Pimp my Rig!

[conclave]

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP (within the week)

Budget Range: $600-700 After Rebates (and another $500-800 in a month and a half)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming+LAN parties, photoshop homework, music, surfing the internet, watching movies

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS, gfx card(radeon hd 5570), case, power supply(have a couple, need to check models)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, mwave, tigerdirect

Country of Origin: USA

Parts Preferences: cheapest with performance+reliability

Overclocking: Yes (but not til later)

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe(later)

Monitor Resolution: 1600x1200+


Additional Comments: I would like to use my current gfx card/case/drives etc and get at least a new mobo/CPU for some better gaming than my current single core lame CPU. i have some money to spend on it now(600-700ish), but also plan to invest more in it when i make more money(another 500 to 1k in a monthish). I would be adding a better gfx card or 2, possibly overclock cooling for cpu, and windows 7 + SSD (unless i just get those now), possibly better monitor. I want a 120-128GB sata3 SSD and can get w7 for $30 with student discount, or use current HD and XP for now. Id kind of prefer to get ssd/w7 now if possible so i dont need to setup everything 2x.

Also: initially i wanted an i5-2500k and P67 board for gaming and budget, but I may end up doing digital media homework from home instead of lab, so would Z68 and i7 be better?

 

[foverosiv]

CPU: i5-2500k 3.3GHz Quad-Core $220 ($320 if you go for i7-2600k)

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaw X Series DDR3-1333 CAS7 $80

MB: ASRock Z68 Extreme 4 $190

CPU Cooler: Zalman 110mm $58

GPU: Radeon HD 6970 $350 ( Crossfire Ready so you can be like a baws and spend $700 , I wouldn't recommend doing that though)

OC: Windows 7 $30

Total: $928 ( 1028 if i7)

let me know if this is too much, I'll think of something else

also, extra $25 if you don't have thermal paste for CPU cooler

 

[conclave]

Well i have some parts I can reuse ( a gfx card and case + basics). Im only planning to spend about 600-700 now, and about the same in a month or 2 to finish it up.

Now: mobo/cpu +ram + (~120GB ssd+w7 possibly, or should I wait on ssd's to be more reliable?)

and later get: better(2?) gfx card, better cpu cooler/pwrsupply for OC'ing, (ssd/w7 if i didnt get already)

also im not sure if i like the z68 board's caching with the SSD i plan to eventually have... and could save $ with a p67

and is the photoshop/illustrator performance worth the $ with an i7 > i5, i will be using it for gaming like 90% of the time... probably would do homework at the lab just for focus reasons but would be nice to have work from home option.

 

[foverosiv]

don't save the money on the P67 if you really want the Z68, otherwise you would eventually want the SSD and buy 2 motherboards and waste money. but its still up to you.

also, for the CPU, I guess you would have to be the judge on that since its your money and your need. heres a good reference: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=287

 

[megamanx00]

What Power Supply and what Case do you have?