DIY Combo Advice

[truebro92]

Hello,

As redundant as this sounds in the forums here I am planning on building my first computer. My knowledge of computers is very limited and I have been looking at pre-built rigs on various websites. I have been going back and forth between just buying one already made or building my own. The more I research the less appealing pre-builts are for numerous reasons but mostly pricing. While looking I came across a do it your self combo on newegg.com that I think would be best for my beginner status but also give me good quality parts for decent price.

Thank you in advance for your time and input. I also apologize if I leave out anything or sound noobish in this thread.

Purchase Date: Hopefully within the month.

Price Range: $800ish, which I have already exceeded.

System Usage: Gaming (WoW, Civ5, World in Conflict, etc.), music, browsing, Photoshop

Parts Not Required: I will eventually buy a mouse/keyboard combo and monitor down the road, but for now not needed.

Preferred Websites: Newegg, tigerdirect, compusa, amazon.

Country of Origin: FL, USA

Parts Preferences: N/A

Overclocking: Maybe eventually.

SLI or CrossFire: Maybe.

Monitor Resolution: Eventually to 1920 x 1200

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CPU: Intel Core i5 2500k $219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $224.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131702

Case: COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196

PSU: COOLER MASTER GX Series RS650-ACAAE3-US 650W ATX12V v2.31 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171052

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model CMZ4GX3M2A1600C8 $53.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145348

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697

CD/DVD: LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 $20.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

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All these parts together $749.93 but get a combo discount which makes it drop to $690.98

GPU: Help please. I would like a card that will last me for at least a few years but not outrageously expensive. I have been checking the benchmark performances for different GPU's for price/performance cards where Radeon HD 6850 ($166.99) caught my eye. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The DIY combo plus the GPU card (around $166.99) would be over my $800 mark. I also still need to factor the OS which I would need to purchase Windows 7 ($114.99). All this comes to a total of
around $975 which I am comfortable with as long as this would last me for at least 4-5 years.

Not sure if I am missing anything that would be crucial to building a computer. Any advice would be thankful!

Thanks for your time and help!

 

[striker410]

Hey there, welcom to the forums.

Lets talk this out. The first thing that springs out is that you aren't a hardcore gamer or overclocker. With this taken into account, that combo is hella overkill. The biggest waste of money in that combo is the P67 Sabertooth. It's a very expensive mobo, and you would be better off with one that's $130.

The other thing is the 2500k processor. It's a very good one, but only if you intend to overclock. But since it's only $25 more than the i5-2400, we'll build around the 2500k.

Also that PSU isn't the best. It's OK, but not the best.

Here's a little build I put together:


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.654386 $330 i5-2500k plus gigabyte Z68

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044 $65 650w antec PSU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277 $46 1600Mhz Ripjaws 4GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233 $60 (50 at Tigerdirect) haf 912

LG CD/DVD Drive + Seagate 500GB SATA III $52: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.668011

XFX 6870 $187
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150506&cm_re=6870-_-14-150-506-_-Product

$750. Throw in windows 7, and you only go $50 over the mark mark.

This uses the 2500k, a highly overclockable processor. Also uses the 6870, one of tom's best value cards. These will provide a VERY potent combo. This is WAY overkill for what you need, but I figure you might wanna be able to play some of the big games (Can you say, BF3? ) at some point. It also shows that money can be maneuvered much better when you know what you want.

And that's it! Hope it helps

 

[truebro92]

Thank you so much for the input! I really do appreciate it and will start the building process asap now.