First build, How does this setup look?

[gannon17001]

Hello all,

I've recently decided to try and build my own computer, and it's been plenty interesting so far. How does this setup look so far? Budget is ~$1000, but I probably need a monitor, keyboard, mouse as well. Mostly intended for gaming, but not anything crazy. Also is it worth getting an aftermarket cpu cooler if I don't intend to overclock right away? (Possibly in the future) Thank you!

Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W Modular High Performance Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016

CPU: Intel i5-2500k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Ram: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

Motherboard: ASRock P67 PRO3 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157230


Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...17145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B00461E7JE

GPU: HIS H677FN1GD Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161387

 

[g-unit1111]

Also is it worth getting an aftermarket cpu cooler if I don't intend to overclock right away?

I'm personally in the minority here when I say yes to this one. Having a cooler CPU will prolong its' longevity and if you're spending $220 on a CPU it's definitely the best if its' kept cool.

Your build could use a bit of tweaking - there's not a lot that I would recommend there (I'm not a fan of Rosewill by any means).

For $1K including monitor this would be a better build:

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 - $49.99
PSU: Corsair CX600 - $69.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P - $149.99
CPU: 3.30GHz Intel Core i5-2500K - $219.99
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo - $34.99
RAM: 8GB (2 x 4GB) G.Skill Ripjaw X 1600MHz 1.5V - $43.99
HD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 7200RPM - $99.99
Optical: MSI DVD Burner - included with HD
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 - $149.99
Keyboard / Mouse: Logitech MK320 - $36.99
Monitor: Acer S220HQ 21.5" LED LCD HD - $129.99
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium - $99.99

Total: $1095.81 ($828.92 without monitor/keyboard/mouse/OS)

 

[danraies]

The g-unit1111 machine is great. If you want to cut it down a little here are some slight downgrades:

Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 - $125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
*I actually don't think this is a downgrade. It's just as good but cheaper.

PSU: SeaSonic S12II 520W - $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094
*This is a great unit and is enough power for a 6850

Hard Drive: Hitachi 500GB - $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145299
Optical: Sony 24X CD/DVD - $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118040
*The HDD+Optical combo above is actually $110. I picked the optical drive because it has free shipping.

Monitor: 20" Acer - $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009317

 

[danraies]

Oh and you can cut out the cooler. I also recommend getting the cooler (The 212 Evo would have also been my pick) because the stock cooler is loud, it doesn't cool that great, and because if you want to replace the stock cooler later you'll probably have to take the motherboard out which is a pain. However if you're cutting corners then the stock cooler will do just fine.

 

[RichterFry]

If you're spending $1000, you should be able to get a 6950.

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 ($205 with promo code)

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153 ($50)

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371035 ($58, same one I have, hasn't given me any problems)

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314 ($36 with the code)

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130616
($90 with promo code)

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145564 ($80)

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125372 ($240, plus a free game, this is an awesome price)

Keyboard/mouse: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126097 ($21)

Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009314 ($90, smaking deal, I'd buy 2 and get a cheap mouse and keyboard)

Keyboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823114008 ($80)

Mouse: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153058 ($60)

As long as my math is correct, that comes out to less than $1000. the i5 is the standard for gaming, the 6950 is a great card. Now, like I mentioned above, you could sub the mouse and keyboard for something cheap like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126097 and then get another of the same monitor I have posted. Hard to say what I would do, I love the idea of a dual monitor set up, but I also absolutely love Razer products.

Anyway, good luck.

 

[gannon17001]

Best answer selected by gannon17001.