First time computer builder

[anathem]

Long time reader first time poster here! Basically I'm looking to buy/build a new computer. Emphasis heavily on gaming that can age/upgrade well. I need some skyrim and BF3 in my life!

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP

Budget Range:1200-1600

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: canadacomputers.com or any free shipping to canada website

Country: Canada

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU, Gigabite, Asus, Asrock MoBo

Overclocking:Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Mabye later

Monitor Resolution:1680x1050

Additional Comments: Doesn't need to have a particular "look". If parts are diff color so be it as long as they work together!

So here are the parts I was thinking open to any and all suggestions thanks for your time!

Intel Core i5-2500K Quad-Core Socket LGA1155, 3.30Ghz, 6MB L3 Cache, 32nm (Retail Boxed)

ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Socket 1155 Intel Z68 Chipset Dual Channel DDR3 2133(OC)/1866(OC)/1600/1333/1066 7.1 CH HD Audio Gigabit LAN 4x SATAIII 6.0 GB/s 4x SATAII 3.0 Gb/s 3x USB 3.0 ATX

Corsair Enthusiast Series Modular TX750M 80PLUS Bronze Certified 750W PSU

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series DDR3 1600MHz (PC3-12800) 8GB (2x4GB) Dual Channel Kit
Worried about this one a bit, does it matter that my mobo has 4 slots and I'm only getting 2 sticks?

Crucial 128GB SSD m4 2.5" SATA 3 6Gb/s Solid State Drive Read: 415MB/s , Write: 175MB/s
Figure what is the point of a regular drive I have another computer that has plenty of space for storage. And they are stupid expensive right now.

Asus ENGTX570 DCII/2DIS/1280MD5 nVidia GeForce GTX 570 Chipset (742Mhz) 1280MB (3800Mhz) GDDR5 Dual Dual-Link DVI-I/ HDMI/Display Port PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card

Torn between getting this OR

Asus ENGTX560 Ti DCII/2DI/1GD5 nVidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti Chipset (830Mhz) 1GB (4000Mhz) GDDR5 Dual Dual-Link DVI-I/Mini HDMI Display PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card

Will I really notice a difference for the price increase?

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium with Service Pack 1 64-Bit - 1 PC License and Media - OEM English

Corsair Carbide Series 400R Mid Tower Case

You'll notice a couple of these Items may be in store purchase. I have a couple of the Canada Computer stores here so I was thinking I could go in and get the parts in person to avoid shipping charges thus making overhead a lot less.

This one is just over 1600 after taxes. Do you see anything I could cut back on without hurting performance and updatability.

Thanks again for reading sorry about the essay

 

[patapat]

Regarding your graphics card choice, at 1680 x 1050 you really won't notice too much of a difference unless you want to play on ultra. I play skyrim on a 6950 with max settings at the same resolution and the frames rarely dip below 30. I'm not sure what kind of settings you're trying to play at, but the higher the details you want the more noticeable the performance difference becomes.

For BF3 check this for details:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/battlefield-3-graphics-performance,3063.html

Also you could probably save about $50 with your mobo choice and get something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128512

It may not overclock as well, but if you're a maybe on overclocking and SLI'ing then this mobo seems like a good fit.

 

[anathem]

Thanks for the reply pat!

I was thinking future wise on the motherboard. It is compatible with the next generation of gpu's coming out. And SLI is a possibility in the future once I'm less broke from buying this new computer.

From what I understood looking at the reviews of the motherboard mentioned in my original post, I can overclock just using the bios without having a lot of technical knowledge.

edit: As this is my first build I want to make sure it will be a stable system before adding more stress to it xD. Baby steps you know =)

 

[patapat]

When you mentioned the next-gen GPUs, were you referring to PCI 3.0 slots? It doesn't look like that board has any 3.0 slots. On that note though, the next-gen GPUs won't even fully utilize those channels.

 

[anathem]

I was referring to PCI 3.0 slots. It's possible I'm mistaken but I thought this board was able to take a 3.0 card. I can't remember it is so many reviews I've read on motherboards.

I will try a build with your suggested motherboard, unfortunately on the newegg Canada site all the products come with shipping charges.

I'm trying to avoid the shipping charges so I will do it in DirectCanada as Canada Computers is charging 234.00 for the suggested mobo.

I'll post that build in my next reply and see if it makes more sense to you.

again thanks for the feedback any is appreciated =)

 

[anathem]

SOooooo I ended up saying to hell with it and going a bit overboard. Because I decided overclocking and SLI WAS the way to go for a system with a little bit of time proofness.

Ended up sticking with Direct Canada for the free shipping and really decent prices. But got the gpu from newegg because it was less expensive there.

P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3
i5 2500k
Msi twin frozer III
8gb corsair vengance 1600
Corsair Force GT 120gb sata 3 ssd
Seagate 7200rpm 500gb sata 3 Hd
corsair 650D case
corsair 750w pro fully modular PSU 1.2v
Windows Home 64 bit oem

I think this system will be a beast that will play the newest games for at least 3 years to come unless something changes drastically.

Thanks to pat for his advice. It really motivated me to go out and do some research on much all of the parts to put this together.

To any new builders about to put together a system I have this advice for you READ!!!! There is a metric ton of information about pretty much any product out there. You just have to wade in and try and sort it all out.

Wish me luck on my first build. I'm hope to be posting in the OC forums soon enough to help me with my first overclocking attempt!

 

[anathem]

Best answer selected by anathem.

 

[patapat]

Awesome, i'm glad you found something you're satisfied with. All your parts are high-quality (i see you went with a corsair theme), proven products. One more thing you need however is an aftermarket cpu cooler. I'll list some recommendations below:

cheap, but effective:
Hyper 212+: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

pretty much the most popular cpu cooler. With rebate, this is easily the best price/performance cooler you can get.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
Updated version of the 212+. Performs similarly, but slightly better. The pipes are placed flush against one another to create a sleek surface. This makes it easier to apply the thermal paste.

pricier, but it'll help you squeeze out every bit of performance out of your cpu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018

also, if you wanted to go the water cooling route, this is a great price:
www.amazon.com/dp/B0051U7HMI/