System Builder Marathon.
Motherboard
?? Asus P8P67 I have read is a good choice for the i5 2500k, newegg has several but there are many out of stock, not sure if some in stock (ASUS P8P67 EVO) are just as good, if not better, or if I should wait/try to find one of the out of stock models. I'll need to research this more to compare each but any input is greatly appreciated, as well as better/comparable alternatives.
Processor $224.99
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Memory $59.99
Mushkin Enhanced SP 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model 998586
Graphics $264.99
EVGA 012-P3-1472-AR GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) SuperClocked 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 **I'm only getting one right now, and a 2nd down the road for SLI
System Drive
?? I have never used an ssd, but it was listed on the system build. I'm not sure how useful this is for me.
Storage Drive $79.99
Seagate Barracuda LP ST32000542AS 2TB 5900 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Optical $19.99
LITE-ON DVD Writer - Bulk - Black SATA Model iHAS224-06 LightScribe Support - OEM **I have no use for a blu-ray burner/reader, would just as well keep my drive but it's partly broken and I have to push open 25 times before it catches and opens
Case $39.99
NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Power $89.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ...
Heat Sink
? Do I need one if I most likely will not be overclocking? Won't the one that comes with the i5-2500k be sufficient?
CPU Fan
? Never used one before, not sure what would be best for me or if needed at all if I'm not overclocking.
Total Cost $780 (without motherboard, system drive, heat sink or cpu fan
Approximate Purchase Date: Within a month
Budget Range: ~$1000
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, movies/tv, most used apps: CS5 Photoshop, Flash, etc
Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, OS, monitor
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com
Country of Origin: US
Parts Preferences: None
Overclocking: Doubtful
SLI or Crossfire: SLI, eventually
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)