Help on pc for 3D dev and gaming (<1000$)

[sammyf]

Hi, I'm trying to build myself a nice computer for gaming and work on my 3D programming skills and would like your advices. I read up on different forum posts and guide and came up with this. I would like to lower the price some more and I'm not sure about the choice of mobo/ps/case. For the gpu I'm uncertain about the card maker to pick and if the performances gain are worth going to the 6950.

Thanks.

Approximate Purchase Date : This month
Budget Range : less than 1000$
System Usage from Most to Least Important : 3D programming, Gaming, misc
Parts Not Required : monitor, speakers, Dvd, OS
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: sohodiffusion, newegg.ca, ncix, tigerdirect.ca
Country of Origin : Canada
Parts Preferences : -
Overclocking : Maybe (not a priority)
SLI or Crossfire : No
Monitor Resolution : 1920x1280
Additional Comments :
-Good ratio price/performances, quiet.
-I would like to limit parts purchases to 1 location (unless there's a big money gain)
-Would like to lower the price some more if possible.

CPU :
215$- INTEL CORE I5-2500K QUAD CORE 3.30GHZ 6MB CACHE LGA-1155 - BX80623I52500K

GPU : I'm not sure which maker to should pick for quality (and unlocking the 6950 to a 6970). I want DX11 compatibility (for 3D programming) and pretty good for current games. (I'm actually getting a 2nd one for GF, so saving here is worthwhile).
*edit* 285$- HIS RADEON HD 6950 2GB 256-BIT GDDR5 PCI-E 2XDVI HDMI 2X MINI DISPLAYPORT CROSSFIREX EYEFINITY (read is reference design, good for ugrade to 6970) or
220$- ASUS RADEON HD 6870 913MHZ 1GB 4.2GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI 2XMINI DISPLAYPORT HDMI PCI-E VIDEO CARD or
202$- ASUS ENGTX560 Ti DCII TOP/2DI/1GD5 1GB DDR5 VIDEO CARD

Ram : Seems like a good deal, and future proof. Always harder to find ram 3-4 years later.
90$- G.SKILL F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL RIPJAWS 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1333 CL9-9-9-24 240PIN DIMM MEMORY

Mobo : Gets recommanded a lot, but very open to something cheaper.
[strike]185$- ASUS P8P67 PRO REV3 SKT 1155 ATX 3PCIE X16/2PCI/2PCIEX1/2D.DDR3 1600MHZ SATA 6GB/S 8CH HD[/strike]
Cheaper and can do without extra expansion slots / bluetooth.
149$- ASUS P8P67-M Pro REV3.0 mATX P67 LGA1155 DDR3 2PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 USB 3.0 .

Case : I'd like something with a simple clean look that's not too big. Want it to be quiet under normal load.
64$- ANTEC THREE HUNDRED SMALL VERSATILE CASE BLACK FINISH

PSU : Something quiet, no need for sli/crossfire power output.
89$- CORSAIR CMPSU-600G GAMING SERIES 600W ATX POWER SUPPLY ACTIVE PFC 140MM FAN
[strike]101$- COOLERMASTER SILENT PRO 600W MODULAR POWER SUPPLY SLI ATX12V 24PIN ACTIVE PFC 2X8PIN PCI-E 135MM FAN[/strike]

HD : I'm taking my media pc HD (500gig sata western digital caviar hd) for my new PC. This HD to swap with the media pc, needs to be reliable and spacious.
87$- WESTERN DIGITAL WD20EARS 2TB CAVIAR GREEN INTELLIPOWER 5400-7200RPM 64Mb CACHE SATA II

Total : 900$-978$

 

[sammyf]

Here's a pretty similar build, with newegg. The only difference is the PSU. Seems the HIS 6950 is a good deal at that price and unlockable.

