Attempting to build a gaming rig

[grimcreaper]

This is the first time ill be building a computer from scratch and was wondering if a 650 watt PSU would be good enough for an i5 2500 and a single 6950 video card.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=15404372

are the components i plan on using. if anyone has any suggestions for other pieces id be glad to read them. I had a hard time choosing a HD since so many of the OEM drives seem to have a higher failure rate but im trying to stay within an 1100$ budget.

 

[Ankh16]

I'm not all that savvy seeing as how I'm just attempting to build my first gaming comp right now but from what I've seen around the posts 650W should be fine however maybe someone else can correct me if I'm wrong or if there is a reason for the price difference but this is a corsair 750W

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

and it seems to be cheaper then your corsair 650W

 

[grimcreaper]

im showing 89.99 (69.99 after MIR)for the 650 verse 109.99(89.99 after MIR) for the 750w. If people suggest the 750 more ill probably grab that one. I believe ill have a little bit of side cash after 1100 but i wont know till after i find out how much i owe in state tax.

I dont plan on going crossfire, if i need to upgrade the card it wont be for a couple years atleast i think.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

That Corsair 650w unit is fine for what you have selected.

 

[grimcreaper]

Thank you both for looking over the config and giving advice


The next big question i have is: is the hard drive i selected even worth it? should i get a smaller drive, say a highly rated even if slower, to use as my boot drive in case anything bad happens?

ive noticed a LOT of OEM drives having 15%+ bad reviews. I chose it because its a 1TB, 64mb cache, and SATA 6Gb/s.

Also, with ram, i chose to go with 8gigs so i dont have to worry about upgrading my ram for a bit. Is it even worth it at this point or should i downgrade and go with 6gigs instead?

 

[asteldian]

For gaming I would not bother going beyond 4gb RAM personally, the extra offers you little. By the time more is needed we will probably be on DDR4.

For HDD, depending on what you are putting on your macine a 500gb can be plenty for games, but if you install lots of music and videos etc. there is no harm in 1TB. However, I personally would go with a standard 3gb/s HDD as the 6gb/s are not worth the extra cash (unless things have significantly changed in the last couple months, which is always possible). The new 6g/s technology is mainly of use for SSDs, you'll find something like the Samsung Spinpoint F3 HDD competes pretty darn well for performance

 

[Why_Me]

Did you want to run dual vid cards later on ? If so, that Antec is going to be cramped...that and the board you chose doesn't run dual cards at 8x & 8x. I'm of the opinion that one good card is less hassle than two lesser cards (heat & scaling issues)...then later on ebay the current card for a better card when it comes out. Also 4 gigs of RAM is plenty...that and it doesn't hold back your o/c. If you really feel the need to get another 4 more gigs...do it at a later date. Also over clocking these days is a breeze...so just in case you get the urge... 2500k would be the way to go imo.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.585954 Combo Price: $109.98 Price After Mail-In Rebate(s): $99.98
COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
COOLER MASTER GX Series RS650-ACAAE3-US 650W ATX12V v2.31 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.584425 Combo Price: $238.98
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154003 $6.99 FREE SHIPPING
Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130544 $129.99
MSI P67A-C43 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303 $64.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127552 $349.99 (Before $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
MSI N570GTX-M2D12D5 GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185 $69.99 FREE SHIPPING
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118040 $19.99 FREE SHIPPING
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner LightScribe Support - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754 $99.99 FREE SHIPPING
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

Total: $1,020.90 *not including shipping, rebates, etc...

 

[grimcreaper]

Asteldian: Thanks for the reply and info

Why_Me: Thank you for the list, it looks nice shaves off a little bit money-wise too. might just have to throw in a new gaming headset >.>

I have never dealt with a Cooler Master power supply. a good friend of mine is telling me to avoid them like the plague for PSUs. He loves their cases though.

