1st time new build, would appreciate any feedback

[msj1117]

Approximate Purchase Date: this week (March 9-16)


Budget Range: approximately $1000 (give or take $50) after rebates


System Usage from Most to Least Important: home office, moderate gaming, watching movies, surfing the internet, mid-level photo editing, entry-level video editing


Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, operating system


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com, TigerDirect.com


Country of Origin: U.S.A. (Philadelphia)


Parts Preferences: none


Overclocking: Maybe


SLI or Crossfire: No


Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (I will purchase locally)


Additional Comments: I need a cool-running PC. Philly is very humid in the summers, plus I do not control my own heat in my apartment. A quiet PC would also be quite nice.

This is my first build and I'm very excited about it. I was about to purchase a pre-built Dell but then came across many threads in these forums that had excellent encouragement. After about 5 days of reading and research, I think I know the correct parts for my budget. But it never hurts to consult the experts, plus you folks are the reason I decided to do this in the first place.

------------------------------ PARTS I HAVE ALREADY SELECTED --------------------
(note: prices are current as of March 9, 2011)

1. CPU:
Intel Core i5-2500K ($230)

2. Motherboard:
ASUS P8P67-M Pro B3 Intel P67 ($150)

or

MSI P67A-GD65 B3 Intel P67 ($190)

question: do I need the extra 133 MHz? I'm not much of an overclocker.

3. RAM:
Kingston HyperX 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 ($100)

4. Heat Sink Fan:
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 ($30)

5. Hard Drive:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive ($65)

6. Power Supply Unit:
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V ($110 / $90 w/reb)

7. GPU:
MSI N460GTX Twin Frozr II SOC GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit ($150 / $130 w/reb)

or

XFX HD-687A-ZNFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit ($210 / $180 w/reb)

question: Is there a noticeable difference between these two cards? I enjoy high-quality graphics, especially when gaming and watching movies.

8. DVD:
LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R...2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Writer LightScribe Support ($25)

9. Case:
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower ($110 / $100 w/reb)

10. Thermal Compound
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM ($10)


Any and all advice, suggestions, criticisms, etc. would be greatly appreciated. This site has been phenomenal, and before I fire up the 'ol credit card I'd like to ensure that my choices are correct. Will everything work together? Do I need the higher-priced MOBO and GPU?

Thank you in advance!

-MJ

 

[bavman]

Drop the 8gb of ram for 4gbs. And stay away from kingston if possible. g.skill is a better brand name.
With the saved $50 get a 560ti instead of the 6870.

You can also get a corsair 650w instead of the 750. It'll save you money and should you decide to add another 560 ti in the future it can handle it.

 

[Martin9630]

I'd suggest the Asus P8P67-M Pro rathere than the MSI one. They both other about the same things. But the Asus one is cheaper.

 

[gahzirra]

concur with bavman on the 560 and I would also go with

SCYTHE Mugen-2 Rev.B (SCMG-2100) CPU Cooler, Socket Socket 1156/1366/775/478/AM3/AM2 /939/940/754, Copper/Aluminum, Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142

The 212 is a good air cooler but its past its top of the charts days and the scythe for its price is one of the best air coolers

 

[msj1117]

Thanks very much for the advice.

I've always heard that more RAM = better, so I just figured that 8 was better than 4. But the extra $50 in savings would go nicely toward a better video card.

Here's what caught my eye for RAM:

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) ($55)

For the video card, there are several companies that manufacture the GTX 560 Ti. Based on the feedback and ratings from users on Newegg, it seems that the EVGA version is the way to go:

EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit ($250)


Thanks for the tips on the HSF and PSU. The HSF looks huge, but as I mentioned my apartment gets pretty hot so more cooling seems like the way to go!

-MJ

 

[gahzirra]

Yea thats a good deal on the RAM and the EVGA 560TI is the card I have ordered.

Ohh and here is a link to the benchmark review on the Scythe

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=447&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=15

 

[msj1117]

Gahzirra,

Awesome, thank you for the link. That pretty much sealed the deal on my HSF decision.

-MJ