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Opinions for or against my first build i5-2500k

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Hello, I would like input for my current spec plan for a new system. Do any of you tech experts see any bottlenecks or issues I may have overlooked?

Advice/critique would be much appreciated.

Thank you

Kelvin

cpu/mobo combo pricing
Intel Core i5-2500K
GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD3-B3

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB 2x4

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s

combo case/psu
COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KXN1-GP
COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series RS800-80GAD3-US 800W

PowerColor AX6850 1GBD5-DH Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5

plus a dvd/cd drive ???


total cost around $910 plus tax.




Approximate Purchase Date: this weekend 4/22-24/2011


Budget Range: $1000-$1200


System Usage from Most to Least Important: I use the computer for everything from business applications to web surfing watching movies and playing games.


Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor- several samsung & dell, speakers (Klipsch pro-media 2.1)


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Country of Origin: Southeastern U.S.


Parts Preferences: by brand or type I have no particular preference, I am partial to intel processors.


Overclocking: Maybe - I want to learn about it through research and experiment with it.


SLI or Crossfire: Maybe


Monitor Resolution: I like to run two monitors and hopefully three. 1920x1200 I could have anywhere from 10-20 windows open at a time from business documents, trading charts, graphics software and so on.


Additional Comments: Like I said, I use the pc for everything. I day trade and run a small business. I like to goof off at times and play games. I am not a heavy gamer, but I do like to "get lost" at times.

I'm an old fart just wanting to build my own system for a change. In the past I have bought through online retailers and decided I want to do my own and develop a better understanding of what is involved during the process. I have learned a lot. Never knew the difference between a 1155 board/processor or a 1133. Now I do.

Current system is a Dell Dimension bought in late '06 early '07. I am keeping it and will probably try to network it in.

I do understand the case is more expensive than most, but I want air flow. I live in a hot and humid climate. I want to be able to put this thing together without assembly problems and thought a bigger case might alleviate these issues, maybe not. In addition, because I am learning new things I want to be able to expand and experiment. I also liked the fan speed controls and led shut offs. Led is not important to me, just an option.

I plan on using windows prof. 7 64bit, maybe ultimate for the encryption and I will probably raid 1 my system so I actually have 2 tb drives lined up. My current system has a 250 gb drive with about 30% available however, I have 3 external drives that are almost max'd out.

Thank you for your replies.

Kelvin

More about : opinions build 2500k

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Overall it looks like you have a good system. I like the Intel® Core™ I5 2500K and the Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD3-B3 board. About the only concern I have is that I don’t see an OS listed, or what you are going to be doing with this system? There may be some changes based on your usage.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team
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Homebuilt system Master

Its a good system .

The cpu may be a more powerful than you need . Most business apps dont need that amount of muscle
Encoding , Photoshop and hard core gaming might benefit , but otherwise you might be better off saving some money at this point .

For office use noise can be a problem . If you are like me you'd pretty soon start to loath the sound of noisy fans . Id probably go for a quiet case like the Antec P183 V3, and select gfx card model/ psu for the cooler/how quiet it is .
Homebuilt system Expert

klm981 said:
I edited my post. Hopefully I covered everything. Thank you all for your input.

Kelvin


I say go for it, very nice components. If you could expand your budget to around $1000, you could get an HD6950 2 GB. That would be sweet, although the card is a bit over ten inches so check for clearance issues.
Homebuilt system Authority

Youll want a board with x8/x8 pci lanes if you plan to crossfire/sli, such as: Asrock p67 extreme 4, Asus p8p67 pro, MSI p67a-gd65, gigabyte ud4.

A $650 power supply is plenty for 2 6850's in crossfire. I consider it absurd to spend $160 on a power supply in a $900 system.

Thank you for the input. I will reevaluate the case, mobo and psu.

re: psu, when you consider the combo discount and mail in rebate the psu breaks down to approx. 89.99 for 800w gold cert (if this means anything) psu. The case might still be over valued though. I will look for better alternatives in case pricing and psu's and think I can cut $50-$100 off overall cost of $260 for the both.

Again thank you for the insights.

buzznut said:
I say go for it, very nice components. If you could expand your budget to around $1000, you could get an HD6950 2 GB. That would be sweet, although the card is a bit over ten inches so check for clearance issues.


All the mobo's appear to be PCI Express 2.0 x16; will the PCI Express 2.1 x16 work with a 2.0 pci e mobo.??

genghiskron said:
Youll want a board with x8/x8 pci lanes if you plan to crossfire/sli, such as: Asrock p67 extreme 4, Asus p8p67 pro, MSI p67a-gd65, gigabyte ud4.

A $650 power supply is plenty for 2 6850's in crossfire. I consider it absurd to spend $160 on a power supply in a $900 system.




Thank you for your input about the mobo's. After further study I think I'll be going with the ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard.

I can get it in a combo deal with the i5-2500k and save $20.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

Thank you again for giving me some things to think about.

genghiskron said:
please fill this out first:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advic...

i dont know if you want to overclock of crossfire, but you should be spending more on the graphics card and less on the case and power supply. great cases include: Antec 300, Antec 300 Illusion, HAF 912, HAF 922, Antec 902, and the Storm Scout.

But again, please fill out the form so we can better assist you.




Thank you for your posts. They have given me a lot to ponder. I have done more research and think I have come to a decision. I've decided that I do not want to crossfire, I'm in my 50's and gaming is just a get away for me. I really do not want to do much in that area except my occassional relaxation time.

I've given additional thought on the case and psu issue; focusing more on bang for $ in the gpu vs the case/psu. I have to agree, after some serious thought, spending 25% of $$ on a case/psu did not make a lot of sense.

Here is what I have decided on. Please evaluate and let me know if the mobo and psu will be sufficiant.

Once again no cross firing, maybe some playing around with overclocking the i5 just to learn about it and see what it's all about.


My current revised build specs:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz w/ MSI P67A-C43 (B3) LGA 1155

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...
COOLER MASTER GX Series RS650-ACAAE3-US 650W w/ COOLER MASTER HAF 912 - a much better deal at $79 after rebates than $239.98

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
HIS H695F2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s x 2

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
LITE-ON Black dvd/cd

When it's all said and done after rebates and discounts $955.89; well under my $1200 max limit before o/s. (w-7 ultimate).

This is a great web community. Plenty of help and more information than I could ever hope to read.

Thanks again.

Kelvin
Homebuilt system Authority

It looks good. From what ive heard, many people seem to despise the CM GX series PSU's. I honestly have no experience with them, but thats what ive heard. That being said, theres still a great chance you could go with the CM GX and have no problems for years. Most people on this site seem to prefer Corsair, XFX, Antec, and Seasonic PSUs.

You may want to consider this combo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

edit: mobo looks perfect for your needs.

Also, as my signature should now indicate, i always recommend an all-black dvd drive (no white text). This is from personal experience. I have an Asus drive that works flawlessly. But i cant stand how it looks on my all-black antec 300. Obviously this is a minor aesthetic detail, but I feel that if i convince enough people of this, manufacturers might decide to use stickers instead of white paint.

Also, there is a 15% off all desktop ram promo code today.
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