~$1000 gaming rig

[angelussum]

Approximate Purchase Date: this week


Budget Range: ~$1000 after rebates


System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, surfing net


Parts Not Required: OS (windows), mouse, keyboard


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Canadian sites (NCIX, directcanada), places that PM


Country of Origin: Canada


Parts Preferences: good quality cheap ones


Overclocking: Yes


SLI or Crossfire: Maybe


Monitor Resolution: don't care


Additional Comments:
- Want something future proof >3+ years
- Planning on upgrading video card as time goes - haven't been gaming in the last few years so will be catching up at first, then will want something that can handle newer games
- Eventually may add SSD
- Does the A50 work with the G.Skill height?


The build so far:

■Case: Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio $50-20=$30
■PSU: Antec Truepower New 750W Modular Power Supply ATX12V V2.3 Active PFC 80 Plus SLI Ready 120MM PWM Fan $105-$25=$80
■Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Z68 LGA1155 ATX 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2 PCI B3 Motherboard $190
■Processor: Intel Core i5 2500K Quad Core Unlocked Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 6MB $210
■CPU cooling: Corsair CAFA50 A50 Air Series Performance CPU Cooler - 120mm, LGA 775, LGA 1366, LGA 1156, AM2, AM3 $29
■Thermal paste: Arctic Cooling MX-3 Thermal Compound Paste NON-ELECTRICAL Conductive 4 Gram $10
■Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Memory $80
■Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5IN Dual Proc Hard Drive OEM $68
■DVD-writer: Samsung SH-S223L/BEBS 22X SATA Black DVD Writer Lightscribe OEM $21
■Video card: Sapphire Radeon Xtreme HD 5830 800MHZ 1GB 4GHZ GDDR5 PCI-E DVI HDMI Mini DisplayPort Video Card $110
■Monitor: ASUS VE247H 23.6IN Widescreen LED LCD Monitor 1920X1080 2MS 10M1DC HDMI DVI-D VGA Speakers $170-$10=$160


Compatibility? Ideas? Suggestions? Thanks!!!

 

[sadams04]

Good build. The HD 5830 could stand to be swapped out for an HD 5770 (cheaper), HD 5850 (better performance for not much more money), or stretch your budget a bit for the HD 6950 1TB.

Does the A50 work with the G.Skill height? - I can't answer this one...

 

[angelussum]

thanks for the feedback. I'm thinking about the Xtreme 5850 for the price/performance ratio but not a lot of dealers have it in stock yet. maybe if ncix puts it on sale

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

Looks like a very nice build. I think you are going to be very happy with what the Intel® Core™ I5-2500K and the Asus P8Z68-V board. As far as the cooler it is close on if it will clear from what I can check out so be careful.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[metal orient]

Good build. The HD 5830 could stand to be swapped out for an HD 5770 (cheaper), HD 5850 (better performance for not much more money), or stretch your budget a bit for the HD 6950 1TB.

Does the A50 work with the G.Skill height? - I can't answer this one...

1TB seems a bit excessive

 

[amk09]

1TB seems a bit excessive

The day a video card has 1TB of dedicated video memory is the day that I'll poop my pants and remain content with the fact that their is feces running down my leg.




@OP - I wouldn't recommend the 5830 It's hot, loud, and huge.

 

[angelussum]

Looks like a very nice build. I think you are going to be very happy with what the Intel® Core™ I5-2500K and the Asus P8Z68-V board. As far as the cooler it is close on if it will clear from what I can check out so be careful.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

thanks for the feedback. do you have alternatives that you might recommend?

The day a video card has 1TB of dedicated video memory is the day that I'll poop my pants and remain content with the fact that their is feces running down my leg.




@OP - I wouldn't recommend the 5830 It's hot, loud, and huge.

didn't even notice the 1tb - my mind autocorrected to what made sense

i heard they improved it on the Xtreme model, but will take a closer look again

 

[crewton]

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=199805&CatId=3669 $150

Looks like a solid build. Any reasons for going z68 instead of p67? Not that I wouldn't either but the z68 doesn't offer anything for gaming purposes and going p67 would save some.

 

[Sequences]

I found working with mid towers to be pretty cramped. *** small tower must be really small. Just something to know beforehand, I guess. Looks like *** good build.

If you could, maybe upgrade it to antec 600?

 

[amk09]

I found working with mid towers to be pretty cramped. *** small tower must be really small. Just something to know beforehand, I guess. Looks like *** good build.

If you could, maybe upgrade it to antec 600?

I believe he is getting the Antec 300, which is a pretty spacious mid-tower that can handle crossfire 5870's. I think he'll be fine.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Case - Opt for the Antec 300 Illusion for better cooling

PSU - Save $12 and get a better PSU
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180AC6621

Cooler - Take a significant step up for an extra $5
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080

RAM - Save $5
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145324

HD - SATA 3 offers you nothing on a mechanical HD except for cache transfers..... grab a SATA II if ya can save significant money

GFX - The 5830 is a bit weak for a 2500k

 

[angelussum]

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=199805&CatId=3669 $150

Looks like a solid build. Any reasons for going z68 instead of p67? Not that I wouldn't either but the z68 doesn't offer anything for gaming purposes and going p67 would save some.

the extra features of ssd caching and quick sync has potential and the price wasn't that big a difference so went with the newer boards

Case - Opt for the Antec 300 Illusion for better cooling

PSU - Save $12 and get a better PSU
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180AC6621

....

ty for cooler tips, it actually sounds like the g.skill should fit under that

darn, it looks like the MIR expired. i'm gonna have to take another look at PSUs - what makes you say the XFX is better?

re:5830 - yeah, that was the part i wasn't sure about - especially if trying to build a balanced system. i put it in thinking i'll use it as it's my bridging card, then save the difference and put the money to a better one further down the line.

 

[flong]

1. Corsair 850 HX is on sale at newegg right now for $119.00 and it is modular (easier to build with and cleaner cabling). It is one of the highest rated PSUs

2. The5830 may disappoint you and the 5770 may also. If you have the budget, an XFX 6950 1 GB is $209.00 at newegg right now after rebates and it is a far superior card for gaming. It blows the doors off the 5830 or 5770 - there really is no comparison

3. Your Asus A68 motherboard choice is a great choice it is reviewed here: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/42933-asus-p8z68-v-pro-z68-sandy-bridge-motherboard-review.html

4. You'll probably need to add at least two fans to your Antec case and so throw that into the budget. As an alternate you could look Cooler Master mid-level cases.

Everything else looks pretty good except if you plan to seriously overclock. In that case I would opt for the Noctua DH-14 cpu cooler and add three fans to the Antec case. Just make sure the DH-14 will fit in the Antec 300 case.

 

[amk09]

re:5830 - yeah, that was the part i wasn't sure about - especially if trying to build a balanced system. i put it in thinking i'll use it as it's my bridging card, then save the difference and put the money to a better one further down the line.

I highly suggest stepping down to a 5770 if you are going to use it as a bridging card, because the 5830 doesn't beat it by much and the 5770 is much cheaper, quieter, smaller, and has lower temps. Just my two cents.

 

[flong]

The 5770 is listed in some of the reviews with the 6950 - it won't run games at high resolutions and it struggles with high resource games like Metro 2033. Gaming is listed as your most important use for your computer. With that in mind, if you can afford the XFX 6950 1 GB at $209.00 it is a much better card for your needs. If you can't afford it then moving to a cheaper card is your only choice.