I5 2500k Gaming computer.

[thatasianone]

Approximate Purchase date: 10/25

Budget range: $600-800

System usage from most important to least important: gaming, youtube/movies/music, surfing web

Parts not required: Mouse, keyboard

Country of Origin: USA

Preferred websites: any/good deals

Parts preference: Intel/Amd? lol

Overclocking: YES!(In the future)

SLI or Crossfire: Maybeee.

Monitor Resolution: I want 2 19''-22'' LED screens. (Not part of the budget, I'll get them later)

Additional comments: This is the build I had in mind.

i5 2500k Sandy Bridge
Radeon HD 6870
550W PSU
Z68 Motherboard
Mid tower case
8GB total RAM (Won't be needing much as of now)
DVD Drive
SATA III Drive (Anything around 250GB would be PERFECT, 500gb/1tb is a bit to much for me)

Will all this work together perfectly? Would I need to up the PSU if I wanted to overclock my 3.3 Processor to 4.2Ghz? How much will the total build cost? How future proof is this build? If it's below my budget 600-800 you think I can squeeze a screen? Thanks!

Edit - Forgot to say I'm using this computer to play games. Some games I'd like to run on max are SC2, LoL, Steam Games. Also will the 6870 let me run crysis on normal at least?

 

[GhislainG]

A 250 GB hard disk usually is slower than a larger unit with 500 MB platters, but the price difference is minimal.

 

[xcomvic]

HD 6870 is a beast! Go go go!

 

[ultimabeam]

I'll bite. $770 after rebates. A 6950 will serve you better with multiple displays.

To answer your questions:

1) Yes, you can overclock this build to 4.2GHz with the PSU provided. However, you'll need an aftermarket heatsink like the Hyper 212+ to do it (that will run you about another $30).
2) Total budget will cost you another ~$480 assuming you spend $175 per monitor, $100 for a copy of Windows 7, and $30 for an aftermarket heatsink.
3) Solidly futureproof. No SLI/Crossfire support, but you have USB3 and SATA6 support. SLI/Crossfire still causes substantial microstutter issues to the point where I'd rather just upgrade the GPU a few years down the road than buy another one. (Quick note: a 250GB HDD would be decidedly NOT futureproof )

 

[nordlead]

comments on ultimabeam's build

You can improve the motherboard to a ASRock Extreme3 Gen3 for $20 more and get SLI/Crossfire support and better heatsinks on the VRM (superbiiz.com has free shipping)

A 600W PSU (12V@40A) is too small to Crossfire 6950's. I'm thinking about crossfiring two 6870's along with an easy overclock and by my calculations I'll be just shy of 40A. The 6950's take 50W more (each) which means you'll need closer to 50A@12V.

So, either you need to drop down to a 6870 and crossfire in the future, or upgrade to a bigger PSU (either now or later). I'd give some recommendations, but I'd put you over your budget if you kept the 6890. If you drop down to the 6870, then depending on the overclock and periphreals you can SLI them with 40A.

 

[thatasianone]

MY PRICES, is this a good deal? This is the price I am getting them at.

i5 2500k $180
HD Radeon 6870 $140
Z68 Mobo $80
Mid tower w/ fan $40
550w PSU $$35
Ram $25-35
Sata drive $40-50
Dvd Drive $10-20

So the build will cost around $550-$580, would be around 600 if I add heatsink. My question is, will prices get lower, am I getting a good deal now? Is this a decent rig for 600 or less?

I won't be needing the 6950's, I don't play games like BF3 or anything. I just play League of Legends, and Starcraft. If the 6870 can play Crysis 2, that'd be awesome, I'd like to stick with that card! I won't be crossfiring(I don't see the big deal if I don't play intensive games)

I'm planning to get Windows 7 around Black Friday so it'll be free somewhere somehow.

 

[ultimabeam]

MY PRICES, is this a good deal? This is the price I am getting them at.

i5 2500k $180
HD Radeon 6870 $140
Z68 Mobo $80
Mid tower w/ fan $40
550w PSU $$35
Ram $25-35
Sata drive $40-50
Dvd Drive $10-20

So the build will cost around $550-$580, would be around 600 if I add heatsink. My question is, will prices get lower, am I getting a good deal now? Is this a decent rig for 600 or less?

I won't be needing the 6950's, I don't play games like BF3 or anything. I just play League of Legends, and Starcraft. If the 6870 can play Crysis 2, that'd be awesome, I'd like to stick with that card! I won't be crossfiring(I don't see the big deal if I don't play intensive games)

I'm planning to get Windows 7 around Black Friday so it'll be free somewhere somehow.

prices and general selection of parts are fine. two places not to skimp on $$:

1) power supply
2) motherboard.
3) case, better airflow = better temps = less likelihood of incident, but your mileage may vary.

the extra $50 or whatever is worth it to make sure you don't light your room on fire and fry $600 worth of equipment.

 

[thatasianone]

Just last questions

Power suppler - OCZ Fata1ity, regular $85 down to $35. Is that a good brand?

Motherboard - I don't plan on upgraded, nor crossfiring, but am I still getting the full benefit of overclocking if I get a cheap z68 that does support them? I don't plan on crossfiring anyways again. The brand is Gigabyte, the original price was $115 down to $80.

Case - I've been drooling over this case for a while http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133186

Please post your thoughts! Will I be happy with this computer with the most part?

I've also chose this PSU instead http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182199