Sub $1500 by 1/15 - would like input

craigswerk

Distinguished
Jan 2, 2012
2
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18,510
Approximate Purchase Date: Before January 15th

Budget Range: $1500 before rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (SWTOR mainly; Civ, Skyrim, maybe a few others), surfing the 'net, little bit of Excel work

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, speakers, OS Win7 64-bit

Preferred Websites for Parts: Amazon, NewEgg

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: Not too stiff on this - would like Intel & nVidia if possible

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Good chance in the future (thinking about a year or two down the line)

Monitor Resolution: Probably 1920x1080 - still waiting on a good monitor

Additional Comments: I've never built a computer before. I'll likely have some help from a friend while assembling it. I usually have FF open with 15-20 tabs in each instance while I'm surfing. Would prefer something that is relatively quiet.

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MOBO: ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.797221 $384.98

Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W
(combo w/ MOBO) $000.00

PSU: XFX 850W Core Edition Power Supply
http://www.amazon.com/850W-Core-Edition-Power-Supply/dp/B0045L4BNW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325463570&sr=8-1 $94.99 AR

Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325456994&sr=8-1-fkmr0 $22.51

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9B
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233196 $48.99

GPU: ASUS ENGTX560 TI DCII TOP/2DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 560 Ti
http://www.amazon.com/ENGTX560-DCII-TOP-2DI-1GD5/dp/B004RJJV1Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325456298&sr=8-2 $229.99 AR

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200 500 GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s 16 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive
http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST500DM002/dp/B005CT56R6/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1325457572&sr=1-1-fkmr0 $82.99

SSD: Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR120GB 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226236 $184.99

CD/DVD ROM: LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289 $19.99

TIM: MASSCOOL G751 Shin-Etsu Thermal Interface Material
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080 $4.99

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I'm aiming to spend less than $250 for the rest
. Maybe changing a few things in the current lineup will allow me some flexibility. Here are a few things I've thought that might need to get addressed:

I need a monitor. I used to have a 22" Viewsonic that lasted me awhile and I thought that size was nice. I don't really like glossy monitors or LCDs. I believe I have a 24" Dell LED at work that doesn't cause a lot of eye strain. Additionally, I'd imagine two 22" monitors would work out nice in the future if I end up moving to SLI.

I'm open to suggestions about cases. The Antec is about as much as I'd be willing to spend.

I have a 500 gig external WD HDD that has been running solid for about 5 years now. Have a lot of music and other assorted files on it. I'll probably transfer a lot of that over to my main drive.

Should I get a decent sound card? I have Klipsch 2.1 speakers right now. Nothing too crazy.

What should I do about WiFi?

Will I need any cord connectors with what I'm ordering? I'm not sure if cables are included with some of the items on my list.

I wouldn't mind reducing the SSD size or getting rid of it completely if needed for budgetary reasons.
 

NeutralEnergy

Distinguished
Nov 22, 2011
186
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18,710
lol you have quite a lot of questions (not that there is anything wrong with that :D ). I'll answer them as best as I can.

Everything seems nice except...

Don't ever get any Thermal Paste other than Arctic Silver. Trust me, it REALLY makes a difference. Arctic Silver makes the best thermal paste out there and it'll lower your CPU temps by a considerable amount (5-10 degrees C).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

This one is up to you but I do recommend getting an EVGA card opposed to an Asus card. EVGA tends to have better customer service. Also, they have a step-up program in case you ever want to upgrade(see here- http://www.evga.com/support/stepup/ ). If you got a gtx 560 ti factory overclocked then you'd be all set for awhile.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130610
$229.99 after rebate.

The monitor. I really, really recommend the Asus 23" monitor.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236175
I'm on it right now, and it is great. If it's too much strain, you can lower the LED backlight and it's good right off. Asus really does make some of the best monitors around.

The case. So... Normally I'd recommend a Corsair case, but they do tend to be more expensive. If your looking at a cheap, basic case that looks decent I'd completely suggest a Rosewill Challenger.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153
Trust me, I got an Antec 900 case after hearing all the good reviews and wow... I was disappointed. You can't see much through the side window, the inside is white, there absolutely horrible cable management, a lot of it is made of plastic,etc. I could keep going. The Rosewill Challenger is half the price of the Antec 900 ($50) and looks like it's just about twice as good. Also, Rosewill is a part of Newegg so... You really can't go wrong with them.

The sound card. No, you do not need a sound card if you are questioning it. The motherboard you are getting is an expensive one and comes with a great sound card. Sound cards are for audiophiles. People whoa re addicted to amazingly good music and sound (like me :D ). But trust me, you will be satisfied with the sound card that comes integrated with that board.

WiFi... I personally am not a fan of WiFi. You really do get MUCH better internet connection through an ethernet cord. If I were you I would spend the bit of extra time and money to get an ethernet cable routed around the house/apartment. Otherwise, you can get a WiFi card. A WiFi card will go into one of your PCI slots and will recieve WiFi from a router. You can get any WiFI card, they are all pretty much the same. Like this one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833315109
Seems like its pretty good.

The connectors. Don't worry about them. Your products come with everything needed.

The SSD. I usually don't recommend getting one at the moment, as the prices are pretty huge. Instead of getting an SSD I'd really recommend spending just a bit extra cash and getting a second gtx 560 ti overclocked from EVGA. Two of those together is about a 20+ percent increase in performance over the gtx 580 and much cheaper, too. If you get 2 gtx 560 ti's... I would be extremely envious (although I'm doing that soon :D ). Otherwise, if you really want an ssd then go for a 60gb. This one is up to you.

Well then, any more questions? I'd be glad to answer them. One last thing. You should learn to overclock if you don't already know. The i5 2500k has amazing overclocking abilities and its a waste of money to buy one and not overclock it. You don't need to do extreme overclocking just get it up to 4.0 GHz and it's a piece of cake.

Hope this helps!

-Neutral

 

craigswerk

Distinguished
Jan 2, 2012
2
0
18,510


Thank you SO much for your input. I was a little bit apprehensive putting this post up since it's my first time on the forums. I tried to research as much as possible and still had a lot of questions. Glad that someone could help me out a bit!

I'll take your word on the thermal paste - I'd rather not roll the dice to save a few bucks on that stuff. The OC'd EVGA is the same price as the ASUS GPU so I'll take a good look at that. Also, one of the consultants I work with has an ASUS monitor and really enjoys it as well. Nice to know you can lower the backlight. I'm not afraid to alter the settings until it's just right.

As for the case, I was looking at this Antec http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Mid-Tower-Gaming-Hundred-V3/dp/B004ALI5KC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325458375&sr=8-1 but I don't mind shelling out $50 bucks less if the Rosewill can provide comparable air flow and cable management.

The Klipsch speakers are pretty nice and got them steeply discounted. I always have music playing and have done a lot of recording work, so although I'm not experienced with post-production work, I want to assure I'm getting that right blend of price & quality.

I'll think about the WiFi vs. ethernet point. I like the idea of having the SSD but, in all reality, don't really have a huge need for it. I don't mind waiting a bit longer for my OS to boot up and it doesn't seem to have much, if any, impact on gaming performance. I suppose I can add it later if prices drop a bit.

If I get the two overclocked GTX 560 Ti GPUs, will I have to get any software or set anything up differently? If I have the $50 from getting the Rosewill over Antec + $190 from the SSD then I'll have enough for the card. I'll definitely have enough left for the monitor as well.

Looks like I'll stay under budget on this one. Pretty happy about it. I may have a few more questions - thanks for your help!!
 

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