My first build

[csiida]

Alright sorry for my lack of forum etiquette and advice asking knowledge. I didn't realize I was supposed to format my question in a specific manner. This is like my 3rd post ever on any message board.

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Approximate Purchase Date: As soon as I figure out my build

Budget Range: Shooting for ~$800

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, media etc

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse and monitor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg

Country of Origin: USA

Parts Preferences: ?

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: idk what this is

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: I basically want something that will allow me to play games and look cool at the same time...maybe I just want a cool blue nightlight for my room.

Here are the parts I know I want:

Intel i5 2500k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115072

Radeon HD 6850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 1681410290


This is the case I found that looks the best to me:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144240


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My biggest issue is the motherboard. Parts like RAM, power, optical drive etc I can figure out myself I believe. Hopefully this revised post fits the correct asking criteria. Thanks again

 

[Outlander_04]

read the thread about how to ask for advice

^ there

 

[Sky03]

Quick info for running bf3 http://www.geforce.com/Optimize/Guides/battlefield-3-beta-performance-guide

 

[Why_Me]

Hi everyone, I've been thinking about getting into the world of pc making and was hoping to get some help with it. I'm looking for a higher end (not spectacular) rig that will be able to run modern games (BF3 etc) at med-high settings. So far this is what I've found at newegg:

1. CPU: Intel i5 2500k 3.3 ghz
2. GPU: XFX Radeon HD 6850 1GB
3. RAM: 2 x 4 GB of corsair
4. Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

 

[Zero_]

Max out BF3 on a $800 PC
http://gamingrig.blogspot.com/2011/10/battlefield-3-ultra-settings-gaming-pc.html

 

[csiida]

EDITED

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

Motherboard? Here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271 $125

CPU is good. Get a Cooler Master Hyper 212+ for $27 (maybe the new Hyper 212+ Evo for $35)

Your links are messed up, so I can't see what case is this.

6850 for a $800 build? Naaaah... 6870, 560 Ti or something like that.

 

[csiida]

Motherboard? Here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271 $125

CPU is good. Get a Cooler Master Hyper 212+ for $27 (maybe the new Hyper 212+ Evo for $35)

Your links are messed up, so I can't see what case is this.

6850 for a $800 build? Naaaah... 6870, 560 Ti or something like that.

Hey thank you for your response. I really appreciate the input. I think I fixed the link to the case. Also I've been looking alot into GPU's and I've actually been thinking about the very two you suggested. I've read the benchmark tests etc but I can't decide if it's worth the extra $. My budget is 800 but obviously if I can save money that would be better. Thanks again

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

Hey thank you for your response. I really appreciate the input. I think I fixed the link to the case. Also I've been looking alot into GPU's and I've actually been thinking about the very two you suggested. I've read the benchmark tests etc but I can't decide if it's worth the extra $. My budget is 800 but obviously if I can save money that would be better. Thanks again

You get what you pay for. Get a better GPU = get better quality/fps. Does your budget incude a screen or not? I hope not.

I wouldn't go with a mid tower case; full tower is easier to build in and often has better cooling.

I've read your first post and saw that you don't know what SLI or CF is. It's simple - you use two (most of the time; but can be three or four) GPUs on one board, connect them and they perform better than a single one. SLI for nVidia, Crossfire for AMD. You might or might not consider this as an upgrade in the future, but that will require a stronger PSU. I got a 750W for my setup and when I'll be unhappy with my 560 Ti, I'll get a second one (should be much cheaper by then, too!) - but I might re-consider that. So, for single 6870/560 Ti/6950 a 650W should be enough, 750W for dual cards.

RAM: get this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416 or this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314 RAM is cheap nowadays and you should be looking at $50-60 for an 8GB kit @1600 MHz.

Get a Samsung Spinpoint F3 or Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB for your HDD, both should be around $60.

As for the graphics card: 6870 is a bit behind the 560 Ti; 6950 is between the 560 Ti and 570. I'm too tired to do the math in my head now, but I think that a 6950 doesn't fit in your budget, so GTX 560 Ti is the way to go. Let's do a rough sketch:

i5-2500K: $220
ASRock Z68 Extreme3: $125
8GB DDR3 1600 RAM (whatever you pick): $50
HDD: $60
Case: $70
PSU: $80

Let's see.. that leaves you with $195 for the GPU. Are there any rebates you can use on Newegg? (Sorry, not familiar with that stuff AT ALL - I don't live in the US) If not, you can go for the cheaper 560 Ti's ($190, I believe) or lower the price of other stuff with MIRs and go for the MSI or ASUS GTX 560 Ti factory-overclocked (some of these perform close to a stock 570). However, at that price you can already get a decent 6950. So, any MIRs you can use?

 

[Why_Me]

This first build includes a gtx 560 and allows you to add another one of those cards later on in SLI. The build at the bottom of this post contains a gtx 560ti for a single card build (no additional card later on).

