Building Gaming/Multitasking Computer +/- $1500

[scottamc]

Approximate Purchase Date: Black Friday/Cyber Monday if good deals- Otherwise by end of year is ok

Budget Range: +/- $1,500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, watching streaming tv/movies, surfing, work (internet,office 2010,etc..), some video editing

Parts Not Required: Mouse/Keyboard, Speakers

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon (no tax?), Newegg, (US customer...so whatever is best deal)

Country: United States

Parts Preferences: Not really

Overclocking: Maybe - never done it, but open to it

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe- interested in conversation of the new SLI'ing 560/570 ti updated version or single gtx 580 (maybe sli that next year or as needed)

Monitor Resolution: 24 in monitor.. so probly 19x12

Additional Comments: Interested in slaying BF3 on all ultra settings... also want quick computer for multitasking, opening folders/programs, etc..

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FYI..my current system is a q9450 cpu, Zalman cooler, with an amd 4850 video card, 4gb mem, asus mobo, enermax psu, fatality sound card, p180 antec case. Several HD's. Older dell 24in that I will take to my office to use as 2x 24 in Monitors.
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So like I said above, I am curious about what the pro/cons of getting the gtx 580 vs waiting till the 560/570 ti revised version coming out next week when playing a game such as bf3 on all ultra settings. Also how that effects watching video, editing video, and any other multitasking.

I am open to suggestions on all items.

CASE- COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $79 + w/20 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

Monitor- Asus VE248H Black 24" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers $169.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236102

PSU- Rosewill BRONZE Series RBR1000-M 1000W Continuous@40°C, 80Plus Bronze Certified,Modular Cable Design,Active PFC"Compatible ... $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182188

MEMORY- CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9 - $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186

MOBO- ASUS P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131730

HD- Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) with Transfer Kit -$214.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448

GPU- (FOR NOW) EVGA 015-P3-1580-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
+
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 ...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.749799

Combo Deal for $672 + w/10 rebate (Separately around $199 CPU and $499 GPU)

TOTAL- $1,457.92

Will pick up Misc Burner.

The mobo was somewhat random, so I don't really know how to pick the property mobo for my needs. Not sure if there are features on a slightly more expensive mobo that is worth it or if there is something a little less expensive that is fine as well.

Also, do I need a CPU cooler?


Any thoughts, suggestions, corrections??

 

[Emelth]

Its a pretty good build as is, if you plan to OC you will need a CPU Cooler. The Hyper 212 Plus or Hyper 212 EVO are both good.

The combo deal is great I would grab it in a heartbeat

I saw the deal on the Rosewill PSU as well and man it is a great deal for a 1000W PSU. Hopefully you have no problems with it but Wattage wise if will be able to handle it all easily even if you add another 580.

The motherboard can be changed to a $150 board that will still be able to do everything you need it to

 

[scottamc]

FYI... just priced out the exact same build, minus the monitor, and it came out $108 bucks cheaper on Amazon. Free ship and no tax was the savings.

$1,299 (Shipped) for everything but the Monitor on Amazon
$1,407 (Shipped) for everything but the Monitor on Newegg

Only item I swapped out was these memory sticks (also look to be low profile)
Kingston Technology HyperX 8 GB (2x4 GB Modules) 1600 MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Kit (PC3 12800) 240-Pin SDRAM KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX - $39.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104173

They seem to be well rated on Newegg & Amazon.

Any feedback to the rest of my system? Comments on the video card selection sli 560/570ti revised vs single 580 when playing something like bf3 ultra settings.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

The case was great in its day, but its lack of front USB port makes it too outdated.

I wouldn't go near a Rosewill PSU

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3566/rosewill_rgd1000_1000w_modular_power_supply/index6.html

Here's an excellent case at an astounding price of $80:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=-1&isNodeId=1&Description=Carbide+500R&x=0&y=0

Other than the CP-1000, there's not many decent PSU's that don't crunch up to the $200 mark. But that requires a compatible Antec case.

Twin 900 MHz 560's will give ya 40% more fps than a single 580.....the 2nd 580 only gives ya 10% more than the twin 560's ......is it worth $1000 versus $460 for 10% ?

But next week there's another option. The new 560-448 is a hybrid 560/570 and goes on sale November 29.....The anticipated cost is < $250 each.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nvidia-s-GTX-560-Ti-448-Core-Get-Detailed-Expected-on-Nov-29-233176.shtml

With the 560/570's an 850 watter will do.....XFX Black Edition 850 is $90 and an excellent unit.

 

[inzone]

You have a nice quality build going there and the combo deal is great. I would stick with the GTX 580 as you can play most all games at the highest settings and by getting one now for a good price when the next version is released then the prices drop a little you can pick up another and be guarenteed to be able to play any game at ultra settings and have a high fps. A GTX 570 is no slouch either but it is not a 580 and you could not go wrong with it , but I would prefer a 580.

 

[scottamc]

Another interesting case that supports the usb 3.0 on the front

Rosewill Blackhawk http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147107&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=wyecsh40twx1 $69 with no rebates needed

The one you mention looks like nice case but it's $109 for the white one or $139 for black with $30 rebate possibility.

Thanks for tip on PSU. I do want to wait and see what the new 560-448 hybrids are about before I make a final decision of 580 vs sli 560 hybrid.

 

[spentshells]

I agree the PSU could be replaced with a quality 700 watt PSU
Also if you are buying the 2500K an aftermarket cooler is a must.
The CM 212+ is a good buy or a Xigmatec Gaia. These cooelrs are really
they can be found for up to 29 and are the best you can do without spending another 20 dollars.

 

[scottamc]

700 watt will be ok for one single gtx 580 plus all the regular stuff? Sli in future will most likely not work I would assume with twin 580's.

What about if I go with the sli gtx 560-448 setup when it comes out next week? Will ~700 watts handle that?

I will most likely go for that cm212 or some cpu cooler. How can I be sure to fit the memory underneath the cooler? Because I think I see cheaper GSkill Memory that people recommend with big heatsinks. Thats I choose either the Low profile version, which seems a few bucks more, or actually the Kingston on sale for 39.99 that looks to be low profile.

 

[spentshells]

I'm not sure about the power needed for SLI 580's I can't say I've seen or dealt wit that but 700 is not enough. As for SLI 560 448 nobody can tell untill it is released.
But from what I see the peak wattage for a 560ti is 285watts so I'll go ahead and say no. Be safe and buy a bigger PSU.

 

[scottamc]

Ok...so i have some new updates to my build after picking up two pieces today.

Was able to jump on the Microcenter $149 i5 and $60 off z68 mobo. So...

CPU- i5 2500k
$149 Microcenter
Newegg link for ref.. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115073

MOBO- MSI Z68A-GD65G3
$139- $10 rebate Microcenter
Newegg link for ref... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130611&Tpk=msi%20z68a-gd65

So now I have these two secured, I can formulate the rest of the build.

I will be waiting to see what the new 560ti-448 are all about next week before I decide on the GPU, which will then determine what power supply I will go with, wattage wise.
Crucial M4 120 SSD will still be the choice for main HD unless a new deal comes up in the next few days.

Question I have..... now that I have this motherboard, what memory should I go with? And if I use the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 +, will that effect what memory I can use? For example, I see that some have the higher heat sinks. Do I need to avoid those if I am going with the above parts? Or will Ripjaws, etc.. be ok with their regular profile.