My idea of a decent build - any suggestions?

[nunyaabidniss]

So on February 8th I will be placing orders for my new computer! I am super excited about it, however extremely nervous as well. I am hoping I am making the best choices for my money and I would love to know what everyone thinks.

I am open to just about any suggestion, however I really like Gigabyte boards and ultimately thats more than likely the brand I'll stick with.

So here we go! (All prices include any applicable taxes, shipping and handling)

ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms Monitor: $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049

Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series™ 600T Case: $159.99
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7195058&CatId=1509

Corsair HX750W 750-Watt Modular Power Supply: $149.99 (not including the possible $20 MIR)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4668506&sku=C13-2510

GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P Motherboard: $174.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128506

Intel i5 2500k Processor: $224.99
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7073161&Sku=I69-2500K

XFX Double D HD-687A-ZDFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB Graphics Card: $169.99 (not including the possible $20 MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150521

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Memory: $46.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III SSD: $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

ASUS 24X DVD Burner: $18.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Total cost of build: $1330.75
Total cost after MIR's: $1290.75

I have a 500GB SATA II drive I'll be using for random storage, so the SSD is all I need here. Also, I have an old school (and still amazing) G15 Gaming Keyboard and a G9 Laser Mouse so no need for either of those items.

Thank you in advance for the help, advice, etc!!!

 

[mrinnocent]

thats alot of psu...but it will give you room for xfire down the road....looks good...

 

[hellfire24]

pretty high end build.only thing i can see is your gfx.it's good but not high end as your other parts.also i would suggest extreme3/gen3(pci-e 3).please fill this form-
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

 

[nunyaabidniss]

thats alot of psu...but it will give you room for xfire down the road....looks good...

That's the plan for now. I was going to get a 560ti for almost $300, but I am trying to keep under $1350 so I made some simple changes to the build but allowed for change later by keeping the PSU a little beefier than would seem necessary.

 

[nunyaabidniss]

pretty high end build.only thing i can see is your gfx.it's good but not high end as your other parts.also i would suggest extreme3/gen3(pci-e 3).please fill this form-
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

Approximate Purchase Date: February 8th

Budget Range: $1350 Before Rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, surfing the internet, light video and photo editing

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, speakers, OS, HD

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, tigerdirect.com, amazon.com, open to others if the price is right. (not near a micro center)

Country: I live in West Virginia, USA

Parts Preferences: I would like to use an Intel CPU & preferably a Gigabyte mobo, a 24" - 27" LCD and a premium case.

Overclocking: Light to mid range overclocking

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe - depends on build cost

Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050 is what I had used with my old monitor, but if the monitor chosen is higher quality I would love to bump up the res.

Additional Comments: I need a case with really good cable management and great ventilation to help put my mind at ease when OCing. I am open to most suggestions, I want to stick with the i5 or the i7 unlocked.... thats about it I guess!

 

[geekapproved]

The 6870 is definitely the weak spot. You could get a less expensive (and more powerful) psu and mobo and put the money into a better graphics card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207011
made by seasonic, 5yr warranty, single 70a rail

You could get a motherboard with the same features for about $120.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

Nice case.

 

[hellfire24]

case-nzxt phantom-sexy,good cable management,ventilation and all necessary features at a good price-
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6634207&Sku=A406-2044
cpu-i5 2500k-it's similar to 2600k in gaming.best bang for buck cpu.
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-BOX80623I52500K-Core-i5-2500K-Processor/dp/B004EBUXHQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1327940129&sr=1-1
cooler-hyper 212 plus-will keep your temps down and enough for 4ghz.
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327940202&sr=1-1
hdd-prices are high at the moment go with a 500gb drive.here's one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145299
ram-vengeance 8gb-it's more than enough-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345
mobo-p8z68-v/gen3-a very good mobo from a reputed brand.pcie 3 for future upgrades and uefi bios for easy overclocking.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131792
psu-Mk II 950w-good psu,high ratings,80+silver and cheap too.enough for any SLi and crossfire setup.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703028
ssd-corsair 60gb sata III-fast,cheap and enough for your os and 'main game'.loading times are very fast.
i am having hard time deciding graphic card

 

[nunyaabidniss]

The 6870 is definitely the weak spot. You could get a less expensive psu and put the money into a better graphics card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207011
made by seasonic, 5yr warranty, single 70a rail

You could get a motherboard with the same features for about $120.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

Nice case.

I wouldn't mind keeping the same PSU and just spending the extra $32 I would have saved by downgrading it, on a different GPU if the performance increase is worth it. Any ideas on a particular GPU?

The mobo is tough for me, I have read terrible terrible things about ASUS and ASRock's customer service. If I have any issues I don't want to be fighting with someone to have the problem fixed. Do you think that is a valid concern or would you have some insight on ASRock that would sway me that direction? I recognize the huge savings by going ASRock, I just really want this build to be at least a 3 year build without issues.

Thanks!

