New build looking for parts help

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darkane64

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Ok i'm replacing/upgrading my current computer

AMD Phenom II x4 925 (slightly OCed to 3.0 ghz)
Biostar mobo (A770E3)
8 gigs of DDR3 (g.skill)
Nvidia Geforce GTX 285 (BFG brand)
Power Supply is a CORSAIR 750W
Antec 900 case
Windows 7
ect.

as for as storage
c drive is: 2 OCZ 30gig SSD in raid 0 for my main windows drive but have my desktop set to run off my d drive
d drive is: 1tb 7200 samsung drive.. 32 meg ram.. blah blah blah
e drive is: misc storage 2tb

and i run 2 23" screens both at 1920x1080


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Heres what i need
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Approximate Purchase Date: next week or 2

Budget Range: 800-900 (MAYBE 1000)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming mostly MMO's SWTOR currently, surfing, watching shows

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS, hard drives, Case

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: What ever is gonna give me the biggest Bang for the Buck

Overclocking: sure as long as its stable

SLI or Crossfire: in this price range.. probly not.. but not opposed

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 (2)

Additional Comments:

I only game on 1 monitor use the 2nd one for surfing and movie watching while playing

Would like after market cpu fan/heatsink currently runnign a zulman 9500 on my amd cpu

Heres links to the the gear i plan on reusing

PSU CORSAIR 750W
Case Antec 900
Monitors Acer 23"
Windows Drive SanDisk 120g
Drive for game(s) Raid 0 OCZ Vertex Series 30GB
Mouse Razer Naga
keyboard Logitech G110
Headset GameCom 367

My plan for HD is as follows
120gig SSD as windows drive
60gig raid for a few games (currently would be SWTOR)
1tb drive for storage

and the 2 tb drive i have will probably end up as a NAS or just external

i think thats about it..
 
Solution
NeutralEnergy
Alright so....

These are the items you are looking to upgrade-
CPU
MoBo
Video Card
RAM


So first the processor. You definitely want to go with the i5 2500k.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
This processor excels over AMD's processors in every way except, of course, price. Although it's still not too pricey. Really, really great quad-core processor that's (if you want to) an extremely amazing over-clocker.

You'll need a heat sync to go with that CPU so... The Cooler Master Hyper 212+ is great.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
I really recommend getting this heat sync. I personally own it and am getting really great temps with my CPU while overclocking. It's not pricey...
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r0aringdrag0n

r0aringdrag0n

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At your budget, I would not recommend an SSD at all...buy better components and if you can afford an SSD later, go ahead and buy one, but not now. This is the build I recommend:

CPU: Intel i5 2500k $220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Graphics: GIGABYTE GV-N560UD-1G GeForce GTX 560 Ti $210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125401

MoBo: ASRock Extreme 3 Z68 motherboard $125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

PSU: Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049

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

HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB $83
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767

RAM: 8GB G.Skill Value RAM $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231422

Heatsink+Fan: CM Hyper 212+ $29
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

DVD-ROM: SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner $18
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151233

Total: $870

Explanation: I chose this because it includes an i5 2500k, which is one of the best CPUs for your money. It's gaming performance is on par with the i7 2600k, but also cheaper. The GTX560Ti is a great gfx card, it can play all modern games without a problem. The ASRock board allows for SLI, meaning you can add another 560Ti in the future if you get the money. The 750W Antec PSU is more than enough for slight overclocking and 2 graphics cards. The Rosewill case is roomy and designed for gaming. It has a few fans pre-installed and also allows for more components in the future. The 500GB HDD is slightly smaller than what you wanted, but it's what we have to work with since the prices of HDDs shot through the roof, when they come down, you can buy a cheaper 1TB HDD and the total cost of both the 1TB HDD and the 500GB HDD would be cheaper than buying a 1TB HDD now. The 8GB of RAM is more than enough for gaming and everyday needs, since it is 2 sticks of 4GB, you can upgrade later to 16GB of RAM. The CM hyper 212+ is so that you can overclock the i5 2500k. The DVD RW is obviously for Windows installation and any gaming discs/movies
 
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darkane64

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If you look back at my post I already have all the ssd the 120 c: 2 30s for the raid and a 1tb (regular hd) for storage is there a reason to replace my psu? (link to mine in my post) or my case(antec 900) that's $230 savings...
 
