Seeking advice on a new pc build with a $3000 budget

[DustinSFS]

After doing a lotting of research and getting a lot of advice I've decided to stray from the safe and usually overpriced prebuilt systems and go ahead and build my first pc. I'm only going to be using it for gaming and therefore want the most bang for my buck to hopefully play new games on max settings finally and not have a system that crawls like I've always had. JackNaylor, a user from this board, suggested the build below my requirements, looking for any criticism or recommendations. I will begin ordering parts in March but not actually building the system until April so if I should hold off on getting a CPU or GPU because something is dropping in April that's worth the wait I can definitely do that no problem. Because I know very little but am learning as fast I can I am literally putting all my faith in the recommendations I get and if JackNaylor's is the only one I have then I will 100% be ordering his exact build. Thanks for your time! Oh, and if anyone lives in SC near Sumter/Shaw AFB that can help let me know, I'll be back from overseas mid-april. Thanks!




Approximate Purchase Date: ~20th April, 2011

Budget Range: $3,000 Before Rebates

System Usage: Gaming

Parts Not Required: I need everything to use a computer all the way from a mouse to a monitor

Preferred Websites for Parts: newegg.com and tigerdirect.com

Country of Origin: U.S.A. (Sumter, South Carolina)

Parts Preferences: NVidia and Intel, but this is a bias, they're all I've used... definitely openminded.

Overclocking: No, first time building I'll attempt this in the far future lol...

SLI or Crossfire: As recommended

Monitor Resolution: At least 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Looks are a complete non-issue... where money is concerned I prefer performance over looks personally. Also don't need external speakers, will be using a headset.


JackNaylor's Suggested Build... forgot to ask him if I need a soundcard or the mobo has an integrated one.

Case - $160 - Antec DF-85 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129087
PSU - $150 - Antec CP-1000 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371024
Case Fans - $15 - Antec 120 mm Fan http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835209006
MoBo - $260 - ASUS P8P67 WS Revolution Currently unavailable
CPU - $330 - Intel Core i5-2600K Currently unavailable
Cooler - $40 - Scythe Mugen 2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185142
TIM - $5 Shin Etsu 751 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835150080
RAM - $155 - (2 x 4GB) Mushkin CAS 7 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820226179
GFX - $530 - EVGA GTX 580 Black Ops Edition http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130589
GFX - $530 - Same
HD - $65 - Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 rpm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152185
SSD - $185 - OCZ Vertex 2 3.5" 120GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227551
DVD Writer - $22 - Asus 24X DRW-24B3L w/ LS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827135221
OS - $140 - Win 7-64 Pro OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116754
Monitor - $180 - ASUS VE247H 23.6" LED http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824236112
Keyboard - $65 - Logitech G110 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823126087
Mouse - $53 - Logitech G500 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6826104318

Cost $2,885

 

[batuchka]

Hmm unless u 100% need CUDA and considering

GTX 570 SLI < HD 6950CF < GTX 580 SLI and HD 6950CF actually having a lower power draw than GTX 460 SLI

hit a nice 2GB HD 6950 1st?


HD6950 CF Toms
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-6970-radeon-hd-6950-cayman,2818-22.html

But wait, there’s more. What about the Radeon HD 6900s in CrossFire? After all, AMD claims to have made some notable improvements to its scaling.
You’re only going to buy two high-end graphics cards if you’re running at the top resolutions with visual details maxed out. That’s where the 2 GB frame buffers featured on both 6900-series cards come in handy. In many cases, two $300 Radeon HD 6950s outperform a pair of $350 GeForce GTX 570s, saving you $100 total for better frame rates.

 

[DustinSFS]

Hmm unless u 100% need CUDA and considering

GTX 570 SLI < HD 6950CF < GTX 580 SLI and HD 6950CF actually having a lower power draw than GTX 460 SLI
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q205/batuchka/34664.png
hit a nice 2GB HD 6950 1st?


