Rontanamo's Build $1500 - $2000 - Start to Finish

[rontanamo]

Ok Guys, today was my first day in the forum and I decided to take a big step at the urging of several members here. I am going to build my computer myself this time around. I will be getting everything from Amazon as I have quite a bit of credit with them.

Approximate Purchase Date: Next week.

Budget Range: $1,500 - $2,000. $1,750 is the sweet spot for my budget

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Photoshop editing of RAW images. Typing papers (but who cares about that?)

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor (yet), OS, other peripherals.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon, exclusively

Country: US of A

Parts Preferences: Intel/NVIDIA

Overclocking: Yes, definitely (when I learn how)

SLI or Crossfire: When needed

Monitor Resolution: Not sure, its a 23 inch samsung 1080p

Additional Comments: Not too worried about sound. Am worried about things I dont know I need to be worried about.



So I assume first step is putting together my parts list. I have most of the basics here.

GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 580 Superclocked $490

I believe that: This card within this set up will have me playing current games on max settings. It is compatible with all other parts of the system. It is not inefficient for its price point.

Please correct me if I am wrong on these.

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Processor $300

I was on the fence about this one vs. the i5 2500K. Its only 80 dollars more than the i5. If its not adding anything to the build then Ill switch down to the i5. If its hindering the build, then same thing. My goal in choosing this guy is a CPU that doesn't bottleneck the GPU, will not bottleneck if I add a second GTX580 in SLI, or a 590 or other next gen card.

MOBO: ASUS Maximus IV Extreme $340

I love the flexibility this board offers. I am not sure what/how everything will work yet, but once I am into I want that flexibility, especially the possibilities the Z68 presents in conjunction with the SSD/cache (things I don't fully understand yet, but thinks will make my computer better/faster).

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8 GB $50

Here is where my certainty starts to wane. I just grabbed something relatively random from a brand I know.
1. Will I be able to open up that extra speed the 1600 provides using BIOS (I understand BIOS normally limits this??
2. Is this brand ok?
3. Is this enough memory?

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB $75

Once again another random choice based on brand name. The size is fine, but other than that, suggestions?

SSD: Corsair Force Series GT 120 GB $180

I read somewhere that one of theses SSDs is significantly superior to the others. I believe it was this one. Loading my OS on here will make the computer much faster...right?

PSU: Corsair Enthusiast Series 850-Watt $118

Of course standard questions on this. Is it enough, is it reliable. Remember I want to eventually go to SLI.

This brings me to $1573. I still need a case and cooling. And anything else I need that I don't know I need.

Case: No idea. Please advise

Cooling: No idea, Please advise. I would go rather not have the maintenance of liquid, (it requires maintenance right?) But don't want to burn out my new shiny creation.

 

[g-unit1111]

GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 580 Superclocked $490

I believe that: This card within this set up will have me playing current games on max settings. It is compatible with all other parts of the system. It is not inefficient for its price point.

If you drop to the 2500K you could actually invest an extra $100 and get the 7970. Don't get me wrong the 580 is an excellent card and EVGA is one of the best brands on the market for service and support, but the 7970 has been owning 3-D mark records left and right. Don't rule out this possibility.

I was on the fence about this one vs. the i5 2500K. Its only 80 dollars more than the i5. If its not adding anything to the build then Ill switch down to the i5. If its hindering the build, then same thing. My goal in choosing this guy is a CPU that doesn't bottleneck the GPU, will not bottleneck if I add a second GTX580 in SLI, or a 590 or other next gen card.

The 2500K certainly won't be a bottleneck - it's literally the exact same CPU performance wise as the 2600K for $100 less - one of the best price / performance CPUs on the market. You only need the 2600K if you use any programs that have hyperthreading (CS5, Revit, etc). You will also need a good cooling solution - which I don't see listed - if you plan to overclock.

