1st build in almost 8 years. Need help with an $800 gaming rig.

[beaveroner]

First I want to say I wish I knew about this site 8 years ago, would of helped!

Anyways, my starting point is the CPU which will be the i5-2500k(Read this is the best bang for buck). I am planning to OC but not sure what mobo to get as I'm also thinking of going with 2 GPU's (GTX550ti). Altough I'm reading that I should just buy 1 GPU. Torn on this quite a bit.

Here are some other things I want to do

8-16GB DDR3 1600
Corsair H60
Corsair TX750 PSU

Help?

 

[Vettedude]

You don't need 16 GB of RAM, 8GB is even more than enough for gaming. So that can free up some of your budget

Dual 550ti isn't a great setup at all. A single 560ti can almost beat it for way less coin. If you want to go Nvidia, don't get below a 560ti (if you are a gamer).

 

[abekl]

Agreed, if going Nvidia, get a single 560Ti. You'll be happy with it. If going AMD, get a 6950 or 6970. Also, 8 GB of RAM is plenty - no need for 16 GB. The power supply you chose is excellent. Be sure to get the Rev 2 PSU. As for a MB, there are lots to choose from, Gigabyte and Asus being the top two choices. Pick one with lots of power phases to assure smooth overclocking, and just check the port arrangement to be to your liking. The field should narrow itself down considerably.

 

[Vettedude]

One thing I would recommend on your mobo is UEFI Bios. I've personally never used it, but it looks so much more handy and prettied up, plus its pretty much the future of Bios so there isn't much reason not to. My next build will definitely have it.

 

[EXT64]

If you get an i5 (and the P67/Z68) do you have a choice on UEFI? My i5 builds had it (Asus boards) and it worked fine. Nothing really special though for what I did, I felt no great loss when I went back to the 'classic' BIOS in my X58 system. Still probably good to have though.

 

[amuffin]

Replace the i3-2100 with a i5-2500k and maybe the gpu with a 6950. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/333749-31-muffin-dollar-gaming-build

 

[beaveroner]

Man you guys are all great, thank you very much! I'll post my final specs hopefully this weekend.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been moved from the section CPU & Components to section Systems by Mousemonkey

 

[beaveroner]

Best answer selected by beaveroner.

 

[beaveroner]

So I ended up going to Micro Center in Silicon Valley which had some 2500K advertised for $179.99. Unfortunately I was too late as they were sold out. The good thing is they also had the i7 2600k on sale for only $279 with an additional $50 off any motherboard if I chose. I did end up spending a lot more as I was able to sell a couple of things that helped my budget ou. Here it is..



MSI GTX560 TF2 1GB GD5 PCIE $259.99 + $30 rebate
ANTEC KUHLER H2O 620 WC KIT $49.99
LGELECOEM LG 12X BLU-RAY BURNER $79.99
BOX INTEL CI7 2600K $279.99
THERMALTA TR2 RX750W PSU ATX12 $99.99 + $20 rebate
CORSAIR 8GB 2X4 D3 1600 DIMM $59.99
MS OEM WIN7 HOMEPR 64BIT SP1 $99.99
WDOEM WESTER DIGITAL 3.5" 2TB GREEN SATA $129.99
ASROCK Z68 EXTREME4 GEN3 1155 AT $134.99 w/$50 instant savings (ORIG $184.99)
COOLMAST ELITE 430 MID TOWER $37.99

What do you guys think?

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey