Approximate Purchase Date: December 2011
Budget Range: Prefer to stay under 1500 but I want a solid computer
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming for me, Photo editing for my wife, programming(C#, java, etc), internet browsing
Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, speakers, and monitor
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon and Newegg
Country: USA
Parts Preferences:
Overclocking: Yes (CPU for sure, maybe video card)
SLI or Crossfire: Not now (the reason I picked a top Video Card)
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Additional Comments: I am military and can afford to build a new computer every year or two, would like to make this one last 4 to 5 years and still play most games.
I have been browsing the forums for several weeks trying to determine the best parts to get for a gaming rig. These are the parts I have come up with so far. You will notice that most if not all are from amazon, that is because my wise list is there with the parts. I am not against other sites to save some money.
CPU
Intel Core I5-2500K
CPU Cooler
Corsair Hydro Series H80 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CWCH80)
Video Card
EVGA GeForce GTX 580 3072 MB GDDR5
I choose this because I didn't want to currently mess with SLI and I wasn't sure about the micro-shuddering (yes i read the article here on tomshardware). However with that said I might SLI at a later date as an upgrade if I need more graphics power.
Motherboard
MSI LGA1155 Intel Z68 G3 DDR3 CrossFireX & SLI SATA3 & USB3.0 ATX Motherboard - Z68A-GD65 (G3)
RAM
Corsair Vengeance Blue 16 GB DDR3 SDRAM Dual Channel Memory Kit CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9B
OR
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9Q-16GBRL
Not sure which to get or if I even need 16gb of ram, 8gb might be enough.
Power Supply
Corsair Professional Series Gold 850-Watt 80 Plus Gold Certified High-Performance Power Supply - CMPSU-850AX
Is this enough if I end up getting two GTX 580 in SLI or should I go with more power?
Hard Drive
Crucial 128 GB m4 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT128M4SSD2
AND
Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
I am not sure if these are a good choice. I hear getting one big HD is bad and I probably would be better off getting 4 500gb drives but I am not sure. I don't really even need 2tb, 1tb would be enough. Advice on the HD would be appreciated.
Case
Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced Full Tower Case
Optical : I am thinking a BLU-RAY player but not sure if it is really needed.
Sound Card : Not concerned at this point
Network : I have had issues with on board LAN, always end up getting a LAN card, has anyone had issues with the board I pick with the on board LAN?
OS : WINDOWS 7 - Home (already own)
I know this build is roughly $1720, I would love to bring the price down but don't want to give up too much performance. Like I said before my initial goal was under $1500 but I will pay a little extra to ensure a lasting build.
thank you
Budget Range: Prefer to stay under 1500 but I want a solid computer
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming for me, Photo editing for my wife, programming(C#, java, etc), internet browsing
Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, speakers, and monitor
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon and Newegg
Country: USA
Parts Preferences:
Overclocking: Yes (CPU for sure, maybe video card)
SLI or Crossfire: Not now (the reason I picked a top Video Card)
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Additional Comments: I am military and can afford to build a new computer every year or two, would like to make this one last 4 to 5 years and still play most games.
I have been browsing the forums for several weeks trying to determine the best parts to get for a gaming rig. These are the parts I have come up with so far. You will notice that most if not all are from amazon, that is because my wise list is there with the parts. I am not against other sites to save some money.
CPU
Intel Core I5-2500K
CPU Cooler
Corsair Hydro Series H80 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CWCH80)
Video Card
EVGA GeForce GTX 580 3072 MB GDDR5
I choose this because I didn't want to currently mess with SLI and I wasn't sure about the micro-shuddering (yes i read the article here on tomshardware). However with that said I might SLI at a later date as an upgrade if I need more graphics power.
Motherboard
MSI LGA1155 Intel Z68 G3 DDR3 CrossFireX & SLI SATA3 & USB3.0 ATX Motherboard - Z68A-GD65 (G3)
RAM
Corsair Vengeance Blue 16 GB DDR3 SDRAM Dual Channel Memory Kit CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9B
OR
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9Q-16GBRL
Not sure which to get or if I even need 16gb of ram, 8gb might be enough.
Power Supply
Corsair Professional Series Gold 850-Watt 80 Plus Gold Certified High-Performance Power Supply - CMPSU-850AX
Is this enough if I end up getting two GTX 580 in SLI or should I go with more power?
Hard Drive
Crucial 128 GB m4 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT128M4SSD2
AND
Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
I am not sure if these are a good choice. I hear getting one big HD is bad and I probably would be better off getting 4 500gb drives but I am not sure. I don't really even need 2tb, 1tb would be enough. Advice on the HD would be appreciated.
Case
Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced Full Tower Case
Optical : I am thinking a BLU-RAY player but not sure if it is really needed.
Sound Card : Not concerned at this point
Network : I have had issues with on board LAN, always end up getting a LAN card, has anyone had issues with the board I pick with the on board LAN?
OS : WINDOWS 7 - Home (already own)
I know this build is roughly $1720, I would love to bring the price down but don't want to give up too much performance. Like I said before my initial goal was under $1500 but I will pay a little extra to ensure a lasting build.
thank you
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