~$1,000 Gaming PC

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ivandjaw

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Hi everyone,

I am looking for your help & suggestion about my build, I am looking to build this PC within this month or in the coming month.

I am new in PC building thus I need some suggestions from you guys about the system that I'm gonna build.

After some consideration, I decide to squeeze my budget within $1,000 (it's better if I can get less than that)

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Approximate Purchase Date: These 2 months

Budget Range: ~$1,000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (PES2012, COD, Battlefield), CAD Software (AutoCAD, ArcGIS, etc.), Surfing the internet, HD Movies

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Country of Origin: USA

Parts Preferences:
- I prefer Intel's processor, however I'm not a big fans of cosmetic, thus LED and some other fancy case is not necessary. As long as the tower has enough fan to circulate the hot air out of my system.
- I think I will only need HDD with the size of 500GB - 750GB because I own 2 external drives (500GB each) thus I think it will be more than sufficient to store data.
- After some consideration, I think 4GB of RAM should be more than sufficient for my need, however if the price difference to upgrade the RAM to 8GB is insignificant, I may change my mind.
- SSD is not necessary, but if there's a good and cheap SSD it will be a great addition.

Overclocking: Maybe (Very new in Overclocking and trying to explore more)

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in the future if budget allows

Monitor Resolution: no idea, but I'm thinking to get either a Samsung / LG 23" LED/LCD monitor

Additional Comments: a quiet PC will be great.

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Here are some parts that I have chosen (based on the recommendation from this forum):

Motherboard: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265
or
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=N82E16813157271&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=7enm9z2qvrcp
(still open for revision of more optimum board according to my need)

Processor: 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/Prod [...] 6819115072
(after some review that I read, this is the most suitable and most optimum processor for my need, isn't it?)

Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100314-3L Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102948

Hard Drive: 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/Seagate-Barra...UTF8&qid=1318348806&sr=1-5&tag=vglnk-c1001-20

Casing: Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid Tower ATX Case
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=vglnk-c1001-20



Update:
- Casing settled
- HSF settled
- HDD settled

I have no idea of what type of PSU, Casing, HSF that I should use. Moreover, I have no idea of which brand of HDD is currently the best performing in the market.

Thanks a lot guys!! :D
 
Solution
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...
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ivandjaw

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Nope, I don't think so. I think it will be too pricey if I CF a pair of HD6870.

I'll check the Samsung Spinpoint and add it to my plan :)

thanks for the advise.
 
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Why_Me

Why_Me

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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.amazon.com/Intel-i5-2500K-Processor-3-3GHz-LGA1155/dp/B004EBUXHQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1318397683&sr=1-2 $216.95 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Intel Core i5-2500K Processor 3.3GHz 6 MB Cache Socket LGA1155

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.amazon.com/Crucial-Ballistix-Channel-240-Pin-BL2CP51264BA160A/dp/B004UQ1KK4/ref=sr_1_77?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1318397842&sr=1-77 $54.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB Dual Channel Kit DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM BL2CP51264BA160A

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.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Graphics-Mini-HDMI-SLI-Capable/dp/B004L01QVM/ref=sr_1_15?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1318398158&sr=1-15 $233.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti Superclocked 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card - Lifetime Warranty 01G-P3-1563-AR


Total: $891.88 *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
 
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ivandjaw

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Great recommendation!

Nevertheless, I was told by my friend that EVGA is not as good as other brands, so unless I have no other choice, avoid EVGA.

Moreover, I have a few questions:
- How does a better motherboard affect the PC's overall performance?
- Which one is better, ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 vs ASRock Z68 Pro3?

Thanks a lot :)
 
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Why_Me

Why_Me

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I wouldn't be taking any advice from that friend. But Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte all have 560ti's in that price range.

The Asrock Pro 3 is a single card board for people who do not plan on adding another vid card later on unlike the extreme 3 gen 3 which supports dual vid cards.
 
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ivandjaw

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Haha, i see. Well, I'm still thinking to get ATi's HD 6870, what do you think? or should I just get the 560Ti instead? (6870 will cost me $180, while the 560 Ti is $230, $50 difference :??: )

Another thing, I've heard from previous forum that the memory to support my choice of CPU should not be more than 1.5V, I don't really get what it means.

Does the RAM that you recommend has more than 1.5V? How can I know the voltage?

Thanks a lot :)
 
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dalauder

dalauder

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^+3.5 to Why Me's build

I'd still see if prices drop on Intels now that Bulldozer's out. If you can stand to wait until November, Black Friday sales will save you $100 or so. Other than that...there's absolutely no reason you need to spend more than $900 to get an i5-2500K and a GTX 560Ti with an SLI capable motherboard and PSU.
 
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dalauder

dalauder

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Here's why nobody recommends the 6870: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995.html

The 1.65V memory is just fine--it's not that big of a deal. However, you can look at the Newegg page for the memory and look at "Details" and it will tell you its voltage. The 1.5V is better given the choice between the two for comparable prices. Nowadays, high-end 1.5V stuff is much more common than it used to be.
 
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cutebeans

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Bulldozer's suck. Have you seen the benchmarks. It's much like the rebranded AMD GPUs. :(. Intel might increase prices since BD sucks so much.
 
