Help a novice with build

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Status
Not open for further replies.
P

Paradin

Distinguished
Feb 13, 2012
4
0
18,510
Hello,

Looking for advice for completing my build. I am aiming for value as I don't intend to overclock or play graphic intensive games. I do play SWTOR occasionally though.

Items I have

Case: Zalman z9+
MB: ASUS P8Z68-V LE
PSU: OCZ 500W ModXstream Pro
SDD: Corsair Force Series GT SATA III Solid State Drive, 90GB

Looking for advice as to video card, hdd, ram, CPU.

CPU: For my usage I would be happy with an I3 but everything I read is the i5 2500k is best value. Is an i5 that much better for an $80-$100 difference?

Video Card: Okay my current card is a Nividia GT220 and am happy with that performance so in choosing one I would prefer an upgrade but nothing over $150. Advice for a good card under $100 would be great. (cnd$)

HDD: No idea what is good. again looking for cheap price point. Maybe 400-500gbs.

RAM: I like blue...

Again pretty new at this and my choice so far have been based mosty on price (got some good deals and so far my cost has only been about $250) so budget minded is #1.

Thanks,
 
Solution
quicksand10
As you're not planning on overclocking, the i5-2500K may be of little use to you. If you want to save yourself 10$, then downgrade to the i5-2500, or i5-2400 like Quiet-PC suggested, if you're REALLY not thinking of overclocking.

The reason why folks around here say the i5-2500K is the best bang-for-buck processor is because the "overclocking options" are unlocked, it's MUCH easier to overclock than one that is locked. An overclocked i5-2500K can outperform many more pricy options.

Then again, the i3-2310 processor can be sufficient for you.

For the HDD, I would avoid "green" hard drives (read Seagate and Tom's article on the subject). If you can't go for the Western Digital Caviar Black series, go for a Seagate Barracuda...
Sort by date Sort by votes
QuietPC

QuietPC

Distinguished
Feb 10, 2012
400
0
18,860

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
quicksand10

quicksand10

Distinguished
Jan 23, 2012
530
0
19,160
As you're not planning on overclocking, the i5-2500K may be of little use to you. If you want to save yourself 10$, then downgrade to the i5-2500, or i5-2400 like Quiet-PC suggested, if you're REALLY not thinking of overclocking.

The reason why folks around here say the i5-2500K is the best bang-for-buck processor is because the "overclocking options" are unlocked, it's MUCH easier to overclock than one that is locked. An overclocked i5-2500K can outperform many more pricy options.

Then again, the i3-2310 processor can be sufficient for you.

For the HDD, I would avoid "green" hard drives (read Seagate and Tom's article on the subject). If you can't go for the Western Digital Caviar Black series, go for a Seagate Barracuda series HDD.

RAM: consider Kingston Hyper-X 1600MHz DDR3 8GB (2x4GB)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
jrwizbang

jrwizbang

Distinguished
Apr 21, 2010
923
0
19,010
The 2500k is an amazing cpu. The best for gaming, but by the look of it you aren't going to be doing intense enough gaming to utilize it to its full potential, so it is pointless. I would recommend and i3, it should suit you fine. As far as ram goes, I HIGHLY suggest looking into corsair vengeance 8gb 1600 Mhz. Great value, comes in red, black, blue, and some weird beige color if youre into that kind of stuff :p As far as hard drives go. This is most likely the best for the money http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
quicksand10

quicksand10

Distinguished
Jan 23, 2012
530
0
19,160


^+1
Corsair Vengeance or Kingston Hyper-X, whichever you find looks better really :p
The Caviar Blue is a good drive :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
jrwizbang

jrwizbang

Distinguished
Apr 21, 2010
923
0
19,010
Yeah you wont really notice a huge difference between 1333 and 1600. You dont notice ANY difference after 1600 with the 2500k. So really it's up to you. I personally prefer corsair, and the warranty doesn't really matter that much, seeing as if you expect the cpu to crap out that easily, you might as well not buy one that costs $220.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Status
Not open for further replies.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom