$1100+ Gaming PC Build - Need advice. First Build Ever

[Tojaro]

Approximate Purchase Date: The closer the better

Budget Range: Roughly around $1100

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Netflix, Surfing

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, and Monitor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg

Country of Origin: United States

Parts Preferences: Intel 2500k Sandybridge, XFX Radeon HD 6970, Coolermaster GX Series 750W PSU

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Very interested in making a future move to CrossFire but can live with just 1 card for now

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments:



So.. first off the pieces;

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

XFX HD-697A-CNFC Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
GPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150517

COOLER MASTER GX Series RS750-ACAAE3-US 750W ATX12V v2.31 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
PSU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171053

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

+ Win7 Home 64bit OEM



I have previous experience of upgrading computers with a new PSU here and GPU there, but this is my first real build. My main concern is; "Did I select parts that are compatible with each other?" I don't want to buy the wrong parts obviously.

Any advice/comments/questions would be greatly appreciated. I'm confident I'll get professional advice here

 

[cutebeans]

I'd get a z68 motherboard.
I'd change your PSU to this 900w Antec gamer since you plan to crossifire.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371050

Coolermaster is one of the worst PSU makers.

 

[Tojaro]

Coolermaster is one of the worst PSU makers.

I'll keep that in mind. And also the z68 mobo, did you mean something like this?

ASUS P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131730

Either way both this mobo or the P97 would be compatible with the rest I assume

 

[cutebeans]

I'd get this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157250

The PSU I recommended is better and offers more power for a great price.

 

[inzone]

I would go with a sata3 hdd , the Caviar Blue is sata2.

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $59.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136795

For the same price you get twice the cache and it's sata3.

 

[AbdullahG]

I would get this MoBo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157279

Extremely cheap for an ATX Z68 MoBo and it's built by a trustworthy brand (AsRock has become a real competitor in the MoBo market).

 

[Tojaro]

I would go with a sata3 hdd , the Caviar Blue is sata2.

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $59.99

Made the switch, thanks.

I'm still looking at RAM, any suggestions? Or is G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 the right choice still? Pretty sure most motherboards support DDR3 1600.


Also thank you to AbdullahG and cutebeans for mobo suggestions

 

[cutebeans]

I would go with a sata3 hdd , the Caviar Blue is sata2.

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $59.99

Made the switch, thanks.

I'm still looking at RAM, any suggestions? Or is G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 the right choice still? Pretty sure most motherboards support DDR3 1600.


Also thank you to AbdullahG and cutebeans for mobo suggestions

Yeah, the one you chose is perfect, no need to change.

 

[Cy4N1d3]

Okay, first off I would go with a nVidia 570 unless you are a dedicated AMD fan. The 6970 is a bit more expensive, and the 570 has better performance.

Also, the people that have tried to help you have been a bit crazy. A 500 GB hard drive? Seriously? You need to get a 1 TB that is fast, and I have included such.

Okay, the build that I have hatched.

Newegg.com items:
CPU/ CPU Cooler: Intel Core i5-2500k + Corsair Cafa70
$252.98 - $20 mail in Rebate = $232.98

Motherboard/ Ram: GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 + CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600
$184.98

GPU/ PSU: MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr III + CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX850 V2 + Batman Arkham City Game Coupon
$459.98 - $15 mail in rebates

Case/ Optical: COOLER MASTER Storm Scout + LG DVD Burner
$93.98

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 rpm 32 mb cache SATA 6.0 gb/s
Amazon $58.97 + free shipping
Newegg $64.99 + shipping


THE MONEY IS HERE!

Total: $1070.20 (before rebate) $1035.20 (after rebate)

So, you have one of the best Quad Cores available, a great cooler with it, a good motherboard, 8 GB ram, the absolute best GTX 570 (Itself one of the best video cards available, within the top 4, with the other 3 being overpriced as hell) so that you can overclock it, an extremely reliable and powerful PSU, a great case, and a 1 TB HDD that is just as fast as that little 500GB one that was recommende earlier. Plus, you get a great game to test it out on, Batman Arkham City (comes with the nVidia GPU).

So, do you want to use the rest of the budget? I can beef up your specs a little to make it even more high end.

 

[Cy4N1d3]

BTW, I was spec'ing all that from Newegg USA.

 

[cutebeans]

BTW, I was spec'ing all that from Newegg USA.

You're the one who's a bit crazy to think that everybody needs a 1tb hard drive.

btw, the WD black mentioned is faster than the barracuda.

 

[bennaye]

You're the one who's a bit crazy to think that everybody needs a 1tb hard drive.

btw, the WD black mentioned is faster than the barracuda.

It's really a question of speed vs capacity. Everyone has different views, but seeing as OP is only gaming (hence no working with large amounts of media - or not that he mentioned of) and he has no SSD, I would go with the smaller - but faster - drive.

 

[AbdullahG]

Okay, first off I would go with a nVidia 570 unless you are a dedicated AMD fan. The 6970 is a bit more expensive, and the 570 has better performance.

There's really no margin in terms of performance. The 2GB VRAM of the HD 6970 helps for high res. gaming, as well as demanding games.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

Cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

MoBo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207017

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150549

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

CD/DVD Burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151233

Total: $1,040

You can swap the HD 6950 for a GTX 560 Ti is you prefer Nvidia.

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Tower-RC-922M-KKN1-GP-Black/dp/B0026FCI2U/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1319496659&sr=1-2 $89.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master HAF ATX Mid Tower Case, RC-922M-KKN1-GP (Black)

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.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-Z68E3G3 $124.99 Free Shipping
ASRock Z68 EXTREME3 GEN3

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=I5-2500KBX $214.99 Free Shipping $5 off your order over $25 w/ code: DOVE, ends 10/24
Intel Core i5 Processor i5-2500K 3.3GHz 6MB LGA1155 CPU, Retail - BX80623I52500K

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099 $34.99 FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R1 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186 $49.99 FREE SHIPPING
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=N82E16827118040 $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-7261S-0B LightScribe Support - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697 $64.99 FREE SHIPPING
Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=AT-6950_3R $264.99 - $244.99 after rebate Free Shipping
Sapphire Radeon HD6950 2GB DDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card (Dirt3 Edition) - 100312-3SR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 $99.99 FREE SHIPPING
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

Total: $1,064.90 *not including promo codes and rebates