Help with a decent budget gaming pc build.

[XxBurntOrangexX]

I have never built my own PC and I am deciding to do it for Skyrim. I am wondering if I have all the right things to put together a good PC.
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 - $189.99

Processor: Core i7-2600K - $314.99

Motherboard: ASUS M4A88T-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard - $107.99

DVD/CD Writer: LITE-ON Black - $19.99

Power Brick: Antec EA650 - $74.99

Graphics Card: Hightech Information System Ltd. H695F2G2M - $264.99

RAM: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL - $99.99

Cables: OKGEAR 15 ft. High Speed HDMI® Cable Model OK3994 - $9.99
BYTECC 6 ft. 18AWG Power Cord w/ 3 Conductor PC Power Connector - $4.99
Total = $1087.91
I am trying to work on a budget of $1500 and I also feel like there are other things that need to go into this build top make it work. Don't worry about the OS either. Any input would be great.

 

[XxBurntOrangexX]

I have never built my own PC and I am deciding to do it for Skyrim. I am wondering if I have all the right things to put together a good PC.
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 - $189.99

Processor: Core i7-2600K - $314.99

Motherboard: ASUS M4A88T-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard - $107.99

DVD/CD Writer: LITE-ON Black - $19.99

Power Brick: Antec EA650 - $74.99

HDD: Seagate Momentus XT 500GB Internal HArd Drive - $99.99

Graphics Card: Hightech Information System Ltd. H695F2G2M - $264.99

RAM: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL - $99.99

Cables: OKGEAR 15 ft. High Speed HDMI® Cable Model OK3994 - $9.99
BYTECC 6 ft. 18AWG Power Cord w/ 3 Conductor PC Power Connector - $4.99

Total = $1187.9
I am trying to work on a budget of $1500 and I also feel like there are other things that need to go into this build top make it work. Don't worry about the OS either. Any input would be great.

 

[tecmo34]

This topic has been moved from the section Opinions and Experiences to section Systems by Tecmo34

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice <----- Could you do a "copy & paste" of that on this thread please so what we have a better understanding of what you need for this build. Thank you.

 

[XxBurntOrangexX]

Approximate Purchase Date: Around September of this year.

Budget Range: $1500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, surfing the web, HD media viewing, Schoolwork.

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, External HDD

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Country of Origin: U.S. <- I think thats what its asking?

Parts Preferences: Intel, ASUS, HIS, whatever you guys think

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Eventually but not a priority.

Monitor Resolution: 1366x768

Additional Comments: I'm new to this so any help would be very very helpful.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Case - $110 - Antec 902 V3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129097
PSU - $110 - XFX 750 WBlack Edition PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207003
MoBo - $395 - ASUS P8P67 Pro http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.622007
CPU - incl above - Intel Core i5-2500K
Cooler - Maybe Later - Scythe SCMG 2100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142
TIM - Maybe Later - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080
RAM - $84 - (2 x 4GB) Corsair CAS 9 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145324
GFX - $240 - Gigabyte GTX 560 Ti 900 Mhz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125363
GFX - Later - Same
HD - $65 - Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 rpm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
SSD - $300 - OCZ Vertex 3 2.5" 120GB 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=N82E16827135204
Monitor - $170 - ASUS VE247H 23.6" LED http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236112



Total is $1496

I included a monitor cause a $1500 build doesn't go w/ a 1366 x 768 resolution as it would be totally overkill. The Cooler and TIM would add $45 and I'd do that from the getgo so you don't have to disassemble anything.

However, all the choices will be totally meaningless come September .... LGA 2011 should be out, new GFX cards will be on horizon, new cases, new PSU's, etc .... the only things constant about the state of PC components is that 50% of what you buy today will have something faster / better / cheaper in 2-3 months.....the other 50% within 5-6 months

the why's .....

Case - In today's world you want a solid case, easy to work in. Ya wanna be able to check off each of the following and if any case is missing one of them, cross it off ya list ....front USB Port(s), CPU cutout for easy cooler mounting, high air flow (this fits 6 fans), built-in SSD mount, washable air inlet filters, support for at least 2 but preferably 3 GFXcards, lots of drive bays (this has six 3.5 bays and three 5.25" bays in addition to SSD mount), built in fan speed control.

PSU - johnnyguru said it best

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=165

the XFX 850W Black Edition came looking to make a splash, and ended up doing a cannonball big enough to just about drown the competition. Voltage regulation is nothing short of fantastic, efficiency is excellent, and ripple and noise is just about nonexistent.

MoBo / CPU - The consensus Editor's Choice and top overclocking board combined with the best bang for the buck CPU and a $20 combo discount to boot. What a net cost of $155, not really serious competitors at that price.

RAM - It's low profile, so won't bother ya CPU cooler, from a reliable manufacturer and it's cheaper than anything else.

GFC Card - At $215 last week, it was almost "grand theft" but at $240 it's still a steal. Can't speak for the Gigabyte but the Asus Cu II TOP model easily OC's to 1000 MHz .

HD - Spinpoint F3, WD Black or Segate 7200.12 .... couldn't say any one of em was a bad choice.

SSD - It's the "top dog", enuff said.

 

[Why_Me]

This build includes a factory over clocked gtx 560 with the option to add another later on for SLI. Also included is Windows 7, an after market cpu h/s (thermal paste included, 8GB of low voltage RAM, a full HD 1920 x 1080 LED 2ms response time gaming monitor, etc...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196 $79.99 - $69.99 after mail-in rebate FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

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: $244.98 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=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1303062197&sr=1-1 $27.22 & 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=1303062261&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: $1,297.12 *not including shipping, rebates, etc...

http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6606 <----- more specs, info, and pics of that CM 922 HAF

 

[XxBurntOrangexX]

I thank you two for your feed back. I see that you two do have some differences in your choices but you also agree on some things. Now I'm really not in a rush to build a PC since I'm mainly doing it for Skyrim and that is about 7 months away. You guys have given me a good idea of what I need but what do you think the chances of a lot of new tech coming out that would put your build in the past? If their is a good chance than I'll just ask again come September and we will go from there. Thanks again for the help. I do have one question though, what is your guys opinion on the hybrid hard drive?

