Novice Gaming Rig set up

[ItsThatGuy]

Hello everyone, this is the first time I will be building a computer and would like some advice before I make my purchase. Below are the parts that I am looking to purchase.

Approximate Purchase Date: This month or beginning of May.

Budget Range: $1100; possibly $1200 if it is worth it.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, headset, monitor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com

Country of Origin: US
Parts Preferences: Best bang for the buck

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: These are the parts that I have been looking into.

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 BLUE RC-922M-KWN2-GP Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Side window

ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9S-4GBRL

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

Linksys WMP600N PCI Wireless Adapter with Dual-Band -- Just like having the option of having wireless.

This current set up, costs $846.91 and I would like to get a pretty good video card, but am unsure which card I should get for hardcore gaming. Lastly, if I do not decide to overclock, can I just use the stock cpu cooler; or should I just get an aftermarket cooler?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Proximon]

Get an aftermarket cooler and install it, because otherwise it will be a hassle to do so later. Also get 8GB if you can fit it into the build, while RAM is so cheap.

This build is how I would go about it:
■LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
■memorex 4.7GB 16X DVD+R 50 Packs Disc Model 05619
■COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
■SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
■Galaxy 56NGH6HS4IXZ GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
■Antec TruePower New TP-750 Blue 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ...
■MASSCOOL G751 Shin-Etsu Thermal Interface Material
■G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-8GBXH
■Kingston DataTraveler G3 2GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive (White & Orange) Model DTIG3/2GBZ
■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
■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
TOTAL: $1,149.12

The odd items in the build are "free with purchase" type things.

 

[ItsThatGuy]

I forgot to mention that in my preliminary build that I did include the price for 8gb of the G.SKill RAM. Additionally, I do have Win7 64bit disks lying in my home in some obscure place. Having said that, the total should be dropped by $100 making it out to be 1049.12 if I were to go with your build. My only question is should I stick with the 560ti or go with a 6950 or 6970? I'd like to get one that will stick around for a while and be the best value for my money.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[ethel]

Consider getting an SSD drive - it makes the PC and applications (including games) boot up beautifully fast. You could have your OS and apps you use a lot on the SSD and if you need more space, have a separate drive for storage.

However, don't sacrifice your graphics card budget - as it's going to be a gaming machine that's where you want to concentrate and Proximon's recommendation is sound value for money.

 

[ethel]

I forgot to mention that in my preliminary build that I did include the price for 8gb of the G.SKill RAM. Additionally, I do have Win7 64bit disks lying in my home in some obscure place. Having said that, the total should be dropped by $100 making it out to be 1049.12 if I were to go with your build. My only question is should I stick with the 560ti or go with a 6950 or 6970? I'd like to get one that will stick around for a while and be the best value for my money.

Thanks again for the help.

The 6950 is excellent value if you are prepared to take the risk of flashing the bios to make it a 6970. If not, stick with the 560ti

 

[ItsThatGuy]

I thought about getting an SSD and seeing as how the prospective build is under the $1200 (max) budget, I figured about getting a small SSD. How does this one sound: OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX30GXXX 2.5" 30GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive?

Since I do not plan on flashing the bios, I'll stick to the 560ti, but one last question. What is the difference between the one Proximon linked and 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? The difference in price is around $20 so I can definitely manage either one.

Thanks again for the advice, it's much appreciated.

 

[Proximon]

I wouldn't recommend an SSD smaller than 60 or 80GB. Personally I wouldn't use one smaller than 120.

If you are willing to spend a bit more on the card this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125369
It comes much higher clocked out of the box and has better cooling. I chose the first one to stay in budget and give good performance while staying cool. This would be a good step up from that.

 

[ItsThatGuy]

I wouldn't recommend an SSD smaller than 60 or 80GB. Personally I wouldn't use one smaller than 120.

If you are willing to spend a bit more on the card this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125369
It comes much higher clocked out of the box and has better cooling. I chose the first one to stay in budget and give good performance while staying cool. This would be a good step up from that.

I would only be using the SSD for my OS and maybe some other apps, but since I do not really need and SSD at the moment, I could just wait to get it at a later date. I do like that card and the fact that it's already clocked, I will probably be buying the parts tomorrow and will post a new thread in a few months to follow up on the new rig.

Thanks for the help Prox & Ethel, much appreciated.

 

[ItsThatGuy]

Best answer selected by ItsThatGuy.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

HAF 922 was a great case .... for 2009-10 ..... needs an update to catch up w/ modern features like front USB ports. This build is $1086, w/ full tower case, 10.0 performance rated, super quiet PSU, GFX card is a steal and cooler can do 4.8 GHz (&C better than Hyper 212.

Case - $155 - Antec DF-85 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129087
PSU - $110 - Antec CP-850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371024
Case Fans - Later - Antec 120 mm Fan http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209006
MoBo - $390 - ASUS P8P67 Pro http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.575884
CPU - incl above - Intel Core i5-2500K
Cooler - $40 - Scythe SCMG 2100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142
TIM - $6 - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080
RAM - $99 - (2 x 4GB) Mushkin CAS 9 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226099
GFX - $215 - Gigabte GTX 560 Ti 900 Mhz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125363
GFX - Later Same
HD - $65 - Spinpoint F3 1 TB http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.591429
SSD - Later - Vertex 3 120 GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227706
DVD Writer - $22 - Asus 24X DRW-24B3L w/ LS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135221

If money is tight, can install aftermarket cooler any time....this case allows it to be installed no problem. I installed the 7" x 7" x 7" Thermalright Silver Arrow cooler in a few minutes ....stock cooler will get you 4.6 GHz on a 2600k

http://www.guru3d.com/article/asus-sabertooth-p67-tuf-review/10

 

[Proximon]

Case - $155 - Antec DF-85 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129087

It does have a nice feature set. Too busy for my tastes.