Why yes this is my FIRST BUILD!

[The2ndSon]

I'm completely inexperienced when it comes to assembly of computers, but I feel compelled to build my own. Within a $1000 [USD] price range. My main uses for this unit will be photoshop cs5.5, adobe after effects cs5, browsing da web, and gaming. I'm looking to use it for FPS games, mainly TF2, COD, Battlefield.

Case:NZXT M59 - 001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146058&Tpk=NZXT%20M59

Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130574&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1idar4xls41sn

SSD:SAMSUNG 470 Series MZ-5PA064C/AM 2.5" 64GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) w/ Desktop Upgrade Kit and Norton Ghost 15
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147127

HDD: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=N82E16822152185&Tpk=N82E16822152185

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072&cm_sp=Pers_Search0Result-_-19-115-072_16_DM-_-core%20i5-2320

Memory: G. SKILL Ripjaw Series 8GB (2x4GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311&Tpk=N82E16820231311

PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020&Tpk=CORSAIR%20Tx650

GPU: EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1461-KR GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130661

Being inexperienced, I was wondering if this would fit the case I had in mind. Also I plan on using Astro a40's with the unit, and a 22 in Samsung TV as a monitor.

 

[The2ndSon]

Also the CPU cooler i had in mind was the following: http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1307502734&sr=8-1&tag=vglnk-c1001-20

 

[ares640]

- Invest in a better case

Mobo: MSI Z68A-GD55

SSD: Get a SATA III SSD. Recommend Crucial M4

GPU: Get a dual fan GTX 560ti, such as MSI HAWK (Twin Frozr III)

 

[morgoth780]

- Invest in a better case

Mobo: MSI Z68A-GD55

SSD: Get a SATA III SSD. Recommend Crucial M4

GPU: Get a dual fan GTX 560ti, such as MSI HAWK (Twin Frozr III)

personally, i'd recommend against an ssd at this price range, but they are useful.
+1 to the 560ti and mobo

 

[gmcizzle]

I'd say don't worry about the SSD and get a second 560 in SLi:

Motherboard (-$45): MSI P67A-G43 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130583

SSD(-$125): None

PSU(+$5): Antec EarthWatts Series EA-750 Green 750W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371051

With these savings and a higher power PSU, you can get a second 560 for $20 more.

 

[morgoth780]

whatever you do, don't get a gtx 560(non-ti). they're the biggest waste of cash, and get at least a 560 ti. Also, if you want to drop the ssd, you should probably get a gtx 570, and upgrade to ttwo 570's later

 

[Why_Me]

Here's a build that allows you to add another one of those cards later on in SLI. Just another option to look at.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZM7YTA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid Tower ATX Case (RC-912-KKN1)

http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-80PLUS-Bronze-Performance-Supply/dp/B005A2RJOI/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1318348408&sr=1-7 $99.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
OCZ ZS Series 750 Watt 80PLUS Bronze Performance ATX Power Supply - OCZ-ZS750W

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.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=I5-2500KBX $214.99 Free Shipping 10% off your order (max $10) w/ code: HOOT, ends 10/17
Intel Core i5 Processor i5-2500K 3.3GHz 6MB LGA1155 CPU, Retail - BX80623I52500K

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1318348336&sr=1-1 $25.96 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428 $49.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBX

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-7200-12-Internal-ST31000524AS/dp/B004IZN3YI/ref=sr_1_5?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1318348806&sr=1-5 $54.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1 TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s with NCQ 32MB Cache 3.5 Inch Internal Bare Drive ST31000524AS

http://www.amazon.com/Liteon-iHAS324-DVD-RW-Optical-Drive/dp/B002QGDWLK/ref=pd_sim_e7 $20.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Liteon iHAS324 24X DVD-RW SATA Optical Disk Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125401 $219.99
GIGABYTE GV-N560UD-1G GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card


Total: $871.88 *not including shipping, rebates, and promo codes

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_b $99.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

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

http://www.asrock.com/microsite/PCIe3/ <----- PCI-E 3.0

 

[The2ndSon]

whatever you do, don't get a gtx 560(non-ti). they're the biggest waste of cash, and get at least a 560 ti. Also, if you want to drop the ssd, you should probably get a gtx 570, and upgrade to ttwo 570's later

So even if I was to get a SSD, and use the 1TB HDD for storage, its just not worth it?