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ivandjaw

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Do I need the 750V of PSU if I only run 1 graphic card (I don't know when can I have extra budget to purchase another one, most probably I will stick with 1 GPU first for the time being). The possibility of adding another graphic card for my system in the next coming year is less than 50% I guess :pfff:


I am new here in the US, thus I don't know about that. Will the sale apply to online stores (amazon & neweggs)?

Do you mean that the i5 price will drop because AMD launch bulldozer's series?



I don't really understand about the voltage of the RAM, do you have any other alternatives for the RAM then?

Regarding the GPU, what if I get a 560 (non-Ti) instead of the 560Ti?

Thanks.
 
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dalauder

dalauder

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Yeah...nice helpful Bulldozer bashing. If you read the comments after the review, you might've noticed I've already read it.

Realistically, Intel won't increase prices. They've pretty much stated that they'll be releasing the i7-2700K in response and that indicates a possibility of an i5 refresh. Even if they don't drop MSRP, it's still worth seeing Intel's response. But more important might be waiting for November sales.
 
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ivandjaw

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will all online stores have their sale during the black friday? when usually the sale will start?

sorry to keep asking the same question, I'm new here in the US thus I don't really know about some of these things ;)
 
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dalauder

dalauder

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You only need the 750W for a multi-GPU system. I think it's worth planning for the expansion, but I guess that's your call. Adding a second card (maybe Black Friday next year) would only cost you another $130 or so and add a solid 80% to your gaming performance.

The sales will apply online especially. You should sign up for Newegg's email list.

Competitors releasing a new product results in a response. Prices will likely drop a little, but since Bulldozer isn't that strong, it's hard to know for sure. Something will happen though.

There's lots of RAM alternatives. Here's one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428
Any 1600 Cas Latency 9 RAM @ 1.5V will do. The brand matters a little, which is why I skip Wintec.

The GTX 560Ti is much stronger. I'd stick to that because you're building a gaming computer and your GPU matters a lot. If you don't want it for gaming, then you should edit the first post.
 
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dalauder

dalauder

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Sales will start at the beginning of November and culminate on Black Friday--although the best sales may actually happen earlier that month.
 
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ivandjaw

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is that the tips? :D :D

so do you think I should buy the components at the beginning of the month or as it is closer to the black friday?
 
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dalauder

dalauder

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Buy whatever components (or equivalents such as a Radeon 6950 on the graphics) go on sale as they go on sale. You can save yourself a hundred bucks or so doing that. I'd say, wait for prices that surprise you with how good they are--like a GTX 560Ti for $155 or a nice 1TB HDD for $45 or an ASRock Z68 Extreme3 for $100.
 
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Why_Me

Why_Me

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Correct on the memory. 1.5v or less for these 1155 boards. As far as the cards go... 6870 is a good card and uses less juice than the 560ti's. 650w psu for dual 6870's and 750w for dual 560's. The advantage for the 560ti's is that they run cooler and over clock a lot higher than the 6870's.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-560-amp-edition-gtx-560-directcu-ii-top,2944.html <----- there's some benchmarks for those cards. But again if you plan on o/c your vid card, then that's where the 560ti's really shine.
 
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Why_Me

Why_Me

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I just threw that in there to keep everything amazon..it was a copy and paste from another build where a guy wanted amazon to save on sales tax. That Crucial is 1.5v, but it's CL10 and not CL9. The better way to go would be that G.Skill Ripjaw X on sale @ newegg for like $50 atm.
 
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ivandjaw

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Hi everyone,

I am just thinking of the possibility of adding SSD onto my system. Is there any cheap SSD with decent performance in the market? If I want to use the SSD for primarily OS and some basic operational for the system, should I put it as my primary HD?

Thx! :D
 
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dalauder

dalauder

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If you install the OS on it, it's your primary HDD. You actually might find it beneficial to assign it the "D" letter designation though prior to installing Windows. That's because programs default to installing on the C: drive, which isn't want you want since you want to be selective with an SSD. But that goes along with this thread in terms of extra SSD tweaks you don't need to worry about quite yet: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-performance-tweak,2911.html

There are lots of SSDs with amazing performance on the market. There are non cheaper than $50 and none I'd recommend for less than $90. If I were you, I'd just pick up whatever SATA 3 SSD with decent Newegg reviews (Newegg reviews are only useful for reliability, so they're actually useful for SSDs) goes on sale come November.

I'd lean toward a 2nd Gen SandForce drive like the Corsair Force 3's or OCZ Agility 3, but the Crucial M4 is really just as good. You could compare IOPS and MB/s read/write. Those are mostly only valid straight out of the box and don't tell you much about how it'll do a week or a month after installation. Tom's has some good articles about that if you read up on some of their SSD stuff. Kingston, Intel, Patriot, and a couple other companies make some solid SSDs.

I've seen 120GB OCZ Agility 3's for $140. That's probably in your price range so just wait for a sale.

EDIT: I guess to be more correct, I'm assuming your "primary drive" is actually the disk your boot sector is on, which is always your Windows drive if you start with all drives formatted.
 
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