I've been lurking the forums for a few days picking up info on my first build. I'll be getting it done this summer between school and work, and would appreciate any input on what I've chosen.
Approximate Purchase Date: 1-2 weeks from today
Budget Range: $1000, though I'd like to keep it low
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, movies, web surfing / flash. I mainly play SC2 and HoN, though I will be getting Diablo 3 when it comes out and playing Crysis 2 in the near future.
Parts Not Required: I have the opportunity to rip out a 1000W power supply from my brother's old XPS Desktop, don't know the model number but I can find out in the coming week
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, Tigerdirect
Country of Origin: USA
Parts Preferences: Intel CPU & ATI graphics
Overclocking: No (Simply due to lack of knowledge)
SLI or Crossfire: Yes (In the future, for upgradeability)
Monitor Resolution: 1600x1200, may upgrade in the future
Additional Comments: Would prefer to make this as cost-effective as possible.
So far, the parts I have lined up for this build are:
CPU: $189.99
Intel i5 2400 3.1 GHz (3.4 GHz Turbo Boost)
I decided on the 2400 and not the 2500k because of my lack of knowledge when it comes to overclocking. Is it more price-effective to get the 2500k and overclock, or will I be fine with the 2400?
MOBO: $149.99
MSI P67A-GD53 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
I wanted to go with a P67 for the upgradeability in the future, so I'm willing to spend the extra $60 or so for two PCIe slots over the H67 MOBOs. I would have preferred a GIGABYTE board, but this MSI was cheaper and had better reviews than a comprable GIGABYTE.
Memory: $59.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws X 4Gb (2x2Gb) DDR3 SDRAM 1600
Picked this memory up due to it having the best timings of any 2x2Gb memory I could find - 7-8-7-24
GPU: $199.99 ($20 Mail in rebate)
GIGABYTE Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit
Looked at the recent article posted about video card value, this looked to be the best in my price range.
Hard Drive: $59.99
Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0 Gb/s
Case: $59.99
Cooler Master HAF 912
Saw this mid-tower recommended in an article, my only concern is whether or not the graphics card will fit in the case? Dimensions: 19.50" x 9.10" x 18.90" and the card is approx. ~11" long.
Total Cost: $719.94
Note about the power supply: I am trying to remove the 1000W power supply from my brother's old XPS Desktop, as it would give me more than sufficient power for my rig. However, in case this fails (or it's simply beyond working), I've been advised to use at least a 750W power supply. Any good recommendations?
Thanks for the help in advance guys, please give me feedback or suggestions about what I should do with my rig!
Approximate Purchase Date: 1-2 weeks from today
Budget Range: $1000, though I'd like to keep it low
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, movies, web surfing / flash. I mainly play SC2 and HoN, though I will be getting Diablo 3 when it comes out and playing Crysis 2 in the near future.
Parts Not Required: I have the opportunity to rip out a 1000W power supply from my brother's old XPS Desktop, don't know the model number but I can find out in the coming week
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, Tigerdirect
Country of Origin: USA
Parts Preferences: Intel CPU & ATI graphics
Overclocking: No (Simply due to lack of knowledge)
SLI or Crossfire: Yes (In the future, for upgradeability)
Monitor Resolution: 1600x1200, may upgrade in the future
Additional Comments: Would prefer to make this as cost-effective as possible.
So far, the parts I have lined up for this build are:
CPU: $189.99
Intel i5 2400 3.1 GHz (3.4 GHz Turbo Boost)
I decided on the 2400 and not the 2500k because of my lack of knowledge when it comes to overclocking. Is it more price-effective to get the 2500k and overclock, or will I be fine with the 2400?
MOBO: $149.99
MSI P67A-GD53 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
I wanted to go with a P67 for the upgradeability in the future, so I'm willing to spend the extra $60 or so for two PCIe slots over the H67 MOBOs. I would have preferred a GIGABYTE board, but this MSI was cheaper and had better reviews than a comprable GIGABYTE.
Memory: $59.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws X 4Gb (2x2Gb) DDR3 SDRAM 1600
Picked this memory up due to it having the best timings of any 2x2Gb memory I could find - 7-8-7-24
GPU: $199.99 ($20 Mail in rebate)
GIGABYTE Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit
Looked at the recent article posted about video card value, this looked to be the best in my price range.
Hard Drive: $59.99
Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0 Gb/s
Case: $59.99
Cooler Master HAF 912
Saw this mid-tower recommended in an article, my only concern is whether or not the graphics card will fit in the case? Dimensions: 19.50" x 9.10" x 18.90" and the card is approx. ~11" long.
Total Cost: $719.94
Note about the power supply: I am trying to remove the 1000W power supply from my brother's old XPS Desktop, as it would give me more than sufficient power for my rig. However, in case this fails (or it's simply beyond working), I've been advised to use at least a 750W power supply. Any good recommendations?
Thanks for the help in advance guys, please give me feedback or suggestions about what I should do with my rig!
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