Help with first ever build

Bo0ja

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Oct 26, 2011
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Hello everyone. I'm a first time builder and am trying to put together a pretty good gaming PC that can run the latest games (BF3 mostly) and leave me room for possible upgrades later down the road. I have between $800-$1000 to work with but would like to keep it as cheap as possible. I'm planning on buying all the parts on Black Friday when hopefully Newegg will have a couple good deals up to keep the cost of this down.

Here's what I have thus far, open to any changes or suggestions:

Processor: Intel i5 - 2500k ($215)

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

Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ($125) <--- Not 100% sold on this yet, but it's been recommended often on the MoBo forum and it definitely fits my budget. It's possible Newegg will have a good i5/MoBo deal up on BF, so any recommendations for what to look for would be appreciated.

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

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) ($50)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100312-3SR Radeon HD 6950 2GB ($250) <--- Doesn't come with Arkham City :( BUT I've heard it can be unlocked to run like a 6970. Honestly not sure how that works, but it was recommended by another user here over the 560/560 Ti.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102945

HDD: Waiting for Black Friday, hoping to find a 1 TB HD for under $100

Case: ???

PSU: ???

Optical Drive: ???

Anything else you can think of that I'm missing?


Don't need a monitor, keyboard, speakers, or mouse. Planning on overclocking, but have never done it before. Would like it to run cool and quiet.

Could use your guys' help filling out this build. Don't know which case, PSU, or OD to go with. Not sure if I need a sound card or not.

All advice, suggestions, and thoughts are welcome! Thanks for reading.


 

Kamab

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Aug 16, 2010
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For PSU, your going to want around a 550W 80+ rated bronze or better PSU with at least 36A on its 12V line.

As for the 6950, its pretty comparable to the 560ti so look for whichever one is a better deal at the time. The 6970 matches up pretty well with the 570 as well (AMDs cards doing worse with AA and better with super high resolution). If you want to unlock a 6950 you are going to have to get one of the older reference designed cards that this is possible on. You can find the models that this should work on all over forums. If you aren't going to try to unlock a 6950, don't bother getting the 2GB model, as its performance is almost identical to the 1GB model.

560Ti's tend to overclock pretty well also, if that is something you are interested in.

If you cannot find a 1TB HDD under 100$ you are looking in the wrong place. You might want to invest in a SSD for your boot drive, as they pay off in snappiness and a highly improved user experience.

As for the case, It depends on what size/weight/form factor you want. Thermaltake has some solid cases and I would recommend them. Most optical drives are pretty generic. Just buy one that is cheap with decent ratings.
 

beenthere

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If you want to objectively, accurately and scientifically determine what PSU power is required for your Vid card and PC in both watts and 12v rail amps., the forum Utility link below will show you how easy it is to calculate this information and objectively determine which PSUs are quality built, reliable PSUs that can meet your needs. Be advised that the available 12v rail amps. is just as important as the total PSU wattage. You need both to be correct.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/314712-28-please-read-determine-power-required
 

Never plan overclocking until you MASTER the construction of the PC. A first build is a good way to waste a lot of money on burned up parts. LEARN the ropes FIRST.
 

Bo0ja

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Oct 26, 2011
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UPDATE:

Processor: Intel i5 - 2500k ($215)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115072

CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO ($32)

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

Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ($125)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157271

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) ($50)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231314

Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100312-3L Radeon HD 6950 2GB ($260)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102954

PSU: OCZ ZT Series 650W Fully-Modular ($90)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341051

HDD: Still waiting for a deal, kicking myself for not buying the Barracuda on Amazon when it was only 80 bucks -_-

OD: SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black ($20)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151243

Case: Rosewill BLACKHAWK Gaming ATX Mid Tower ($100)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147107

Originally I wanted to keep this under $1000 but with the CPU Cooler, the nicer case, and the modular PS, I'm right on the edge. That's without any deals and assuming I'll find a 1TB HDD within the next month for $100.

Any thoughts on this build? I'm open to any changes.

I'm also debating whether or not I want to shell out another $115 and get a SSD. They sound awesome but I know I'd probably have to downgrade the case and the PS to not get too crazy. It's hard to stay disciplined with this kind of stuff. Everything looks like something I want haha.
 

lightus

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Sep 28, 2011
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What operating system are you going to run? If you don't have any discounts, this can be an unexpected high dollar item.

Are you going to be using wi-fi? Don't forget to include your wireless card.

I was debating getting an SSD when I did my build two years ago. I bought a WD Velociraptor instead. I still don't feel the need to buy an SSD until the gigs/dollar ratio is a bit better.
 

Bo0ja

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Oct 26, 2011
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Windows 7 but luckily I have a copy of it already so I can put that money elsewhere. I have a wireless router but it's in my room so I'm just gonna stick with the ethernet connection. You're probably right about the SSDs and knowing that I'll be overclocking at some point, it'd be wiser to spend the money on a case with better cooling. I can always buy one when they do get cheaper and I feel like I need to have one. Thanks for the help.