$1000 system need help picking between 2 cases and 2 video cards

needhelp1989

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CASE $89.99
COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196

Or

CASE $59.99
COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233
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CPU $224.99
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

MOBO $149.99
ASUS P8P67-M PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131707
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Video Card $259.99
EVGA 012-P3-1470-AR GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130550

Or

Video Card $199.99
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.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130565&cm_re=14-130-_-14-130-565-_-Product
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Hard Drive $49.99
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

Driver$15.99
ASUS Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E818A7T/BLK/B/GEN - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135224

Power Supply$79.99
COOLER MASTER Silent Pro M600 RS-600-AMBA-D3 600W ATX12V V2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Bronze Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171036

Ram $49.99
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



I have a few questions about my build,
-do i need the 470 video card, and is it worth a $50 increase to my total price.
-is the 59.99 case worth the money, will it cooler the computer parts without problems, and which case would you pick


 

Ten98

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You should go for the best GPU you can afford. I'm not sure why you're looking at the previous generation 4xx series cards though? They run incredibly hot and loud. You should be looking at the 560Ti really. It has as much graphical power as the 470 but runs a lot cooler. It's the best Mid-range gaming card around at the moment.

I would reccomend to you the Antec One Hundred. It's new on the market and is a high quality budget case with Excellent cooling credentials. It's easily as good as the CM Storm Scout, and has the advantage of looking cool in an understated black kinda way ;)

I really don't rate Cooler Master Power Supplies, Corsair have the Power Supply market all sewn up, as they produce the best ones by far, and seem to be able to sell them cheaper than anyone else. Look no further than their superb "System Builder" series for a much nicer PSU than that overpriced one.

Video Card $249.99
ASUS ENGTX560
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121424

Case $49.99
Antec One Hundred
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129098

Power Supply $54.99
CORSAIR Builder Series CX600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139019

The rest keep the same.

total cost: $846

Spend the rest on a Solid State Drive. Prices on those are due to drop in the next few weeks when the Vertex 3 comes out, so hopefully you should be able to pick up a 120gb Vertex 2 for about $150.

Otherwise, your system will be severely bottlenecked by the HDD.
 
I would take the HAF 912 over the Storm Scout.

I would take the GTX 460 (contrary to what ten98 says, don't run that hot or loud - the rest of the GTX 400 does tho) over a GTX 470, but if you can afford a GTX 560 Ti, then that is the better option.


You've got that completely wrong. Firstly the old Corsair TX range (which is getting seriously outdated) is 'competing' on price terms with the Antec Truepower New range, but nothing else, because the Antec Truepower New range is better as they are more efficient and modular. This is just one example of where Corsair are far from 'sewing up' the market. The TXV2 range is a nice improvement over the older TXs, but as expected their prices rose, and now they don't even compete with the Truepower New range on prices.

Secondly the CX range is much worse than the Cooler Master Silent Pros, which admittedly are one of the few occasions where Cooler Master have released a decent line of power supplies, which you can only quibble with now as they are getting older and have lower efficiency compared to their competition. If it's a choice between the Corsair CX600 and the Cooler Master Silent Pro M600, there is no contest, the Cooler Master wins every time. I agree with you that the Cooler Master Silent Pro is probably not the best choice for the price, but it is definitely better than a Corsair CX.

As you guessed the best one to go for at $80 is the Antec Truepower New TPN-650 80Plus Bronze Modular:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371021

This is another good option, with a nice rebate on it:
XFX 650W XXX Edition 80Plus Bronze Modular $95 ($30 rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207002

This one hasn't been tested yet so far, but I have confidence that it is in fact a good unit:
Antec Earthwatts Green EA-650 80Plus Bronze $65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044
Doesn't come with a power cord, so would have to source one from elsewhere.

Which is normal. For some people the speed increase is worth it, for some the price isn't, yet. Generally for a gaming build SSDs aren't needed because at best they shave a few seconds off booting and level load times.
 

Ten98

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Well at least we agree that Cooler Master PSUs are not good! Modular PSUs are a nice luxury but the OP is questioning the value of a $60 case so I'd think it's very low on his list of priorities.

The differences in energy efficiency between the Truepower and the SystemBuilder series amount to perhaps 10Watts, not really something you're going to notice on your energy bill.

I see nothing in the Antec Earthwatts that I don't see in the Corsair Systembuilder, which is $10 cheaper.

Re: SSD - You're forgetting install times as well! ;)

In all seriousness, I can't emphasise enough what a difference SSD makes. I think even at today's price point they make a hell of a lot of sense.

On my main gaming machine I estimate I spend 60% of the time on it browsing the web / email etc and the other 40% actually gaming. SSD speeds up web browsing massively, and just about every other task you can throw at it.

Admittedly in games, once you've loaded a game level the benefit of an SSD ends until you need to load the next level or area, but I guess it depends on the game when that is. In an MMO it could be every couple of minutes! Warcraft players know the pain of waiting for a large area to load, doing one thing then moving to another large area...

Level load times are a big thing for me, I find it really breaks the immersion of a good game if you have to wait a long time for it to load.
 

needhelp1989

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i really don't thing i will need a SSD as of right now, most games i will be playing are mmos so once they are load i will be playing them for a long time, maybe in the future I will put in a SSD.

As for the video i chose 470 series because i have always had EVGA cards and if it isn't broken doesn't fix it, but can you tell me more about ASUS ENGTX560 TI DCII/2DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card, that would be great. is it a good card i'm looking for something that can handle 4+ hour of gaming, which leads me to the PSU. As of right now i need to know if 650W will do the job, then i don't mid jumping to a Antec power supply or Cosair, what PROS/CONS do they have? As for the case, i'm looking for a great case under 100$, i have owned antec 900 and i found it a little big, great airflow but as of my current area to work with i need a mid-size case rather than a big boy
 

Ten98

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Okay, I would disagree, as MMOs are constantly thrashing the Hard Disk to load levels and animations, but if you would prefer to go the mechanical HD route, that's fine too, the Spinpoint F3 is an excellent drive.

I would definitely reccomend the 560Ti over the 470. The 560Ti runs faster, cooler and quieter than the 470.

It really makes little difference what brand you choose with graphics cards, since they all run on the same silicon at the end of the day and are all pretty much the same price.

I'm sure the EVGA 560Ti is just as good as the ASUS 560Ti, I just chose the ASUS due to the good price point.

The Antec One Hundred is a fabulous mid-sized case, and sounds like it would suit your needs.

600W is definitely enough for your PC. You would need more if you added a second graphics card later on, but if you add a second graphics card you will also need a bigger case and a better motherboard, so I don't recommend it.

The pros of the Corsair SystemBuilder 600W PSU are simple: It's quiet, cheap and stable. It's equally as quiet, cheap and stable as the Antec Earthwatts 600, but is $10 cheaper.
 
Agree that brand doesn't really make much difference to performance in graphics cards. Again +1 to the GTX 560 Ti.

The cons of the Corsair CX600 are that is has low efficiency: it dips below 80% at full load.
Pro for Antec: The internal build quality of the Antec Truepower New will also be much higher, which means that it is less likely to fail.
Pro for Antec: The efficiency will always be above 82% (when loaded at 20% or more), according to the review below it's typical efficiency will be between 85 and 87%, altho for some reason I doubt the accuracy of those numbers, because if that was typical for all units it would get 80Plus Silver certification.
With a cramped case like the Antec 100 you will appreciate the modularity of the Antec TPN-650, where you can just detach cables that you will not need - this will be less of a problem in the HAF 912 as that has cable routing holes and is quite wide (for a mid tower) so I'm sure there will be spaces to hide unused cables.
The CX series has a lower temperature rating than the Antec Truepower, which is an indicator of the lower build quality I mentioned earlier.

Unless you own one, I'm not sure how you can know that the CX600 is stable or quiet considering that it hasn't been reviewed properly. While the Antec Truepower New has:
http://www.thelab.gr/power-supplies-reviews/antecs-true-power-new-series-psus-86085.html
Translated: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=el&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thelab.gr%2Fpower-supplies-reviews%2Fantecs-true-power-new-series-psus-86085.html
It's bigger brother has also had many positive reviews. I know the Antec Earthwatts Green hasn't been reviewed either, but I point that out straight away when I link to it, and I'm mainly recommending the Antec Truepower New here. Being built by Delta though indicates to me that it will be good.

And one final con for the CX600, it is not a 600W power supply because it only has 40A on it's 12V rails, which is only 480 watts.

