Budget ~850 i5 Desktop

[DrTibbs]

Hi everyone! I've been looking at a budget build desktop using the i5-2500K sandy bridge. This will be my first build. I'd like to keep it 850 or under. OS is not included, as I get Win 7 for free from my school. I have a monitor, keyboard and mouse. I'm only talking tower here. I use it for work/school/internet and I'd like to be able to run WoW on high to ultra settings (shadows, everything).

I'm currently stuck between these two builds. One is $837 with 8GB RAM and a standard CD/DVD player. The second is 4GB RAM but with a blu-ray player. What do you guys think?

8GB CD/DVD build ~$840:

Combo Deal from Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.755265

DVD Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Sapphire Graphics card (same as below)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908


4GB Blu Ray Build ~$820:
Note: This build comes with a CD/DVD player, but I would use the blu ray instead
Combo Deal from Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.644166

Graphics Card - Sapphire 100315 Raedon
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908

Blu-ray Player
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247

I'm torn. They are so close in price. I suppose I could just do the 4GB build and save even more money and then upgrade the 8GB RAM later. That would cost ~$780.

 

[somekidxd]

i5 2400 $190
Blu-ray Player
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827135247 $58
ASRock H61M/U3S3 LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s $70
GIGABYTE GV-N560OC-1GI GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB $235
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB $100
Antec ECO 620w $60
Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $40
Cooler Master Elite 430 $55

Total: $808

If you really want i5 2500k, you can lower the performance of the graphics card and put in 2500k.

i5 2500k $230
Blu-ray Player
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827135247 $58
ASRock Pro3 $110
Graphics Card - Sapphire 100315 Raedon
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102908 $150
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB $100
Antec ECO 620w $60
Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $40
Cooler Master Elite 430 $55

Total: $803

6850 can run everything with shadows, but the shadow will lag a bit. Definitely get the first one if you want the shadows too. That will run BF3 on high settings too.

 

[samdsox]

definetly the first one... Z68> p67 Also the 8gb ram is important because it looks like your making a gaming build right? You need 8 gb for gaming

 

[DrTibbs]

I'm not sold on blu-ray. To be honest, I really don't use CDs that much, I just need something to keep the option open if I need the CD/DVD drive for something.

I picked the i5-2500K only because I'd been reading that it was a top choice for the price and it would carry a system really well.

The only gaming I really do is WoW and some steam indie games, maybe some TF2.

Could I up the ante on that first build from somekidXD and use an i5-2500k? the $40 extra would still keep me close to the 850 budget.

 

[somekidxd]

i5 2500k $230
Blu-ray Player
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827135247 $58
ASRock Z68M/USB3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB $85
GIGABYTE GV-N560OC-1GI GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB $235
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB $100
Antec ECO 620w $60
Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $40
Cooler Master Elite 430 $55

Total: $863

If you want the price to go lower, just buy a regular CD/DVD drive instead of the Blu ray.

 

[canyoudigit489]

coupla questions: do you plan on overclocking? and are you near a microcenter?

I ask the overclocking ? because with the i5 2500k you're paying for an unlocked multiplier which aids in overclocking attempts...so if you don't plan on overclocking you can get the same performance with an i5 2500, or similar but cheaper performance with an i5 2400.

If you're near a microcenter, they sell the i5 2500k for $179, the i5 2400 for $149, and if you combo the cpu with one of their mobos they give you $50 off.

With these savings i'd consider getting a SSD such as the crucial M4 64gb ($100)

So that brings you to
core i5 2500k ($179)
mobo from microcenter ($~125 - 50)
6870 ($160)
crucial m4 ($99)
dvd-rw ($18)
8gb ddr3 ram ($40)
case ($~60)
psu-something like antec or corsair for around $60-75
1tb hd for around $100

=$806

 

[DrTibbs]

I am about 3-5 hours from a microcenter (Chicago or Minneapolis). I don't know about overclocking to be honest. I have no plans to right now, as I don't really need it for WoW (I assume) or for TF2 or any indie games on steam.

 

[canyoudigit489]

hmm in that case i'd probably go with the i5 2400... within a couple of hundred mhz of the i5 2500k, and you shouldn't pay for the unlocked multiplier if you're not using it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.806102
i5 2400 plus 8gb corsair vengeance. ($226)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948
sapphire radeon 6870 ($150 after rebates)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157279
asrock z68 lga 1155 mobo (sata3 ports, usb 3.0) $105

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151244
samsung dvd burner ($16)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028
corsair 600w ($60)

i'd recommend either reusing an old HD or buying a lower capacity one to hold over til the prices come back down from the flooding in thailand and supply issues cease.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767
500gb seagate should do the trick $85

and then cases are very personal but you can budget one for 60-75..

and still leaves room for the GREAT crucial m4: $99
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=365474&sku=C19-8024

all comes out to around 815 after rebates and depending on which case you use.

 

[DrTibbs]

How does this build look? I chose a case and modified the power supply and the MB. I hope the MB works with the i5-2400.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.806102
i5 2400 plus 8gb corsair vengeance. ($226)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948
sapphire radeon 6870 ($150 after rebates)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard ($122)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151244
samsung dvd burner ($16)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044
Antec green 600w ($75)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767
500gb seagate ($85)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153
Rosewill Challenger case (55)

crucial m4: $99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441

With shipping it's $869.11. A bit over budget, but not by much. I can stretch the wallet a bit more. My only concern is longevity. I'd like to be able to keep this around for a while and still be able to upgrade it in the next few years. I'm also planning on using it as a desktop for work (we have free virtual desktop and remote access through college here), using a netbook for travel and presentations.

 

[canyoudigit489]

there shouldn't be much difference between the first mobo i posted and the one you did.. i'd suggest the cheaper one. this case seems to be the same as yours but $10 cheaper:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147060

if anything you won't need to spend that much on the power supply... the total draw of your system should be somewhere around 350w at load. i'd see if you could find a good deal on a reliable brand between 500-650w.

seasonic is supposed to be tops for power supplies... check this out and see if that brings your total down:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094

 

[DrTibbs]

Got it. Hmm, this might work. I'm still digging through parts and components.

I was just wondering though... I've been planning on using my TV as a monitor for the time being. It's a 32" LCD flat screen 1080p. Will that actually work for basic computing and WoW? I'm planning on using an HDMI cable, if that makes any difference.

 

[canyoudigit489]

Got it. Hmm, this might work. I'm still digging through parts and components.

I was just wondering though... I've been planning on using my TV as a monitor for the time being. It's a 32" LCD flat screen 1080p. Will that actually work for basic computing and WoW? I'm planning on using an HDMI cable, if that makes any difference.

shouldn't be too big of an issue. i occasionally use my 32" lcd tv with dual displays. it might tax your videocard more but i think the 6870 should be able to handle it fine. no difference between that and a computer monitor except the size i suppose.

 

[DrTibbs]

Thanks for all the info! I'm still going to tinker and see if any deals pop up within my price range for the 2500k (I may want to overclock at some point), but the builds here will be my target parts.

 

[DrTibbs]

Best answer selected by DrTibbs.