1200CDN casual gaming system - Bunch of Questions!

horribulas

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Nov 6, 2010
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Hello all!

Approximate Purchase Date: Next 3 weeks, hopefully on newegg black friday sales or cyber monday.


Budget Range: 1200CDN


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Casual Gaming, Video/TV, surfing


Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, Speakers


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.ca


Country of Origin: Canada


Parts Preferences: Please see below


Overclocking: Yes, but not extensively


SLI or Crossfire: Maybe. I want to leave the option open for a second GTX 460 in the furture.


Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080


Additional Comments: Below I have added what I expect to buy, but I have a bunch of questions on some of the parts, thankyou in advance for your input
I am looking for a computer that I can play a wide range of games on, definitely civ5, but I also expect to play mass effect 2, deus ex 3, Fallout vegas this year. I can go slightly more expensive then what i've suggested below (by 100-200), however, as I am a more casual gamer, having the top quality is not as important for me, as long as it works for a few years to have fun on the weekends



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Intel Core i5-760 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80605I5760
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115067&cm_re=i5_760-_-19-115-067-_-Product
As this is only 6 dollars more then the 750 I figured it was worth it for if i decide to overclock. I also don't plan of getting thermal paste and a heat sink thing as I don't expect to overclock for a while and will invest in these when I have the time/money. I therefore plan to use the stock system for a while.

EVGA 01G-P3-1371-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130565&cm_re=GTX_460_1GB-_-14-130-565-_-Product
Question: all the different manufactures have different clock speeds on their cards, is it worth spending more to get a higher speed or can this be done manually easily enough? My question is then how do I choose between all the different manufactures, I went with EVGA as this website seems to speak highly of them.

ASUS P7P55D-E LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131620
Question: The P7P55D-E Pro is only 15 dollars more, is the pro worth it. Or would you suggest a different motherboard that was cheaper?

RAM: I am completely lost on what to get, I realize I need 2x2Gb DDR3 but what I don't know is what speed or timing. Is expensive ram worthwhile?

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
Question: This is nicely on sale :D. I know some of the recommended builds use the 750TX but is this voltage really needed? What other brands/similar V products are recommaned for this build?

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD10EALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136534

DVD Drive: w/e is on sale.

Case: What size case do I need for all this? I would prefer to not have a full tower... I am looking for a ~70 dollar case that is not flashy, I don't want windows or lights etc, just plain and simple! Any suggestions. I would be willing to spend more here if it produced a quieter experience!

OS: Windows 7

Other comments, is a second GTX 460 in the furture a good idea or will this create wierd bottlenecks and not significantly increase the system?
 

vindictive

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Oct 27, 2010
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RAM: Cas 8 DDR 1333 G.skill 4GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231317&cm_re=g.skill_DDr3-_-20-231-317-_-Product $75

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185 faster and better than WD

Case: Antec 300 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&cm_re=antec_300-_-11-129-042-_-Product

and I'd get a 750 W psu. maybe this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207003 its modular which will help with cabling since the case isn't a full tower.

and I just realised you asked for newegg.ca but oh well, you can figure it out haha
 
If you're going to look for sales, you'll need some flexibility on vendors/parts - what's the best buy today might not be on sale day.

CPU: fine

mobo: The -E Pro supports SLI/xFire, the -E only xFire. As a casual gamer, at 1920, using a 460-class gpu, you do not need to worry about SLI, so you could easily go with the less expensive board.

RAM: On non-sale days, 2x2GB 1333 CL9 kits from G.Skill and Mushkin are usually best, at about $60. You won't notice faster memory in gaming. Should you want faster memory, perhaps for some OCing, 1600 CL9 kits from the same vendors are usually the best value.

Heatsink and HD: As Vindictive suggested.

PSU: If you go with the cheaper Asus board (no SLI/xFire, go with this psu, almost regardless of sale pricing:

Seasonic 520W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094

If you are guarding against SLI/xFire in the future - which is unnecessary as a casual gamer (just lower the details if a game won't play smooth on Max):

Corsair 750W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

You could actually get away with a 650W, but I personally don't like the margin.

Case: As Vindicator suggested, or perhaps
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233&Tpk=haf912