$1500 gaming pc - need advice please

I pretty much started looking at building a PC this morning. Here is what i am thinking of doing:

Approximate Purchase Date: next 2 weeks
Budget Range: $1500ish
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, everyday normal use, photo editing (later on)
Parts Not Required: Mouse
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (Newegg or amazon
Country of Origin: US
Overclocking: Yes
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 ??
Additional Comments: Quiet would be nice.


Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119197

Power Supply: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139020

Motherboard: 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/Prod [...] 6813131730

Processor: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] i7%202600k
**edited**

HD : Crucial 128 GB m4 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT128M4SSD2

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-2-5- [...] 658&sr=1-1

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820233144

GPU: EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1563-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130610

Monitor: ASUS VE278Q Black 27" 1920x1080 2ms Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824236103

What is a good cheap cd/dvd drive?

Thanks for your input!

Hi my friend. Your components look good except that you don't need the i7-2600 and it's not unlocked.

This is a good cheap dvd/cd drive.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827136238

Get this i5-2500k (Best CPU for value/gaming)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115072

It's best to get a 750w, if you want to SLI.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371051

Thanks cutebeans. I meant to add the unlocked i7. I figured I would just get the best for now, I dont want to deal with upgrades for a while. Thoughts on that reasoning?

What 850w power supply would you recommend that is around $100?

Anyone have experience with this one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817517003

There's no difference between the i5 and i7 in gaming. So, the i5-2500k would be the best for you right now.

The i7-2600k is $100 more expensive than the i5 because it has hyperthreading(that's it, just one feature) which you really won't use.

Of all the parts in a build, the PSU is the most important. It ties everything together. It can be like a factory for energy. The energy needs to be clean and sufficient. It will be used to run a city and keep everything moving. Yes, it can be expensive, but having bad energy produced will cause problems. You will have power outages, safety concerns, and more. Sure it can be cheaper to use bad energy, but if you want everything in it's best condition and having it last, don't go cheap on energy.

Can save a bit on the mobo

ASRock Z68 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 (has Pcie 3.0)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157264

ASRock Z68 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z68
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157250

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 (also has pcie 3.0)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 20extreme4

If you want a quiet case then I wouldn't get the HAF, in order to maximize quietness a case should only have front intake and rear exhaust fans (no side or top panel fans), no side window & no side or top vents. I would suggest something like this if you want quiet, which I did a build for my roommate with. All you can hear is some air movement.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119207

As for the cheap DVD drives I would stick with LG or lite-on in the $18-20 range for a DVD burner, the Sony's tends to spin up discs very loudly in my experience.

They are also correct in the PSU dept, go 750W+ if you plan to SLI another 560 Ti later.

Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371049

Antec CP-850 850W Continuous Power CPX SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371024

You'll also want a CPU cooler as mentioned

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835103065

Happy building!

Of course, but make sure you have some sort of connection available to it (HDMI, DVI, etc.). Also, it would be best if it's 1080p. If it's 720p, either change some things in your current setup (weaker GPU for example), or go with the current monitor for better visual quality and field of view.

The vizio has HDMI in but it is 720p. I dont want to go with a weaker gpu because i prob will get a new monitor eventually. I am sort of leaning towards home theater/gaming pc. Just need to figure out a good setup for keyboard mouse now. Hmm what to do with that extra $$$ that im not spending on the monitor?
Can anyone direct me, or explain how using a smaller ssd as cache works?

Ditch the 2600k use a 2500K instead and add the money for a nice 570 maybe a MSI twin frozer or ASUS DCUII

I believe that card is 3 slots. No. If you plan on SLI, you need to have the cards well spaced if you do not want them to overheat. Since those are 3 slots, they are going to take up a lot of room on your MoBo. Get either an EVGA model, Gigabyte model, or an MSI model.

Go with this model:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130593

The other one is $10 more for DisplayPort, which you do not need.

Looks good to me.