Part of my reason for looking at the Antec case was that i dont plan on going crossfire ever. Also, it has great air flow. I live in an upstairs apartment in southern Arizona. During the summer my room hits 90+ degrees even with the A/C running so heat is a serious problem. the other case i was considering getting was the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119194&cm_re=Storm_Sniper-_-11-119-194-_-Product but its twice as much so i downsized tot eh antec 300 since it has a similer setup, just smaller fans.

 

[Guest]

Creative Fatal1ty Professional Series Gaming Headset MKII
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826158081

 

[grimcreaper]

Thanks for the suggestion on the headset


edit: i dont know how i missed that HAF case while i was looking. just need a single 200mm fan for the top to increase airflow

 

[Why_Me]

Asteldian: Thanks for the reply and info

Why_Me: Thank you for the list, it looks nice shaves off a little bit money-wise too. might just have to throw in a new gaming headset >.>

I have never dealt with a Cooler Master power supply. a good friend of mine is telling me to avoid them like the plague for PSUs. He loves their cases though.

Part of my reason for looking at the Antec case was that i dont plan on going crossfire ever. Also, it has great air flow. I live in an upstairs apartment in southern Arizona. During the summer my room hits 90+ degrees even with the A/C running so heat is a serious problem. the other case i was considering getting was the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119194&cm_re=Storm_Sniper-_-11-119-194-_-Product but its twice as much so i downsized tot eh antec 300 since it has a similer setup, just smaller fans.

http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?category_id=19&product_id=3009 <--- Here's more info on that CM HAF 912. 200mm fans are cheap on newegg.

Also that CM psu is a steal with 52A.

 

[grimcreaper]

Have you had experience with that particular model PSU? 1 review has me a little worried with the setup you listed

"Pros: Inexpensive, small size and just enough cables so it's not too cluttered in the PC case.

Cons: Did not power up my i7 950, with 1 GTX280 vid card, 1TB Black sata 3 HD, 6 GB OCZ pc12500 RAM, 1 DVD IDE Burner, on board audio, lan, (x58a mobo). No delayed HD start used.

Other Thoughts: It will power up my e6600 core 2 duo with the GTX280 vid card, 3 - 250 gb HD, 2GB RAM, 1 IDE DVD burner, 1 USB3 card, soundblaster audigy 2 card, 1 - 3.5 inch floppy drive, onboard lan x 2 (i680 mobo).

It did power up the i7 950 with an ATI 5450 vid card, but not with that gtx280. Stayed on with 5450 vid card while installing win7 64bit and during updates too (about 1.5 hours).

Seems this supply I have bought is somewhat lacking it's 52 amps on that 12v rail."

I know the new Sandy Bridge models are far more energy efficient than the previous gen but the 570 is supposedly a power hog.

 

[grimcreaper]

one other thing i should ask, i have never done thermal paste before, do you have any suggestions on that? i DO like the idea of that aftermarket heatsink but, since i have never done that before, im a bit intimidated by it.



why_me: my total is coming up at 1090.89 before shipping/rebates with your list

 

[mrhoshos96]

Don't get the CM GX650 PSU.
Reason:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/11/22/cooler_master_gx_650w_power_supply_review/9
I recommend you to get the Haf912 with the Antec ea650 PSU.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015
Edit: Here is the build:

Here is what you should do with the 2 200mm fans.
1-remove the 120mm front fan on the case
2-take the 120mm fan and put it as an exhaust on the side panel
3-install a 200mm fan in the front as an intake
4-install the other 200mm fan on the top as an exhaust
5-Have fun with your new gaming rig
And good luck.

 

[grimcreaper]

Thank you for the updated list, just gotta wait another week or so for my tax money ><

on a side note, ive never heard of Palit, are they a new company?

 

[mrhoshos96]

Thank you for the updated list, just gotta wait another week or so for my tax money ><

on a side note, ive never heard of Palit, are they a new company?

I think they are from asia(correct me if i'm wrong) but i just chose that because of the after market cooler on it .
Here is a review on the overclocked version of this card:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/palit-geforce-gtx-570-sonic-platinum-review/
Notice that it's 10 degrees cooler than a stock gtx 570 even after that overclock.
But there is one disadvantage to this cooler,that it exhausts hot air into the case that's why I recommend adding the 120mm on the side as an exhaust and, considering that that the haf912 has exceptional airflow that shouldn't be a problem at all .

 

[asteldian]

I always use an after market cooler for a few reasons
1) Quieter
2) Better at cooling
3) Probably the most important reason - they are just so much easier to fit on than the stock cooler (damn things tend to feel like you will snap your mobo). I am a big fan of screw fit coolers

As for the paste, up to you whether you use it, a cooler tends to have a layer on it anyway so I tend to just use that and not add my own paste

 

[mrhoshos96]

I always use an after market cooler for a few reasons
1) Quieter
2) Better at cooling
3) Probably the most important reason - they are just so much easier to fit on than the stock cooler (damn things tend to feel like you will snap your mobo). I am a big fan of screw fit coolers

As for the paste, up to you whether you use it, a cooler tends to have a layer on it anyway so I tend to just use that and not add my own paste

+1
Here is the cooler that everyone recommends:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G1YPH0/ref=s9_simh_gw_p23_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=06K116NZTYCBKV7CFYCS&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
You can buy thermal compound but not worth it IMO:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608008

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Thank you for the updated list, just gotta wait another week or so for my tax money ><

on a side note, ive never heard of Palit, are they a new company?

Palit is famous. They are the company that shipped "special" cards to review sites then dropped the extra cooling when they shipped the retail versions of the GTX 460. I would not buy one just based on that. Then they made excuses about it.

CM power supplies are NOT of the same quality as Corsair. Stick with the Corsair 650.

The Antec 300 Illusion is a great case with plenty of cooling and plenty of room and is almost silent with the fans on low. It is my "go to" case for friends and family builds.

 

[grimcreaper]

Thank you all for the replies, youve all been very helpful

 

[grimcreaper]

Final setup is going to be

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=15413832


only reason i switched to the corsair psu from antec is that my friends antec earthwatts 650 took out his mobo and cpu, 3 weeks after building his rig so i am a bit skeptical on that psu.


other than that, does this set up look good? I decided against the 200mm fans simply because all of the ones new egg has are listed as having fairly high failure rates (at 20 bucks a fan, that makes me sad ) so even though i hate LED fans, i went with the apevia ones for reliability. i can toss 1 more on the front and 1 on the top for exhaust and another on the side of the case.

Palit is famous. They are the company that shipped "special" cards to review sites then dropped the extra cooling when they shipped the retail versions of the GTX 460. I would not buy one just based on that. Then they made excuses about it.

CM power supplies are NOT of the same quality as Corsair. Stick with the Corsair 650.

The Antec 300 Illusion is a great case with plenty of cooling and plenty of room and is almost silent with the fans on low. It is my "go to" case for friends and family builds.

The Antec case, does it have enough room my build? still on the wall about my case since its going to cost more with the HAF 912 (to get the extra fans needed) since the sale will most likely be over once i get my tax money in. Ive heard a lot of people have issues with the Antec case when using aftermarket cpu coolers, especielly larger ones like im gonna get.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

The case will have plenty of room. the Haf is a great case as well.

Trade that older design 640GB hard drive for a Samsung Spinpoint F3. The 500GB or 1TB models are faster, cheaper and just as reliable.

 

[grimcreaper]

Thanks for the advice, switched it out. Went to the Antec case as well due to it already having all the fans ready to go. Its too bad that 200MM fans are so expensive and seem to be generally so bad across the board with only a couple models being worth the investment. (edit: And none of the good ones are even on newegg!)

 

[mrhoshos96]

Well I have to say the Antec 300 is an exceptional case go with it! but, be sure to get the "Illusion black" version.
And keep in mind that the Antec 300 doesn't have cable manegement holes like in the Haf 912 so, you will need to put some effort into cable manegement.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

That new wish list is looking great. Not sure I would change a thing at this point. Good luck with the build and enjoy!