I love the flexibility this board offers. I am not sure what/how everything will work yet, but once I am into I want that flexibility, especially the possibilities the Z68 presents in conjunction with the SSD/cache (things I don't fully understand yet, but thinks will make my computer better/faster).

That board is actually massive overkill. You can get a full featured board for half the cost that will cover everything you need. Invest the difference in a good cooling solution and a better case. This is one I would heavily advise looking at:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128506

Here is where my certainty starts to wane. I just grabbed something relatively random from a brand I know.
1. Will I be able to open up that extra speed the 1600 provides using BIOS (I understand BIOS normally limits this??
2. Is this brand ok?
3. Is this enough memory?

Corsair is one of the best brands on the market for RAM. There's a tier for RAM manufacturers and at the top is Corsair, Crucial, G.Skill, Kingston, and Mushkin. There's some new vendors like Geil and Team Elite that have been getting really high reviews as well. The thing about opening speed though is that you should really read what Proximon posted about Intel's RMA department regarding RAM speed. Apparently not only does Intel frown on overclocking your RAM, if they find out and it causes your CPU to fail, they will void your warranty. That's something you should tread very carefully in. 8GB is plenty - you don't need more or less.

I read somewhere that one of theses SSDs is significantly superior to the others. I believe it was this one. Loading my OS on here will make the computer much faster...right?

The Force 3 SSD is actually a mid-tier drive. If you wanted to get one of the better ones on the market the Crucial M4 and Samsung 830 are generally regarded as the best of the best right now. I have an M4 and it is an excellent drive.

Once again another random choice based on brand name. The size is fine, but other than that, suggestions?

WD, Seagate, and Samsung are the best on the market for HDs. Avoid Hitachi and the WD Velociraptor.

Case: No idea. Please advise

Case is mainly aesthetics. If you want some good cases these would be a few of my favorites:
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139008
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129178
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146067
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352007

I badly want the last one (Fractal Design) but the last thing I need are more empty cases lying around. :lol:

Cooling: No idea, Please advise. I would go rather not have the maintenance of liquid, (it requires maintenance right?) But don't want to burn out my new shiny creation.

I totally understand that. :lol:

This is where it gets a bit tricky. First you should check out this article about air cooling: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-airflow-heatsink,3053.html

I've used tons of different fans. I've had the best luck with the Cooler Master Hyper 212 (27'C on idle, 35'C on full use) and the EVGA M020 (30'C idle, 39'C on full use). I've had the worst luck with the Thermalright Silver Arrow (44'C idle, 57'C on full use - near the 60'C breaking point of most motherboards) and the Xigmatek Gaia (the cheap paste included fried a motherboard). This area of computer building is a lot of trial, error, and experimentation - I suggest doing a lot of research starting with the article above.

 

[rontanamo]

I'm focusing on selecting a good CPU cooler unit right now. I understand those included with the intel CPU are severely limited. Does anyone have any suggestions for good aftermarket coolers (preferably with quantitative statements) Thanks.

 

[g-unit1111]

I'm focusing on selecting a good CPU cooler unit right now. I understand those included with the intel CPU are severely limited. Does anyone have any suggestions for good aftermarket coolers (preferably with quantitative statements) Thanks.

See my suggestions above. I highly recommend the Hyper 212 Evo and the EVGA M020. Both are solid coolers for not a lot of money.

As far as the Intel coolers being limited, I've heard of people around here being able to take the 2500K past 4.5GHz on the stock cooler alone but I don't know how true those rumors are. :lol:

 

[rontanamo]

See my suggestions above. I highly recommend the Hyper 212 Evo and the EVGA M020. Both are solid coolers for not a lot of money.

As far as the Intel coolers being limited, I've heard of people around here being able to take the 2500K past 4.5GHz on the stock cooler alone but I don't know how true those rumors are. :lol:

Thanks for the advice, Ill look around and see how much these two cost.

 

[rontanamo]

Best answer selected by rontanamo.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey