New mid Range Game Build Help ($600)

[jr8801]

Approximate Purchase Date: This week-->Monday-Friday

Budget Range: Roughly 600-700

System Usage from Most to Least Important:Gaming (mostly call of duty and of course i want to be able to play new games that come out without upgrading), surfing, HD movies, video editing (powerdirector)

Parts Not Required: Im coming from a factory computer with:
Memory: DDR3 (2048mb) x 4 PC3-10700 (667 MHz) Hyundai Electronics
PN: HMT125U6BFR8C-H9
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4350
Power Supply: 350watt
Dvd/Cd Drives: HP BD DH403S SCSI
Optiarc DVD RW AD-7231S5
Harddrive: Western Digital WD10EADS (1tb 7,200 RPM)


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: What ever is the best. I generally look on newegg.com

Country of Origin:US

Parts Preferences: Im going intel on this build, and looking at Geforce graphics cards.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution:1920x1080

Additional Comments: This will be my first build. I would like to use any part i can from my computer now for cost reasons. I just got an I5-2500k and an Corsair A50. So i obviously need a new mother board. Having really no clue what im looking for i was planning on getting the Asrock extreme4 on newegg thats recommended by this site. Any input would be great. I do plan on overclocking eventually so Please let me know the parts that will be compatible.

What i have already

I5-2500K SandyBridge (brand new)
Corsair (A50 performance CPU Cooling)

 

[gooform]

Hello jr8801,
This is a UNDER 700 dollar budget build assuming you own a HDD,CPU,Cooler
Your ram may or may not work. i tried looking up and found nothing about it. Not a guarantee it would work. but worth a try.
If it does not i listed very fast ram below you can choose.
If you ordered everything below(Negating the Gtx 560 and Going with the GTX 550ti) it will be under 700Dollars.
The gtx 560 is if you want to spend the extra money's.

Assuming you need a case,Monitor,Gpu,Mobo,Ram,Dvd drives if yours are not SATA,


Xigmatek ASGARD II
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811815006

ASRock Z68 Extreme4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=13-157-250&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti

(I can vouch on this. i OWN it. 1920x1080p Gaming on black ops maxed 16xAA no shadows or 4xAA With shadows gets 60fps Stable and 70-90 without V-SYNC on. Bfbc2 plays smooth maxed out. Metro 2033 has slowdowns with higher settings. Brink and Homefront play great. and if you ever needed to you can Easily SLI two of these badboys in the future for a future proof gaming rig. Here below i show 2 Gtx550ti's in sli. Pretty good deal. Saves you money now and will greatly help if need for say MW3 or BF3

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

AS YOU KNOW the original crysis is still very gpu demanding. probably more then crysis 2.
Here the GTx 550ti plays pretty good 1920x1080p and even better in SLI

Acer S231HLbid Black 23" 5ms HDMI LED-Backlight
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009255

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 (if your memory will not work. i highly suggest getting these! i'd order a pair just to be safe. Much fast then yours)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303

You will be keeping your Harddrive,CPU,Cooler,And if your DVD DRIVES ARE SATA keep them to. if not here)
This Mobo allows you to SLI if needed and with a Certified SLI psu and Video Card. your set.

ASUS 24X DVD Burner (if you need SATA dvd burner drives this are 20$ and very reliable)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204



And if you want to be Sure and not want SLI in the future and have the extra DOLLARS to spend. I'd definitly choose this
EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1461-KR GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) Not the TI version but 60-80 dollars more and will get better framerates then the Original gtx 550ti
Now thats if you have the money. otherwise the GTX 550ti is perfectly usable. Black ops, MW2, Bfbc2 Like i said. play very well 1920x1080p maxed mostly.

HOPE THIS HELPS
i had explained ALOT ALOT more and even had prices. but accidently hit next and didn't want to re-type 30mins of work. lol....

 

[gooform]

Hello jr8801,
Gooform again and i also found this. It's less features on the mobo

If you REALLY want to be future-proof and not upgrade
NEGATE the motherboard above,The Ram, and The video Cards giving you
380-400 roughly

BIOSTAR H67MH LGA 1155 Intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138310

6 Sata ports 3gb/s and 6gb/s for future 6gb/s hard drives if you choose.
8gigs ddr3 1333mhz/1066mhz
Not SLI compatible
Smaller = Much more space

82.99 Giving you 296.01 to spend on RAM and VIDEO card

Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226095

79.99 Giving you 216-220ish to spend on GPU

PNY VCGGTX560TXPB GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) (Very good reviews. Benchmarks insanely well. Solid future proof. at 1920x1080p 1GB DDR5 is good enough)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133377

254.99 30 dollars or so more then your limit but this would last you no doubt.

Now you Could negate the above 8GIGS ram and just go with

Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 4GB 240-Pin DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226216
40$ and be perfectly in your budget and if you wanted to later you can upgrade with this again and still have 8gigs DDR3.

4Gigs Is still more then enough for most games out there. Now video editing im unsure how much they require. but like i said. for gaming 4Gigs is good. If ever needed a couple weeks/months down the road you can just buy another for 40dollars have 8 gigs and have a Amazing future proof build.

