First PC Build ($1000 Gaming/Everything Else PC) - Need advice

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mpthegeneral

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Hey everyone, :hello:
I'm new here and I just wanted to get advice on the PC I am planning to build. I've done quite a bit of research and planning and have decided to build a generally good computer that can do anything from watching movies to gaming to editing videos. I will be starting completely from scratch; all I have is a mouse and a keyboard. :D
My budget is currently $900 to $1100; however, I would like to keep it around $1000 as much as possible (this will include the OS and an LCD monitor). I will be ordering all of my parts from Newegg with the exception of the aftermarket cooler (getting the Hyper 212+ which is $20 cheaper on Amazon where I have a gift certificate so this is already covered).
I am open to any brand since this is my first build, but i want the CPU to be Intel. I plan to overclock this system to as far as the Hyper 212+ will allow me to go (somewhere between 4.6 GHz and 5.0 GHz). I will also overclock the memory and the GPU.
I'll probably use 1920 x 1080 for my resolution. I plan to build this as soon as I'm sure I am getting the best parts for the best price (hopefully by the end of summer). :p

Here is a list of my current setup:

■Case (~$90)
COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case


■HDD (~$60)

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive


■LCD Monitor (~$115)

Recertified: HP DEBRANDED TSS-23S31 Black 23" 5ms Widescreen Full HD 1080P Anti-glare Panel LCD Monitor


■PSU (~$65)

Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply


■Memory (~$43)

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL8D-4GBHK


■Motherboard (~$125)

MSI Z68A-GD65 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

■CPU (~$220)

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K


■OS (~$100)

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM


■Graphics Card (~$175)

ASUS EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2 Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ...


TOTAL W/ SHIPPING (~$1024)
[~$969 w/ rebates]


Any advice and input is welcome. Thank you very much! :)

EDIT: Changed Motherboard.
 

r0aringdrag0n

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1) DO NOT GET THAT MONITOR!!! IT'S RE CERTIFIED!!! SOMEONE USED IT BEFORE
2) You can go with a cheaper case, such as the Antec 300, I certainly would wecause I would want a better graphics card
3) That's pretty expensive for a 500GB hard drive, go with the: Seagate Barracuda ST3500413AS - $40
if you follow the steps, you will save (maybe not if you're buying another monitor) $50...and add another $25 to your budget, and you can get a Radeon HD 6950, which is one of the best graphics cards out there
 

mpthegeneral

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Doesn't certified mean that it has the same performance as the new one? I've done a bit of searching around and few have had problems with re-certified products. I don't mind a few blemishes on the monitor as long as I can get the performance and save $85.
Also, do you know if there will be a noticeable difference between the Caviar Black 32 MB cache and the Barracuda which is 16 MB cache? I just want a fast hard drive. :D
I'm planning to overclock the HD 6850. From what I've read it will be able to out perform the HD 6950 on most games. I'm not planning on any heavy gaming so the GPU isn't that high of a priority.

I have changed my Motherboard to the MSI Z68A-GD65 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard. It's ~$125 after Combo Deal savings with the 2500K and rebate. Is this a good board?

Thanks for your advice! :)
 
Save money with this set.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.660241

Drop that HDD, It'll perform the same with the Samsung F3 but you save $10 plus it's 500gb more space.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=samsung%20f3%201tb

Get this PSU with the money saved.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044&Tpk=650w%20ea
Allows for future CF

Might as well get the 6870 at that price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948&cm_re=6870-_-14-102-948-_-Product
 
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legendkiller

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HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533&cm_re=6gb_s-_-22-136-533-_-Product

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147121&cm_re=usb_3.0-_-11-147-121-_-Product

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1dxryhu9c3yba
EDIT: Get this instead LOL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.660241&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=sh0p0pekhnjl
MoBo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130602&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1ozburczjqtxg

Windows: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=gmworb2wg8o3

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500206

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020&cm_re=corsair_tx_v2-_-17-139-020-_-Product

Memory/RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104203

Options on which you choose:

Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001371R&cm_re=1920x1200-_-24-001-371R-_-Product

Price: $1201

NOTE: I forgot to add the Shipping and Rebates so it's probably be $1180 or less...

Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236050

Price $1111

NOTE: I forgot to add the Shipping and Rebates so it's probably be $1100 or less...
 
^ I disagree with a few of your suggestions.
HDD overpriced and not worth it
GPU is a bit more than the 6870 but performs the same making it not worth it.
PSU is overpriced and it's about 20-25 dollars more than the Antec 650w for the same price.
 

browsingtheworld

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Don't count on rebates, your credit card company doesn't take the "it's in the mail"
excuse.

Get this monitor instead:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009305

PSU is also overpriced. Get this one instead:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044

Get this case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153&Tpk=rosewill%20challenger

For that price I don't understand why you only have 4GB of RAM.

Newegg sale:
http://promotions.newegg.com/NEemail/latest/index-landing.aspx
 

browsingtheworld

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They cost the same with shipping. The 560 overclocks much better and nvidia drivers are a bit better.
 

browsingtheworld

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It's a matter of opinion but the navigation menus are still terrible for AMD drivers and let's be honest, the majority of driver issue posts are about AMD and which version of Catalyst to use.