HD6950 CF Toms
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-6970-radeon-hd-6950-cayman,2818-22.html

But wait, there’s more. What about the Radeon HD 6900s in CrossFire? After all, AMD claims to have made some notable improvements to its scaling.
You’re only going to buy two high-end graphics cards if you’re running at the top resolutions with visual details maxed out. That’s where the 2 GB frame buffers featured on both 6900-series cards come in handy. In many cases, two $300 Radeon HD 6950s outperform a pair of $350 GeForce GTX 570s, saving you $100 total for better frame rates.

Here's where you can laugh at my ignorance, like I said I'm learning. I've seen CUDA referenced several times but don't know what it stands for?

So crossfired 6950s instead of Sli GTX 580s?

 

[batuchka]

Actually i am suggesting just one 2GB HD 6950 1st given u at 1920 x 1080 hehe Then CF down the road ^^

 

[DustinSFS]

I'll go up in res that's the minimum I want

 

[Taylor422]

I doubt you're going to need two GTX 580's if you're only driving one monitor. A single one would be plenty. Actually, at 1920 x 1200, you might only want a GTX 570... I think the 580's shine a little more at 2560×1600.

That would allow you to reduce the power supply a little bit and still have headroom to spare.

None of your links work, by the way.

A comparison of several cards, including the GTX 580 and GTX 570, at 1920x200 resolution

A comparison of several cards, including the GTX 580 and GTX 570, at 2560x1600 resolution

 

[DustinSFS]

Yeah I'll only be using one monitor, I'm gonnalook up pricing 2560x1600 screens right now. While I say 3,000 is my budget really I can exceed that if I want. I definitely wanted the core components minus the peripherals (monitor, keyboard mouse) to be 3,000 or less.

 

[DustinSFS]

Yeah just checked prices on monitors at 2560x1600, I can't justify paying more for my pc monitor than the tv in my living room. And I'm sure my wife would sh*t a brick if she knew.

So.... I take it just stick with one 580 GTX. Should I invest 530 saved from ropping to a single GPU and put it into a different CPU and MOBO or is the CPU and MOBO good to go? I'm guessing those links don't work cause I copied and pasted them from a fie on my desktop I had saved

 

[Taylor422]

There's no real room for improvement on the CPU front - the i7-2600k you picked out already is the best there is, unless you start talking crazy with server processors and multi cpu boards and such.

It is worth noting that a GTX 580 handles a max of 2 monitors, so an argument for multiple graphics cards can be made if you plan on running more than two monitors.

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129087&cm_re=Antec_DF-85-_-11-129-087-_-Product $159.99 FREE SHIPPING
Antec DF-85 Black Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207003 $129.99 - $99.99 after mail-in rebate 10% off w/ promo code PSU11FEB, limited offer
XFX Black Edition P1-750B-CAG9 750W ATX12V v2.2 / ESP12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=P67%20Extreme4 $152.99 @ newegg
ASRock P67 Extreme4

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.593420 Combo Price: $349.98 FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
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=N82E16820231416 $99.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 $17.99 Free shipping w/ promo code EMCKHJC29, ends 2/23
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=N82E16814125363 $244.99
GIGABYTE GV-N560OC-1GI GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125363 $244.99
GIGABYTE GV-N560OC-1GI GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148361 $149.99 FREE SHIPPING
Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1CCA 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.591429 Combo Price: $159.98 FREE SHIPPING
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126087 $64.99 FREE SHIPPING
Logitech G110 Black USB Wired LED Backlighting Gaming Keyboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104318 $53.99 FREE SHIPPING
Logitech G500 10 Buttons Dual-mode Scroll Wheel USB Wired Laser 5700 dpi Gaming Mouse

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121048 $119.99 FREE SHIPPING
Logitech Z623 200 w 2.1 Speaker System, THX-Certified

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106158&Tpk=SENNHEISER%20PC161 $89.95 FREE SHIPPING $40 promotional gift card w/ purchase, ends 3/31
SENNHEISER PC161 3.5mm Connector Circumaural Headset

