Ok, so this is a list of parts for a machine that I put together for my brother about a month ago. I'm wondering if there are any obvious changes or small upgrades in price that would yield big upgrades in performance. His is doing great, and I'm about to build one for myself.
Note: SSD for the OS and games (currently World of Warcraft - future will be Diablo 3 and might get back into first person shooter games). I have a 160gb SATA that I will use for music/pictures.
Seems like one of the best Z68 boards out there.
MB: GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Is the Core i7 really worth $100 more? I'm thinking the i5 will be fine for now...?
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
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B
Is the Vertex 3 worth the price difference here... (wow, actually only $4 more with the mail in rebate - was a bigger price gap before)?
HDD: OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTXE120G 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
HDD: OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
DVD: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM
PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
Really open to other options on the case. I do like the front/top USB and Audio inputs, but would like to find something a little smaller with a side window - although I could always cut my own
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
THIS is where I need your help. There was a slightly less powerful crossfire or SLI card on Amazon for $100 less than this one a month ago, but I can't find it again. Is this a good card for the money, or is there something cheaper in price that will work just as, or almost as good?
GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Thanks for your input.
-Erik
Note: SSD for the OS and games (currently World of Warcraft - future will be Diablo 3 and might get back into first person shooter games). I have a 160gb SATA that I will use for music/pictures.
Seems like one of the best Z68 boards out there.
MB: GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Is the Core i7 really worth $100 more? I'm thinking the i5 will be fine for now...?
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
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B
Is the Vertex 3 worth the price difference here... (wow, actually only $4 more with the mail in rebate - was a bigger price gap before)?
HDD: OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTXE120G 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
HDD: OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
DVD: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM
PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
Really open to other options on the case. I do like the front/top USB and Audio inputs, but would like to find something a little smaller with a side window - although I could always cut my own
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
THIS is where I need your help. There was a slightly less powerful crossfire or SLI card on Amazon for $100 less than this one a month ago, but I can't find it again. Is this a good card for the money, or is there something cheaper in price that will work just as, or almost as good?
GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Thanks for your input.
-Erik