$900 Gaming PC

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zerokontrol

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Just finished building my dad a PC and looking to build my own come July or so. Been struggling to fit parts in while keeping it under $900. Please for my sake, link from newegg.ca not .com as the cheaper American prices will do little for me.

Approximate Purchase Date: July

Budget Range: <$900 (can go a little bit over)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming: BF3, Diablo 3, LoL and some other games.

Parts Not Required: Don't need peripherals.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.ca (please only newegg.ca)

Country: Canada

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU and no preference for the rest of the parts.

Overclocking: Would like to fit a 2500k in so yes.

SLI or Crossfire: Might be an option to leave open for the future.

Monitor Resolution: 1360x720 or something for the interim, will buy a 1920x1080 sometime after.

Additional Comments: I don't care all that much about looks, as long as the case has good airflow and some opportunities to keep the cables neat.

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What I have so far:

Intel 2500k
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
$225

ASUS DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
$20

Samsung/Seagate (what) Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
$80

ASRock Z68 Ex3 Gen3
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
$140

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 +
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
$35

Total: $500

I think the things that remain are power supply, video card, case, memory. I would have picked a G.Skill 8 gb kit before but they just went up $7 so I don't really know any more. How does Antec 300 Illusion sound for the case? Probably need like a 650W or less (550 would probably do) but am unsure as to which company to go with. The options that I see for video card is the 6870 or the 560ti but 560ti would be better but harder to fit into the budget.
$400 to spend on those parts should go pretty well, please let me know if I have forgotten a part.

Any help is appreciated and thanks a lot!
 
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sharkbyte5150

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GSkill Ripjaws and Corsair Vengeance are the best RAM for this setup because you're using Sandy Bridge CPU and Z68 board. There are kits from both that are specifically designed for that setup, and one of the GSkill 8GB kits is only $46 for DDR3-1600.

All of your choices are good so far.
Don't skimp on video or power supply, especially if you intend to eventually try Crossfire.

Here are my recommendations for PSU, RAM, video, case

CASE $60 for either
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119256

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428 $46
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144 $54

Seasonic power supply $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095

EVGA 560ti $250 (225 after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604

That has you $25 over, but prices may drop by July and since you're waiting to build in July, keep your eyes on Z77 board/Ivy Bridge bundles!! There are also deals on power supplies, stick with Seasonic or Corsair (Rosewill OK too)

Here's a Rosewill PSU that's $60 (save enough to get under budget)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182200

Some people on here nag on Rosewill PSU's but every brand has a dud now and then and out of 240 reviews, 187 have 4 or 5 "eggs" so it must be working for some people!

Hope this helps.
 
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mocchan

mocchan

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PSU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020 $90 ($75 dollars with $15 rebate currently)

RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428 ($47)

GPU - Why not go with a HD7850? They overclock like a champ, and they're the same price as the 560Ti. Drivers can only get better from this point forward, right? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102986 ($250)

These together is about $337 which is well within your budget of $900 :)

***EDIT*** woops, just saw that you wanted from newegg.ca, not .com. Time to go through links again! lol

RAM- http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231426

GPU- http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102986

PSU- http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020 Any of these 3 PSU's though of course, you can choose something else.
 
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quicksand10

quicksand10

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Intel i5-2500k
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO & Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste
Seagate/WD Caviar Blue HDD
G.Skill/Kingston/Mushkin Enhanced 2x4GB up to 1600MHz
ASRock Z77 Extreme 4 or Z68 Extreme 3, or ASUS P8Z68-V LX
500w Antec/XFX/Corsair/Rosewill/Seasonic

Consider the ThermalTake V3 Black Edition case, otherwise Antec One Hundred/Three Hundred (Illusion = a couple included 120mm fans, apparently, so never a bad thing!)
 
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zerokontrol

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Thanks for all the replies, its awesome. I just can't get the pricing right and keep it under/around $900 while using a 560ti(or 7850 = same price). How does dropping the 2500k, the CPU fan and the moving the mobo down to an H61 ASRock sound? Final price with a $260 video card (560ti/7850), $120 power supply, and the 912 with the 2400/h61 would be $877. How much performance would be lost going from an overclocked 2500k to a 2400?
 