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Tower-Case-RC-912-KKN1/dp/B003ZM7YTA $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid Tower ATX Case (RC-912-KKN1)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341049 $99.99 - $74.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
OCZ ZS Series OCZ-ZS750W 750W ATX12V v2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Performance Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271 $124.99
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065 $26.99 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.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=I5-2500KBX $214.99 Free Shipping
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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277 $27.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697 $54.99 FREE SHIPPING
Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136236 $18.99
LG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH24NS70 - OEM

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050I1P42/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER $169.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
MSI N560GTX-M2D1GD5 Video Card

Total: $798.91 *not including shipping and rebates

***Single card set up. Replace the motherboard, psu, and vid card up above with these down below.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016 $64.99 - $49.99 after mail-in rebate FREE SHIPPING
Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157251 $104.99 FREE SHIPPING
ASRock Z68 PRO3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JLNZXU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER $224.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
MSI GeForce GTX560 1 GB DDR5 2DVI/Mini HDMI PCI-Express Video Card N560GTX TI TWIN FROZR II OC

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-560-amp-edition-gtx-560-directcu-ii-top,2944.html <----- gtx 560 vs gtx 560 ti

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

^ Nice, but why 4GB instead of 8, and even in dual channel, so that the OP would have to junk both sticks if he wants to upgrade to 8? And the non-Ti 560... I think that the $800 has more potential.

Mobo: ASRock Z68 Extreme 3 $125

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K $180 (only if you can access Microcenter, though!)

CPU HSF: CM Hyper 212+ $27

RAM: G.Skill 2x4GB DDR3 1600 RAM $52

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 $60

Case: any $60 case you want with good cooling. HAF 912 suggested by Why_Me is great, if you can stand the looks.

PSU: Corsair TX650W $85

GPU: XFX 6950 1GB 800 MHz $250 + free Dirt 3 game worth $50

TOTAL: $839. Now, I know that's a little bit over $800, but if you use MIRs, you'll be back to under $800 in no time - there're good ones available for the PSU and the GPU. And this will only work if you can visit Microcenter for the CPU, since on Newegg you'll have to pay $35 more. I'm not saying this is better than Why_Me's build, but this is another possibility to go for. I'd do it.

 

[cutebeans]

I'd go for the 6950 rather than a 560 non ti. A 6870 would even be better than a 560 non ti and the 6870 is cheaper.

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

I'd go for the 6950 rather than a 560 non ti. A 6870 would even be better than a 560 non ti and the 6870 is cheaper.

My point exactly; however, my build doesn't include a DVD burner

 

[csiida]

Hey thanks everyone for the help. I did research a bit into SLI/crossfirex and for the time being I'll stick with one, but the option to upgrade seems like a good idea. BTW I already have a 23" 1920 x 1080 monitor so I won't need that. I'll look into other cases, but other than that it looks like the GPU is the only thing that needs deciding on. I'll probably go with a 6570 or 560 ti. Any opinions on AMD vs nVIDIA in general?

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

6570? You mean, 6870 Why not 6950, though?

For SLI/CF, go with a 750W PSU.

AMD vs nVidia? Both are great. It's the individual benchmarks you should look at.

 

[Why_Me]

^ Nice, but why 4GB instead of 8, and even in dual channel, so that the OP would have to junk both sticks if he wants to upgrade to 8? And the non-Ti 560... I think that the $800 has more potential.

Mobo: ASRock Z68 Extreme 3 $125

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K $180 (only if you can access Microcenter, though!)

CPU HSF: CM Hyper 212+ $27

RAM: G.Skill 2x4GB DDR3 1600 RAM $52

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 $60

Case: any $60 case you want with good cooling. HAF 912 suggested by Why_Me is great, if you can stand the looks.

PSU: Corsair TX650W $85

GPU: XFX 6950 1GB 800 MHz $250 + free Dirt 3 game worth $50

TOTAL: $839. Now, I know that's a little bit over $800, but if you use MIRs, you'll be back to under $800 in no time - there're good ones available for the PSU and the GPU. And this will only work if you can visit Microcenter for the CPU, since on Newegg you'll have to pay $35 more. I'm not saying this is better than Why_Me's build, but this is another possibility to go for. I'd do it.

Dual Channel? I posted a 2x2GB set of Dual Channel RAM. You add another 4GB to that whenever you feel the need to have 8GB. Last time I checked those boards had 4 RAM slots or maybe I missed something?

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

Dual Channel? I posted a 2x2GB set of Dual Channel RAM. You add another 4GB to that whenever you feel the need to have 8GB. Last time I checked those boards had 4 RAM slots or maybe I missed something?

Last I checked, dual channel consists of TWO sticks of RAM. Not three. So the OP would need to get rid of dual 2GB and get two new 4GB sticks to have a dual channel set up. And what's the point? To save $25? :lol:

 

[Why_Me]

Last I checked, dual channel consists of TWO sticks of RAM. Not three. So the OP would need to get rid of dual 2GB and get two new 4GB sticks to have a dual channel set up. And what's the point? To save $25? :lol:

Are you telling me that you can't stick 4x2GB sticks of dual channel RAM in those boards?

