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Please be gentle.. Its my first time

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Hey guys,

As the title states, this will be my very first build. I already posted earlier and have now reconfigured the parts based on the feedback I got. Please comment and/or suggest different parts as you see fit.

Approximate Purchase Date: Probably first or second week of May since I am waiting for Ivy Bridge to come out

Budget Range: 1350 + or - 100 including taxes

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Mainly gaming; SC2 and D3 for sure but I also play FPS

Parts Not Required: I don't need a case and keyboard; I need everything else

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: http://www.directcanada.com

Country: Canada

Parts Preferences: Since this is my first build, I am open to suggestions. I have yet to experience the joys and woes of computer building. ^^

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: No; as much as I want to, I would rather run on a single GPU as people in this forum state it is more stable

Monitor Resolution: I don't have a monitor but the one I am looking at is 1920 x 1080

Additional Comments: I also need to be able to connect via wireless connection as the modem is not accessible in my room.

Here are the details of my build:

Case: Corsair Carbide 300R (already bought)
Keyboard: Razer Black Widow Mechanical Keyboard (already bought)

PSU: Corsair Enthusiast Series TX650M 650W ATX Modular Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan 5 Year Warranty *****84.96

Motherboard:cGigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 Z68 DDR3 1PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 2PCI HDMI SLI SATA3 USB3.0 Motherboard *****163.56

CPU: Intel Core I5 2500K Quad Core Unlocked Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 6MB ***** 209.69

Memory: Mushkin Enhanced Silverline Stiletto 8GB 2X4GB PC3-10666 DDR3-1333 9-9-9-24 Dual Channel Memory Kit *****41.68

GPU: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870 OC 1100MHZ 2GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 DVI HDMI 2XMINIDP PCI-E Video Card ***** 352.80 (Pretty much set on this card based on low power consumption and performance. However, if there is a card that is equal in ability and lower in price, I would consider it.

HDD: Western Digital WD Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6GB/S 7200RPM 32MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM *****108.00

SSD: Crucial M4 SSD Micron C400 64GB 2.5IN Solid State Disk Flash Drive SATA3 6Gbps ***** 84.85 (This will be my boot drive.)

Optical Drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer OEM Black *****19.24

Mouse: Coolermaster CM Storm Spawn 3500DPI Gaming Mouse 7 Button Black Red *****$32.49

Wireless Adapter: D-LINK DWA-552 Xtreme N Desktop Adapter 802.11B/G/N Triple Antenna PCI Adapter *****44.65 (I realize that this is somewhat pricey, I could buy something else either at NCIX or Newegg)

CPU fan: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366/1155/1156/2011 120MM ***** 31.05

LCD Display: BenQ V2210 21.5IN LED LCD Monitor 1920X1080 5000000:1 Black HDMI ***** 152.28 (I need a monitor with an HDMI as I plan on giving away my tube tv and using my monitor as my new tv)

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit ***** 111.30

Total: 1436.55 (As you can see, my build is in the higher end of my budget. I would like to lower it but I have no idea which parts I should cut back on.)

Thanks in advance for the help! :hello: 

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azeem40 said:
Remove the Wireless adapter and you will be under budget.



Thank you for the suggestion. That certainly is a good idea. However, I still need to connect to the internet. Since the modem is upstairs and my room is downstairs, I need to connect wirelessly. Do you have any other suggestions on how to improve my build? :) 
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Best solution

Seeing how you don't plan on going with a second card in the future look at these boards down below which are meant for a single card set up.

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530BD9683&v... $148.04
ASUS P8Z77-V LX Z77 ATX LGA1155 DDR3 CrossFireX 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 SATA3 DVI HDMI USB3.0 Motherboard

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530BD5673&v... $138.23
ASUS P8Z77-M mATX LGA1155 Z77 DDR3 2PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 1PCI SATA3 HDMI DVI USB3.0 Motherboard

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=28220BD3418&v... $120.05 MIR $100.05
MSI Z77A-G43 ATX LGA1155 Z77 DDR3 2PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 3PCI SATA3 DVI HDMI VGA DX11 USB3.0 Motherboard

Also that 650w psu is total over kill and then some. This psu down below is manufactured by Seasonic and is a beast.

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180AC2961&v... $60.81
XFX 550W PRO550W Core Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 44A 24PIN ATX Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze

With money saved look at this SSD...

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=30170DR2160&v... $130.25
Mushkin Chronos 120GB 2.5IN SATA3 Sandforce SF-2281 SSD Solid State Disk Flash Drive

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530MN6442&v... $153.81 MIR $143.81
ASUS ML228H 21.5IN Widescreen LED Backlit LCD Monitor Black 1920X1080 2MS 10M:1 HDMI DVI-D VGA

http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/240572/RT-N66U/ASUS/ $171.74
ASUS RT-N66U Dual Band Wireless N900 Ultra Thin Gigabit Router 2.4/5GHZ - 450Mbp

I would suggest as wierd as it sounds running a hardwire from your modem to your computer if you can. Nothing beats a hardwire connection. If you are playing FPS you will want it... TRUST ME ^_~

l0v3rboi said:
Thanks! That's pretty cheap. I'll take that into consideration. Is it as easy as plug and play?

