Building i5 2500k + 560 ti hawk, near 1k$, few Q's

[goldenhawk]

Hi all, I've been looking at building a new pc for about 4 months now. I finally have the time to build something over the next three weeks before university classes start for me. This will be my first build, but i am eager to learn and love doing the research!

Approximate Purchase Date: before August 31

Budget Range: Around 1000 - 1200$ CND Definitely not above! ideally under 1099.99, it'll make me feel better

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming - BF3,SC2, media centre paired with xbox, school work (msword)

Parts Not Required: Mouse, keyboard, monitor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: www.ncix.com, there's also a Canadacomputers down the street from me.

Country of Origin: Waterloo, Canada

Parts Preferences: Intel, slight nvidea preference. Asus mobo (i like the looks of UEFI)

Overclocking: Yes, CPU to around 4.0ghz. But i won't be doing this until i buy an aftermarket heatsink, not part of my budget right now.

SLI or Crossfire: Yes, SLI around November 1st when Bf3 comes out. Not included in current budget.

Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080, between 22'-24'. Haven't purchased yet. not included in the budget. open to suggestions, but again it's in addition to the 1000-1200 budget

Additional Comments: I like the new tempest 410 Elite case, but i can't find it for sale anywhere. I like the clear side panels, front panel usb 3.0. matching interior colour, and wire management is a must. Full towers really seem too big.



CPU: 219.99
Intel Core i5 2500K Quad Core Unlocked Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 6MB
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

MOBO:204.99
Asus P8Z68-V Pro Socket 1155 Intel Z68 Chipset Dual-Channel DDR3 2200(O.C.)*/2133(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066 MHz 3x PCI-Express 2.0 x16 GLAN 8-CH High Definition Audio 4x SATA 3.0Gb/s 4x SATA 6.0Gb/s 4x USB 3.0 DVI/VGA/HDMI Bluetooth v2.1 ATX
http://canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=26_722&item_id=038733

GPU:269.99 - 25MIR
MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti Hawk OC 950MHZ 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI Mini-HDMI DX11 PCI-E Video Card
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=60642

PSU:84.99
Antec Earthwatts 750W Modular Power Supply ATX12V V2.2 EPS12V Active PFC 80PLUS 135mm Fan
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=38107&promoid=1365

RAM:39.99
Corsair Vengeance Blue CMZ4GX3M2A1600C9 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Dual Channel Memory Kit
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=60091

HDD:54.97
Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 32MB Cache 3.5IN Dual Proc Hard Drive OEM
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7288041&CatId=2459

CDDVD: 19.99
LG GH24LS70 24X SATA Lightscribe Internal DVD Writer Burner DVDRW Optical Drive Black OEM
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=60680

OS: 99.99
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM
http://canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=530&item_id=037803

CASE: 100$(?)
Tempest 410 Elite (Can't find this for sale anywhere yet... let me know if you do)
http://www.nzxt.com/new/products/crafted_series/tempest_410_elite


So thats my build so far. I used price matching on ncix and got a total of 996 before tax, 1125 with tax. That doesn't include the Case right now, since i can't find the one i want. Also the 560 ti hawk gives me free shipping on the whole order which is really nice!

So i have a couple Q's with the overall build, primarily regarding the PSU. with a future 4.0ghz cpu overclock, sli 560 ti hawks, possibly liquid cooling, a front panel fan control, sound card, and cable tv card, what psu will be best for me? I'd also like to be able to use matching cables, to try and get some nice cable management going, espeically if i have a case with a see through side panel.

Is the antec earthwats 750w good enough? Wats wise, and quality wise?

My other question is regarding the 560 ti hawk. I've read a lot of great stuff about it, and it's a little more expensive than i'd like but i guess i get my money's worth with the free shipping and 25$MIR. that brings it to around 245$ Any comments on this are appreciated, but please don't suggest anything thats more expensive. i already pushed past the 560 ti twin frozer, up to this.

Oh and i have a radeon 9600 xt, 256mb ddr card in a box. it's ages old, (my upgrade to play bf2) but is there any use for it until i get my second GPU? i don't really know much about physx

If i have missed anything please let me know! if there are any obvious incompatibilities, pleaaaaase let me know!