And ya the 2x2GB set of RAM I posted in that build is to save $25 - $30 especially seeing how the OP uses nothing that requires 8GB of RAM. If you look at the OP's budget it's $800. Now I could have went over the OP's budget by $40 and left out a $20 optical drive making your build $60 over budget in reality, but I decided to stay within the OP's stated budget.

 

[csiida]

6570? You mean, 6870 Why not 6950, though?

For SLI/CF, go with a 750W PSU.

AMD vs nVidia? Both are great. It's the individual benchmarks you should look at.

haha oops yes I meant 6870. As far as why no the 6950, the price is the issue mostly.

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

Are you telling me that you can't stick 4x2GB sticks of dual channel RAM in those boards?

And ya the 2x2GB set of RAM I posted in that build is to save $25 - $30 especially seeing how the OP uses nothing that requires 8GB of RAM. If you look at the OP's budget it's $800. Now I could have went over the OP's budget by $40 and left out a $20 optical drive making your build $60 over budget in reality, but I decided to stay within the OP's stated budget.

No, I'm telling you that if you DO stick 2x2GB in dual channel, you're stuck with them and you can't upgrade to 8GB easily without filling up all RAM slots.

Yeah, I went over the budget. OP gets a free game, superior performance thanks to the 6950 and still has MIRs to keep him within the budget. So? I only advise what I would do myself, what I think is the best solution. I don't think that paying $40 less is worth the drop in performance between the 6950 and the non-Ti 560. Note that I said that OP can take this option or leave it; I'm not saying it's the best. And I said that this will ONLY work if he has an access to Microcenter and Newegg MIRs.

 

[Why_Me]

No, I'm telling you that if you DO stick 2x2GB in dual channel, you're stuck with them and you can't upgrade to 8GB easily without filling up all RAM slots.

Yeah, I went over the budget. OP gets a free game, superior performance thanks to the 6950 and still has MIRs to keep him within the budget. So? I only advise what I would do myself, what I think is the best solution. I don't think that paying $40 less is worth the drop in performance between the 6950 and the non-Ti 560. Note that I said that OP can take this option or leave it; I'm not saying it's the best. And I said that this will ONLY work if he has an access to Microcenter and Newegg MIRs.

So say the OP decides 4-5 years down the road from now that he wants to add another 4GB of RAM to that build and he buys another set of that RAM giving him 8GB of RAM and fills all four slots..and what? I mean it's not like the OP is into Auto CAD or professional video/photo editing.

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

So say the OP decides 4-5 years down the road from now that he wants to add another 4GB of RAM to that build and he buys another set of that RAM giving him 8GB of RAM and fills all four slots..and what? I mean it's not like the OP is into Auto CAD or professional video/photo editing.

Sigh... I don't see what's the point of saving $25 on 4GB of RAM. I'm sitting on my desktop right now with Skype and FF open and my RAM usage is at 2GB. I totally don't mind launching a game and converting a couple of videos on the background. So 8GB is a plus for very little money over 4 GB. If you think different, we'll just have to disagree and leave it at that.

 

[Why_Me]

Sigh... I don't see what's the point of saving $25 on 4GB of RAM. I'm sitting on my desktop right now with Skype and FF open and my RAM usage is at 2GB. I totally don't mind launching a game and converting a couple of videos on the background. So 8GB is a plus for very little money over 4 GB. If you think different, we'll just have to disagree and leave it at that.

Save the "sigh" crap. Your talking about converting video's...not the OP. Again the OP needs 8GB of RAM like he needs an extra hole in his head when he's on an $800 budget.

Now you can post a build for all of us here to see...but leave out the Microcenter and make sure you include everything including the optical drive this time so we can all see what you post for that budget. This I would love to see.

btw, don't do the "after rebates" when you post this build. Money in the hand for the fact we all know how well rebates work. So let's say you have $800 to spend on a build right now...not including "rebates". How would you spend that money?

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

Save the "sigh" crap. Your talking about converting video's...not the OP. Again the OP needs 8GB of RAM like he needs an extra hole in his head when he's on an $800 budget.

Now you can post a build for all of us here to see...but leave out the Microcenter and make sure you include everything including the optical drive this time so we can all see what you post for that budget. This I would love to see.

btw, don't do the "after rebates" when you post this build. Money in the hand for the fact we all know how well rebates work. So let's say you have $800 to spend on a build right now...not including "rebates". How would you spend that money?

IMO, RAM is too cheap nowadays to be stingy on the extra 4GB. Again, disagree - up to you. What's wrong with Microcenter? I said it's optional.

And I'm not posting another build - the whole point of my build was a different opportunity which I'd gladly take. Stepping $40 over the limit is totally worth it, in this case. Don't agree? Then go settle for the 560 right away. I wouldn't. That is all.

 

[csiida]

Hey just wanted to thank everyone for their input. It's all appreciated and quite helpful.