~ $1200 Gaming PC, advice?

[Condor33]

Hello! This is my first build, and I've done a lot of research to select these components, but I'd like some advice and feedback before I pull the trigger.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the week

Budget Range: $1200, don't want to go much higher than this.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, internet, streaming movies

Parts Not Required: Peripherals, just building what's inside the box. Also do not need a copy of OS.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg (Preferably), Amazon

Country of Origin: United States

Parts Preferences: Intel/Nvidia, like everyone else right now.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: SLI probably, later

Monitor Resolution: 1440x900, but probably upgrading to 1920x1080 soon.

Additional Comments: See below the components section


Components:

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD4 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1572-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL11D-8GBXL

ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 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 DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM

SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Stock cooling to save money, but this will be changed as soon as I can. I'm considering the Prolimatech Megahalems.

I did not include a case in the above. I have considered a lot of different models, but I seem unable to find one that does what I want. I have a really dusty house, so positive air pressure is a must, and dust filters would be preferable. The HAF-922 does exactly what I want, but it has no filters and from the reviews I've read, acts like a vacuum cleaner. I would prefer the case to have a painted interior and window. I am currently leaning towards the Bitfenix Shinobi or the new NZXT Tempest 410 Elite. Can anyone suggest a good case for me?

So is this a good build? If not, why? Thanks for the help!

 

[mjmjpfaff]

i5 2500k & Scythe Mugen 3- http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.710631 257$

Corsair HX 850w & Samsung F3 1tb- http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.707984 215$

Asus P8Z68-V & Corsair 8gb 1600mhz- http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.715129 223$

Asus DVD Burner- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 20$

Silverstone Raven RV02- http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Extended-90-Degree-Motherboard-RV03B-W/dp/B004X19B02/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313803262&sr=8-1 140$

MSI GTX 570 Lightning- http://www.amazon.com/MSI-N570GTX-Twin-Frozr-Power/dp/B004XVMAKU/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1313803299&sr=1-1 325$

Total=1180$

 

[Why_Me]

You have a good build up there but when someone plans on spending $210 on a board and then has "maybe" next to over clocking on that form...again nice board, but expensive. Same with that psu...it's a dandy, but there's cheaper options that are solid choices also. And the WD h/d ...it's slower than the Samsung and louder. RAM...your never going to see the difference between that and 1600. I would trim some of the fat off that build, put a few dollars towards a monitor and still have a solid build that won't cut down on performance and quality yet still get you a decent o/c.

This mobo down below just came out on newegg yesterday. It's a 8+4 phase board and has the new PCI-E 3.0 slots for new generation cards.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194093 $119.99 - $69.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
LEPA B850-MA 850W ATX12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271 $129.99
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.694806 $264.98 FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065 $27.99 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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185 $59.99 FREE SHIPPING
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118039 $19.99 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.amazon.com/MSI-N570GTX-Twin-Frozr-Power/dp/B004XVMAKU $324.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr III Power Edition/OC Graphics Card

Total: $827.93 *not including shipping and rebates

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z68%20Extreme3%20Gen3 <----- another look at that board

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236099 $169.99 - $154.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
Asus ML228H 21.5" 1920X1080 2ms Full HD LED BackLight LED Monitor Slim Design 250 cd/m2 10,000,000 :1 (ASCR)

 

[Condor33]

Thank you for the response. I agree, the board is probably overkill for someone who is probably only going to do minor overclocking.

Quickly going over the parts you picked, I have a couple questions: The Corsiar Vengeance is the low-profile version. Aside from the combo, is there any reason to buy that over the version with extended heat spreaders? Or for that matter, the G.Skill/Patriot/Kingston/Crucial equivalent?

Also, I assume you are suggesting the MSI 570 because of the aftermarket cooling. I know that it is much cooler than the standard, but is also louder. How reliable is the Twin Frozr III? Also, how easy is it to get dust out of?

Is LEPA a reliable brand of PSU? I can get the SeaSonic for $50 off right now with the promo code.

