[Solved] Need advice for a Christmas gaming build

Hi! I am building a gaming build for myself for the holidays.

Approximate Purchase Date: This week

Budget Range: I would like to keep the budget under 790 dollars

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, watching movies, and web surfing

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, and Graphics Card(See additional comments for the GFX)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, but I will consider other sites.

Country: United States, Arkansas

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe, see additional comments

Monitor Resolution: 1440x900

Additional Comments:
-I plan to reuse my GTS 450 graphics card for this build, but I plan to upgrade both my graphics card and monitor at a later date.
-I also plan to add in an SSD at a later date.
-While I've heard that SLI and Crossfire easily max games, I've also heard about micro stuttering issues with these types of setups as well. I don't whether to stay single card or not.
-This is also my first time building a computer!

Here are the parts I will be using.
Case: COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN2 CM690 II Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Power Supply: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)
Storage: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
DVD Burner: LITE-ON DVD Burner
CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO

Price(Before Rebates): $787.92

Tell me what you guys think.

Reply to k-kid

it's a very nice set up there
that mobo is a little flimsy and bios is crap ... I would go with Asus
but I don't think it'll fit ur budget
also go for low profile ram so it doesn't interfere with ur cpu cooler
and get some thermal paste like arctic silver ceramiq

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to madchemist83

Best answer

Hi there! Welcome to the forums.

A Christmas build? Absolutely exciting. Let's get started so we can have it done as soon as possible. Shipping will no doubt be bogged down this time of year and I'd hate for you to have to wait until after Christmas for the parts to come in.

Excellent job! You did a great job making that build. I would only change a few things.
-Keep the mobo. Comment above is personal opinion, as is mine. I have used that exact board in a build for a friend and it is a CHAMP! Lovely board, lots of features especially for the price. One of the best budget boards out there. Keep it.
-RAM is out of stock. Try this stuff! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820104173 Save a bit of money while you're at it.
-PSU is overkill. However, keep it. If you wish to do dual cards at a later date this will allow you to do so. It can handle cards all the way up to a pair of 6970's.
-That drive is aweful expensive. Try this one instead! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822145299 Much better price. Might even let you slip in an SSD
-Case. I LOVE the 690 II, don't get me wrong. But the HAF line needs some lovin too! Look at the HAF 912 and HAF 922. Both are excellent cases and worth a mention.

That's all I got. If you'd like an SSD, try this one for size! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227725 It's on the small side but gets the job done.

Cheers, let me know what you think

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by striker410 on 12-19-2011 at 05:35:43 AM

Reply to striker410

did u just call him a tit ? "Save a bit of money while you're a tit"
rotflmao
ok serious now
that Sammy HDD is on sale right now .. get it .. the linked from striker is crappy hitachi and only has 16mb of cache
that cm is way better then HAfs u suggested .. they don't have filters (just in front)
if u want to do better consider fractal design arc midi .. the only thing is that the shipping cost is atrocious
no SSD on ur budget

Reply to madchemist83

madchemist83 wrote :

it's a very nice set up there
that mobo is a little flimsy and bios is crap ... I would go with Asus
but I don't think it'll fit ur budget
also go for low profile ram so it doesn't interfere with ur cpu cooler
and get some thermal paste like arctic silver ceramiq

The reason I went with the Asrock mobo is because I noticed that it is suggested alot and receives positive feedback from these forums. If there is another mobo that is better than the Asrock mobo and is the same price, feel free to suggest.

Reply to k-kid

striker410 wrote :

Hi there! Welcome to the forums.

A Christmas build? Absolutely exciting. Let's get started so we can have it done as soon as possible. Shipping will no doubt be bogged down this time of year and I'd hate for you to have to wait until after Christmas for the parts to come in.

Excellent job! You did a great job making that build. I would only change a few things.
-Keep the mobo. Comment above is personal opinion, as is mine. I have used that exact board in a build for a friend and it is a CHAMP! Lovely board, lots of features especially for the price. One of the best budget boards out there. Keep it.
-RAM is out of stock. Try this stuff! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820104173 Save a bit of money while you're at it.
-PSU is overkill. However, keep it. If you wish to do dual cards at a later date this will allow you to do so. It can handle cards all the way up to a pair of 6970's.
-That drive is aweful expensive. Try this one instead! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822145299 Much better price. Might even let you slip in an SSD
-Case. I LOVE the 690 II, don't get me wrong. But the HAF line needs some lovin too! Look at the HAF 912 and HAF 922. Both are excellent cases and worth a mention.

That's all I got. If you'd like an SSD, try this one for size! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227725 It's on the small side but gets the job done.

Cheers, let me know what you think

Thanks for the suggestions!
- I thought the G.Skill ram was still in stock. lol I'll settle with the ram you suggested.
- That drive is insanely cheap. Who knew there were still hdds under 100$? lol! The problem is that I will be using the hdd for the boot drive until I can get a 120gb ssd in there. So for now I need a more reliable drive, which would be the F3
- I was actually looking at the haf 922 aswell. I'm actually stuck between the two. Which case has better airflow? Better cable management? Which case is bigger?

Oh and sorry for the double post. My web browser goofed up and would not let me edit my previous reply.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to k-kid

I see a lot of comments about the Asrock X3Gen3 being flimsy. Compared to what?
I have one and didn't find anything flimsy about it. You might need to support the MB from below with your fingers while installing the 20+4 pin power connector but that's it. After all, once installed it's not like you are going 4-wheeling in the thing!

Reply to DelroyMonjo

here u go http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128488

Reply to madchemist83

ehh compared to pretty much everything else
PCB itself

Reply to madchemist83

Chemist have you ever used it, or are you just trolling because you don't like ASRock? It's a highly rated board for an excellent price.

Reply to striker410

k-kid wrote :

Thanks for the suggestions!
- I thought the G.Skill ram was still in stock. lol I'll settle with the ram you suggested.
- That drive is insanely cheap. Who knew there were still hdds under 100$? lol! The problem is that I will be using the hdd for the boot drive until I can get a 120gb ssd in there. So for now I need a more reliable drive, which would be the F3
- I was actually looking at the haf 922 aswell. I'm actually stuck between the two. Which case has better airflow? Better cable management? Which case is bigger?

Oh and sorry for the double post. My web browser goofed up and would not let me edit my previous reply.

Alright, the Spinpoint F3 is my favorite drive so I can't say no to that xD

The HAF 922 is larger I believe. Also has better airflow (due to the 200MM in the front) Not sure about cable management. Either way I think you'll love the case, just pick what looks good!

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to striker410

Oh my god say trolling one more time and you'll getty an arrow to a knee
I haven't owned one personally but I had a chance to take a close look at it and yes it is thin.

Reply to madchemist83

striker410 wrote :

Alright, the Spinpoint F3 is my favorite drive so I can't say no to that xD

The HAF 922 is larger I believe. Also has better airflow (due to the 200MM in the front) Not sure about cable management. Either way I think you'll love the case, just pick what looks good!

I think I'll stick with the 690 II. The HAF 922 used to be the same price as the 690 II, but now its 104.99$?
I also have a question about the Asrock z68 extreme3 gen3 mobo. I've heard that the mobo is a bit smaller than the standard ATX size. Do you think it will fit inside the 690 II properly?

Reply to k-kid

Yes, it will fit. I have not heard about that but then again I've only used the extreme4. Either way it is designed to fit into an ATX case. I am 100% sure it will fit, haha.

Hmm, yeah sometimes prices just go up and down. Don't worry the CM 690 is a gorgeous and functional case. I'm sure you'll love it

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to striker410

692 is a good case.
It will fit the problem is that when u put 2 gpus in it'll cover up sata ports. it's poor design.
Check out reviews at hardocp on two similar mobos

Reply to madchemist83

Thank God for 90 degree Sata pivots, right? It's not like having 2 GPU's would actually block the sata ports. They are turned 90 degrees like this: http://cdn5.tweaktown.com/content/3/0/3007_10_full.jpg I seriously don't see why you hate this board so much.

Reply to striker410

Well, now your MB is sold out, lol. So no more arguing.

Message edited by SinisterSalad on 12-19-2011 at 09:04:45 PM

Reply to SinisterSalad

Oh did I mention 2 years warranty? Compared to 3 with everyone else. If its built with quality components then why reduced warranty? It's not that I hate the board it's that I can't stand people praising it as a best mobo and suggesting it in every single build.

Reply to madchemist83

striker410 wrote :

Yes, it will fit. I have not heard about that but then again I've only used the extreme4. Either way it is designed to fit into an ATX case. I am 100% sure it will fit, haha.

Hmm, yeah sometimes prices just go up and down. Don't worry the CM 690 is a gorgeous and functional case. I'm sure you'll love it

Thanks for your input!
I wish Asrock had a 3 year warranty on its mobos, but with all its features at a reasonable price (which fits my budget), I'm going to give Asrock a shot!

Here's my final build:
Case: COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN2 CM690 II Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Power Supply: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB)
Storage: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
DVD Burner: LITE-ON DVD Burner
CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO

The only change I made was the ram. Not much, but at least I saved some bucks.
Anymore changes you think I should make before hitting order?

Reply to k-kid

Looking good my friend! If you'd like an additional $15 go with this PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371051 Just as good as the Corsair.

Reply to striker410

Best answer selected by k-kid.

Reply to k-kid

Where's your GPU?

Message quoted 1 times

droozel wrote :

Where's your GPU?

He's using an old GTS 450 until it's necessary to upgrade.

Reply to striker410

Oh sorry didn't saw that

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