Can you please stop cherry picking benchmarks? In the conclusion of the same review you link your benchmarks it says:
In this case the GTX 560 Mid is similar in performance to the Radeon HD 6870 on average, but this is because the two are constantly swapping for first place, and the difference between the two is quite dramatic at times. On average the GTX 560 Mid is ahead of the 6870 by just enough to justify its $200 price tag relative to the 6870’s price, but the final choice is still heavily game dependent.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4344/nvidias-geforce-gtx-560-top-to-bottom-overclock/16

If you don't know what I'm talking about I'd suggest reading some reviews.

Further sources:
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/43366-nvidia-geforce-gtx-560-1gb-review-17.html
 
Hmm for me, Catalyst has been just fine. My 5850 has never had problems that I've heard other people report. Maybe I'm just the exception.

Also, the very last words "Heavily game dependent" also, did you notice in the OC review the 6870 isn't OC'd AT ALL? The 560 MID is OC'd by a few but the 6870 isn't OC at all but is still able to keep up with the 560. In the majority of the games, the 6870 is able to keep up to the mid if not beat it.
 

browsingtheworld

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I said the drivers were slightly better. Not that they made a world of difference.

It's overclocked 3%, from 822 to 850. They regularly get over 1ghz.

If you're going to count games where they keep up with each other then I could also say that the GTX 560 is able to keep up with and beat the 6870 in the majority of games.

You should also look at multiple sources and the vast majority of the reviews compares the 560 favorably to the 6870 such as:
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/43366-nvidia-geforce-gtx-560-1gb-review-17.html

Anyways I don't really care that much.... the GTX 560 and HD 6870 perform about the same for the same price. You're picking between a Corolla and a Civic.
 
And I would say the same for the 6870, it can usually OC past or to the 560 Ti's performance.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-560-amp-edition-gtx-560-directcu-ii-top,2944-17.html
I will leave it at the 6870 vs 560 is pretty even. Those few percents aren't even noticeable (1%) Both OC about the same, I've seen the 560 at max OC perform at about the 560's level which is what the 6870 performs about at max OC.

And I would still say that the 560 doesn't beat the 6870 the majority of games.
 

browsingtheworld

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A highly overclocked 560 non-Ti will be faster than a highly overclocked HD 6870. The HD 6870 has less headroom for overclocking than the GTX 560 non-Ti:
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/37499-hd-6870-hd-6850-vs-gtx-460-1gb-overclocking-study-15.html
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/43366-nvidia-geforce-gtx-560-1gb-review-16.html
Notice the benchmarks at 4X. AVP slightly favors AMD cards.

The 6870 does not beat the 560 in the majority of games. Again using your statements I can say the GTX 560 non-Ti will keep up with or beat the HD 6870 in the majority of games. Stop trying to skew the data with verbiage.
 
You do realize clocks don't mean everything right?
http://www.overclock.net/amd-ati/943759-what-peoples-6870-max-overclock.html
People report high overclocks.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/Radeon_HD_6870/32.html

I don't know what the hell you're are saying. I didn't say the 6870 beat the 560 in majority of games I just said the 560 doesn't beat it in the majority of games either.
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/43366-nvidia-geforce-gtx-560-1gb-review-8.html
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/43366-nvidia-geforce-gtx-560-1gb-review-11.html
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/43366-nvidia-geforce-gtx-560-1gb-review-7.html
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/43366-nvidia-geforce-gtx-560-1gb-review-10.html

Now in Just Cause 2, higher res the 6870 stock wins out, and the 560 in lower wins out.

 

browsingtheworld

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I didn't say clock speeds were everything. I linked benchmarks showing the overclocked 560 beating the overclocked 6870. If you actually read through the reviews you would have noticed their study featured overclocks that a typical person would have without pushing it for the last 1% of performance in both cases. It did not show a maximum overclocked 560 either. Both were highly overclocked and should be comparable in terms of comparing overclocking scaling and gains.

But you did try to include benchmarks where they tied as an advantage of the HD 6950 as I have highlighted above. Using your verbiage I can easily say the 560 non-Ti will be just as fast or faster in the majority of games compared to the HD 6870.
 

legendkiller

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Just go with the Corsair Tx v2 650 Watts because it's the BEST PSU for bang for the buck... Anand is just cheaps PSU so the computer is ganna die less than 2 years... High Branded build PSU that last 5 years is better than Low End Build PSU that last 2 years or less... Also get the GTx 560 because of its PhysX... Radeon is all about "Performance" Instead of All those cool things... You can find a video of different between with PhysX and No PhysX on youtube... Good for Gaming tho...
 
Well I'm posting those benches because I'm trying to say that if you think majority means split about evenly then be my guest. Those are half the benches where the 6870 wins out. So IMO, they would be evenly matched.

I don't really want to keep arguing with you so whatever you win.

Legend, the TX650 is overpriced. The EA650 has the same efficiency and has Antec's solid quality. Physx is no justification for buying a card, since one card running the game and Physx at the same time suffer some pretty hefty FPS loss.
 

browsingtheworld

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There are so many blanket statements here I don't know where to begin. The TX V2 is hardly the best PSU for the price range or the wattage.

Cheap and quality are not necessarily independent. Most PSU makers use solid or mixed caps and capacitor aging doesn't really happen anymore with solid caps. These timelines of how long the PSU will last is just BS...

PhysX is just marketing hype and the only good game that I know where it's used is Batman.
 

browsingtheworld

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Maybe you should read what you posted.

Just in case you forgot:
In the majority of the games, the 6870 is able to keep up to the mid if not beat it.

I can simply swap the 6870 with the 560 (mid) to make my statement which is also true.

In the majority of the games, the 560 is able to keep up to the 6870 if not beat it.
 
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