$1000 Gaming PC

[seiger23]

Hey, I'm looking to build a well rounded computer that will last a long time and run Diablo 3/World of Warcraft on reasonably good graphics settings. I don't plan on overclocking or making any upgrades in the future. I have a few questions:

1) general comments on my build
2) I have no idea what motherboard to get
3) The power supply on my list isn't on Radeon's "certified list" but it got good reviews, is that something I should be worried about?
4) Is stock cooling ok or should I buy some additional cooling?


Approximate Purchase Date: This week

Budget Range: 900-1100

System Usage: Mostly gaming

Country: USA

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200

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CPU: Intel Core i5-2500

Motherboard: ???

Memory: GSkill Ripjaws Series 8GB

SSD: Intel 520 Series Cherryville 120GB 2.5" SATA 3 SSD

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case

Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550W

 

[g-unit1111]

1) general comments on my build
2) I have no idea what motherboard to get

See my recommendations below.

3) The power supply on my list isn't on Radeon's "certified list" but it got good reviews, is that something I should be worried about?

Certified lists like that are kind of BS and are generally a few years old and it's never a good idea to get a part based off a list or one source. You want to look at a variety of sites and magazines before you choose.

4) Is stock cooling ok or should I buy some additional cooling?

Depends if you want to overclock or not. If you do then definitely get a cooler, if not then you can get one later.

Here's what I generally recommend on a $1K build:

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 - $59.99
PSU: Corsair TX650 V2 - $89.99
Motherboard: Asrock Z68 Extreme 3 Gen 3 - $121.99
CPU: 3.30GHz Intel Core i5-2500K - $219.99
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo - $34.99
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 8GB 1333MHz 1.5V - $42.99
HD: 500GB Western Digital Caviar Blue - $84.99
Optical: Lite On DVD Burner - $17.99
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 - $359.99

Total: $1,032.91

You could also drop the 7870 to a 7850 and invest the difference in purchasing a nice 64GB SSD as your boot drive.

 

[farsuka]

I'd suggest http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 over the above harddrive.

 

[azeem40]

What is the difference?

 

[Zero_]

See the builds in my sig.

 

[g-unit1111]

See the builds in my sig.

You are aware your $1K build is using laptop RAM, right?

 

[Zero_]

You are aware your $1K build is using laptop RAM, right?

Nope, thats just Amazon being Amazon. The thumbnail shows a laptop module but links to the desktop version.

I'm yet to hear anything bad about these Samsung 30nm modules, and they have 100% positive customer reviews. Too bad they aren't well known outside a few enthusiast circles.

 

[seiger23]

Motherboard: Asrock Z68 Extreme 3 Gen 3 - $121.99

RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 8GB 1333MHz 1.5V - $42.99

That RAM isn't on the approved list for the motherboard you suggested. Is that something I should be worried about?