$1000 Gaming PC, Looking for Advice

[ravcrashes]

I already posted this to some degree. Noscript was screwing up the layers on the forum and I didn't see the guide sticky at the top. My apologies to all for the infraction. Looking to build a new PC for Gaming. MMOs and the occasional Shooter.


Approximate Purchase Date: Sometime soon but i'm in no terrible rush.

Budget Range: $1000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Occasional Movie

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg/Amazon, I'll go where the deals are.

Country: Continental US

Parts Preferences: Intel/Nvidia, I can be easily swayed, I'm trusting your expertise on the matter after all.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200

Additional Comments: I don't like cases with LEDs in them, just not my style, so I bought a Antec 300 case on sale. It was well look upon in a recent review and cheap to boot. I've done a mockup of parts online but instead of linking each one specifically i'll just post the basics and let you point me to the best choice.
i7 2600k(?)
560 ti(?) Nvidia(?) Graphics Card
Z68 1155 Chipset Motherboard
12/16(?) GIGS RAM (Corsair Vengance?)
120 GIG SSD

Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.

 

[sosofm]

For gaming the best is i5 2500k http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Memory ,if you just gaming and simple stuffs then 8GB RAM is more than enough http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233196
SSD : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211569
Video card : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121425
Monitor ..for gaming an full hd 1920x1080 is great http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236174

 

[ravcrashes]

So its not worth it to spend the extra money on the next gen processor? If I'm going to build it I want it to be at least somewhat current.

If the money really doesn't make any sense then i'll gladly save the cash and buy the i5, but isn't the i7 far superior in every way?

I'll gladly go for just 8 gigs as well, I thought twelve was somewhat over kill, but the deal was half decent, so I was more bargain shopping than shopping for a particular need in that respect.

If anyone has any numbers to back up the idea of just going with the i5 instead of the i7 I'll gladly head that way.

 

[ravcrashes]

Also, any thoughts on a motherboard or power supply? There was a great deal on a corsair 650W psu that I bought earlier today, but I can easily return it.

EDIT:

Did more reading, the i5 is indeed the best value.

Questions Remaining:

Is a 650W PSU enough?

Is it worth it to buy the 2GB Version of the 560 ti for 30 dollars more?

Is the OCZ Agility 120 GIG SSD worth it for 10 dollars more than the AData?

Best motherboard Recommendation? Looking at the ASRock Z68 Extreme 4, or am I way off?

Thanks again for all your time and wisdom.

 

[raptorxrx]

Yes, keep the i5.

Which Corsair PSU, they have several 650w, although they are all good and would power your system.

The 560ti is a great card.

Make sure you get low profile RAM so you don't have trouble installing a Heatsink.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186

with

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099


IMO, I would buy the 2gb. Games like BF3 are pushing VRAM to the top on 1gb cards, and it would be more futureproofing. Other people would disagree, but I would pay for it.

I would buy a Crucial M4 or Samsung 830 SSD, as they are both more reliable, although I can't say much about ADATA.

For your mobo, I would stick to ASUS or Gigabyte.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131792

Overclocking is extremely easy, it is a simple multiplier change to get 4.0.

SLI, if you ever want to SLI, which is using two of the same GPU linked together (aka two 560ti's in your computer) I would get a 750w PSU.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

OK< parts not needed line says ya got KB, Mouse & MoBo, later on ya said you got a case.....I left the MoBo i w/o the price in case ya end up not using what ya got.

PSU - $ 90 - XFX Core Edition 850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207011
MoBo - Have - ASUS P8Z68-V Pro /GEN3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790
CPU - $ 220 - Intel Core i5-2500K http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Cooler - $ 50 - Hyper 612 PWM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103103
RAM - $ 46 - (2 x 4GB) Corsair Vengeance http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186
GFX - $ 230 - Asus GTX 560 (900MHz) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121424
GFX - Later - Same
HD - $ 110 - Spinpoint F3 1TB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
SSD - $ 215 - Mushkin Chronos Deluxe 120 GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226225
DVD Writer - $ 59 - Asus 24X DRW-24B3L w/ LS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247

That's $1,020

-No need for 2600k in a gaming rig, 2500k gives ya hyperthreading....great for video editing, CAD, rendering.....games not multithreaded .....and at hi OC's 2600 w/ HT ....runs about 7C hotter than wo/ HT off.
-No need for 16GB in a gaiming rig....again, rendering and stuff needing HT would also like 16GB
-850 watter will handle that 2nd card in SLI, 650 handles the single card....XFX gets same 9.5 jonnyguru performance rating as Corsair TX V2 series but $10 cheaper for 650 and $35 cheaper for 850
-Cooler will get ya 4.6 - 4.7 GHz
-GFX card can be OC's to as much as 30% over reference (your mileage may vary).... two of these provide 40% more fps than single 580 and for less money....2 GB good if ya resolution 2560 x 1600 or multi monitor.
http://www.pureoverclock.com/review.php?id=1201&page=17
-HD special I think ended last nite tho
-SSD is tier 3 (fastest) 120/128GB model ... also note if ya read about the SF reliability / BSOD issue, Sandforce bug was resolved w/ firmware update and Intel now using SF controllers on next gen SSD's. Check where other SSD's stand at link below.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-price-ssd,3070-6.html
-DvD does BR movies

For comparison purposes....... numbers form Guru3D game test suite

The factory OC'd 560 above gets 495 fps as a single card, 862 fps in SLI
The factory OC'd 6950 Twin Frozr gets 484 fps as a single card, 759 fps in CF

Two 580's = 953 fps
Two 570's = 873 fps (91.6% of 580's)
Two factory OC'd 560 Ti's = 862 fps (90.5% of 580's)
Two 6970's = 825 fps (86.6% of 580's)
Two factory OC'd 6950's = 759 fps (79.6% of 580's)

 

[RichterFry]

Get a 6950 over a 560, your budget can easily fit in a 2500K and a 6950.

 

[raptorxrx]

Get a 6950 over a 560, your budget can easily fit in a 2500K and a 6950.

If you read Jack's post...

 

[aznshinobi]

i5 2500K + Hyper H612 $252
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.783364
Asrock Extreme3 Gen3 Z68 $125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157281
Mushkin 8GB DDR3 1600 $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226219
HIS 6950 1GB $240 ($10 MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161388
Lepa 850w $120 ($40 MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194093&Tpk=Lepa%20850
WD Blue 500GB $43
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=59705&vpn=WD2500AAKX&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD
Mushkin Callisto 120GB $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226152
Windows 7 64-bit $69
http://www.softwaresupplygroup.com/microsoft-windows-7-home-premium-64-bit-oem-branded.html
Total: $1029 Before Rebates.
Total: $979 After Rebates

6950 1GB OC
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/49394-msi-radeon-hd-6950-1gb-twin-frozr-iii-power-edition-oc-review-11.html
Not necessarily a max overclocked 6950 1gb, the highest I've seen is 1ghz+
It performs pretty well vs the competition after OC.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/02/24/amd_radeon_hd_6950_1gb_performance_review/4
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/HD_6950_Twin_Frozr_III/26.html


Jack you should probably tell people your prices are after rebate.

 

[ravcrashes]

Thanks for all the great info.

The original post had a huge error, I have a monitor, not a motherboard, my bad.

Do I really need a ram cooler? Is something like that nessecary?

And I want to be able to play mmos at max settings, seamlessly. Do I need dual cards in SLI for that? A lot of the information i've been reading has been saying that a single card often handles it, but if not i'll pick up a bigger power supply for the one day possible extra card.

 

[aznshinobi]

The H612.... isn't a ram cooler... It's a CPU cooler, it's if you ever wanted to overclock. It's combo'd with the 2500K so you might as well get it to save some money on the cooler so you don't have to get it later on.

Dual card for MMOs aren't very effective depending on the game. The 6950 1GB would probably give you the best performance at high-res like 1920x1200, the 560 Ti is no doubt a good option too. Both are fine. Just, if you get the 560 Ti, remember to OC it otherwise it's not AS good the 6950.

 

[elayman]

You shouldn't need a RAM cooler.. They are really only for looks. A 850w PSU should handle two GPUs well.

 

[RichterFry]

Jack you should probably tell people your prices are after rebate.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. I don't see how someone can think that my post was stupid because I suggested a 6950 over a 560ti, and someone else pointed out that 2 580s are better than 2 6950s.

But to be fair, I think 2 7970s will do better than 580s

 

[raptorxrx]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. I don't see how someone can think that my post was stupid because I suggested a 6950 over a 560ti, and someone else pointed out that 2 580s are better than 2 6950s.

But to be fair, I think 2 7970s will do better than 580s

Yah, that came off a little to mean. I just meant that according to the numbers, the 560ti would do better.

The factory OC'd 560 above gets 495 fps as a single card, 862 fps in SLI
The factory OC'd 6950 Twin Frozr gets 484 fps as a single card, 759 fps in CF

 

[aznshinobi]

^ Lol where's the link? I understand the numbers but I want to see the link before assuming those are correct numbers. I respect the 560 Ti as an option, but I want links before random numbers go off. JACK.

 

[raptorxrx]

Obviously I'm not Jack, so I'm not linking, and I agree with you on looking for numbers... There about equal anyways, so I think its whatever you can find the best deal on. I responded wayyy to quick on that other post