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NeutralEnergy

NeutralEnergy

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Alright so....

These are the items you are looking to upgrade-
CPU
MoBo
Video Card
RAM


So first the processor. You definitely want to go with the i5 2500k.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
This processor excels over AMD's processors in every way except, of course, price. Although it's still not too pricey. Really, really great quad-core processor that's (if you want to) an extremely amazing over-clocker.

You'll need a heat sync to go with that CPU so... The Cooler Master Hyper 212+ is great.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
I really recommend getting this heat sync. I personally own it and am getting really great temps with my CPU while overclocking. It's not pricey either.

The motherboard has to be (obviously) compatible with the CPU so... You could go with a P67 motherboard or a more advanced z68 motherboard... I recommend grabbing a Z68 motherboard so that if you decide some time to upgrade again, you won't have to switch your motherboard out since the Z68 has several options that the P67 board doesn't (mainly PCIe 3.0 instead of PCIe 2.0). Asus is the #1 manufacturer of motherboards and you can really rely on them. A really good product from them is the Asus P8Z68-V PRO/GEN 3.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790
It will last you a long time and has SLI/CrossFire capabilities.

The RAM. A lot of people choose to get 16 gigs of RAM and don't realize that they're using their money on the wrong thing. More RAM doesn't translate better performance. Better speeds does. 8gb of RAM will be more than enough. Kingston is the #1 manufacturer of RAM so you might as well grab some from them.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104264
This RAM is rated at 1866 MHz so it runs quite a lot quicker than regular 1333 MHz RAM. You can't go wrong with it.

Ahh now... Last, but not least, the video card(s). So far the total is $519.01 . That leaves a hefty... $380.99 which is ALMOST perfect for what I'm about to suggest. Hopefully, you're willing to spend about $40 more than your budget to get a really great rig. The gtx 560 ti has the BEST price-performance ratio out of ANY of the mid-high range video cards.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125401
I really do recommend going SLI with 2 gtx 560 ti's. The performance you would get out of them is phenomenal. You would get about 20% higher performance than the fastest single-gpu card out there (the gtx 580, which is btw $550). Dual gtx 560 ti's all the way.

That pretty much sums it all up. Really hope this helped! If you have any more questions I'd love to answer them!

-Neutral
 
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r0aringdrag0n

r0aringdrag0n

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^+1, however, I don't agree with the RAM choice, Kingston might be the #1 RAM producer (which I've never heard), but G.Skill is certainly a GREAT company too, you can save $20 and get this RAM from G.Skill:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416
Also, the motherboard is somewhat overpriced, go with something that is around $150, like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128498
I went with Gigabyte, they're also a great company (along with ASUS, MSI, ASRock)
 
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NeutralEnergy

NeutralEnergy

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Well, I've heard in many places that Kingston is the #1 RAM producer, though I may be wrong. I've also heard that G.Skill sometimes has compatibility issues with Intel processors, then again, I may be wrong. I'm not against G.Skill. In fact, I use it right now but it's just that I'm using an AMD processor. Nice web-site btw. I really like it. Mind if I grab the idea and make my own?... Lol I've just been thinking of making my own for awhile but haven't known what to do the web site topic on.
 
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NeutralEnergy

NeutralEnergy

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Yea and I completely agree with you on the motherboard. You're right. Although Asus is a great company, they tend to charge more, too. I've heard things about MSI, though and I've heard and owned a buggy motherboard from ASrock(in fact, I'm using it right now). Could just be me though.
 
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r0aringdrag0n

r0aringdrag0n

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1. I have an intel i5 2500k w/ G.Skill RipJaws RAM...I'm actually running system perfectly fine.
2. Thanks! Of course you can make your own, no one's stopping you (other than maybe SOPA if congress passes it....)...If you need help of anything, you can contact me (contact info on my website under contact). Also, if you want, I'll look at your site and maybe we can link each other's sites?

