Gaming, Multimedia desktop (upgradable to 3D)

[rktek]

Approximate Purchase Date: this month
Budget Range: 1500 After Rebates
System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, editing hi-res videos, (& surfing the internet, watching movies)
Parts Not Required: mouse
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: None (whichever is cheaper )
Country of Origin: USA
Parts Preferences: 22 to 24" LCD (Full HD)
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: Not sure
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 or 1920x1200
Additional Comments: I would like a sleeker profile (as much as possible). I do not play 3D at this time.. but would like the system to be relatively easy to upgrade to use 3D. From some research I did...found a fair number of recommendations for Core i5-2500K
Also, do you recommend DIY PC Combos from newegg?

many thanks
-rk

 

[mdd1963]

Any P67 based MB with 2500k seems to be the given these days...

Even if not playing BF3 tomorrow, you likely will be...; I'd recommend at least a GTX460 (1 GB), giving fairly nice performance up thru 1080P in pretty much all of todays titles....

 

[Proximon]

I'm not sure what you mean by sleeker profile, but I'll make a guess.
I had fun working this one over. I did reduce the GPU a bit so that we could get you into an SSD. You can add a second 560ti if you choose, or dump the SSD and grab a GTX 570.

■ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
I own an Asus optical drive and I'm hearing good things from others also.
■NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
It's sleek. It has a lot of features and good reviews. It's big.
■SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
The price is right. Data drive as you will have the SSD to boot from.
■ASUS VH236H Black 23" Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ Speakers
120hz monitors cost more, so I chose a very good gaming monitor.
■Galaxy 56NGH6HS4IXZ GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
As I mentioned, this could be a GTX 570. Just depends on what you sacrifice.
■Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ...
A good PSU, strong enough for any single card OR SLI 560ti or crossfire 6850.
■Logitech G110 Black USB Wired LED Backlighting Gaming Keyboard
mid-range gaming KB
■MASSCOOL G751 Shin-Etsu Thermal Interface Material
Good stuff.
■G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR
The promo code makes this a good deal.
■Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
■XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler bracket included I7 i5 775 1155 AMD and dual fan push pull compatible
A good, flexible CPU cooler at a good price. One of the original great tower air coolers updated for LGA 1155.
■ADATA S599 AS599S-64GM-C 2.5" 64GB SATA II Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
A fast little SSD at a good price. It's mostly going to be a boot drive but if you manage it well you can fit a bit more on there.
■Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
■ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
That's pretty much a given. Strong MB with SLI and Crossfire capability... also Bluetooth, SATA 6GB/s, USB 3, etc.
TOTAL: $1,561.72

Oh... and there are lots of promo codes and rebates you need to pay attention to.

 

[rktek]

that looks good mate.. thanks...

"You can add a second 560ti if you choose.."
"..dump the SSD and grab a GTX 570. "
-- now in a nutshell what real benefit would those options give me?
I can always wait for a drop in prizes for SSD.

 

[Proximon]

Those two options are all about more graphics power. At 19x10, the 560ti is nice but about the lowest I would go. There are other options also. Getting two 6850s up front can cost less than a single 570 and give about the same performance.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-graphics-card-geforce-gtx-590-radeon-hd-6990,2879-5.html

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908&cm_re=6850-_-14-102-908-_-Product

 

[rktek]

Those two options are all about more graphics power. At 19x10, the 560ti is nice but about the lowest I would go. There are other options also. Getting two 6850s up front can cost less than a single 570 and give about the same performance.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-graphics-card-geforce-gtx-590-radeon-hd-6990,2879-5.html

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908&cm_re=6850-_-14-102-908-_-Product

Interestingly they both seem to come up to the exact same amount... is this case, single card is less hassle?

2 6850 -- $330
1 570 -- $330

 

[Proximon]

Yes, single card is also better in a few games not optimized for SLI/CF

 

[rktek]

Will go for 570 -- would 650W be enough?

Any recommendations for wireless gaming (mid) keyboard, blue-ray drive?

 

[Proximon]

Sure the TP-650 is enough for any single card and many moderate SLI/crossfire setups.

As a long-time gamer I can tell you that there is no such thing as a good wireless keyboard. You really don't want to change your batteries in the middle of a raid or during an organized co-op match.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126087

 

[rktek]

was just about to pull the plug and then thanks to uncle sam.. got a couple 100 bucks to burn ...is there anything that can be improved from the list above.. for within $200?

many thanks

 

[Proximon]

It's been a bit and prices have probably changed. Sadly I don't have the time right now. Post back a reply so that the flag resets and I'll try to get to it tomorrow.

 

[rktek]

It's been a bit and prices have probably changed. Sadly I don't have the time right now. Post back a reply so that the flag resets and I'll try to get to it tomorrow.

thanks mate.. blue ray would be one and what else can make it better?

 

[Proximon]

Since the price on the RAM has gone up I would get this kit:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231440
The 1600 kit will be slightly slower than this 1333 CL7 kit.

Keep in mind that any Blu-ray burner/player will need software to play movies at 1080, and the software is expensive. I recommend Power DVD 10 Ultra
http://www.cyberlink.com/products/powerdvd/overview_en_US.html
That's not bad at $75

You might also look at a larger SSD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227551

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Gaming-Case-Desktops-DF-85/dp/B003JH7MIO/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1302989570&sr=1-7 $155.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Antec Gaming Case for Desktops DF-85

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.624829 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $174.98 $10.00 Mail-In Rebate Card Price After Mail-In Rebate(s): $164.98
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power ...
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.633300 Combo Discount: -$30.00 Combo Price: $249.98 FREE SHIPPING
ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.632379 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $464.98 20.00 Mail-In Rebate Price After Mail-In Rebate(s): $444.98
MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video ...
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=pd_sim_e_1 $27.51 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1

http://www.amazon.com/Lite--LightScribe-Layer-Drive-IHAS424-98/dp/B002SIMPXM/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1302844916&sr=1-1 $24.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive IHAS424-98 - Retail (Black)

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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236117 $179.99 - $169.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
ASUS VH238H Black 23" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 250 cd/m2 ASCR 50,000,000:1

Total: $1,378.41

 

[rktek]

Best answer selected by rktek.