$1300ish New Gaming PC

[genesis777]

Approximate Purchase Date: Most likely the end of the month


Budget Range: $1300-1400 Before rebates/shipping


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, watching movies, torrenting, general internet usage

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, speakers


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: www.newegg.com or www.tigerdirect.com


Country of Origin: United States of America


Parts Preferences: See "Additional Comments"


Overclocking: Maybe


SLI or Crossfire: Maybe


Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: This will be my first PC build so I want to do things right and I want to make things sweet. Two things i know i want in this build for sure are:

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

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=evga_gtx_560-_-14-130-604-_-Product

The rest is kind of still up in the air as I don't know what brands are the best (but I guess that is a matter of opinion anyway).

I would like a Mid ATX Tower with perferably Top ventalation, and which fans run fairly quiet.

I would like a single hard drive for both system and storage (1TB).

I would like at least 8 GBs of ram.

I assume I would need at least an 850W power supply.

I would like a mobo that supports all of the above (LGA1155 B3).

I would like a 24" monitor with good response time and contrast ratio for best gaming experience.

A good cheap DVR.

Any accesories that the community would like to suggest. And thats about it.

Like I said, I am new to the building world and I don't have the knowledge to know what would be best for build a good gaming PC. Any help and information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[photonboy]

Some points:
1) don't get more than 8GB of RAM (gaming runs the same on 4GB. only a small multi-tasking difference OCCASIONALLY with 8GB)

2) NCIX is a good place to read comments. I saw a good 1155 motherboard for $150

3) 560Ti is a good choice

4) WD 1TB Black hard drive

5) many good PSU's (Antec, Corsair etc.) read reviews. look for sales

6) 750W is more than adequate for PSU unless you may go SLI in the future in which case consider 850W

7) Antec 300 is an inexpensive case with two fans included (use lowest setting).

8) Motherboard: *always get the rear-facing SATA ports that don't interfere with graphics cards

9) HSF: get a $40 to $60 after-market cooler (read reviews) for your CPU. Your fan control in BIOS must be set properly (i.e. "voltage" may work but "auto" does not). If not set properly it always runs at 100%

 

[dalauder]

We'll give you some tips for putting together your build. But you should come back for links to specific parts a day or two before purchases. If I were in your shoes, I'd start picking up parts individually now as you see them on sales. You want to save as much money as possible so you can get the best graphics possible.

CPU: i5-2500K

Mobo: P67 LGA 1155 8x/8x PCI-e lanes, not 16x/4x

RAM: if those 8GB of G.Skill 1600MHz CL9 goes on sale for $75 again, get it. Otherwise, get the 4GB w/ rebates for 29.99.

HDD: Samsung Spintpoint F3 1TB--same performance as WD Black 1TB, but often on sale for $55 on Newegg.

PSU: Only buy Corsair, Antec, Seasonic, XFX, or Johnny Guru reviewed PSUs. There are exceptions, but they need amazing reviews to be considered. All other brands are either too expensive (PC Power & Cooling, etc.) or tend to overrate their PSUs (Logysis rates its 350W PSUs for 575W). 850W is all you need for dual GTX 570's--that's not to say you can't get more but it would be overkill like an i7-2600K.

Case: You need to make sure it's big enough for the graphics you want with solid airflow. Size also matters for elaborate CPU coolers. The Antec 300 Illusion is often $55 w/ free shipping on Newegg.

DVD: Any cheap DVD Burner will do

CPU Cooler: Hyper 212+ is one of the best and the cheapest. Look up reviews before you get anything else. The Noctua DH14 is the best. But it's too expensive and I'm not a fan of the color taupe.

Graphics: At your budget, there's no reason to get less than a GTX 570. You can add another later down the line. I love the idea of unlocking stuff, so I'd definitely get a Radeon HD 6950 2GB and flash it to the unlocked 6950 bios that gets 6970 performance. Then I'd add a second 6970 down the line. I might also get a $50 PhyX card on the side if I was concerned about Radeon's PhysX performance. But you really don't need more than a single GTX 570 or Radeon 6950 2GB to run almost everything at max graphics at your resolution.

SSD: It's worth considering, but I'm personally waiting until Black Friday this year to see a great $1/GB deal on an SSD.

 

[genesis777]

Thanks for your responses. I've been doing what you suggested and have been looking for sales. One has popped out and I am wondering if its a good deal.

Tigerdirect has a sale on 8GB of corsair memory for $75
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6611013&CatId=3433
I am currious if 1333Mhz is a good speed since most mobos can be O.C. to over 2000. Thanks again in advance for any info

 

[dalauder]

If your CPU is unlocked, RAM quality barely matters for overclocking. It can have a minimal (~2fps) impact on gaming. But each 2fps bump can add up. 1333MHz CL9 is kinda slow. Faster RAM can use tighter timings at lower speeds, so 1600CL9 would probably do 1333CL7. This 1600MHz CL9 is available on Newegg for $75 as of this morning: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL040711&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL040711-_-EMC-040711-Index-_-DesktopMemory-_-20231416-L07A

If you miss the sale, wait a week or two and it will come back. Start looking for a steal on a PSU. I got my Corsair TX850 for $90 AR and my Azza Solano 1000R for $80 AR. The HDD I mentioned in $65 on Newegg today. When it goes on sale for $55, snag one.

The Antec 300 Illsuion case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066&Tpk=antec%20illusion) jumps between $70 + shipping and $55 free shipping. Right now it's $55. If it's big enough for you, I suggest you buy. If not, wait for a large mid tower (like Haf 922 size) to go on sale.

Mobo: Many say Asus & Gigabyte overclock better than MSI or possibly ASRock. I really wouldn't consider another brand than those 4 without a crazy good price (even then, I'd only go Biostar & EVGA). You might want to wait for a sale on the Asus P67 Pro (8x/8x), or just buy the MSI 8x/8x P67 for $125 AR on Newegg.