EDIT: As for ASRock, They're being subordinated by ASUS...they're just the lower brand of ASUS...like Toyota is to Lexus
 
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NeutralEnergy

NeutralEnergy

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Cool, thanks! I just prefer to ask a person's permission to use "their idea". Idk, just makes me... feel better about it? lol. Anyways...

Yes, I've also heard that ASrock is a "part" of ASUS but it's just that... Idk, I've heard that they tend to be buggy and at the same time I received a buggy board. Coincidence? Could be... If it really makes a difference in comparison to other boards, I might buy them every once on awhile. But for now... I'm still kinda skirting around them. My PC will never start up correctly. When I power it on, the Debug goes to 00 (doing nothing). I have to press the Reset button 4 times exactly to get my pc started up... That's not too bad but the BIOS is not successfully OCing my CPU. I'll set it at a certain frequency and multiplier to, say, OC my CPU to 4.0 GHz. I save and restart my PC and the CPU is still at 3.5 GHz, stock clock speeds. If I go into the BIOS it'll say in the first summary section that my CPU is still at 3.5 GHz. Then when I go to the CPU section it'll still be at 4.0 GHz options... It was a pain in the arse for awhile and still is...
 
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NeutralEnergy

NeutralEnergy

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^ Read above. Sorry, forgot to reply to your message.
 
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darkane64

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Ok i was add stuff to my cart on newegg and while i was doing it i was thinking about a few things and noticing others...

heres what i have so far added to cart

GeForce 560 ti (2)
I5-2500k CPU
Gigibyte Motherboard and Coolmaster 212 heatsink and fan Combo ($5 cheaper and was gonna get both anyways)

thats it so far.. only think i'm left with is memory.. not sure what to choose, between thise (or if you have better@about same price)
Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866
G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

from me looking at the memory the first 2 (hyperX vs Ripjaws) the differences are $10, brand and maybe timing?
the 3rd one is $26 cheaper then the hyperX ($16vs Ripjaws) but its speed is "only" 1600 vs the other 2 1866
is the speed difference gonna be anything i would notice? is it work the extra $16-$26?

Also i've never messed with running SLI before but at one time (if i'm remembering correctly) there was a issue with running 2 monitors like it would shut off the 2nd monitor when playing a game or something like that.. is that still the case? (gonna be annoying if i cant look up info while in game by just moving the mouse to the other screen)


BTW total price with shipping and tax is $926-$954 depending on memory little more then i want to spend but oh well =) ($64 on tax.. i have living in CA sometimes =P )

OH and giving that build.. about how high do you think i could OC the cpu? Safely =)

BTW thanks for all the help guys =)
 
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NeutralEnergy

NeutralEnergy

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I would actually go with the 1600 MHz G.Skill RAM.

No, that issue with SLI is not present. nVidia tends to make good drivers. They've definitely updated it by now.

With the 212+ heat sync, you could "safely" OC up to... at least 4.5 GHz? Probably 5 GHz but... Before trying to OC ANYTHING- research, research, research. You don' wanna break your CPU. Try the OC section of these forums for questions.

yep, hope this helps!
 
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darkane64

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any particular reason the 1600? i do like the sniper memory as it matches the MB LOL


Also i plan on doing ALOT of research on OC the cpu i know part of it is trial and error but if you set something wrong you might be looking for a new CPU =(
 
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darkane64

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yes it is... but i was curious why you would go with the 1600 rather then the 1866
 
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darkane64

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Ok ordered all my parts and they SHOULD be here on Wednesday but i had a few questions.. somewhere on the net i read that mixing SSD and HDD to gather on the same controller (in this case the MB) will slow the SSD down by a good amount.. if this true? if it is i might have to rethink my storage setup to something like 120g ssd as c 60g ssd raid as d for games and then run a external 1tb HDD for storage if this is not true then i'll just run the 1tb as e inside the computer.. not that big of a deal

ALSO im as poking around my current system and noticed that in my current computer i have 4gig of g.skill (LINK) that is also 1600 (the other ram in this computer is 1333) It says that its z68 compatable and everything should i try and mix it with the g.skill sniper ram? or not worry about it and just stay with the 8gig sniper? (only reason i'm asking is because.. hey i already have it...)
 
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