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$1000 i5-2500k Gaming / OC

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Need opinions on this build. I only need the kind of items that are on the wish list (no monitor, etc).

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx... EDIT: See v2 below

Date of Purchase: This week
Budget: A little over $1000 (before mail-in rebates)
Use: Gaming
OC: Plan to OC to 4.5ghz
SLI/Crossfire: NO
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Location: Missouri, USA
Preferred Retailer: newegg only

CPU is final.
HD must be WD.
I could upgrade to 750w PSU but I don't think I need it.
I could use a cheaper non-SLI/Crossfire mobo if it can still OC well. It should still be P67.
I could settle with 1333 RAM, I read there isn't much of a difference. Would OC be fine still?
Unsure about the GPU.
I don't care how the case looks, as long as it can cool fine.
I'm not sure if the cooler I chose is powerful enough for my target OC.

More about : 1000 2500k gaming

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Stovokor said:
Need opinions on this build. I only need the kind of items that are on the wish list (no monitor, etc).

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx...

Date of Purchase: This week
Budget: A little over $1000 (before mail-in rebates)
Use: Gaming
OC: Plan to OC to 4.5ghz
SLI/Crossfire: NO
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Location: Missouri, USA
Preferred Retailer: newegg only

CPU is final.
HD must be WD.
I could upgrade to 750w PSU but I don't think I need it.
I could use a cheaper non-SLI/Crossfire mobo if it can still OC well. It should still be P67.
I could settle with 1333 RAM, I read there isn't much of a difference. Would OC be fine still?
Unsure about the GPU.
I don't care how the case looks, as long as it can cool fine.
I'm not sure if the cooler I chose is powerful enough for my target OC.


That's a pretty solid gaming build. I will give you my two cents on some of your selections...

1. Smart choice on the CPU.

2. Is there any particular reason you have to have a WD drive? SATA III doesn't mean increased performance as mechanical drives can't make use of the full bandwidth that SATA II offers. Samsung F3s are your best bet in terms of price/performance/reliability.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... <-- Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB SATA II, $65

3. You are correct. 650 watts will even be overkill for this build. The Corsair TX line is a good bet, however, I think XFX is better in this range.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... <-- XFX 'XXX Edition' 650w PSU, semi-modular, $88.99 ($68.99 after MIR)

4. There are lots of choices for non-SLI/-CF P67 boards. Here are a few full-size ATX boards that would serve you well. If you want recommendations for microATX, let me know.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... <-- ASRock P67 Pro3, $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... <-- MSI P67A-C43, $115
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... <-- MSI P67A-G43, $130 (supports SLI/CF)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... <-- Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD3, $130

5. You are correct. You will not notice any difference with 1333MHz RAM. Overclocking on P67 is not RAM-dependent like generations past.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... <-- Mushkin Enhanced Silverline, $83
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... <-- G.Skill Ripjaws X, $85

6. That's a good starting point for a GPU. You could step up to a 2GB version, but that won't really give you any benefit at 1080p resolution. Another solid choice is the GTX 560 Ti. It's about the same price and trades blows with the 1GB 6950, depending on the title. Or you could step to an HD 6970 or GTX 570, but that requires a bigger financial investment.

7. Antec makes good cases, but that 300 is kind of dated, IMO. I think the case below offers more features for less cost.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... <-- Rosewill Challenger case, $55

8. I don't know anything about that cooler. However, I would assume it's an improvement over stock cooling and you can get to low 4's with that. You should be able to hit 4.5GHz pretty easily with good temps. Change the AS5 to Shin-Etsu, it's cheaper and works as well or better, depending on who you ask.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... <-- Masscool G751 Shin-Etsu, $5

Looks good. If the CPU allows, the Thermaltake Frio ($58) will get you close to 5.0GHz, as will the Noctua NH-D14 ($90). A good "budget" cooler is the Scythe SCMG-2100 (Mugen 2 Rev. B, $40). It should get you to the upper 4's pretty safely.
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nd_hunter said:

6. That's a good starting point for a GPU. You could step up to a 2GB version, but that won't really give you any benefit at 1080p resolution. Another solid choice is the GTX 560 Ti. It's about the same price and trades blows with the 1GB 6950, depending on the title. Or you could step to an HD 6970 or GTX 570, but that requires a bigger financial investment.


The 2GB 6950 would delay ur next GPU upgrade for just about the same price tho.

I've got two different 2500k builds that I use at the moment, and here's what I'd suggest...

a) Go for the Gigabyte P67-UD4, or drop down to one of the MSI P67 boards. My one system has that ASRock board, and I don't like it much...

b) Go for the CM Hyper 212+ cooler. It overclocked better than my Mugen, and with two Enermax fans even beat my CNPS10X Extreme. It might not look as fancy, but it works.

Other than that, looks like a beautiful system. Enjoy!

I didn't like the BIOS so much... didn't OC as well as my Gigabyte... Gigabyte looks nicer...

I definitely prefer my Gigabyte to my ASRock, and honestly prefer almost all the boards I've put in friends computers to the Extreme4 (Asus P67 Sabertooth and Deluxe, P67-GD65, ASRock Fatality).

Anyhow, just my personal opinion. I build a lot of PCs, use that board myself for the moment, and wouldn't pick it again with all the nice options out there.
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