I would actually choose this mobo,4gigs, and that GTX 560 TI card over the previous. The 560ti will excel at any games, and this motherboard has still room for any upgrades if needed. )
HOPE THIS HELPS A LITTLE BETTER

 

[gooform]

Hello jr8801,
Yet again i found one more helpful thing

this is if you choose the first build on the 189 dollar ASRock Z68 Extreme4 ONLY!!!!!
I missed linked the 4x2 and 2x4gigs around
but you could just easily get a 1 4GIG stick of DDR3 1600mhz and have 3 slots to upgrade to 8,12,16 gigs later

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 42.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231313

Just more options for you. i mean 2x2gigs = 4gigs. why not just get one stick that has 4 gigs ddr3. would work the same. and give more room for other ram

 

[striker410]

Wow, ton of posts. Not bad suggestions, but some were not very good. I'm not gonna pick it all apart, but Here's what I think.

-Do not get a 550Ti. They are OK, but not a good value.
With the falling price of the 6850, it's hard to justify getting a 550 Ti when a 6850 can be had for just $20 more.

-The Z68 Extreme 4 is a good suggestion. However, a bit expensive for what it provides. The cheaper gigabyte UD3 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128502&cm_re=gigabyte_z68-_-13-128-502-_-Product )
Would perform just as well, albeit without 7.1 audio built in.

-I second 560 Ti. Excellent video editing GPU. If you cannot afford, the next option would be the $169 GTX 460.

-I also disagree that an micro ATX board gives more space. Quite the opposite in fact. A full ATX board will fill the case, giving you more room to wiggle in cables and add expansion cards. If you can go full ATX, by all means do so.

-The next thing is one in the latest post. Do not get a single stick of ram. Why? Because the reason they have 2x2 sticks is to take advantage of dual channel. This allows higher memory bandwidth and faster speeds. Since DDR3 1333Mhz is only $40 for 2x2 anyway, no sense in getting a single stick. You should choose 4GB or 8GB from the start.


With that in mind, here's my suggested build.

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128502&cm_re=gigabyte_z68-_-13-128-502-_-Product $130

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604 $235

Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009299 $115

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066 $55

Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233147 $85

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371026 $90

Note this is a fully SLI capable build.


That comes to $710. Hope that helps ya out

 

[jr8801]

Thanks for the replies I'm on vacation and haven't had a chance to look in depth as I'm on a phone. One thing is I do not need a monitor. I have one already. 1920x1080. So with the extra money that would be spent on that do you think it is worth it to get asrock mobo or is that gigabyte basically just as good? Also as far as a gpu what types of brands should I be looking at or if easier what shouldn't I consider? There's just so many different brands and I don't want to get a bad quality card? I also have a case butbi am not sure if it's "good enough".... It's a hp case the model is hpe-112y. I'll look more detailed into your guys suggestions tomorrow.


Again thanks for all the advice.

 

[striker410]

Umm, the ASRock would be fine I suppose... I still prefer the gigabyte. Do you need 7.1 audio? If so, we can bump the mobo up.

For GPU's, I like XFX for ATI cards and EVGA for Nvidia. They both usually come with lifetime warranties, making it worth the extra $10 or $15.

And yeah, I think you need a new case. A case does 2 things. It holds all the parts, and it cools them. Besides with an HP, chances are it's micro ATX.

 

[jr8801]

I would prefer the 7.1 audio because I watch blu ray videos from my computer... But truthfully the only reason I'm set on the the asrock is the 4 USB 3.0 slots. They also give you front mount USB 3.0 slots and all my externals are USB 3.0. I have one for pictures, one for movies, one for music and one for back up. I haven't read about the gigabyte but I will soon enough. Thanks for the quick reply yet again and gooform thanks for the charts and your suggestions. My other question is should I get an internal ssd for playing games and for the os? Will I notice much difference from the wd 1tb 7200 Hd? I'm probably going to purchase most things I need tonight when I get home. So just a little more input on a mobo would be great. Thanks!

 

[jr8801]

I found this in today's special at newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

Is that a subtle gpu as I can probably afford two. I don't want it if it's really not that great though I would rather by a better one if that is the case.

Also I saw you mentioned an radeon 6870 in which there is a deal on a "his" http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161349

Let me know if either of these are worth the purchase for my build. Always nice to get stuff on sale.

 

[striker410]

Umm, I would prefer this board simply because of price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128488&cm_re=gigabyte_p67-_-13-128-488-_-Product It's $15 cheaper and has all the same features. And yes, it has USB3 and Sata6. Look in the details tab.

For the GPU, I would advise against 550 Ti's. If you get 2 now, you won't be able to upgrade when you need more power.

Since you are video editing, you want cores. I don't think any programs can take advantage of SLI, meaning you'd have less cores. If you can afford the GTX 560 Ti I linked above, it wouldn't be a bad choice.

But for gaming, the 6870 comes pretty close to the 560 Ti. I would get this 6870 instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150506&cm_re=6870-_-14-150-506-_-Product It's 3 dollars more and has a much better warranty. If you can afford a 6950 ($250) that would be pretty sweet.

