New build so far...need advice

theswerdy

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My new build so far...

i5 2500k---Newegg $220

Optical drive---Newegg $19

Cooling---Amazon $30

HDD---Amazon $55

PSU---Newegg 70$ after rebate for this weekend

Ram---Newegg $75 after coupon code for weekend

Look good so far?
All that's left is a motherboard and GPU, and I have some ideas.
for a mobo I want z68 with quicksync for sure, I would like to pair a ssd with the F3. I heard you get 3x faster speeds with it then? and that would be ssd caching right?
Also I would like to be able to have a multi-monitor setup. would the lucid vurtue allow me to do that?
lucid means I can use the on board graphics and the discrete gpu correct? allowing one to do each monitor or would I just have both monitors connected to the discrete gpu and the i5 gpu would just help?
Also I would like over two usb 3.0 slots and if possible a mobo that has the usb 3.0 on the board to use with front panel usb 3.0 slots.

Speaking of GPU....
I am going to be doing video editing but I would rather not have the best gpu out there now.
I really want the highest performance vs price ratio and maybe lean slightly towards performance.
The GTX 570 is so damn expensive!
I've never bought components or ever built a pc but since when are GPU's more expensive than CPU's!
I would sli or crossfire if it helps with price or performance. I read that two 6950's are better than two 570's but one 570 beats the 6950! So confusing!!!
again highest price performance ratio please!

Oh I almost forgot about the case :ouch:

I want good airflow because I will overclock, and I would like my gpu to fit.
I saw a youtube video where I think a gtx570 barely fit into its case...like centimeters away from the hdd bays :eek:
A window would be nice as this is my first ever build and I will probably get some led lights to show it off in my dorm room.
I've been recomended the COOLER MASTER Storm Scout Newegg $90.
I've also been looking at the COOLER MASTER HAF 922 Newegg $100
I kinda like the storm scout more because the 922 has the mesh side instead of the window and I really don't now if thats safe. I imagine stuff getting inside there...
I'm guessing it would help with the airflow but how much is the question.
is it worth the extra $10 and the danger of the open case?
Or are there some other cases you would recommend?

Also some usage info...
I'm starting college this fall and I think I'm going to major in Computer Systems Management and I would like this computer to last the four years I am at school.
So I would be doing some coding on it allow with video editing some gaming and surfing. I'm the type with 25+ tabs open at a time so I don't consider it light surfing ;)
I would like this to be upgrade friendly for the new hardware that will come out in the next two to four years to upgrade at that time but I know that's probably impossible. Just wondering, whats the chance that I would be able to use the next generation out two of intel processors in a z68 mobo?

I think thats it!
I'm slowing getting to the point to where I can start ordering!
Some of those parts are on sale for this weekend only so I need to know if they are a good choice soon.
Also I forgot to mention if you know of a bundle that could save some $ please tell me! I see alot of mobo & i5 2500k bundles but I don't know what mobo to get!

Thanks in advance.
 
This build allows you to add another one of those factory over clocked gtx 560 ti's later on for SLI.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Enforcer-Interior-SGC-1000-KWN1/dp/B004WK3KKQ/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1309650281&sr=1-6 $79.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Storm Enforcer USB 3.0 Mid Tower ATX Case with Window and Black Interior (SGC-1000-KWN1)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049 $94.99 - $69.99 after mail-in rebate FREE SHIPPING
Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.689147 $174.98 save: $35.00
GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.662487 $454.98 $20.00 Mail-In Rebate Card Price After Mail-In Rebate(s): $434.98 FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G1YPH0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER $29.51 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1309660529&sr=1-1 $54.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Samsung Desktop Class Spinpoint F3 1 TB SATA 3.0 Gb-s 32 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare-OEM Drives, HD103SJ

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118039 $18.99 FREE SHIPPING
Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 $94.99 FREE SHIPPING $15 off w/ promo code EMCKCJE83, ends 7/17
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

Total: $1,004.42 *not including shipping, mail in rebates, and promo codes


Here's an additional case fan for the top of that case.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Computer-Cooling-R4-LUS-07AR-GP/dp/B002LE8BJA/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_b $14.31 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master Computer Case Cooling R4-LUS-07AR-GP 200mm Red LED Case Fan

http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?category_id=19&product_id=3038 <----- CM Storm Enforcer w/pics, specs, and professional reviews

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2011/01/27/msi-geforce-gtx-560-ti-1gb-review/1 <------ MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC Review / Benchmarks

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3852#ov <----- GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3-B3
 

z_4

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Here's my advice based around combos :

CPU & Optical Drive: $226- i5 2500K & LiteON DVD Burner

Motherboard & SSD : $225- Gigabyte GA Z68X UD3 & Crucial M4 64 GB(Decent SSD to start with)

Case: Storm Scout is a great one.Get it

GPU : Depending upon your budget here are following suggestion
$230- EVGA GTX 560 Ti
$280 Sapphire GO FLEX 6950 2GB

A Great system requires good power supply here's a Power Supply & RAM combo :
$175-Thermaltake BlackWidow 850 & GSkill RipjawX(has $10 off with promo code)

Also about GPU quesion :

I would sli or crossfire if it helps with price or performance. I read that two 6950's are better than two 570's but one 570 beats the 6950! So confusing!!!
again highest price performance ratio please!

GTX 570 is powerful than 6950. True
SLI of GTX 570 is similar or less than Crossfire of 6950. Somewhat true.

