First-time builder, $1000 - $1200 gaming rig

[Graves]

Hi all. First, I just want to say thanks to everyone who contributes to these forums. I haven't even posted a question before now, but I've learned a tonne of stuff just by cruising the boards. I'm a first-time builder looking to build a PC primarily for gaming. Any and all suggestions and advice are appreciated!

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the month

Budget Range: $1000 - $1200 (CAD funds)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Internet, music, movies

Parts Not Required: Monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.ca, ncix.com

Country of Origin: Canada

Parts Preferences: I've had good experiences with Intel, NVIDIA, and Corsair, but I won't say no to a good deal on different brands if the quality's there.

Overclocking: Maybe in the future.

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in the future, if it makes sense as a cheap(er) upgrade path.

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Having a hard time deciding on a case. I'd like something roomy, and black's always a safe bet for the colour. The HAF series seem like great cases, but I'm just not a big fan of the look. If anyone could suggest some alternatives, that'd be great.

Here are the parts I'm looking at right now:

ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131703

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.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBXM - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231438

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 Card - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner LightScribe Support - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.2 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

 

[sadams04]

Looks good! I don't have any case suggestions as I tend to go basic in that category (with additional cooling), but I would say to pull the trigger and build that machine. If you are going to overclock, or debating on it, buy and install a CPU cooler now. You won't want to pull out the motherboard later to do it. The Hyper 212+ is a good cooler..

 

[nd_hunter]

^^ Agreed. Very well thought out build. Have you looked at the Cooler Master 690 II Advanced? Or the Storm Scout? Both are quality cases at reasonable prices.

 

[mustbaj]

have you considered i7 setup?

 

[Why_Me]

All orders over $75 CAD @ Direct Canada are FREE SHIPPING.

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11130AC5964&vpn=RC-922M-KKN1-GP&manufacture=COOLERMASTER $79.69
Coolermaster Haf 922 Mid Tower ATX Case Black 5X5.25 5X3.5INT Front Audio USB eSATA No PSU

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11180AC9104&vpn=CMPSU-750TXV2&manufacture=CORSAIR $102.80
Corsair TX750 V2 750W ATX 12V Single Rail 60A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 80PLUS Bronze

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11830BD0300&vpn=GA-P67A-UD4-B3&manufacture=GIGABYTE $178.70
Gigabyte P67A-UD4-B3 ATX LGA1155 P67 DDR3 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI SLI SATA3 USB3.0 Motherboard

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 $219.99 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.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11130AC8843&vpn=RR-B10-212P-G1&manufacture=COOLERMASTER $24.69
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366 LGA1155 LGA1156 120MM

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15380BD5211&vpn=F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL&manufacture=G.SKILL $82.46
G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Memory

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530DR5213&vpn=DRW-24B1ST%20Bulk&manufacture=ASUS $21.32
ASUS DRW-24B1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer OEM Black

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=25350DR4878&vpn=WD6402AAEX&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD $59.69
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5IN Dual Proc Hard Drive Oem

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12980BD8066&vpn=N560GTX-TI%20Twin%20Frozr%20II/OC&manufacture=MSI $237.18 MIR. Savings: $15.00 $222.18
MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozr OC 880MHZ 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI Mini-HDMI DX11 PCI-E Video Card

b]Total $1,006.52 CAD *not including Windows 7, rebates, tax, etc..[/b]

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12850SW2113&vpn=GFC-00599&manufacture=MICROSOFT $99.69
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM

 

[Graves]

Thanks for the comments guys! sadams04, I knew I was forgetting something re: the cooler, I'll check out the 212+ for sure. And nd_hunter, the 690 II looks like it's right up my alley, nice and sleek but not too flashy. Good price to boot. Thanks! mustbaj, I did think about the i7, but from what I've read the i5 should be plenty for gaming for the moment (especially oc'ed), and if I understand correctly the 1155 board will be compatible with Ivy, so that'll provide me with a good upgrade path down the line. Why_Me, thanks for posting the links to DirectCanada. I hadn't actually seen that site before, and the more options I have for ordering, the better.

One question I forgot to ask in the original post. If I do decide to throw in another 560 down the line, will the PSU I've picked out hold up? Or would I be better off bumping it up to an 850, just to be on the safe side?

 

[themarin8r]

Bump up to 850 to be safe. It is worth the peace of mind

 

[Why_Me]

Bump up to 850 to be safe. It is worth the peace of mind

A 750w psu will be more than adequate for running two of those 560's with leaving you plenty of juice to spare. An 850w psu would be over kill.

 

[nd_hunter]

I'd probably bump it to an 850 watt unit if you plan to overclock in SLI and OC your CPU.

This XFX 850w Black Edition PSU is a beast and only $133.08 CAD. It's sold out on newegg.ca and $50 more expensive on ncix.ca.

 

[themarin8r]

A 750w psu will be more than adequate for running two of those 560's with leaving you plenty of juice to spare. An 850w psu would be over kill.

I suppose you are right, I am not terribly familiar with NVidia cards, but the 500 series cards do seem to use less power than the 400 series cards.

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3813/palit_geforce_gtx_560_ti_sonic_video_card_in_sli_review/index18.html <---- gtx 560 SLI power consumption

 

[Why_Me]

I suppose you are right, I am not terribly familiar with NVidia cards, but the 500 series cards do seem to use less power than the 400 series cards.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/142?vs=288 <----- They were using a $1,000 Intel 980x cpu for that test, and that cpu is a power hog under load. Check out towards the bottom of this link for the power consumption under load. Those 560's don't use that much juice.

 

[nd_hunter]

A 750w psu will be more than adequate for running two of those 560's with leaving you plenty of juice to spare. An 850w psu would be over kill.

I stand corrected.