Need spec recommendations for a new gaming PC ..

[ahmadka]

Hi guys ... Well I need some PC spec recommendations for a new gaming PC that I'm planning to build .. Here are some pointers regarding my requirements/preferences:

1) My budget is about $900 (does not include funds for monitor and casing - see point 6 below)
2) I want an nVidia based card, not ATI
3) Also, an SLI setup is NOT needed (unless its very cost effective)
4) The video card should be of relatively very high spec ..
5) The CPU can be a good one too, but money priority is to be given to the graphics card ..
6) The above indicated budget is for all components required except the casing and monitor, which I already have ..

So fire away people ... looking forward to some great recommendations

 

[Cold_War]

CPU: Intel i5 2500K or Intel i5-3570K (Ivy Bridge when it comes out) - $220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

CPU Cooling: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus - $27
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X 8GB DDR3 1333MHz - $42
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231426

Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Extreme4 LGA1155 (IT'S GREAT BUY IT) - $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

Graphics Card: ECS GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB GDDR5 - $210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134131

PSU: OCZ ModXStream 600W Modular 80Plus Certified - $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017

HDD: Western Digital Caviar 500GB 7200RPM SATA 6GB/s - $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769

Optical Drive: Sony Optiarc 24x DVD Burner - $18
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118067

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium - $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Total came to $912, but w/ mail in rebates will fall into your budget, but it will be worth the money.

 

[ahmadka]

Thanks for the suggestions man .. Here are a few pointers:

1) I don't need an OS as I already have an existing subscription, so that can be taken out ..
2) Also, I already have a DVD burner so that can be cancelled out too ..
3) Also, isn't a Core i7 more recommended ?
4) And if I further increased the budget to $1000, can I get one of those GTX 680 cards ?

 

[Cold_War]

Thanks for the suggestions man .. Here are a few pointers:

1) I don't need an OS as I already have an existing subscription, so that can be taken out ..
2) Also, I already have a DVD burner so that can be cancelled out too ..
3) Also, isn't a Core i7 more recommended ?
4) And if I further increased the budget to $1000, can I get one of those GTX 680 cards ?

With $118 out of the question, I would recommend that you get a bigger wattage PSU and get a better NVIDIA card, like a 700W 80Plus PSU and a GeForce GTX 570, you will have a fantastic system. I wouldn't recommend a Core i7 - you will have to raise your budget by quite a bit and the i5 is a fantastic processor and provides great FPS in every game.

 

[obsama1]

ECS is bad. Get the GPU from EVGA/Gigabyte/Sapphire.

 

[ahmadka]

Sure, but which one then ?

I dont want to compromise on performance/quality, so I can increase my budget a little if needed ..

Waiting for more suggestions/comments ..

 

[ominousbeing]

I second the 2500K or the 3570K if it comes out before you purchase. The GTX 570 is a great card. I personally feel anything beyond that leans more heavily on price over performance. If you've got the money, go for it. Otherwise I'd go for 570 since you'd like nvidia. I've personally had good experience from EVGA.

PS: if you go with a special version, for example the SuperClocked edition, due note that later down the line if you decided to SLI, it might be difficult to find the same model, versus a standard version.

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-ATX-550-Power-Supply/dp/B004RJ8EKI/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1334046291&sr=1-4 $74.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
XFX ATX 550 Power Supply - P1550SXXB9

or....

http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-Series-80PLUS-Performance-compatible/dp/B005A2RJJ8/ref=sr_1_11?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1334046259&sr=1-11 $71.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
OCZ ZS Series 550W 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157297 $109.99
ASRock Z77 Pro3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://pcper.com/news/Processors/Intel-Ivy-Bridge-Processors-Launch-March-23-2012 $225
Intel i5-3750K Ivy Bridge CPU 3.4Ghz

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231546 $44.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-8GAB

 

[Cold_War]

New GPU: EVGA SuperClocked GTX 570 HD 1280MB GDDR5 - $290
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130620

New PSU: OCZ ModXStream 700W Modular PSU - $90

Still fits in your budget, around $30 under.