 

[hellfire24]

here's your ssd link-
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Force-2-5-Inch-Solid-State/dp/B005RUBFAC/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327941615&sr=1-6
and your gfx-
http://www.amazon.com/MSI-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-N580GTX-LIGHTNING/dp/B004XVMAKA/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327942415&sr=1-2
only $25 more than your budget but without rebates
you can also swap mobo with a extreme3/gen3 but i prefer asus over any other brand in terms of mobo.so you should be good.

 

[boiler1990]

There's nothing wrong with Gigabyte's board. I love my P67-UD4-B3. Reasonably priced and has a lot of features that other companies charged a ton for (at the time).

PCI-e 3.0 isn't really worth it IMO since current GPUs aren't limited by the 2.0 bandwidth.

Definitely upgrade the GPU - today's games are much more GPU limited. You could game quite well on an i3 + 560Ti simply because the GPU is better.

The case is also expensive - you're paying full tower price for a mid tower. If you want a mid tower, there are cheaper options that you could consider.

 

[hellfire24]

well said boiler but nowdays people are more prone to 'future proof' their rigs.i like that case but it's very expensive for a mid tower.phantom is a reasonably priced high end case IMO.

 

[geekapproved]

I wouldn't mind keeping the same PSU but spending the $32 I would save by downgrading to get a different card if the performance increase is worth it.

I can't make any sense of that sentence. It doesn't make any sense.

Asrock and Asus are two of the best mobo makers out there. Customer service on mobo's is always difficult because they are in Taiwan. If you buy a reputable brand, you should never have to worry about using customer service. I can't remember the last time I had to EVER call customer service for a mobo. Maybe I'm just lucky.

If your stuck on the Giga, then that's fine, you'll just have to pay another $55.

You asked for suggestions, that is what I offered.

 

[boiler1990]

Asrock and Asus are two of the best mobo makers out there. Customer service on mobo's is always difficult because they are in Taiwan. If you buy a reputable brand, you should never have to worry about using customer service. I can't remember the last time I had to EVER call customer service for a mobo. Maybe I'm just lucky.

There are still defects in every manufacturing process, and unfortunately nobody has achieved Six Sigma quality yet :/

I've found that one of the easiest companies to deal with is EVGA (since they're based in California), but their motherboards are a bit pricey, behind schedule, and their superb mobo team left to go to Sapphire a year or two ago (right before LGA 1155/P67 released).

If your stuck on the Giga, then that's fine, you'll just have to pay another $55.

There are cheaper Gigabyte options, as there are cheaper ASRock and Asus options.

 

[geekapproved]

There are cheaper Gigabyte options, as there are cheaper ASRock and Asus options.

True, but the $118 Asrock has the same features and capabilities as the $175 Gigabyte, so your point is moog.

 

[nunyaabidniss]

SO, I am changing my build based on your suggestions here guys/gals and I thank you all a ton for the suggestions and until the 8th I am guessing I will be tweaking this to be 'perfect' for me!

I changed out the case first and foremost. It seemed to have been a pretty hot topic in the replies from people, and in the end I decided the extra money could go to getting a better GPU. Which is also something I changed, I upgraded to a 2GB N560GTX Ti Twin Frozr II. Also dropped from the 80 Plus silver to the bronze model. Last but not least, I am going to be going with the ASRock board rather than the Gigabyte. I hope you guys can agree I made some pretty solid decisions, but please if you have any other idea's toss them my way!!!

So here we go! (All prices include any applicable taxes, shipping and handling)

ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms Monitor: $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049

LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62 Black Case: $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112239

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W Power Supply: $109.99 (not including the possible $15 MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Motherboard: $117.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

Intel i5 2500k Processor: $229.99
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7073161&Sku=I69-2500K

MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 2GB Graphics Card: $269.99 (not including the possible $15 MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127608

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Memory: $46.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III SSD: $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

ASUS 24X DVD Burner: $18.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Total cost of build: $1283.74
Total cost after MIR's: $1253.74

All this plus my 500GB HD and my G15 Keyboard and G9 Mouse.

 

[boiler1990]

Compared to your original build, this one is a much better allocation of $$

 

[nunyaabidniss]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.791304

Not a bad combo imo. something to consider?

 

[boiler1990]

My only complaint with newegg combos is that they use Seagate drives, which used to be good but are now becoming unreliable. However, give how long these post-flooding drives are expected to last, it may actually be about even with any other HDDs out there.

 

[nunyaabidniss]

Best answer selected by nunyaabidniss.

 

[mrinnocent]

if your going mid tower case let me suggest the one i got...worth a look, comes loaded with fans and well layed out
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147047

will save you some money and it is a great case that comes loaded with fans also has a cpu socket fan included..at $80 it's a steal

also you could save about $50 if you reduce your screen size to 23" which you wouldn't notice
which would give you $70 to spend on gpu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127575
maybe this flash the shaders open

you could get by without the monitor change with just case money saved unless you want some money back in the pocket

also i have a asrock mb and love it...i had one years ago and this new one screams quality which the older ones lacked and it overclocks very well and has handled all the abuse i've thrown at it without a hitch...and i have abused it with huge demands on vrm's ( 6 core heavily oc'ed with 1.7v +.... chilled water )

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey