Check on $1100-1400 Sandy Bridge Gaming Build

ojwalton

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Jan 10, 2011
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I'm finally building a new desktop after my dell inspiron 1720 laptop died a few weeks ago. I'm looking at making a i5-2500k sandy bridge gaming build.


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Approximate Purchase Date: This week


Budget Range: $1100-1400 but the less expensive the better


System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming (namely: WoW, SC2, COD:BO, HoN, CS:S etc. and would also like to use for future games)


Parts Not Required: mouse, keyboard, os ( I have a Windows 7 Professional already)


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com


Country of Origin: US


Parts Preferences: I have no specific parts preference, but would like reliable manufacturers.


Overclocking: Probably


SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in the future (~ 6 months)


Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080


Additional Comments:


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Part List:

Motherboard/Cpu combo:

-Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
-ASUS P8P67 PRO LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.575884
$395

Video Card:
SAPPHIRE 100312SR Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102914&Tpk=sapphire%206950
$300 ($285 AR)

HDD:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&cm_re=samsung_spinpoint_f3-_-22-152-181-_-Product
$55

RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277&cm_re=gskill_ripjaw-_-20-231-277-_-Product
$50

Case:
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&cm_re=haf_922-_-11-119-197-_-Product
$100

CD/DVD-ROM:
ASUS 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 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
$20

Monitor:
ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 20000:1) Built in Speakers
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052
$180 ($170 AR)

PSU:
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&Tpk=corsair%20750tx
$110 ($90 AR)

Thermal Compound:
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007&cm_re=arctic_silver_5-_-35-100-007-_-Product
$10

Total price: $1220 ($1175 AR)

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I have a couple questions then:

Would everything work well together or should I change anything out to get better bang for my buck?

Would I need to buy a CPU cooler?

Would it be possible to add a SSD to this build and would the performance be worth the money now or should I wait to add that in the future?
 
Solution
^ Good build, some suggestions

LCD - Get this one - Cheaper with shipping and is better with 2ms response time,...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059

Thermal Grease - Drop the AS5, its electrically conductive,...Get the TX-2 or NT-H1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154003
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608008

As for your questions
1. Yes they would work well together and I have given my suggestions,...
Hop you know about the HD 6950 BIOS unlock to 6970,... ;)

2. If overclocking, then it would be needed...

3. SSDs are a very good, whether they are worth the money or not, depends on you,... It significantly reduces the boot up and app load times,... Dont...
^ Good build, some suggestions

LCD - Get this one - Cheaper with shipping and is better with 2ms response time,...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059

Thermal Grease - Drop the AS5, its electrically conductive,...Get the TX-2 or NT-H1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154003
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608008

As for your questions
1. Yes they would work well together and I have given my suggestions,...
Hop you know about the HD 6950 BIOS unlock to 6970,... ;)

2. If overclocking, then it would be needed...

3. SSDs are a very good, whether they are worth the money or not, depends on you,... It significantly reduces the boot up and app load times,... Dont offer any advantage in in-game performance, but will speed up the level load times,...
 
Solution

ojwalton

Distinguished
Jan 10, 2011
3
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18,510
Thanks for the replys guys.

I decided to go with the other thermal grease and monitor. And I decided to add in a coolermaster hyper 212 plus cpu cooler in my final build.