80$- HD Western digital caviar green WD20EARS 2TB
80$- PSU COOLER MASTER GX Series RS650-ACAAE3-US 650W ATX12V v2.31 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
192$- CPU Intel Core i5-2500K (with memory combo)
75$- Case Antec 300 illusion black steel atx mid tower
250$- GPU HIS H695FN2G2M Radeon HD 6950
[strike]140$- Mobo ASUS P8P67-M PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard[/strike] Seems some people have been having issue with the asus board.
190$- Mobo ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard A lot of people like this one, but wouldn't mind something cheaper.
97$- Ram G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM
45$- Shipping
Total : 1009$ +tx

 

[sammyf]

Ok, I unfortunatly haven't received any suggestions, but managed to almost finalize my build thanks to the various post on this forum (and google).

All the parts (minus the GPU from newegg.ca) will be ordered from directcanada since they do not charge for shipping.

I would like to have your thought on this almost finalized build.

Cpu : [$220] Intel Core i5 2500K Quad Core Unlocked Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 6MB
Not much to say, seems to be pretty much the consensus, unless planning to encode movies.

Mobo : [strike][$177] ASUS P8P67 Pro REV3.0 ATX P67 LGA1155 DDR3 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI Sandy Bridge B3
I looked around alot to different models, since I was trying to cut down the price and I do not expect to be needing a lot of extra features (no sli, moderate OC). In the end decided to pick this one for reliability, possible usb3 front ports, bios gui interface.[/strike]
[$125] Gigabyte Z68A-D3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 Z68 DDR3 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 HDMI DVI SLI SATA3 USB3.0 Motherboard
As suggested.

PSU : [$76] XFX 650W PRO650W Core Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 53A 24PIN ATX Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze PSU
For this, I still have no idea which one exactly would be the best. Saw the 750W version in one build, and just picked the same brand. I want something quiet and not too pricey. If there's one place I most needs ideas, it's here.

Case : [$79] Coolermaster CM 690 II Advanced ATX Mid Tower Case Black 4X5.25 1X3.5EXT 6X3.5INT *No PSU*
Looks simple and nice. Was initially going for the antec 300 illusion, but people seems to think this model is a step up.

HD : [strike][$75] Western Digital WD20EARS Caviar Green 2TB SATA2 3GBPS 64MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive Oem[/strike]
[$90+$7]SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD204UI 2TB 5400 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Big harddrive, see 1st post for explanation.

Ram: [$86] G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL8-8-8-24 1.5V Memory Kit

GPU : [$250+$8] HIS H695FN2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
This is the only item I'm buying at newegg. It is my understanding that it can be flashed to a 6970 since HIS has a reference design. I have been uncertain between this and a $246-$20mailRebate MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti but for the difference, I like future proofing with 2Gig and its slightly higher performances. I'm buying an extra one for my girlfriend.

[strike]Total : $971[/strike]
Total : $931

Thanks for the inputs!

 

[gkay09]

^ Nice parts, some suggestions -

Mobo - IMO you are spending a lot of money for the features that you wont need,...
Check these boards, based on the newer Z68 chipset, these are pretty good,...
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11830BD4863&vpn=GA-Z68A-D3H-B3&manufacture=GIGABYTE
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11830BD5085&vpn=GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3&manufacture=GIGABYTE

PSU - The 650W would be a very good option if sticking with a single HD 6950(Check in the net for HD 6950 core unlocking)

HDD - That is a good one, but see if you can get this Samsung F4 cheaper elsewhere, IMO this would be a better option,..
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245

Rest are nice choices,...

 

[sammyf]

Best answer selected by sammyf.

 

[sammyf]

^ Nice parts, some suggestions -

Mobo - IMO you are spending a lot of money for the features that you wont need,...
Check these boards, based on the newer Z68 chipset, these are pretty good,...
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11830BD4863&vpn=GA-Z68A-D3H-B3&manufacture=GIGABYTE
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11830BD5085&vpn=GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3&manufacture=GIGABYTE

PSU - The 650W would be a very good option if sticking with a single HD 6950(Check in the net for HD 6950 core unlocking)

HDD - That is a good one, but see if you can get this Samsung F4 cheaper elsewhere, IMO this would be a better option,..
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245

Rest are nice choices,...

Thanks exactly the tips I was looking for.

I'll get the GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 mobo and switch to the samsung HD and with the money saved, I'll look into a keyboard/mouse to replace the wireless one I currently own.