To mjmpfaff: The RV-02 is an awesome case, I've looked into it when picking parts for this build. However, due to the placement of sockets, my desk, etc, I can't plug it in if it has the window on the left side instead of the standard right. Is the RV-03 any good in your opinion? The prices and design are similar, and the window is on the usual side in the 03.

 

[mjmjpfaff]

i linked the rv03 i accidentally put rv02. the rv03 is a great case. it worked out the kinks the rv02 had

 

[Why_Me]

Thank you for the response. I agree, the board is probably overkill for someone who is probably only going to do minor overclocking.

Quickly going over the parts you picked, I have a couple questions: The Corsiar Vengeance is the low-profile version. Aside from the combo, is there any reason to buy that over the version with extended heat spreaders? Or for that matter, the G.Skill/Patriot/Kingston/Crucial equivalent?

Also, I assume you are suggesting the MSI 570 because of the aftermarket cooling. I know that it is much cooler than the standard, but is also louder. How reliable is the Twin Frozr III? Also, how easy is it to get dust out of?

Is LEPA a reliable brand of PSU? I can get the SeaSonic for $50 off right now with the promo code.

To mjmpfaff: The RV-02 is an awesome case, I've looked into it when picking parts for this build. However, due to the placement of sockets, my desk, etc, I can't plug it in if it has the window on the left side instead of the standard right. Is the RV-03 any good in your opinion? The prices and design are similar, and the window is on the usual side in the 03.

That LEPA is manufactured by Enermax for LEPA. The tall heat spreaders do nothing...they are show seeing how o/c RAM with these 1155 boards is pretty much non existent due to the fact RAM no long plays a part in o/c your cpu with these boards. The cpu multi is isolated.

I don't own the MSI card myself so I couldn't say if it collects dust or not. EVGA has the reference design cards that are fully covered other than the rear vent and fan.

 

[Condor33]

Ok, so if heat spreaders are meaningless, a quick look through Newegg shows that Corsair, Mushkin, and G.Skill all have functionally identical DDR3 1600 memory. They all cost $58. So really this just comes down to aesthetics, correct? There is one Ripjaws X set that costs an extra 10 bucks and drops the CAS latency from 9 to 8. Is this worth it? If not I'm probably going to go with Corsair, it goes better with the other components.

CPU cooling: I am planning to hang on to this and drop an Ivy Bridge in it. The Hyper 212 seems pretty minimal, will it last through the second processor? Or do you recommend I upgrade that when the time comes?

I like the ASRock board, but the lifespan is something I'm a bit worried about considering the Ivy Bridge. Is the GA-Z68XP-UD3P a good choice? It has 2 more USB3 and Gigabyte claims it can be upgraded to PCI-e 3.0 with a bios update. I know I'm spending a lot on the motherboard, but I'd like this to last 4-5 years.

As for cases, I like the Raven, but I'd like to have some more options. Looking at the same price range, does anyone have a Corsair Graphite 600t? Is it any good?

 

[mjmjpfaff]

Ok, so if heat spreaders are meaningless, a quick look through Newegg shows that Corsair, Mushkin, and G.Skill all have functionally identical DDR3 1600 memory. They all cost $58. So really this just comes down to aesthetics, correct? There is one Ripjaws X set that costs an extra 10 bucks and drops the CAS latency from 9 to 8. Is this worth it? If not I'm probably going to go with Corsair, it goes better with the other components.

CPU cooling: I am planning to hang on to this and drop an Ivy Bridge in it. The Hyper 212 seems pretty minimal, will it last through the second processor? Or do you recommend I upgrade that when the time comes?

I like the ASRock board, but the lifespan is something I'm a bit worried about considering the Ivy Bridge. Is the GA-Z68XP-UD3P a good choice? It has 2 more USB3 and Gigabyte claims it can be upgraded to PCI-e 3.0 with a bios update. I know I'm spending a lot on the motherboard, but I'd like this to last 4-5 years.