Hope that helps ya out

Edit: About your HDD question. Yes you will see a difference, a big one. However, don't think it would be appropriate at your budget. That $130 could be spent on other parts, mainly the GPU.

 

[jr8801]

Alright i finally went through everything and i came up with this in my cart.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

XFX HD 6870: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150506

Corsair Enthusiast Series 650w: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

Asrock Z68 Extreme4 (i just cant get away from this board i dont know why): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157250

Total Price: 531.46 - 30$ Rebate

I already have:

I5-2500k
Corsair A50 cpu cooler
8gb ram (going to see if my current ram works before purchasing new)
Monitor: 1920x1080
Keyboard/Mouse
1tb WD HD 7200 rpm
two sata Multimedia drives

Is this everything besides an OS i need for this computer to work? Is it compatible to run Crossfire eventually? Is the PS suitable for overclocking? Do i have enough fans to keep everything cool? Basically is there anything that i need to change on this build before i order?

 

[striker410]

Looks good! In fact, go ahead and order that case right now. The sale ends tomorrow.

I do have a few things though.

First off, I thought you had the Extreme4 P67. The Z68 version is $45 more than the one I linked. It's up to you, but you could probably save a bundle by just going with the board I linked. Again, not trying to push my board because it's mine. I legitimately think it's a better choice.

However, the extreme4 is very sexy.....

Get this PSU instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371026&cm_re=antec_750w-_-17-371-026-_-Product It's same price, but will allow you to crossfire 2 6870's in the future.

After that, I don't see any glaring issues. Like I said, order the case NOW.
Have fun!

 

[jr8801]

ok.... I think you have sold me on the gigabyte finally, just a couple questions. on newegg under the CPU Technologies the Asrock states:
Supports Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology
Supports Intel K-Series unlocked CPU
Supports Hyper-Threading Technology

But the Gigabyte does not. What does this mean?

 

[striker410]

Ok, I did some research. I really want to make sure I'm giving the right advice.

The board I suggested is a very good one. It supports all the mentioned things above, but the one thing that worries me is that it doesn't support quicksync. You do video editing, meaning you could probably use quicksync as it's proven to significantly help with encoding.

So, I mulled over this. I think that it would be wise, to go with the Extreme4. Yes, after all that, I changed my mind. Now there are Gigabyte boards for $170 that can do it, but they apparently have a lousy bios.

I'm sorry to lead you on this rabbit trail, but I think the ASRock is the better choice FOR YOU in the end.

However, if you aren't real concerned with the editing, then go for the Gigabyte.

Sorry to confuse, hopefully this clears things up.

Striker

 

[jr8801]

Also, as i am very new to building computers am i going to need to wipe my current harddrive and reinstall the os? If thats the case i would rather just buy another hd so any recommendations for that would be great. I just want to order everything at once.

 

[jr8801]

Alright striker thanks for you advice youve made me feel more comfortable with this purchase. I am going to go with the gigabyte just because price. (drops my final price to 450 after graphics card rebate.)

And thank you for clarifying the difference between the boards, theres only so much the details tab and manufactures website tell, and to someone new to building is quite confusing.

After i hear back on the hard drive im going to purchase


Also thanks gooform, as the graphs helped make my decision on the graphics card as well as advice. Although i switched from my original want to a Radeon card i think it will be better for what i want.

 

[jr8801]

Best answer selected by jr8801.

 

[striker410]

Ok, glad you have it all worked out.

To your above question, yes you will need to format and do a clean install. If you want a whole new HD, it's VERY hard to be the Spinpoint F3. http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1307936278&sr=8-2 It's an amazing deal at $60. I have one, the thing is screaming fast. It's the fastest 7200 RPM drive out there.

 

[jr8801]

Placed order with 12 minutes to spare. final build project hardware list:

Antec Three Hundred Case
Gigabyte Z68
XFX Radeon 6870
Antec Earth Watts 750w
Samsung Spin Point F3
I5-2500K
Corsair A50

Cant wait to play with this. Hopefully a major upgrade from a Phenom ii x4 920

 

[striker410]

Awesome! I have no doubt you will be very happy. Be sure to post some pics in the System gallery thread sticky'd to the top of the Homebuilt section. Have fun with it!

 

[jr8801]

sorry for all the questions but one more...Is there any "good" guides or walk-through that will explain how to put all parts together and get me through the first boot up of the system to installation of the OS or do the user manuals do a pretty good job at describing the first boot? Im pretty sure i can do it as i have switched out many components but never have done a fresh build.

 

[striker410]

Oh no prob! I once built my first PC, and had to get help with it. I still admire the guy who took the time to help me, so it's the least I can do to give back a bit.

Here is an excellent guide that I have used myself: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/274745-31-step-step-guide-building It covers installation of parts, install of OS, and even touches on drivers, benchmarks, and temp monitoring programs.

 

[jr8801]

Awesome man. Thanks so much.

 

[gooform]

Glad You found an answer ^.^ Sorry i was unable to help after your first reply as i was also out of town myself. If i would have known there was no monitor needed i would have switched alot around myself. i do believe what striker said will be perfectly suitable for you. :]