Need advice with i5 build

[kyBuckeye7]

Hi. I am looking to build a new pc. I have replaced every item inside of a pc in my job but have never built a pc from scratch. I am trying to learn as much as possible on this website and through my job but am uncertain when it comes to matching components. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.


APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: this month
BUDGET RANGE: 950-1000 (would like to stay as close to this range as possible)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: a little gaming, MS office applications, internet, watching movies

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: New Egg

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: I really want to stick with the Intel i5 and an Asus mb. No preferences on the rest of the build.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

I will be buying Windows 7 from the university I attend so I didn't add it in here. Also, do I need to buy thermal paste?
I think I can get $50 off with a combo on the PSU and case on New Egg.

Here is the list I have come up with. I would appreciate any help or advice you can give me even if it means I have to redo the whole list aside from the cpu. Thank you!


Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

ASUS P7P55D LE LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131410

SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100283VXL Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102868

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 15000) Desktop Memory Model F3-15000CL9D-4GBRH - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231280

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe LightScribe Support - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118032

COOLER MASTER UCP RS700-AAAAA3 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171032

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

 

[ares1214]

both of our builds are similar, but mines just nice and bundled up , yielding better gear:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.319612

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.314199

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231318

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102857

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118032

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

final price is 956.91, and it is a little better than yours

 

[kyBuckeye7]

Thanks for the reply. Any reason to buy a Gigabyte mb over the Asus or vice versa? A few people I work with are big on Asus so that is what I chose. Also, what do you think of the video card - is it good enough ?

 

[ares1214]

gigabyte makes great boards, and this one is overall better and has sata 6 and usb 3, which will be a little useful in the future. the 5850 is extremely powerful, so yes it should be more then enough.

 

[Niklas_13]

Change out the PSU to a 550W no need for 700W with a single GPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

This HDD is a bit faster http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 if you need more storage get the F3 1T samsung

Ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231318 nice CL and low voltage

 

[kyBuckeye7]

Thank you so much for your replies. Here is my revised list. I changed a few things according to your replies. I did stick with the 700w because with the combo it is cheaper. Is the 700w ok with what I have? Also, do I need to buy anything else - more fans? paste (doesn't it come with it? whenever I have replaced an mb it always has some in the box)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.319612
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.311576
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231318
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102868
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118032

This puts me at around $950 shipped and taxed. Thank you so much for your help.

 

[ares1214]

thats great, the ocz is a little cheaper, and just as good, but they are both great. 700 watts is plenty for that, and more then enough for crossfiring the 5770. more fans arent needed, the haf has plenty of airflow, and the cpu almost always has paste on it, but it cant hurt to get it.

 

[Niklas_13]

what rez is your monitor ?

 

[kyBuckeye7]

The one I have right now is 1440x900. I am going to buy something better for this new pc but haven't even started looking yet. Any suggestions? I thought I could just go out to an electronics store and find a good deal but it is way too cold to do that today. Hoping to stay under $300 for the monitor.

 

[whatelsematters]

your ram choice is a little overwrought... without oc'ing your chip it won't run higher than 1333, so i would recommend this ram:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...m_re=g_skill_ddr3_1333-_-20-231-189-_-Product

 

[Niklas_13]

This is a good monitor for the price http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049 but then i would say your GPU is a little weak for it

 

[a4mula]

gigabyte makes great boards, and this one is overall better and has sata 6 and usb 3, which will be a little useful in the future. the 5850 is extremely powerful, so yes it should be more then enough.

Just as a side note. It should be noted that USB 3.0 and SATA 6gb/s will be disabled on this board if you run crossfire/sli.

Perhaps not a factor for yourself or OP, but if it is consider:

Asus P7P55D-E Pro
Newegg 189.99

 

[a4mula]

This is a good monitor for the price http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049 but then i would say your GPU is a little weak for it

5770 will push a single 1920x1200. It's basically a 4870 /w DX11 and shrunk die.

If you plan on overclocking, you'll want to replace the stock HSF and pick up some AS5. Can do both and keep your budget under 1k.

CM 212
Newegg 29.99

Great hsf combo that gets close to coolers twice as expensive. Will get you to 3.6 easy with the 922 and i5 750.

AS5
Newegg 5.99

Best thing since sliced bread.

 

[kyBuckeye7]

Thank you for your advice. I made another change. I went back to the Asus motherboard and chose the Asus P7P55D Deluxe. I do not plan on Crossfiring. Is this the right choice? That pushed me up another $30 dollars but after reading forums on here I thought maybe this would be a better choice???

 

[a4mula]

If you're not going to run crossfire/sli then the Gigabyte w/ USB 3.0 and SATA 6 gb/s that was combo'd would probably be the better value.

The upshot on the Asus is the fact that you can have both.

 

[kyBuckeye7]

Ok, it has been a couple of weeks and I didn't have time to order. Now that prices have changed I changed a few things. I would appreciate any reviews or comments on my newest list of components. Also, still need a case, any suggestions?

Intel core i5 and gigabyte GA P55A UDP4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.319612

G Ripjaw Series 4G
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

PSU - OCZ 700W - (switched to this for the good deal)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019

Sapphire 5770
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102868

Samsung Spinpoint F3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

Liteon DVD burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106335

 

[ares1214]

great build, but if you need a case, then why not get the combo with the psu:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.314450

one of the best sub-100$ cases there is...lots of room, LOTS of fans, low price, great quality (Lian Li), and great features, all with the psu you wisely selected earlier

 

[ares1214]

oooo, and also get the eco, or other ripjaws...they have 7-7-7-21 latency, which is much better than 9-9-9-?.

 

[kyBuckeye7]

Best answer selected by kyBuckeye7.