As for cases, I like the Raven, but I'd like to have some more options. Looking at the same price range, does anyone have a Corsair Graphite 600t? Is it any good?

cas8 & cas9 when gaming makes no difference

look at the cpu cooler i posted it is combo'd with the cpu

the gigabyte is a great mobo. and yes it can support pcie 3.0 with a bios flash

the 600t has worse cooling and is smaller.

 

[Why_Me]

Ok, so if heat spreaders are meaningless, a quick look through Newegg shows that Corsair, Mushkin, and G.Skill all have functionally identical DDR3 1600 memory. They all cost $58. So really this just comes down to aesthetics, correct? There is one Ripjaws X set that costs an extra 10 bucks and drops the CAS latency from 9 to 8. Is this worth it? If not I'm probably going to go with Corsair, it goes better with the other components.

CPU cooling: I am planning to hang on to this and drop an Ivy Bridge in it. The Hyper 212 seems pretty minimal, will it last through the second processor? Or do you recommend I upgrade that when the time comes?

I like the ASRock board, but the lifespan is something I'm a bit worried about considering the Ivy Bridge. Is the GA-Z68XP-UD3P a good choice? It has 2 more USB3 and Gigabyte claims it can be upgraded to PCI-e 3.0 with a bios update. I know I'm spending a lot on the motherboard, but I'd like this to last 4-5 years.

As for cases, I like the Raven, but I'd like to have some more options. Looking at the same price range, does anyone have a Corsair Graphite 600t? Is it any good?

All the 1155 boards will run Ivy Bridge with a bios update...that's the upgrade path for these socket 1155's.

Not enough dif. to notice between CAS9 and CAS8..reviews show that. That gigabyte boards is a good one. Also check out the Asrock extreme4 GEN3 that just came out for more usb headers, SATA, etc...

The hyper will get you up to 4.5ghz the Scythe Mugen 3000 with a fan added to it for "push - pull" will get you even higher. Combo that cooler with the cpu to save some money and get some thermal compound like Arctic Cooling MX-2.

I can't say much on the case. I never buy a case that doesn't have the option to add a side fan to it to blow on the vid cards/mobo. I'm a fan of the Cooler Master HAF cases for that reason.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157264 <--- a board worth looking at

 

[Condor33]

The Raven seems like a high quality case, I'm going to stick with that. The only other quality option I can see is a HAF 932 Advanced, which is cool (in multiple uses of the word) but also a vacuum. I've heard there are aftermarket filters for this case, know anything about them?

I'm going with the EVGA card because of the stock cooler. From what I've heard about the Raven series, the 90 degree mobo mount is set up to maximize the cooling in the stock GPU coolers, with the intake fan at the bottom and hot air blowing out of the top of the case.

I've been researching Scythe Mugen 3 as per mjmjpfaff's suggestion. It looks pretty good, but I can't find it on Scythe's website. Is it discontinued?

Ok, so here's a revised build. Any further advice?

i5 2500k
GA-Z68XP-UD3P
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
EVGA GTX 570 Superclock
8GB Corsair Vengeance at 1600 CAS 8 (or equivalent, if I find a combo)
Scythe Mugen 3 (possibly)
Seasonic X750 Gold
Sony Optiarc CD/DVD RW drive
Silverstone Raven RV-03

 

[Danger Kid]

while i dont have a corsair 600t yet, (will definately be the case for my next build) i was over at a buddies place who does have one, and i absolutely fell in love with the case.

its very high quality. the cable management blew me away. it has lots of dust filters and they are all a breeze to pop off and clean. has the option to mount side fans, my buddy had 4 120mm fans mounted on his.

anyway the only downside to it is that the front panel usb 3.0 doesnt have the 20 pin connector for the mobo. but that is easily worked around and, at least for me, its not a big enough deal to exclude this case from my next build

 

[Condor33]

A quick query in addition to my last post: factoring in shipping and rebates, this comes to just under 1200. To save money, would it make more sense to get a 650 watt psu, and not SLI the 570 later? Instead, in two years when the 700 series is out, get the next generational equivalent of a 580? Or would the cheaper PSU prevent that?


This might be a terrible idea, but I wanted to throw it out there.

 

[Condor33]

Best answer selected by Condor33.