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812186046&cm_re=usb_adapter-_-12-186-046-_-Product $9.99
SYBA SD-CM-UAUD71 USB Sound Adapter

http://shop.benq.us/ProductDetail.aspx?id=56 $469.99 Free Ground Shipping Add Promo code "Thankyou11" for 10% off
BenQ LCD XL2410T BLACK 23.6W LED monitor 120HZ 3D 2ms D-sub + DVI + HDMI

Total: $2,429.79

http://www.benq.us/products/product_detail.cfm?product=1775 <---- more on that monitor

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/benq_xl2410t.htm <--- detailed and in depth review of that monitor

http://www.asrock.com/news/events/201102ex/warranty.html <----- Look for the B3 Stepping Chipset Logo/Sticker on the new boards

http://www.madshrimps.be/articles/article/1000116#axzz1EqpvWFEN <---Review on that Asrock motherboard after the latest bios

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1098/pg2/asrock-extreme4-p67-and-fatal1ty-professional-p67-vs-x58-with-core-i7-950-review-asrock-p67-extreme4.html <---Review on that Asrock motherboard after the latest bios

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4080/welcome-to-sandy-bridge-with-the-asrock-p67-extreme4 <--- Review before the latest bios...and it still stomped the Asus and Gigabyte boards

 

[DustinSFS]

Thannks for the post reading up on it now!

 

[LAW_DOG_usmc]

be careful with SSD. I too am an extreme novice in computer gaming but i been doing a lot of research. I cannot justify buying an SSD to just lower load times and downloads unless I planned on doing a lot of turning my computer on and off and reinstalling of games. Typically, you are going to install your favorite game once and leave it. Waiting 15 more seconds to get to my desktop isn't worth 300 plus for a 128G... don't even bother with anything smaller... A 64 Gig may get you an operating system and two mainstream games--not worth it... SSDs haven't hit the gamers market yet and are way over priced for what they are worth.

However, this is extremely debatable.

for what you are looking to do you honestly can cut your budget in half and be just as satisfied.

my rig cost around $1200 or less and I am playing today's games at 100 plus FPS. I.E. Black ops topping out at 125FPS

MY BUILD:

CPU: AMD Phenom 2 X6 1100T
GPU: Sapphire ATI RADEON HD6950
PSU: Cosiar 850HX
RAM: 8GB Patriot 1600
MOBO:Asus M4A88T-V
Case: Blac X
Optical: LG DVD 24X
HDD: 7200 Sata II 1T
COOLING: Hyper 212 plus

 

[Why_Me]

be careful with SSD. I too am an extreme novice in computer gaming but i been doing a lot of research. I cannot justify buying an SSD to just lower load times and downloads unless I planned on doing a lot of turning my computer on and off and reinstalling of games. Typically, you are going to install your favorite game once and leave it. Waiting 15 more seconds to get to my desktop isn't worth 300 plus for a 128G... don't even bother with anything smaller... A 64 Gig may get you an operating system and two mainstream games--not worth it... SSDs haven't hit the gamers market yet and are way over priced for what they are worth.

However, this is extremely debatable.

for what you are looking to do you honestly can cut your budget in half and be just as satisfied.

my rig cost around $1200 or less and I am playing today's games at 100 plus FPS. I.E. Black ops topping out at 125FPS

MY BUILD:

CPU: AMD Phenom 2 X6 1100T
GPU: Sapphire ATI RADEON HD6950
PSU: Cosiar 850HX
RAM: 8GB Patriot 1600
MOBO:Asus M4A88T-V
Case: Blac X
Optical: LG DVD 24X
HDD: 7200 Sata II 1T
COOLING: Hyper 212 plus

+1 in regards to SSD's...although having one for the o/s is nice. Otherwise they need to come way down in price imo.

-1 on you having a $1,200 budget and going with that AMD build. Give me a min. and I'l post a build on your thread.

 

[DustinSFS]

(In regards to SSDs) Despite the bloated price and the fact that they'll probably cost a lot less in the near future I'm definitely getting one. They don't cost so much that I wouldn't consider it.