New $1k build

crimsonsix

Distinguished
Jul 29, 2011
9
0
18,510
Heya people,

I am looking to upgrade from my rig that I build 2.5 years ago. I haven't really followed hardware in that time, so I would appreciate some help.


1) Approximate Purchase Date >>>> By the end of the summer, i am in no rush.
2) Budget Range: $850-1100
3) System Usage: I want to play Civ 5 + Shogun 2 TW and not wait ages for AI turns. I'd also like to play MMOs maxed out, things like Rift, WoW, and APB.
4) Parts Not Required: Screen, case, peripherals, cpu cooler. I need MB, CPU, GPU, PSU, ram.
5) Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, US
6) No brand preference really.
7) Overclocking: I always fiddle with the idea but never do it. So much for the stock Phenom IIx3 720 BE that's in my 2.5 year old rig right now.
8) SLI or Crossfire: Probably not. When the time comes I am more likely to wait out a few months and buy a newer single GPU.
9) Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050.
10) Special considerations: Haa, I have been wondering about water cooling for a long time, and from what I understand decent water cooling would be in the region of $400-500? Is that so? (actually, let me correct myself - i do not know what decent water cooling is, but recently I stumbled upon a poll in which better half of the watercooling crowd said they spent ~$500 for their set up). I will certainly have to get a new case if I want water cooling, not sure how much can be done with my small budget here.


~Thanks!
 

wintermint

Distinguished
Sep 30, 2009
1,150
0
19,460
Intel Core i5-2500k $220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

MSI P67A-G45 (B3) $120 [$100 after MIR]]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130582

G.Skill Sniper 2x4GB DDR3 1600MHz $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416

Samsung Spinpoint F3 $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

XFX HD-685X-ZNDC Radeon HD 6850 $ 166 including shipping [$137 after MIR/Shipping]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150516

Rosewill Challenger $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

Antec Earthwatts EA-650 $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044

DVD Burner $20

Around $730 before MIR I believe

I don't recommend water cooling when air cooling can do the job for you a fraction of the price. Stock heatsink is good enough in this case. You may change the i5-2500k to a i5-2400 or even i3-2100 along with a H61/H67 motherboard if you want to save money. The two CPU alternatives have good gaming performance. I didn't go for a 560 ti or 6950 because you are only using a 1680 x 1050 monitor. You should upgrade to 1920x1080 and buy a higher end GPU. But the 6850 suffice in many games especially MMOs. You are also free to choose your own case. Overall, my build will perform your usage with ease and I also provided room for improvements and more spending.
 
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Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
ASUS ENGTX560 TI DCII TOP/2DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

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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

or...

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Intel Core i5 Processor i5-2500K 3.3GHz 6MB LGA1155 CPU, Retail - BX80623I52500K

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428 $64.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

or....

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G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBXL

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065 $24.99 FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7