[Solved] New Gaming Build - $1400 Limit

How about something like...

MB - ASRock Z68 Extreme3 - $130
CPU - i5-2500k - $225
CPU Cooler - Hyper 212 EVO - $35
MEM - Corsair vengeance 8GB DDR3-1600 CL9 - $50
GPU - EVGA SuperClocked GTX 570 - $330 after MIR
HD - Seagate 1TB - $140
OPTICAL - 24x DVD-RW - $18
PSU - Corsair TX750 - $95 after MIR
CASE - CM HAF 912 - $50 after MIR
CASE FANS - Rosewill 120mm 4-pack 40CFM @ 18dBA - $15
OS - Windows 7 Home Premium x64 - $100
MONITOR - Acer 23" 5ms LCD - $145

$1333

^good build.BUT-
wait for 7870.it's cheaper(around $300),cooler,less power hungry and faster than a gtx 570.
if you can't wait than spend $100 more for 7950(faster than a gtx 580).it's worth it.
hdd prices are too high,no point of spending $100 on hdd.better get sammy 500gb drive.
crucial ballistic sports ddr3 1600 8gb ram is $45.save 5 buck  

IMO, 23" is plenty size for a gaming monitor. The Pixels per Inch is a lot better.

^i agree.for a 25"+ you need to have higher resolution for sharp images.

23" is the sweet spot for gaming as it is a great mixture of resolution, size, aspect ratio, and contrast.

Thank you for the responses. Have no problems with waiting a bit longer for that GPU. Have a few question tho between those 2 different builds.

1) What's the different between those 2 MOBOS, other than $30?
2) Both cases seem nice, but which would be better for future upgrades?
3) Are LCD about the same as an LED monitors?
4) Bigger HDD space is big for me as I would like to use Steam a bit for gaming. Would a 500 GB HD cut it?

The Gigabyte is a bit higher quality - supports up to 32GB RAM, has UEFI BIOS, and does not have onboard graphics - it runs it off an HDMI port as opposed to having VGA/DVI connections, I use the same board and it's been great so far - almost a year with no problems.



Both have the expansion and support for newer hardware with everything you need, the Fractal Design case has a better cable management solution than the HAF does, but otherwise you can't go either way.



An LED is essentially an LCD with a thinner frame and profile. There's no difference in picture quality or anything else if that's what you want to know.



Easily. I wouldn't recommend a small SSD for your primary because if you look at it this way - it's fast but you will run out of space. A typical format takes 10% of your drive, then add a Windows installation (about ~16GB), then any programs you want to run and you're left with about 20GB. Any games you want to run will take anywhere from 8GB (Skyrim) to 16GB (Portal 2, COD:MW3) to 25GB (BF3), so you won't have much room on a 60 - 64GB SSD. Get the 500GB for your primary now, upgrade and add an SSD later on.

LED monitors have better blacks, are 40% more energy efficient, and can represent more colors in the color spectrum (AFAIK).

The GIGABYTE usually gets better reviews, but I am not sure what more of a difference they have.

I think the ARC MIDI is more roomy, but any Mid-Tower case should have the same upgradeability.

500GB should suffice until HDD prices stabilize.

Thanks again. I'm currently thinking about adding another $100 for a better GPU. (Depends on car mechanic bill lol) Would waiting still be ideal or is there something out there that's worth an $100 upgrade over the upcoming 7870?

Right now, the 7950s are out and they are worth the $100 extra, but the 7970 may or may not be worth the extra $200.

This is where I'm currently at:

CPU: i5-2500k - $225
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7870 - $350?
Cooling: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo - $34.99
Case: Fractal Design Arc MIDI - $99.99
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 - $46.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P - $169.99
HD: Samsung / Seagate Spinpoint F3 500GB - $84.99
Optical: Lite On DVD Burner - $17.99
PSU: Corsair TX750 V2 - $94 After Rebate
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium - $100
Monitor: ASUS VS Series VS238H-P Black 23'' LED - $175


About $100 more than I expected, but that's OK. How is the monitor and the RAM choice? Seen that RAM suggested in another thread as its slightly cheaper due to free shipping and seems more popular. I'm open to other suggestions as well, thanks again.  

G.skill ram and asus monitors are always good. 

I like your remade build OP!  

^mee too!

pro

Thanks a lot for all your help guys  

Best answer selected by beezer08.

hey... take a look at this...

cpu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Intel Core i5-2500K - $225

mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 - $130

ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
G.SKILL Sniper Low Voltage 8GB F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR2 - $50

hsf: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
CORSAIR CAFA70 - $30

odd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
LG DVD Burner 24X GH24NS70 - $19

hdd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB - $115

psu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
XFX Core Edition PRO850W (P1-850S-NLB9) - $107 after rebate

case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Rosewill BLACKHAWK - $90

gpu: whether amd or nvidia... wait for kepler release before decide as it may shake market prices...

monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
LG IPS231B-BN - $210

os: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - $100


total: $1076 after rebate excluding shipping...