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Need Advices on Parts: Gaming PC 1200-1500$

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Last response: January 25, 2012 1:05 AM in Systems

juhygt1

January 11, 2012 4:19:40 PM

Approximate Purchase Date: Soon

Budget Range: 1200-1500$ CAD

System Usage from Most to Least Important :: Games (BF3 / Skyrim / upcoming DIII)

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Not really, but I know that DirectCanada.com = free ground shipping; and that NCIX.com = match the lowest available canadian price (for a full PC, including all taxes, they pretty much balance each other).

Country: Canada

Parts Preferences: Brands that are notorious for reliability.

Overclocking: Eventually, I want to leave the door open

SLI or Crossfire: Same as above

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments:

1- I want this computer to be as "problem free" as much as possible, and to equally last as long as possible. I could spend the 1500$ if there would be a significant increase in performance and reliability over the parts I pre-selected so far (which total around 1250$)

2- I went with the GTX570; because I wonder if the GTX 580 is worth the extra 150$, considering that I will run games at resolution 1920x1080.

3- Did any one here ever tried the NCIX.com “50$ PC Assembly and Testing With 1 Year Limited System Warranty” http://ncix.com/products/?sku=7842 ???

An element to consider here is this will be my first built. Therefore, I have basically two choices: on one hand, I can build this PC myself meticulously and learning the “how to” of assembling, bios setting, etc., but risking screwing up and getting possible DOAs.
Or, on the other hand, I can have piece of mind by having the PC already assemble and tested, with 1 yrs warranty, but I’ll remain a noob. See the dilemma here ?

TOUGH CHOICE. Really, I found this a rather tough choice.

Here's my built at this point:

ASUS P8Z68-V Pro GEN3 Z68 LGA1155 ATX 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2 PCI B3 Motherboard
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530BD5676
$206.96

Intel Core i5 2500K Quad Core Unlocked Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 6MB
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12200BD1527
$219.69

EVGA GeForce GTX 570 Fermi 732MHZ 1280MB GDDR5 2XDVI Mini-HDMI PCI-E Video Card
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11610BD0290
$360.52

Intel 320 Series GEN3 120GB 2.5IN SSD SATA2 Solid State Disk Flash Drive Retail W/ Bracket
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950DR1728
$189.69 (Note: I already have an external 1TB HDD eSATA for storage)

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1682...
43.99

Corsair TX850 V2 850W ATX 12V Single Rail 70A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 80PLUS Bronze
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=58383&promoi...
$129.99

Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10370AC8944
$56.46

Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366 LGA1155 LGA1156 120MM
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11130AC0554
$29.69

LG GH24LS70 24X SATA Lightscribe Internal DVD Writer Burner DVDRW Optical Drive Black OEM
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12600DR0411
$19.99

Total: approx. $1300

Your advices are most welcome.

More about : advices parts gaming 1200 1500

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ultimabeam

January 11, 2012 5:07:48 PM

The only issue I see with your build is the RAM voltage- you want a 1.5V kit (not a 1.65V kit) for a Sandy Bridge build, as a 1.65 kit can fry your other stuff and apparently voids your warranty.

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digitalzom-b

January 11, 2012 5:26:17 PM

Agreed, go with something like this: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11180BD2750&v...

Other than that, looks pretty solid.

As for building it yourself, if you're unsure, you might not want to risk it. I read a lot of tutorials and made sure I understand what every part was, what it did, and where it went before I ever built my first PC... Do you have a friend that has built several computers (successfully) before? Maybe you can have him do it for you while you look on and help with the easier things such as PSU, RAM, and drive installation.

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juhygt1

January 11, 2012 5:59:33 PM

Thanks. I found it rather weird that nowhere in the CanadaDirect links for this Kingston RAM it is mentioned that it's 1.65V. Anyway, the only reason I took this Ram kit was because of this review: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/corsair-vengeance-c...
And I just realized that this review was for p67 board... not Z68.

On second thought, about the Ram, what's better between the G.Skill Ripjaw 1600 that everyone seems to buy and the Corsair Vengeance you linked ?

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juhygt1

January 12, 2012 12:07:24 AM

Update: It seems a 750W PSU will not be enough if I want to SLI in the futur, according to these posts:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/311692-28-tomshardwar...

Note that the chosen best answer, from the moderator "JSC", mentioned that a 850W will be barely adequate.

And in this post: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/320966-28-tomshardwar...

The same guy mentioned a 850W should do.

He's a moderator on this forum, so I guess he knows what he's talking about. But I don't get it; a 850W will do or not ? for SLI's GTX 570I, with a i5-2500k overclocked at 4.2 - 4.5 max ?

(some other forums even state to go with 1000W).

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madchemist83

January 12, 2012 1:26:27 AM

850 will be enough for 750 sli

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juhygt1

January 12, 2012 1:58:32 AM

madchemist83 said:

850 will be enough for 750 sli

Thank you Comrade, I'll change my 750W for a 850W.

Is modular really worth it ?

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madchemist83

January 12, 2012 2:40:40 AM

Depends some modular are not really modular.

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juhygt1

January 12, 2012 1:42:15 PM

Edited the built for RAM and PSU.

Anyone has elaborated comments on the parts and the three questions I mentioned above?

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Best solution

ultimabeam

January 12, 2012 1:56:55 PM

I can't speak to #3 in your OP, but

1) your parts seem to all be quite reliable. another $250 on the same parts won't afford you a noticeably higher level of confidence in that reliability.
2) a GTX 580 is unnecessary for gaming at 1920x1080; a 570 will be more than sufficient.
4) having worked with both modular and non-modular PSUs, modular makes cable routing and management substantially easier.

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juhygt1

January 12, 2012 2:02:04 PM

Any modular PSU you would recommend ?

Also, do you know if the CORSAIR's RAM little Heat sinks get in the way of a CPU Cooler like the CM EVO ? Is low profile RAM better to go with ? (like this : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... )

There's seems to be a few down side of using modulars (I just did a very brief research on Wiki (- at work atm, no time for extensive search)). Are these concerns legit ? :

-Modular cables and connectors add electrical resistance between the power supply and the hardware components. In practice the resistance of a connection is far too small to cause significant voltage drop[4], although the additional connections are an additional possible point of failure if they become corroded or damaged.

-Connectors may become accidentally disconnected or not fully engaged, especially inside crowded cases, and modular PSUs have more connections than others at risk. Many PSUs have connectors with locking mechanisms which prevent a connector from falling out or not being fully inserted. Pairs of connectors are also additional components subject to mechanical damage when being plugged in or unplugged carelessly.

-As of early 2011[update] most modular power supplies used the same connectors as each other, but with different, non-standardized pin-outs. Interchanging cables between brands can damage equipment by applying incorrect voltages, grounds and opens to outputs such as SATA power connectors. There is rarely any visual indication or keyed connector to prevent using an incorrect cable.

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madchemist83

January 12, 2012 2:04:16 PM

If you have a bit of technical knowledge and common sense then build it urself

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juhygt1

January 12, 2012 2:09:23 PM

madchemist83 said:

If you have a bit of technical knowledge and common sense then build it urself

Вы кажетесь немного, как мудак, товарищ !

I’m looking for constructive comments and discussions, not trollish one-liner.

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ultimabeam

January 12, 2012 2:20:16 PM

-The Hyper 212 +/EVO will occasionally block 1 of 4 DIMM slots for non-low-profile memory. It's rarely an issue if you're only installing two DIMMs, as you can just put them in slots 2&4 instead of 1&3, but low-profile memory isn't a terrible idea if you want to avoid any chance of a space conflict.
-The Corsair HX-750, HX-850, AX-850 are all good modular supplies.

-As far as the concerns about modular PSUs,
--The increase in resistance adds up to a loss of roughly 1 watt
--Any good modular PSU will have locking mechanisms on the connectors to prevent them from becoming dislodged
--Incompatibility between PSUs of one brand and cables of another is only an issue if you buy one power supply and proceed to use modular cables from another power supply.

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madchemist83

January 12, 2012 7:15:58 PM

Zavali ebalo. Esli ty tupica I ne mozhesh soobrazit kak sobrat komp to nehren tebe tut lovit. Ja vchera sebe komp sobral za 5 chasov. Esli tebe nuzhny realnyje mnenija to ne zadavaj tupyh voprosov scuko