Homebuilt ~$2,300 - Request for input on a few parts.

[mancubas24]

Hi All,

It has been a few years since I've built a PC but I'm looking to do it again soon. I'll post as much info as I can and leave a few questions at the end. Thank you so much in advance!


Approximate Purchase Date: 12/01-12/23

Budget Range: $2,000-$2,500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming and Internet Browsing.

Parts Not Required: Mouse and Keyboard

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg and Xoxide.com

Country: United States

Parts Preferences:

Intel CPU

nVidia Graphics Card(s)

22+ inch monitor.

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Yes / Maybe

Monitor Resolution: I don't know on this one

Additional Comments:

I'm trying to build the best rig I can without having to water cool it. It doesn't have to be top of the line but I'd like to get the most I can.

Parts:

Case:

COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119225

Antec Lanboy air Blue Black / Blue ATX Mid Tower Computer Modular Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129093

Mobo:

ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131665

Video Card:

EVGA 015-P3-1580-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130587

Power Supply:

COOLER MASTER Silent Pro RSA00-AMBAJ3-US 1000W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171049

CPU:

Intel Core i7-990X Extreme Edition Gulftown 3.46GHz LGA 1366 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor BX80613I7990X

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115079

Memory:

CORSAIR Vengeance 24GB (6 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model CMZ24GX3M6A1600C9

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145350

Monitor:

ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) Built-in Speakers

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049

HD: ?


Questions/Comments:

Is the power supply I picked out too much? Should I go for something closer to 750-850?

I listed two cases. I *think* they would both work but is there are better choice?

I'm sort of lost on what hard drive to get. I don't need lots of space. I was thinking maybe a 300 gig. Any suggested brands?

I'm not devoted to the video card and memory. They seem like good choices though. I know that the most expensive pieces aren't always the best. Is the video card worth that much?

Thanks so much for you help!! Please let me know if additional info is needed.

-Brody

 

[badtaylorx]

the vid card is a good choice

but whats not is the mobo and cpu....1366 is an older tech....id go with a sandy bridge setup from intel.......it'll cost 700 less for more performance


and yes that psu is overkill for single gpu and no overclocking

mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131702 200

cpu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115071 300


see thats 500 instead of 1200....and faster!!!


this is a nicer gfx card while were at it
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127579 525


awww hell here is a good psu too
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139016 170


and unless you're creating a ramdisk or massive photoshop work 8gigs of ram is more than enough.....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233183 130

case is good 170

hard drives are nuts right now cause of thai floods.....just get an ssd till prices snap back to reality.
well splurge on this since we've saved some cash.....this is a gread drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139599 225

and windows!!!!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116992 140


all under 1900!!!!!!!!!!

and dont worry about an expensive cooler.......you only need one if you plan on overclocking it...use the stock intel one...it'll stay plenty cool...especially in that lan boy air case

 

[mancubas24]

Ahh, thank you. So refreshing haha. I knew there had to be things that could be changed

How is the six core 1366 slower than the four core 1155? Is it because of the turbo boost?

Thanks.

 

[badtaylorx]

its a totally new arch. and design.......much more efficient.....here is a review

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-core-i7-2600k-core-i5-2500k,2833.html

 

[cyborg28]

Don't be afraid of overclocking. i5 2500k is probably the best gaming cpu out there. the 2600k outperforms it by only a tiny margin and costs an extra $100+.

Get the Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo and overclock to at least 4.2GHz, without changing anything other than the multiplier.

 

[badtaylorx]

the lil guy on your other sholder says

that 2600 i7 mated to that p67 sabertooth mobo without overclocking will last YEARS longer than an overclocked i5 on any other Z68 board!!!!!!


(this coming from one who rocks an i5 oc'd to 4.8GHz)

 

[cyborg28]

I was gonna say you're running a way bigger oc than I am. What voltage are you using?

Who cares if it lasts over 3 years I sold my 3 year old 3.4GHz Q6600 system for $450.
The guy who bought it still runs it at 3.2GHz, 1.35v.

 

[badtaylorx]

we might not care......but he may......its all about presenting him with options.....but in his op he states that overclocking is a nogo......

i keep my volts just under 1.3.......you'd think id be able to hit 5 with 1.4 but it wont......i think i gotta weird one

 

[cyborg28]

What is considered the safe voltage... Just wondering, 4.2 is plenty fast for me and I don't want to give up speed step, turbo, sleep or anything else.
Also how are raid 0 ssds working for you on P67, you know you lose trim support right?
Just noticed you have an LCLC water cooling setup. Nice!

 

[badtaylorx]

dont really need trim support.......not when it goes this fast.......got it on my data ssd's tho

not sure why.....all that stuff works on mine minus the turbo......which speed stepped@4.8 is kinda poinless


and cpu degradation starts @1.4v

 

[patapat]

Is no one going to point out that he only needs 8gb of memory?? Even 4gb is sufficient, but memory is cheap enough to get 8gb without breaking the bank.

 

[badtaylorx]

did you read my big post???


"and unless you're creating a ramdisk or massive photoshop work 8gigs of ram is more than enough.....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820233183 130 "

 

[g-unit1111]

Is the power supply I picked out too much? Should I go for something closer to 750-850?

Well there's no such thing as too much power (ask Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor... :lol: ).

Is the PSU you picked out overkill? Yes. But a 750 - 850W is perfect for what you need it do, plus you'll have more than enough ample room for future expansion. However if you want to get a 580, you'll need some serious power as it's a very power hungry GPU. Try this PSU - it's one of the best price/performance PSUs on the market:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703028

I listed two cases. I *think* they would both work but is there are better choice?

Both are good choices but I'd heavily suggest and recommend the Corsair Carbide and Graphite series. Excellent, huge, roomy cases for not a lot of money.

I'm sort of lost on what hard drive to get. I don't need lots of space. I was thinking maybe a 300 gig. Any suggested brands?

Get a 128GB SSD and a 500GB standard drive - that will be plenty. One thing to keep in mind is that if you're using this system for games anything 300GB and below will fill up quickly as each game is anywhere from 8 - 16GB, plus a full Windows install is at least 16GB. So keep that in mind.

I'm not devoted to the video card and memory. They seem like good choices though. I know that the most expensive pieces aren't always the best. Is the video card worth that much?

The EVGA 580 is one of the best GPUs on the market right now, hands down. And they're a very reputable brand on top of that.

I actually would scrap buying the 990X - it's serious overkill and it's incredibly stupid to spend $1000 on a CPU that's outpaced and outperformed by a CPU that costs 1/3 the cost of the 990X (the i7-2600K).

Try this build:

Case: Corsair Carbide 500R White - $139.99
PSU: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MKII 950 Watt - $149.99
Motherboard: EVGA Z68 FTW - $299.99
CPU: 3.40GHz Intel Core i7-2600K - $319.99
Cooler: Corsair H100 - $119.99
RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance (4 x 4GB) 1600 MHz 1.5V - $89.99
SSD: 128GB Samsung 830 - $209.99
HD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB - $149.99
Optical: LG Blu Ray Burner - $81.99
Video Card: EVGA Geforce GTX 580 - $499.99
OS: Windows 7 Pro - $139.99
Monitor: Asus VH236HG - $189.99

Total: $2219

 

[mancubas24]

Wow, thanks for the help guys. Very appreciative!! I'll definitely make some adjustments.

-Brody

 

[mancubas24]

Best answer selected by mancubas24.