Thank you to all who respond! i appreciate your suggestions and patience

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=58366&vpn=GV-N560OC-1GI&manufacture=Gigabyte&promoid=1365 $229.99
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ti Fermi 900MHZ 1GB 4.0GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI Mini HDMI DIRECTX11 PCI-E Video Card

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=60747&vpn=GA-P67X-UD3-B3&manufacture=Gigabyte $146.99
Gigabyte P67X-UD3-B3 ATX LGA1155 P67 DDR3 3PCI-E1 2PCI 2PCI-E16 CrossFireX SATA3 USB3.0 Motherboard

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=56789&vpn=HCG-750&manufacture=Antec $108.64
Antec High Current Gamer 750W 24PIN ATX12V V2.3 Active PFC 80 Plus Bronze SLI Power Supply 135mm Fan

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=41337&vpn=RR-B10-212P-G1&manufacture=COOLERMASTER $29.98
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366 LGA1155 LGA1156 120MM

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=58746&vpn=ST31000524AS&manufacture=Seagate $59.98
Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 7200.12 1TB SATA 32MB Cache 3.5IN Internal Hard Drive OEM

 

[goldenhawk]

Thanks for the suggestions, that gigabyte card hits a pretty good price point with the rebates, but i haven't heard great things about the cooling/noise for the windforce models.

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2011-gaming-graphics-charts/3D-Noise,2680.html

seems like it's a pretty loud card. anyone have personal experience with it?

thanks for the PSU suggestion, it seems a little higher quality.

Whats your reasoning behind the mobo?

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks for the suggestions, that gigabyte card hits a pretty good price point with the rebates, but i haven't heard great things about the cooling/noise for the windforce models.

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2011-gaming-graphics-charts/3D-Noise,2680.html

seems like it's a pretty loud card. anyone have personal experience with it?

thanks for the PSU suggestion, it seems a little higher quality.

Whats your reasoning behind the mobo?

What you plan on using the pc for, how high you plan on o/c, etc.. that board fits your purpose. The Asus Z68 Pro-V is a hose job seeing how the Asus Z68V is the same 16+2 SLI supported board. Same with paying extra for a factory o/c card when it takes but a few seconds to o/c it. But no, I don't have that particular 560.

 

[madchemist83]

Just get EVGA 560ti those cards rock.

 

[goldenhawk]

Just get EVGA 560ti those cards rock.

i would like to overclock up to about 900-950mhz. Is it easy to do with an EVGA card? does it void the warranty?
I think i'll step down from the 560 ti hawk to the twin frozr II and overclock it myself, just like Why_Me suggested. With afterburner that should be a cinch right?
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=61240

i also added the antec high current 750w psu. so that added a little, while the gpu took it down. same place overall budget wise.

I guess i should look at downgrading my board. i was attracted to the ASUS boards because i heard you can get a really good overclock out of it. plus the Bluetooth would allow me to get wireless keyboards and stuff.

Still looking for a case!

 

[madchemist83]

it's easy. it does void warranty ( can get superclocked version).

 

[jadedmonkey]

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=60747&vpn=GA-P67X-UD3-B3&manufacture=Gigabyte $146.99
Gigabyte P67X-UD3-B3 ATX LGA1155 P67 DDR3 3PCI-E1 2PCI 2PCI-E16 CrossFireX SATA3 USB3.0 Motherboard

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=41337&vpn=RR-B10-212P-G1&manufacture=COOLERMASTER $29.98
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366 LGA1155 LGA1156 120MM

^right on mate.

as for a case I'd probly stay tried and true with HAF 912

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=55583&vpn=RC-912-KKN1&manufacture=COOLERMASTER

also, if it were my own personal gaming build, I might consider an 8 GB RAM kit over 4 GB. RAM is so cheap right now.

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=59431&vpn=CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B&manufacture=Corsair

what I see happening more and more is as you overclock GPUs, even if you only need to add a little voltage to keep it stable, it increases your temps and your total power draw a LOT, and gives marginal performance boosts, if any.

 

[goldenhawk]

i found this mobo on ncix,

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=59166&vpn=GA-P67A-UD4-B3&manufacture=Gigabyte 159.99 - 30MIR (129.99)
Gigabyte P67A-UD4-B3 ATX LGA1155 P67 DDR3 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI SLI SATA3 USB3.0 Motherboard

Good deal? i noticed it doesn't have any hdmi, but i guess thats on my gpu anyway.
a z68x-ud4 is about 169.99 - 20MIR (149.99)
is it worth the step up?

 

[goldenhawk]

Best answer selected by goldenhawk.

 

[goldenhawk]

thanks for all your help. i ended up sticking with the 560 ti hawk, since it was such a good price (235$) and saved me another 20$ in shipping.

I also used the antec 750w high current, bought the segate drive and actually got it for 49.99.
I ended up going with the p67 ud4 mobo from gigabyte (129.99 after MIR) so that seemed to be the best deal.