Radeon 69XX series are said to perform well in Crossfire as compared to Nvidia counterparts. In other words Radeon has better crossfire scaling than Nvidia .
proof : http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-6950-crossfirex-review/

So if you have money get two 6950 2GB version . That would be the best bang for buck

 

striker410

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Hi Swerdy, got your message. Let's take a look, shall we?

First, the GPU. As said above, the 6950 is an absolute must for a multi screen setup. AMD's Eyefinity technology is far more mature than Nvidia's Surround, so we'll stick with AMD. A 6950 (2GB) or higher is pretty much needed. If you want to max BF3 )I'm guessing you do by your avatar) You are looking at 2 6970's or higher. Let's stick with running on high ;)
this one gets the pick, it has a Double Lifetime warranty AND is only $3 more than the Sapphire but comes with better cooling: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150549&cm_re=6950_2gb-_-14-150-549-_-Product

Now, for the SSD. I would suggest against one. You should really spend the money on a better GPU, as an SSD does not improve FPS, just makes load times 3 seconds instead of 9.

Oh, and for gaming rigs you should always spend more on the GPU than the CPU.

But I digress. Mobo's. For a low cost but very potent mobo, this one is what I recommend the most: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128502&cm_re=z68-_-13-128-502-_-Product It's got all the features of high end boards, yet maintains a low price.
(here's a combo, save a bundle of cash: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.689907 )

I agree, the HAF 922 and Storm Scout are both excellent.

Let me know what you think!
 

theswerdy

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Okay I'm getting close to finalizing everything!
I'm going to get one of the 6950's you linked to now and then get another when I get BF3, sound good?

The ssd was more for general performance not for gaming. If I have some extra cash left over I'll start researching what ssd to get when that time comes.

The only thing keeping me away from that mobo is the lack of onboard usb 3.0.
I would be willing to pay a little more to get usb3.0 for the front of my case.

I'm thinking of getting the cm storm enforcer Newegg $80 after rebate what do you think of it?
The look isn't my first choice but I really like the four front panel usb ports, two of which are usb 3.0.

Also what should I be looking for in a psu?
how many watts should I get if I want to overclock and crossfire 6950's?
also how do the volts and other specs of psu's affect performance?
this 850W psu is almost half price after rebate at newegg here.

Thanks!
 

striker410

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Ahh, well reasoned. A pair of 6950's is quite a force to be reckoned with.

Sounds good. Prices will only keep dropping.

And actually the Giga mobo DOES have USB3, just no USB3 headers I believe. That means you'll need to run a cable around the back to the rear ports. A little janky, but it gets the job done.

The Storm Enforcer is an overhauled HAF 912. It's basically the same, but has a nasty looking (my opinion) grille, USB3 front panel, and a window. Not bad for $20 more.

Actually that's a 750w, but it doesnt matter. It will run 2 6950's easily. It's a nice deal, probably what I'm gonna get when I finally save up enough to get my 2500k+6870's build....

 

That' Antec is a 750w psu...it's the same one I posted up above in that build. It will run dual 6950's just fine. As far as the case....why screw with a rebate when you can get it for $80 @ amazon...like I posted in that build up above.
 

theswerdy

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That is what I am trying to stay away from since I would still like the usb3.0 in the back for an external hdd.
I got my terminology mixed up, I meant to ask for usb3.0 headers i guess. I thought on board usb3.0 would mean "on the board" lol not on the I/O shield lol.
So do you know a good mobo with two usb3.0 headers that I would be able to us for the front panel and still keep the usb3.0 open on the back?

@hiya
didn't notice the price difference in the case thanks!
also the mobo you recommended does have a usb3.0 header but it only has one of them. the storm enforcer has two front panel usb3.0 slots so I would want a mobo that has two usb3.0 headers.
Could you recommend a good mobo that has that?


Also if anyone knows of a case that has front panel usb 3.0 other than the storm enforcer please let me know!

 

theswerdy

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:eek: That makes soooo much sense!
Can not believe I did not put that together when I was wondering why I couldn't find a mobo with two usb3.0 headers....
I think I have everything then!
I'm going to put it all together and see if there are anymore adjustments to be made.

Cpu: i5 2500k $220

Cooling: Hyper 212+ was going to buy from amazon but they literally just went out of stock. I refreshed the page and the price jumped to $36 and its from restockit not amazon. oh well...

Disc drive: $19

hdd: Samsung F3 $60

psu: Antec 750W $70

mobo and ram combo: $175 save $35

Case: storm enforcer $80 unless I find one with usb3.0 front panel with a look that I like better.

gpu: 6950 $250 And then another when I get BF3.

Are there any other combos you see that I could use with this?


 

Look at newegg for the Xigmatek Gia cpu cooler for $30 + free shipping.
 

theswerdy

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Is that as good as the hyper 212+?
I am going to be overclocking and I've always head that the hyper 212 is one of the best and I don't mind paying a little extra for the peace of mind knowing I'm not overheating.
 

The hyper 212 is a middle of the road h/s that fits the price point on casual o/c...that and it comes with decent thermal paste. That Gia is just as good if not better. The reason the hyper 212 jumped up to $50 on newegg is everyone including myself has been recommending it on here when it was $30 on there.
 

theswerdy

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Sounds good.
I see that on newegg it says it has the option to use to fans with it.
Would that help enough to make it worth getting another fan to attach to it?
I better order this one before it jumps in price to lol.
 

An extra fan will make about a 2 Celsius difference. I would wait on getting that fan and see how the temps are. If they are high, then get the second fan...but chances are you won't need it. Also get some thermal paste. Arctic Cooling for $6 is good.
 

theswerdy

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I already have some arctic silver 5 from fixing ps3/360. Is it good and or usable?