 

[Why_Me]

I thank you two for your feed back. I see that you two do have some differences in your choices but you also agree on some things. Now I'm really not in a rush to build a PC since I'm mainly doing it for Skyrim and that is about 7 months away. You guys have given me a good idea of what I need but what do you think the chances of a lot of new tech coming out that would put your build in the past? If their is a good chance than I'll just ask again come September and we will go from there. Thanks again for the help. I do have one question though, what is your guys opinion on the hybrid hard drive?

The Intel socket 1155 Sandy Bridge just came out in early January of this year. With a simple bios flash those 1155 boards will run the new 22nm Intel Ivy Bridge cpu's due out early next year. AMD is coming out with their Bulldozer cpu series sometime this summer, but have yet to provide any benchmarks. A lot depends on how AMD's new cpu benchmarks...if and when they are ever released.

 

[XxBurntOrangexX]

Now here is what I came up with by combining both of your builds.

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Two V3 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $109.99

Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge - $224.99

Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $174.99

DVD/CD Writer: Lite-On LightScribe - $24.99

HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB - $64.99

SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive – $299.99

Power Brick: XFX Black Edition - $129.99

Graphics Card: Hightech Information System Ltd. H695F2G2M - $264.99

RAM: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL - $99.99

Monitor - ASUS VE247H Black 23.6" - $189.99

Cables: OKGEAR 15 ft. High Speed HDMI® Cable Model OK3994 - $9.99

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - $99.99

Total = $1594.89

Now I don't mind paying that extra hundred but is this pretty much everything I'll need? I may just buy everything soon rather than wait till September but I'm wondering if I should go with an i7 sandy bridge or is that just overkill?

 

[Why_Me]

Looks good. just don't forget to use "combo deals" and save some $$. Like that Asus Pro mobo...combo that with that G.Skill RAM. Look at that build I posted the combo is on there...it will save you $30. Then make sure to get an after market cpu h/s. The 2500K combo's with that Cooler Master 212+ to save some more $ or get it from amazon for cheap + free shipping, and then save another $20 in shipping charges and get that case from amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Mid-Tower-Gaming-Hundred-V3/dp/B004ALI5KC/ref=sr_1_9?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1303094288&sr=1-9 $109.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Antec Mid-Tower Gaming Case Nine Hundred Two V3

Also after you get that mobo...go to the Asus site and check to see if you have the latest bios, and download the manual.

 

[XxBurntOrangexX]

Is there anything you would personally add to it? Such as small things like cooling fans or anything like that?

 

[Why_Me]

Is there anything you would personally add to it? Such as small things like cooling fans or anything like that?

Other than the after market cpu h/s...nope, not unless your place is warm or until you add another vid card to that build (dual cards)

That case leaves you the option to add two more 120mm fans to it. But again unless your room is warmer than usual...summer months maybe than that case has great initial cooling

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129097 <------ If you click "Deatails" on that link you can see the optional fans, etc...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007998%2050001516&IsNodeId=1&name=Antec <----- There's all the Antec case fans on newegg. Blue LED, etc...

 

[XxBurntOrangexX]

Now I've got to ask the universal question? Could this run Crysis?

 

[Why_Me]

Now I've got to ask the universal question? Could this run Crysis?

I'm not too up to date on AMD/ATI cards but Iv'e heard really good things about those 6950's. Best thing to do is check out some reviews/benchmarks. Remember this though. If it comes down to FPS and an SSD... FPS always win out in regards to a gaming build. There's bone heads on here that are always telling peeps to buy an SSD. That's cool and all but not to someone who's fixed a budget for their build and again if the SSD takes too big of a chunk ($$$) away from the performance...then the vid card should always win out. Also Iv'e heard those cards "unlock" to a 6970 giving you even more performance.

http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=6950+2gb+review&aq=0c&aqi=g-c1g-m1g-b8&aql=&oq=6950+2G+review&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=253a85f0f6bc4b61 <----- Here's some reviews/benchmarks on those cards.

http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=6950+2gb+unlock&aq=f&aqi=g1g-m3&aql=&oq=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=253a85f0f6bc4b61 <---- Here's some links in regards to unlocking those cards.

 

[XxBurntOrangexX]

Now instead of buying a SSD should I invest in a Hybrid drive? Seagate makes one for around half the price of the SSD I have listed. I know the advantages to SSD's but I really don't mind waiting a few seconds more for a hard disk to do the exact same thing. In a way I guess I answered my own question but I would still like to hear your opinion.

 

[Why_Me]

Now instead of buying a SSD should I invest in a Hybrid drive? Seagate makes one for around half the price of the SSD I have listed. I know the advantages to SSD's but I really don't mind waiting a few seconds more for a hard disk to do the exact same thing. In a way I guess I answered my own question but I would still like to hear your opinion.

I never heard of that Seagate drive until you just posted about it. After reading the review... I want one! Man, that is neat as h*ll.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3734/seagates-momentus-xt-review-finally-a-good-hybrid-hdd <---- That's the review I just read on that drive.

 

[XxBurntOrangexX]

These hybrid drives seem like a totally awesome idea so I guess we will both be investing in them. I don't know how to put faces on this site yet but if I did it would go here -> ___