Great build looks like it will make you very happy

The Hyper 212 EVO is a few bucks more and has a better copper base design to keep your CPU several degrees cooler. Go for it. There's low-profile vengeance RAM, if your interested. Why the i7 2600K? An i5 2500k offers great performance in most, if not all categorize (especially since your main priority is gaming). The only major difference is HT, which is more of a want than a need. A hundred more for HT isn't a good deal IMO.

That's fine then. No point in the best of the best if you cannot take full advantage of what it has to offer, and if you are not going to benefit much from it. HT gives about a fair amount of performance boost in apps that can utilize it (games ATM do not). Majority are rendering programs and benching programs. If those aren't things you do often, then the $100 extra isn't worth it. By the time programs that you use often (games for example) take advantage of HT or you become really interested in those things, you may already need a new CPU. An i5 2500K should already be enough-if not more than enough-for you current and future needs. The extra boost isn't a major importance.

In the end, it's your call. If you really want an i7 2600K (there's an i7 2700K, but it's a complete waste), then go for it. If you want to spend your money wisely, and conserve as much as possible based on your needs, an i5 2500K.Sometimes, spending more isn't smart. A 6990 for Source games is a waste. An i5 2500K for email is a waste, but in the end, it's your money; just spend it wisely.

Update drivers, I assume

I had an issue with Crysis 2 similar to yours. You start the game with fullscreen disabled. When you get the game started, change it back to fullcreen.

If you are talking about the EVGA CD with the drivers, no, that's not necessary.

Nice looking build. Post that in the Toms Member's Gallery if you haven't done so.

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ITEMS:
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Code: SP2Z $1,520.00 x 1 $1,520.00
Holiday Special II (NO MONITOR)
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Holiday_Special_II/

*BASE_PRICE: [+989]
BLUETOOTH: None
CAS: * Azza Hurrican 2000 Full Tower Gaming Case with 4 Hot Swappable HDD Cage & (4) 230MM Fans [+60]
CASUPGRADE: None
CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
CD2: None
COOLANT: Standard Coolant
CPU: Intel(R) Core™ i7-2600K 3.40 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified)
CS_FAN: Default case fans
ENGRAVING: NONE
FA_HDD: None
FAN: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
GLASSES: None
HDD: * 60 GB OCZ Agility 3 SATA III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 525MB/s Read & 475MB/s Write (Single Drive)
HDD2: None
IEEE_CARD: None
IUSB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
KEYBOARD: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
MB_SRT: None
MEMORY: 16GB (4GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (Kingston HyperX)
MONITOR: None
MONITOR2: None
MONITOR3: None
MOTHERBOARD: [CrossFireX] GigaByte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ Intel Smart Response Tech. & 7.1 Dolby Home Theater Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, 2x SATA-III RAID, mSATA Connector onboard, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI (All Venom OC Certified)
MOUSE: * Coolermaster Storm Spawn 3500 dpi Gaming Mouse (Black/Red) [+32]
NCSW: None
NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
OS: None - FORMAT HARD DRIVE ONLY
OVERCLOCK: Extreme OC (Extreme Overclock 20% or more) [+49]
POWERSUPPLY: 800 Watts - XtremeGear Gaming Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready [+27]
RUSH: 5% Instant Rebate for Non-Rush Delivery Order over $999 - Ships within 3 Weeks - Must Enter Coupon Code "NORUSH" during checkout [+0]
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: None
TEMP: None
TVRC: None
USB: None
USBFLASH: None
USBHD: None
USBX: None
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+363] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO2: None
VIDEO3: None
WNC: None
_PRICE: (+1520)
_view_: {B095D148-0971-40D0-AFE7-46A9E623931D}
_load_: 12/20/2011 10:22:04 AM
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Coupon: NORUSH (Non-Rush 5% Instant Rebate) $-76.00
SUBTOTAL $1,444.00
Sales Tax (N/A) $0.00
Shipping: UPS Ground $75.00
Shipping Discount $-75.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------
GRAND TOTAL $1,444.00

So here is what I am waiting for,I went with a Holiday Special II and then upgraded the stuff,i might still call them before they start building and have them make my mobo sli ready,any other suggestions?





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