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mocchan

mocchan

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I blame canadian prices! :lol: Taking a look at newegg.CA, not .com, the prices there are 30-40 dollars higher than on newegg.COM...which threw me off for sure.
 
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mocchan

mocchan

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I don't think you would be losing too much in terms of performance if this is a strictly gaming rig. You'll lose some performance, but it won't make your game unplayable or anything like that.

Though since you said you're buying this rig in July, is there a chance you could possibly save up some money for the 2500k+z68? It'll be your best choice in my opinion. There's nothing wrong with an i5 2400 and H61, but I personally wouldn't feel too comfortable with that compromise.

Nontheless, Sandy Bridge CPUs do just fine with no overclocking in gaming, so you'll be happy either way :lol:
 
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sharkbyte5150

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Yes, that is true, overclocking is really only for people wanting to squeeze extra performance (and bragging rights) out of their PC because the Sandy Bridge CPU's perform quite well with no help. Of course, you could also keep your eyes open for a good Ivy Bridge CPU and Z77 mobo bundle and won't be starting off a generation behind.
 
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Wisecracker

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Pssst ...

Read the second paragraph of the OP: "Approximate Purchase Date: July "




 
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sharkbyte5150

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Oh, right, I knew he was building in July because I mentioned it earlier but for some reason after mentioning Ivy Bridge, your comment struck me as saying he'd have to wait until July for Ivy Bridge....my bad.
 
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quicksand10

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Since you're buying in Canada, check for prices on all the sites that ship in Canada (you can even order different pieces from different sites)

tigerdirect.ca
ncix.ca
directcanada.com
canadacomputers.com
newegg.ca

I would also go shopping at some local computer stores.

and even go shopping at bestbuy.ca and futureshop.ca (i know, i know, but sometimes they have pretty sexy specials on some hardware)

I agree that in July the prices will have completely changed. If I were you, i would come back ~1 week before you intend to buy it :)
 
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zerokontrol

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@mocchan The thing with a budget like this in Canada is my budget is $1000 before tax(100 for OS), so with taxes thats spending $1130... So spending much more than that is not what I am looking for but I do see the value in going with the z68/z77+2500k or even 3570k.

@sharkbyte5150 Going with Z77+3570k might be a good idea, seeing as Z77's are same price as Z68 and the 3570k should be the same price as 2500k come the 29th, I will also have plenty of time to see what the 3570k really offers over 2500k.

@Wisecracker May seem out there for you but since I am going on Vacation in June for 3 weeks, doesn't seem so far to me. Plus hopefully more 600 series Nvidia's are released (not following those release dates) and hopefully Nvidia can beat the 7850 at the ~250 price range (7850 is awesome at the price range so better is very welcome).

@photonboy True, it will also leave me with a CPU that is better future proofed.

@quicksand10 I have done some quick looking and it would be smart to order from separate sites as their prices vary for different parts. Going to avoid most of the local shops, not the nicest of places and most are highly priced. If I can find a good deal at bestbuy/futureshop I would definitely go with it. I also intend to come back then, and hopefully can work something awesome out with the budget (could probably spend 2500 but that just seems like way to much for a PC).

Sucks being in Canada, if only there was a Microcenter in Pittsburgh instead of Philly.. that would be nice. Thanks for all the help.

Based on benchmarks, the 7850 looks amazing for the price (like I said getting better performance from Nvidia like with 680 would be cool). But should I go with a bigger PSU and keep the option of SLI/CF open, the pro's and con's for each kind of confuse me. Some say its horrid with the cons like micro stuttering but yet so many people do it.
 
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Z

zerokontrol

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Crossfire, should I buy a PSU that is crossfire ready so that in the future I can upgrade via dual 7850's or are the con's of crossfiring make it not worth it and instead just stick to single cards?
 
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quicksand10

quicksand10

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It's always a good idea to go with a better PSU.

By better, I mean:
1. Reliability (Seasonic, Corsair, Rosewill, XFX, Antec)
2. Efficient (80+ Platinum/Gold/Silver/Bronze/80+)
3. Modular (semi or fully modular)
4. Power (in watts)

In that order.
So if it fits in your budget, go right ahead :)
 
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