 

[morgoth780]

So even if I was to get a SSD, and use the 1TB HDD for storage, its just not worth it?

personally, i don't consider them a worthwhile investment unless you have a ridiculously high budget, as they don't affect the actual in-game performance, and does a computer really need to have ~$100+ spent on it so it can boot 5 seconds faster?

 

[ribald]

that is one ugly ass case

 

[The2ndSon]

Would this case also work? http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Elite-Window-RC-430-KWN1/dp/B003O8J11E/ref=sr_1_14?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1318391870&sr=1-14

It takes the same power supply, but is a little bit smaller. You mentioned that the case you suggested provides room for "another one of those cards later on in SLI." Are you referring to another hard drive?

 

[gmcizzle]

Would this case also work? http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Elite-Window-RC-430-KWN1/dp/B003O8J11E/ref=sr_1_14?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1318391870&sr=1-14

It takes the same power supply, but is a little bit smaller. You mentioned that the case you suggested provides room for "another one of those cards later on in SLI." Are you referring to another hard drive?

No, another video card. SLI refers to running two GPUs together for much higher performance.

 

[The2ndSon]

So how do I know from the description if I can add another GPU? If I could eventually add another GTX 560 Ti to this case http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Elite-Window-RC-430-KWN1/dp/B003O8J11E/ref=sr_1_14?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1318391870&sr=1-14 Then I think it's a winner

 

[Why_Me]

So how do I know from the description if I can add another GPU? If I could eventually add another GTX 560 Ti to this case http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Elite-Window-RC-430-KWN1/dp/B003O8J11E/ref=sr_1_14?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1318391870&sr=1-14 Then I think it's a winner

That case is going to be cramped for a dual card set up, and it's going to limit you to a small cpu h/s. Start looking for cases with more size...especially width. Do you see that build I posted up above? Check out the specs on that case.

 

[The2ndSon]

Yea I looked at and favorite all the links you mentioned. I think i'll use all your suggestions, but I was really hoping to find a case with a clear panel on one side, and maybe some LEDs.

 

[Why_Me]

Yea I looked at and favorite all the links you mentioned. I think i'll use all your suggestions, but I was really hoping to find a case with a clear panel on one side, and maybe some LEDs.

That case down below is in your budget, it's large, and you can pick up an SSD later down the road.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Enforcer-Interior-SGC-1000-KWN1/dp/B004WK3KKQ/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1318395675&sr=1-6 $79.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Storm Enforcer USB 3.0 Mid Tower ATX Case with Window and Black Interior (SGC-1000-KWN1)

 

[The2ndSon]

Oh wow. This case is sexy. I think its a winner. Just one more question. As far as compatibly with an Astro A40 headset. The optical audio output is on the motherboard, so it should be set up with dolby 7.1 via the motherboard?

 

[Why_Me]

Oh wow. This case is sexy. I think its a winner. Just one more question. As far as compatibly with an Astro A40 headset. The optical audio output is on the motherboard, so it should be set up with dolby 7.1 via the motherboard?

http://www.astrogaming.com/a40-headset-astro-edition <---- this one?

That board has 7.1, but I don't know of any boards that have dolby built into them. That's up to the headset and/or speakers. That board does have THX though.

 

[The2ndSon]

Yes those are the ones. Okay. I just wanna make sure I can get the full effect out of them. So then all I would need is an OS. I see you suggested windows 7, which is what I use currently on my laptop. Is it worth it to buy windows 7, or just use Linux for now? I currently do not have the boot disc for windows 7.

 

[Why_Me]

Yes those are the ones. Okay. I just wanna make sure I can get the full effect out of them. So then all I would need is an OS. I see you suggested windows 7, which is what I use currently on my laptop. Is it worth it to buy windows 7, or just use Linux for now? I currently do not have the boot disc for windows 7.

If you plan on gaming, Windows 7 64bit is the only way to go. DX11 ftw.

 

[The2ndSon]

Best answer selected by The2ndSon.

 

[The2ndSon]

Aww man. I was hoping to avoid paying the extra hundred dollars for something a I already use. Oh well. Thanks sooooo much man. You really have helped me out GREATLY!