~$600 Gaming rig - First build

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Ehloco

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Please Check LAST post for latest thoughts on build - thank you!



Approximate Purchase Date: This week -- Black friday or Cyber monday deals!

Budget Range: 500-600 maybe a little more (Before) / After Rebates (how good are the rebates if looking at after :p)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (for the most part D3)

Parts Not Required: Mouse and Keyboard (have a 6 year old dell monitor - could use upgrade)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Was looking at these so far - Any website is fine I guess... As long as the parts get here :p

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz

Chose this one because I read i3 isn't so good for gaming and because it is INTEL. But I haven't looked at many AMDs...

PowerColor AX6870 1GBD5-2DH Radeon HD 6870

NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK

Country: U.S

Parts Preferences: I'm new to this... Reliable?

Overclocking: (No) - doubt I'll need to?

SLI or Crossfire: (Maybe?)

Monitor Resolution: Eh... Doubt my monitor is 1920, prob ~1680... Planning for a 1920 though.

Additional Comments:

So many different builds I keep searching for. I am just overwhelmed by how many different set up I see and I am not sure what it is I am looking at, no time to learn PC all components right now! I would like to make the best decision I can with my limited budget.

Don't care about esthetics. Or loudness of fans as long as it is not hindering performance or lifespan (of course, it's nice though)

Thank you for reading - And any answers

Cheers,
Jon
 
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Sailor Moon

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You might want to shop on Newegg. Please add-up everything in your original post. Anyways,

PSU: HEC Zephyr 750W $69
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339002
CPU: Intel i5 2500k $200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
GPU: HD 6870 $174
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150561
Monitor: Acer S201HLbd $89
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009256
RAM: Ripjaws 2gb x2 $29
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
Case: NZXT Gamma $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1eeljsokwyrzc
Disc Drive: Sony Black 18X $17
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118031
HDD: Barracuda 500gb 5900RPM $69
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148725

Grand total is $677!. However, I didn't include the price of Windows 7. You can save a bit of money by getting a slightly cheaper PSU. You could also get a cheaper AMD processor and then overclock it or buy the cheaper HD 6850 GPU.
 
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Ehloco

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Sailor moon,
Thank you for your reply, you gave me many ideas. This is an updated version of what I am currently leaning towards, please comment.

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz : $104.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808

ASRock H61M-VS LGA 1155 Intel H61: $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157241

PowerColor AX6870 1GBD5-2DH Radeon HD 6870 1GB : $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131378

Seagate Barracuda Green ST1500DL003 1.5TB 5900 : $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148725

hec Zephyr MX 750 750W Peak Output ATX12V V2.3 : $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339002

Is this compatible (or reliable)? Comes with a dvd burner as well so that would save a bit - anyt houghts?
OCZ ZS Series 650W 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power - $74.99 + free dvd burner and mail in-rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341048

NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel : $35.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061

Including the OS (W7 64-bit) Comes out to $617 (no monitor - yet)
 
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Sailor Moon

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That all looks good!The PSU looks good, especially with that mail-in rebate and free burner, glad you found a deal. However, I recommend that you get a motherboard that properly supports Crossfire so when that card starts to underperform, you can simply add another one and get a good boost in performance (but you'd probably want a 750W PSU for this, especially if you over-clock the GPUs or the CPU). If you want to over-clock the CPU, be sure to search around for some decent CPU fans.
 
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Coputernewbie

Coputernewbie

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NONONO!! I am jealous of your build! But that's not the point.

The Motherboard is an intel board. You need to look at the socket of the CPU under 'details' of the item on newegg and find a motherboard that supports the socket like the two I'm looking at for my build.

Motherboard: MSI 760GM-E51 / ASUS M5A78L-M LX AM3+ (@ NCIX.com for 50$)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006650&isNodeId=1&Description=ASUS+M5A78L-M+LX+AM&x=0&y=0

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130254

If you cant find it under details, the one on the left is an AM3 Socket and the one on the right is an AM3+ (better for upgrading)

though if you plan on keeping that GPU then the Express on the board doesnt EXACTLY fit the cards but its BARELY a drop in performance. A regular user like yourself might not even notice.

And what about RAM? Here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231274
$25

Its the best speed RAM your ASRock or the boards I suggested can handle.

Going with anything higher speed would force you to OC the board which would drop it too 1333 anyway so why waste money and create a hassle for yourself? :p

And be carefully you dont bottleneck the processor with the graphics card!

I'm sorry if me telling you this creates for work for you but I'm just trying to help.

Bottlenecking is when you have, for an extreme example, a Pentium 4 processor and a 6870 graphics card. That would slow down the graphics card horribly. Just remember, the bigger the gap in quality, the worse performance you get.

But as far as I know, you will be okay with what you have.

And on another awesome site like Newegg or NCIX is
Tigerdirect: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5213932&CatId=4622
Windows 7

64bit is best And be sure it is OEM not the Upgrade! OEM is used for a brand new system.

Sorry for the LONG post but I hope I helped! Anyother questions PM me or post here!

Talk later!,
Chris
 
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Ehloco

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CoputerNewbie, thank you for your reply! and the sick deals you shared with me. I want to ask, does the motherboard play into bottlenecking? or is it just between the processors and the graphics card? I am currently looking at another build, which I may be able to buy and upgrade.

I like that motherboard you posted, would this MB bottleneck with the 6870 and Phenom II x4?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138283

 
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Ehloco

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LAST thoughts before I buy ----

Rosewill RANGER Gaming ATX Mid Tower

Acer S211HLbd 21.5'' 5ms LED-Backlight LCD

PowerColor AX6870

PCU and Memory Combo

Cheapest Price for I5 2500k I could find

Is the power supply sufficient? Any bottlenecks? OC? :$ <3

Comes out to be $601.94 -- (don't even know if I can afford with tax :p) Before rebate!

How is compatibility? Please feel free to change anything - I was thinking this set up would last me a little longer than previous suggested.

I will buy the MB and HD at a later date (next paycheck) Can anyone suggest an upgradable (crossfire possibly) MB?

Thank you

Edit: 2500 or 2500k? Big dif in gaming? It's about a $20 difference in price... wondering
 
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