1200$ gaming pc

[javi_garcia98]

I am trying to make my first build and its a gaming computer, here is what i plan on buying;

Case- LanBoy Air Blue

Motherboard-ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3

Processor- AMD Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition

Video Card- Radeon HD 6950 2 GB

RAM Memory- Kingston HyperX 8 GB

Hard Drive- Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB

CPU Cooler- Antec Kühler H2O 620

Optical Drive- Samsung 12x BD-ROM/16x DVD Writer Drive

Fans- about 5 Antec Blue Led 80MM Fan


If you guys could give me suggestions on improving my setup please do. i also need to know what power supply i will need, i dont know how to choose it

 

[cutebeans]

Go intel! It is the best CPU right now on the market.

i5-2500k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Asus z68 motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131781

G.skill 8gb ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

Never get a green drive for booting, get a samsung spinpoint f3.

Get the 1gb version of the 6950.

 

[AbdullahG]

On a $1200, you could do somewhat better. Try getting an AsRock Extreme3 Gen3, an i5 2500k, and an Antec High Current (Gamer or Pro) PSU.

 

[madchemist83]

If u plan on oc I would get Asus P8P67 Pro, also reconsider about water cooling vs air
R u going to CF/ Sli in the future? If yes 750W PSu will work

 

[javi_garcia98]

OK guys i have followed your advice and this is what i have... Any final changes? btw im shopping on amazon

Case- LanBoy Air Blue

Motherboard- ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3

Processor- Intel 2500k

Video Card- Radeon HD 6970 1 GB

RAM Memory- Kingston HyperX 8 GB

Hard drive- didnt find one

CPU Cooler- Antec Kühler H2O 620

Optical Drive- Samsung 12x BD-ROM/16x DVD Writer Drive

Fans- about 2 Antec Blue Led 80MM Fan

and no I dont think i will be doing sli/crossfire

 

[AbdullahG]

OK guys i have followed your advice and this is what i have... Any final changes? btw im shopping on amazon

Case- LanBoy Air Blue

Motherboard- Asus P8Z68-M Pro LGA 1155

Processor- Intel 2500k

Video Card- Radeon HD 6970 1 GB

RAM Memory- Kingston HyperX 8 GB

Hard drive- didnt find one

CPU Cooler- Antec Kühler H2O 620

Optical Drive- Samsung 12x BD-ROM/16x DVD Writer Drive

Fans- about 2 Antec Blue Led 80MM Fan

The case seems expensive. If you are running a microATX build (which it seems like), you should consider the ASUS Maximus Gene-Z or EVGA SLI Micro P67/Z68. For your case, you can get an Antec P180 Mini. If not, an AsRock Extreme3 gen3 is a nice MoBo, so are the ASUS P8P67 MoBos.

 

[madchemist83]

do u have microcenter ? they have 2500k + mobo combos for CHEAP

 

[madchemist83]

also u don't want to have small fans as they will buzz like a hive of bees ( bzzzzzz)
u need bigger fans .. also I'm not a fan of Lanboy design .. it's this opennes is what seems little off .. but it's ur personal choice

 

[cutebeans]

Never get a P67 when there are better z68 for more or less the same price.

 

[madchemist83]

why are they better .. explain

 

[javi_garcia98]

wait, im kind of a noob so I dont know what microATX is

 

[madchemist83]

it's a form factor of motherboard .. basically the size of it .. with microatx u will usually not able to do multiple gpus

 

[jpoos]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_form_factor

 

[javi_garcia98]

for now i think ill stay with a single gpu, maybe when i need to upgrade ill get an motherboard with sli

 

[javi_garcia98]

or du you think i should het a standard motherboard?

 

[cutebeans]

why are they better .. explain

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/everything_you_need_know_about_intels_new_z68_chipset

 

[madchemist83]

better to do it right away .. price difference is not that big

 

[jpoos]

seems like a hassle tbh, sli / xfire is perfectly feasable within a $1200 budget, take a look @ some of the recent toms system builder marathon $1000 pc's for ideas

 

[AbdullahG]

for now i think ill stay with a single gpu, maybe when i need to upgrade ill get an motherboard with sli

Better to have first, then to need later. ATX MoBo's tend to be cheaper than high-quality microATX boards (which aren't too common), or cost about the same.

 

[javi_garcia98]

ok i will go with extreme3 gen3 than, and the cooler you talked about reconsidering... do i change it to a heatsink or fan? I was thinking that maybe a kuhler box would work

 

[AbdullahG]

Here's a build I would go with:

Case: Corsair Carbide 400R
PSU: Corsair TX 850
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) @1600MHz
CPU: i5 2500K
CPU Cooler: Corsair H50-1
MoBo: AsRock Extreme3 Gen3
GPU: EVGA GTX 560 Ti (matches your colors ) or Radeon HD 6950 2GB
HDD: N/A; When the floods pass and the manufacturers get back into business; Samsung F3 Spinpoint 1TB when available
Optical Drive: Samsung 12x BD-ROM/16x DVD Writer Drive

If it fits in your budget, awesome.

 

[madchemist83]

from the same article "As you can see, Z68 adds very little in terms of hardware over its processor, the P67"
so it is not better .. just has more features which u might never use ...
switchable graphics not worth it unless u do encoding all day long
SSD caching - IMHO I'd rather have bigger SSD for os + some programs then small one working as a cache ... and u know bigger SSd better it is
so with all that said Z68 is not better then P67
it all comes to particular brand and model

 

[jpoos]

if budget's tight have a looky @ coolermaster hyper 212+ , if u got abit more cash to spare consider one of the better noctua coolers, nh-12 maybe? water can be effective but you're gonna have to spend some real cash on one of the double 12cm fan models to see a huge difference in cooling

 

[madchemist83]

no need for 850W PSU
case is personal prefference also Carbide 400R is excellent case
U should consider air cooler .. it's cheaper and less hassle
sorry didn't catch what resolution u plan on gaming at

 

[madchemist83]

or Corsair A70 .. beats CM hypers and only $10 more