$1300 Gaming System parts compatibility check

Dessirris

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Jan 22, 2012
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Approximate Purchase Date: ~2-3-weeks, once I get my refund from iBuypower.

Budget Range: $1300-1400

System Usage from Most to Least Important: First and foremost I need a gaming computer, primarily for MMOs, video and internet browsing, and some office functions as secondary needs. I do not plan on doing serious media production or editing on this system.

Parts Not Required: Already have Razer Naga mouse, Razer Black Widow Ultimate keyboard, Samsung Syncmaster 19" widescreen monitor, LG CD/DVD/BR-burner

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: www.newegg.com

Country: US

Parts Preferences:

Case: NZXT Crafted Series Tempest 410 Elite Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 DELUXE (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K

Heat Sink: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7

Thermal Paste: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1561-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXM

PSU: CORSAIR Gaming Series GS800 800W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

Wireless Card: D-Link DWA-556 Xtreme Desktop Adapter IEEE 802.11g/n PCI Express Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA, WPA2)

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

Spare Case Fans: 1x COOLER MASTER SickleFlow 120 R4-L2R-20AR-R1 120mm Silent operation Red LED case fan - Bottom
2x XIGMATEK Cooling System Crystal Series CLF-F1452 140mm Red LED Case Fan PSU Molex Adapter/extender included - Top

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1440x900, may be getting a 1920x1080 eventually

Additional Comments: I'm fairly certain that I've got a good, solid build that will keep up with games for me for a good while, now, and that I've avoided any compatibility issues, but I'd appreciate it if wiser heads than mine would ensure that everything should be good. Thank you all in advance for your help and advice.
 
Solution
Wow, that's a really good build. You don't necessarily need the extra thermal paste or the extra fans. You could swap those out and spend the difference on getting a better case. I certainly don't have anything against NZXT (love the Phantom) but the Tempest is a really basic case and it's a few years old now. The Cooler Master HAF 912 is a lot newer and has some excellent features for its' price. Alternately check out the Corsair Carbide.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139008

The only thing I'd switch out is the PSU - Corsair either makes really good or really bad PSUs. The TX, HX, and AX are all rightly praised and are excellent products. The CX is decent but questionable, and the GS is horrible from what I...

g-unit1111

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Moderator
Wow, that's a really good build. You don't necessarily need the extra thermal paste or the extra fans. You could swap those out and spend the difference on getting a better case. I certainly don't have anything against NZXT (love the Phantom) but the Tempest is a really basic case and it's a few years old now. The Cooler Master HAF 912 is a lot newer and has some excellent features for its' price. Alternately check out the Corsair Carbide.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139008

The only thing I'd switch out is the PSU - Corsair either makes really good or really bad PSUs. The TX, HX, and AX are all rightly praised and are excellent products. The CX is decent but questionable, and the GS is horrible from what I hear.

These would be better choices:
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703027
 
Solution

Dessirris

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Jan 22, 2012
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I think I'd take the Carbide over the HAF 912, the 2 USB 3.0 ports are a nice addition, and the X750 looks like the much better option than the Silencer Mk. II, with its 80+ Gold rating, and the fans+paste should cover the difference.

I know the CPU and RAM are compatible with the motherboard, I don't think there's any other parts combination that could be problems, right?
 
The Tempest 410 was released in 2011, based on the H2 but more optimised for airflow than low noice.

The GS series is perfectly fine in terms of performance and quality, just poorly priced; there are probably a dozen units that are better choices than the GS800 at ~$130.

A cheaper HDD:
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM ST1000DM003 $125 ($6 shipping)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840

A cheaper 80Plus rated 750W PSU that is just as good as the X750:
NZXT Hale90 750W 80Plus Gold Modular $140
http://www.amazon.com/HALE90-Power-Supply-Modular-HALE90-750-M/dp/B003YFIUEG/ref=sr_1_27?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327277547&sr=1-27
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


It's certainly better to have a gold rating than a silver rating but those are both quality PSUs for the money. The Carbide is an excellent case for the money.

The GS series is perfectly fine in terms of performance and quality, just poorly priced; there are probably a dozen units that are better choices than the GS800 at ~$130.

I've heard a lot of complaints about the GS series - mainly from Newegg but I do agree about the price.
 

Dessirris

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Jan 22, 2012
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I've been looking around, and I can save a good bit of money getting the motherboard and CPU from Micro Center, and looking, would it be worth using some of the savings to get the Corsair Graphite 600T instead? The extra USB ports, and the USB 3.0 port are nice, and the interior setup seems really nice.
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


I have the Graphite 600T and while I really like it I will tell you that it is huge and heavy and not easy to transport. You're probably better off going with the slimmer Carbide 500R: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139008

It's still the same Corsair quality but this case is a bit better designed.
 

Dessirris

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Jan 22, 2012
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Ivy Bridge is supposed to support the P67 chipset, after a BIOS and firmware upgrade, so the P8P67 should be just fine come the release of that generation of processors. And the i5-2500k should be good enough for a year or two at least, if not longer, so I'm not too worried. And I really need a system now, I've been using an almost 7-year-old laptop since my system died mid-december.

Besides, game developers are sadly rather conservative with the boundaries they push when it comes to hardware demands. The need to have people who don't upgrade on a regular basis still be able to buy and play their games means they stay a couple generations behind the bleeding edge.
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


Intel has already announced that IB will use Z68 and not LGA 2011.

Besides, game developers are sadly rather conservative with the boundaries they push when it comes to hardware demands. The need to have people who don't upgrade on a regular basis still be able to buy and play their games means they stay a couple generations behind the bleeding edge.

The software is always going to be one or two generations behind the hardware. Games are now catching up to 64-bit processing and quad core technology and that will be the standard for a while. The reason is that developers usually have to wait until developing software is out that takes advantage of new technologies.

Ivy Bridge is supposed to support the P67 chipset, after a BIOS and firmware upgrade, so the P8P67 should be just fine come the release of that generation of processors. And the i5-2500k should be good enough for a year or two at least, if not longer, so I'm not too worried. And I really need a system now, I've been using an almost 7-year-old laptop since my system died mid-december.

I agree with this, if you wait and wait and wait for new stuff you'll never be satisfied. It's better to get what's out now, and find what works and what doesn't, and go from there. The i5-2500K will last you a while before you need to upgrade. I'm really in the minority here when I say that Ivy isn't going to be the deal breaker everyone thinks it is.