I see nothing in the Antec Earthwatts that I don't see in the Corsair Systembuilder, which is $10 cheaper.
How about two 38A 12V rails?
 

needhelp1989

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CASE $89.99
COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196
CPU $224.99
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
MOBO $149.99
ASUS P8P67-M PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131707
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Video Card

$259.99
EVGA 012-P3-1470-AR GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130550

Or

$249.99
EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604&cm_re=GTX_560_Ti-_-14-130-604-_-Product
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Hard Drive $49.99
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

Driver$15.99
ASUS Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E818A7T/BLK/B/GEN - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135224

Power Supply$79.99
Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371021&Tpk=Antec%20TruePower%20New%20TP-650%20650W

Ram $49.99
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

OS: $99.99
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754&cm_re=windows_7-_-32-116-754-_-Product

Ok here is most likely going to be the last post of this under 1000 build, just need to pick one of these 2 graphic cards, please post which one you think is the better and why,and also add anything else you want about this build.
 
I should inform you that the Cooler Master Storm Scout can only accommodate graphics cards up to 27cm in length, which I'm sure many people have encountered as a problem, I don't know what the length is of card you are looking at, but you should be aware of it.

Anyway, I think it is pretty obvious that the GTX 560 Ti is better, as it performs better (at worst the same) as the GTX 470, yet it consumes less energy, produces less heat and is quieter while doing so.
 

needhelp1989

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Well that 560 GTX ASUSU card is 9" x 4.38" (Seeing how its the "Better Card" i will most likely go with it), but you bring up a point any suggestions on a case with about the same price?
 
This is a pretty good and popular case:
Cooler Master CM690 II Advanced $80 ($10 rebate, $10 shipping)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
Maximum graphics card length: 30cm
Maximum CPU cooler height: 177mm (without side fan installed)
Although it's bigger than the Antec 900.

The Lian Li Lancools are also quite popular, my research on them is not complete, but they seem to be able to take cards at least 10.5" long. I believe the K57 is one of the only ones that is actually smaller than the 900 tho.

The NZXT Vulcan is small, will support your mATX motherboard, but nothing above that like full size ATX, is ~$70. Maximum graphics cards length: 35cm.

The Zalman Z9 Plus is shorter than the Antec 900, can take cards up to 29cm in length, has quite a few features, a modern interior. It's $70 with a $10 rebate and free shipping.

The Antec Mini P180 and Lian Li PC-A04 are what I would consider ideal small cases, two of the few cases that I have researched, that can support mATX motherboards and long graphics cards. But they are both more expensive at $100 or more with shipping charges. Fractal produce a good small case, similar in design to the R3, but this is not available in the US yet and is also likely to be over $100.
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.613828 Combo Discount: -$15.00 Combo Price: $114.98 $20.00 Mail-In Rebate Card Price After Mail-In Rebate(s): $94.98FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2A1600C9

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RTPMM4/ref=s9_simh_gw_p23_d1_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-4&pf_rd_r=0CGPQWPEGHCA054V7TFC&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470939031&pf_rd_i=507846 $89.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Antec Truepower 23754 TP-750 BLUE LED 750-Watt PSU NVIDIA SLI Certified 80 Plus Bronze Advanced Hybrid Cable Management Power Supply

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-P67X4B3&title=ASRock-P67-EXTREME4-B3-LGA1155-Intel-P67-B3-DDR3-Quad-SLI-Quad-CrossFireX-SATA3-USB3-0-A-GbE-ATX-Motherboard $153.99
ASRock P67 EXTREME4 B3 LGA1155/ Intel P67 B3/ DDR3/ Quad SLI & Quad CrossFireX/ SATA3&USB3.0/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 $224.99 FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=HD-HD103SJ&title=Samsung-SpinPoint-F3-HD103SJ-1TB-SATA2-7200rpm-32MB-Hard-Drive $59.99 Free Shipping
Samsung SpinPoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB SATA2 7200rpm 32MB Hard Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125363 $239.99
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=N82E16827135204 $18.99
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=N82E16832116754 $99.99 FREE SHIPPING
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

Total: $989.00 *not including shipping, rebates, etc..

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

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 update

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

http://www.asrock.com/news/events/201102ex/warranty.html <---- Asrock two year warranty

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=P67%20Extreme4 <----- ASRock P67 Extreme4 Motherboard