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~$1200-$1300 Gaming Rig(First time builder)

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Soon™ I say soon because everytime I get this close to my budget, an event unfolds which usually results in a light wallet.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, programming(Java for school atm), light video editing.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED:Keyboard, mouse. Monitor not added to budget, but will be included in list.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg.com is what I'm using, will go to any other trusted site if they have better deals.

PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel CPU, ATI GPU.

OVERCLOCKING: Yes.

Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes, but not till I can afford another GPU.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Currently 1020x768, if all goes well I should be able to afford the 1920x1080 one I will list.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Would like a quiet computer, bonus for looking nice.
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Parts I've found as of yet.

Case: XCLIO Windtunnel $79.99
Case

Mobo:MSI P55-GD65 LGA 1156
Mobo

PSU:CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX
PSU

CPU:Core i5-750
CPU

CPU Heatsink:COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
Heatsink

GPU: DIAMOND 5850PE51G Radeon HD 5850
GPU

RAM:G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600
RAM

HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
HDD

Optical Drive:ASUS Black 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner
Optical Drive

Thermal Paste Arctic Silver 5
AS5

Operating System:Windows 7 64-bit
OS
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-$20.00 rebates
Total:$1,236.55 after shipping & rebates

How does this build look for modern gaming? Anything I should change. My biggest worries are if my PSU is strong enough and if my case is big enough.


Also, I would like to get a monitor, but it will probably have to wait a two weeks or so after I get everything else. This is the monitor I was looking at: ASUS MS Series MS228H Black / Blue 21.5" 2m

More about : 1200 1300 gaming rig time builder

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I would look into this build:

CPU: i5-750 and Asus P7P55D-E Pro $375. A much, much better board. It's not only higher quality, it's also more future proof with USB 3/SATA III support.
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $115
GPU: HD 5870 $420. Much more powerful.
HDD: Seagate 7200.12 500 GB $55. Smaller, but just as fast.
PSU: Corsair 750W 80+ $90 after rebate
Case: HAF 922 $90 after rebate. A much better case.
Optical: Cheap SATA DVD burner $24
HSF: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus $35
OS: Windows 7 Home 64-bit OEM $105

Total: $1,309. It's a little over budget, but there might be additional deals that I haven't found.

Yeah ... If you can afford the 5870 ... It'll get you further down the road and give you MUCH better upgrade options, later, when that price difference is "compressed" by massive discounting (of the whole line).

= Al =
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@Alvin Smith: What do you mean by MX-2? I plan on taking it to a friends house every so often to LAN.

@Mad Admiral: Should the 5870 go down in price with the release of the Fermi GPU's? If I do get the 5870 I probably won't be able to get another one to crossfire with for awhile and they will be running on a crappy 1020x768 monitor. If I get a 5850, what I save will go towards a 1920x1090 monitor and I should be able to get another 5850 a lot faster.

Also, What makes the HAF 922 so much better?

I like Admiral's build except for two items:

1. PSU is a somewhat oversized...a 600 watter can handle twin 5870's and will get you closer to your budget.

The Corsair 650 watter is $20 cheaper
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Another option is the Antec 900 w/ EA-650 combo which goes for $150 (saves $30 and no MIR hassles.) $20 off w/ promo code EMCYPNP37, ends 3/29
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

There are similar deals for the 902 which I like better but it's outta stock.


2. This RAM is faster and saves another $5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


I'd drop the AS5 due to long curing time issues and pick a TIM from the top few here:

http://www.hwreviewlabs.com/index.php?option=com_conten...
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/therma...
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_conten...

If he decides to go with 5870 ... A 750W is in order ... If 5850 ... 650W would do for 2xFire.

You don't NEED to go for the 5870, if you are a lo-rezzer ... and ... Two 5850s will do just fine for Hi-rezzers so ... you could do very well with 5850x1, for now.

But, the Admiral is never wrong ... as long as you tell him everything, up front.

= Al =

@Jack: The only problem I have with that RAM is that it's OCZ. It's hit or miss with their RAM, as it requires a LOT of voltage to run. That means less room for overclocking. Also, they aren't faster, they're the same speed. Not only that, you have to mess around with the MIR to get the lower price, which doesn't phase me, but you just cited that as a benefit.

As for the 650W, You could power two 5870s with it, but that leaves almost no room for for overclocking and expanding. I certainly wouldn't want to cut it that close.

@iokau: MX-2 is another brand of thermal compound. And it's completely unnecessary unless you're planning on trying to break an overclocking record.

I wouldn't expect the price of the 5870 to drop. From the review posted a little bit ago, the similar Fermi is $100 more than it, and doesn't offer a whole lot more in terms of performance. That means it's highly unlikely the price will change for a while.

The reason the HAF is better is that it's a higher quality case. It's more solid, it's built better and it will hold up better in the future. Not only that, but it's a lot larger. It may be classified as a mid tower, but it's larger than a lot of full towers. Not only that, but it also has a lot of large fans, meaning it stays really cool while staying pretty quiet. It also has a lot of features such as dust filters and good cable management.

MX-2 is paste ... least of your concerns, right now. Bigger fish to fry.





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PS: If The Admiral sats he wants to look into your build ... well ... let's just say that is a good thing ... for you.

=Al =

MadAdmiral said:
@Jack: The only problem I have with that RAM is that it's OCZ.


That's how I feel about Gskill :) 

Quote:
Also, they aren't faster, they're the same speed.


Almost ....7-8-7-24 versus 7-7-7-24

Quote:
Not only that, you have to mess around with the MIR to get the lower price, which doesn't phase me, but you just cited that as a benefit.


If two items are the same proce, obviously the one w/o the MIR id less hassle, but for a few $$ savings, many will opt for the stamp.

Quote:
As for the 650W, You could power two 5870s with it, but that leaves almost no room for for overclocking and expanding. I certainly wouldn't want to cut it that close.


That's ATI's recommendation which takes into account Rosewill and the like....using the PSU calculator you come up a lot lower.


MadAdmiral said:
I would look into this build:

CPU: i5-750 and Asus P7P55D-E Pro $375. A much, much better board. It's not only higher quality, it's also more future proof with USB 3/SATA III support.
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $115
GPU: HD 5870 $420. Much more powerful.
HDD: Seagate 7200.12 500 GB $55. Smaller, but just as fast.
PSU: Corsair 750W 80+ $90 after rebate
Case: HAF 922 $90 after rebate. A much better case.
Optical: Cheap SATA DVD burner $24
HSF: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus $35
OS: Windows 7 Home 64-bit OEM $105

Total: $1,309. It's a little over budget, but there might be additional deals that I haven't found.


I am planning to do this exact build. Except I want the 1TB drive. Is the 500GB drive suggested because of cost? Or some other issue? Would it be better to get two 500GB drives?


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