Gaming System (Feedback Requsted)

Hi,

I am looking to build a gaming PC. Given that I don't play the most graphics-intensive games out there (i.e. FPS) and I am OK playing games at medium settings, I am looking to build a system that's good for gaming but not extreme. Having said that, I'd like to show my current planned configuration and get some feedback on the following:

1. Are the configurations compatible?
2. Will the power supply of 650W suffice?
3. I am interested in building a relatively quiet system. Any components listed down there violate that assumption?
4. General feedback on the good/bad/ugly

Any input will be appreciated.

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Approximate Purchase Date: Within three weeks


Budget Range: ~ $900


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Games, Video Streaming, Work


Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg/Amazon


Country of Origin: USA


Overclocking: No (Not at initial setup. But want to remain flexible to that in 1-2 years when new games come out)


SLI or Crossfire: No


Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
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For some reason I cannot publish my wish list on newegg, so I have just copied and pasted for now. But everything is listed on http://www.newegg.com.

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157229

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 BX80623I52500K
$214.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product

ASUS EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2 Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
$159.99 ($139.99 after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814121419

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
$20.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827135204

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
$84.99 ($69.99 after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139005

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
$84.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231311

Samsung Desktop Class Spinpoint F3 1 TB SATA 3.0 Gb-s 32 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare-OEM Drives, HD103SJ
$59.99
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spin [...] 369&sr=8-2

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129021

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7
$29.99
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Maste [...] 457&sr=8-1

Thanks.

Looks good, but some parts are overpriced.
This 5850 is better than the 6850 (it's confusing, but you can look it up and see the evidence), and it's also cheaper: http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Rad [...] 837&sr=8-1
That psu is a bit overkill, drop it down to a 500w, like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product
That HDD is WAY to expensive, try this one: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spin [...] 927&sr=1-1
The CM hyper 212+ is $30 on amazon, free shipping.

With the money saved, upgrade to the i5-2500k. Allows you to overclock to heaven!
P.S. You will be able to play most games on high/max

And I know you said no overclocking, but I don't think you realize how easy it is! Plus, you can squeeze so much performance outta these 2500k's, why not overclock?

Well you're getting a good deal on that 6850 lol. And for the HDD, here's all the reviews you will ever need: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product
If you want to save money, I would drop the CM 212 and use that money to get the 2500k. It can overclock to 4GHz on stock cooling, and will be much better than the 2400.

And as for the psu, that's fine. A little futureproofing never hurt anyone, eh?

Imo look at microcenter for the 2500k last time i checked they were selling it for 179.99 and keep the hyper 212 to OC it.

Really for gaming the Intel® Core™ I5 2500K is without question the best value and best performance that you can get your hands on. With the ability to overclock and the performance that is native to the Intel Core I5 2500K processor and then the price point on this processor you can’t beat it. To top everything else off it has become much easier to overclock on these processors than ever before.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

It all looks good! However, I have seen people have issues fitting the 212+ into the Antec 900. It fits, but they say BARELY. I think it will be fine. But, just throwing the option out there, HAF 922: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product $99.99 shipped

No plans for dual vid cards, then drop that Asrock extreme4 and look at a H61 board @ newegg...no reason to spend money on extra's that you won't use. You can pick up a decent H61 board for $80 or less + free shipping.

Also no need for that 650w psu.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817207013 $69.99 - $59.99 after mail-in rebate
XFX Core Edition PRO550W (P1-550S-XXB9) 550W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

And drop the after market cpu h/s like that cooler master seeing how you don't plan on over clocking. And with the money saved get a better vid card like this factory over clocked gtx 560 combo with the 2500K

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.632379 $464.98 $20.00 Mail-In Rebate Price After Mail-In Rebate(s): $444.98 FREE SHIPPING
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
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

I have already updated my list to use F3, not F1

Can you answer a question or two please. It says up top where you filled out the questionnaire that you "do not plan on over clocking", and that you "do not plan on running dual vid cards at anytime". So do you plan on over clocking and do you plan on going with dual vid cards sometime in the future ?

I just want you to clarify this for me please.

So to why_me and genghiskron's point, I prefer to keep the CPU fan because although I don't plan on OC at the initial setup, I'd like to remain flexible to that option if new games come out that pushes the bar further. And I'd like to get installation done all at once, so I don't want to just buy and install it later. I mean, if I am absolutely not interested in OC, I shouldn't really get persuaded to pick up the I5-2500K (in prior posts on this thread) because it's hard to justify that against I5-2400 without OC. So, having said that, I5-2500K and the after-market fan is kept to use OC in case I need it later I have updated my list above to reflect this point.

As for why_me's point on the MB, I see what you mean. But based on this post (http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/303899-28-2500k), H61 MBs don't play well with I5-2500K's OC flexibility mentioned above.

Finally, the graphics card. I really think the 6850 card I got is a good bang for the buck and gives good enough performance. I mean, looking at Passmark (http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GTX+560+Ti), the GeForce 560 TI is hard to justify the $229.99 price tag when compared to the 6850.

Quick question, when you say remove side fan, what do you mean by that? I mean, I looked at the newegg post for Antec 900 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811129021), and it seems to come with 3 fans: 1 top, 1 rear and 2 front. There seems to be no side fans by default. So what side fans are there to remove?

From Newegg:

120mm Fans
1 x 120mm TriCool rear fan with 3-speed switch control
2 x 120mm TriCool blue LED front fans with 3-speed switch control to cool HDDs

200mm Fans
1 x 200mm top fan

Also, I prefer not to get the HAF 922 cuz that thing is HUGE. I have seen it in person. I think that's a monster...tho who knows, the Antec 900 can be pretty big too, I just haven't seen it for myself.

Based on this post (http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/303899-28-2500k), it looks like if I am getting I5-2500K, and make use of the future-proof on the OC, H61 is not the way to go. P67 is.