Do you know that Gigabyte board and Corsair psu that you have in the OP is for a dual card set up? You can save an easy $100 by changing over to the correct board and psu.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have a few questions though.
Why_Me said:
Seeing how you don't plan on going with a second card in the future look at these boards down below which are meant for a single card set up.
How do I know it was meant for a single card setup?


Why_Me said:
Also that 650w psu is total over kill and then some. This psu down below is manufactured by Seasonic and is a beast.

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180AC2961&v... $60.81
XFX 550W PRO550W Core Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 44A 24PIN ATX Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze
How do I know if it is overkill? O.. and I wanted a modular power supply as my cable management skills will probably be next to none. Lol. Is this a good power supply? http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=13440AC5884&v...

Why_Me said:

With money saved look at this SSD...

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=30170DR2160&v... $130.25
Mushkin Chronos 120GB 2.5IN SATA3 Sandforce SF-2281 SSD Solid State Disk Flash Drive


I was originally considering this but has decided to stay away from Sandforce controllers as I would be clueless on how to resolve the problem if one occurs. Is it significantly better than if I just increase the size of the Crucial M4 to 120 Gb?

Why_Me said:

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530MN6442&v... $153.81 MIR $143.81
ASUS ML228H 21.5IN Widescreen LED Backlit LCD Monitor Black 1920X1080 2MS 10M:1 HDMI DVI-D VGA


Hey, I noticed that the response time is lower than the one I chose. Is this monitor better than the one I chose? I don't really know.

Thanks again for all the help.

kcsmacker said:
I would suggest as wierd as it sounds running a hardwire from your modem to your computer if you can. Nothing beats a hardwire connection. If you are playing FPS you will want it... TRUST ME ^_~


Lol.. yes I do realize that a hardwire connection would be the best in terms of gaming. However, to do this, I would either have to start the wire from a hole in the floor of the 2nd floor or a ridiculously long line from the upstairs room, down the stairs, through the living room, then my room. Too bad. :p 

Soda88 said:
Replace motherboard with Asrock Z68 Gen3 Extreme3, you don't need 3 PCI-e slots:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681...

Also, you can get 1600MHz RAM for the same price:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1682...


Hey thanks for the reply. I did consider that Asrock MoBo before. However, it did not have usb 3.0 plugs on the board itself so I decided to switch to the Gigabyte one. Also, you're right. I can get better RAM elsewhere for the same price. I'll look around one more time. :D 

l0v3rboi said:
Thanks for the suggestions. I have a few questions though.
How do I know it was meant for a single card setup?


How do I know if it is overkill? O.. and I wanted a modular power supply as my cable management skills will probably be next to none. Lol. Is this a good power supply? http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=13440AC5884&v...

[qoutemsg=2570353,7,309238]
With money saved look at this SSD...

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=30170DR2160&v... $130.25
Mushkin Chronos 120GB 2.5IN SATA3 Sandforce SF-2281 SSD Solid State Disk Flash Drive [/qoutemsg]
I was originally considering this but has decided to stay away from Sandforce controllers as I would be clueless on how to resolve the problem if one occurs. Is it significantly better than if I just increase the size of the Crucial M4 to 120 Gb?

2570353,7,309238 said:

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530MN6442&v... $153.81 MIR $143.81
ASUS ML228H 21.5IN Widescreen LED Backlit LCD Monitor Black 1920X1080 2MS 10M:1 HDMI DVI-D VGA [/qoutemsg]
Hey, I noticed that the response time is lower than the one I chose. Is this monitor better than the one I chose? I don't really know.

Thanks again for all the help.
said:

That PC & P will do fine...still a bit much but not as bad as the Corsair.

Also take a look at this psu down below.

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10370AC9838&v... $75.31
Antec HCG-520M 520W ATX12V Modular SINGLE-RAIL 40A 80PLUS Bronze 135mm Fan Active PFC Power Supply

The BenQ has a contrast ration of 5mil. to 1, and the Asus is 10mil. to 1. Throw in the fact the Asus has a quicker response time it beats the BenQ in both depts. Also check out those boards I posted to save a few dollars.

Anonymous said:
and you need front USB 3 ports for . . . . . . . .

Seeing how the OP plans on IB and a single card set up...well the Z77 would be the best choice. Front USB header, newer tech that comes with the Z77 that's meant for IB.

Why_Me said:
That PC & P will do fine...still a bit much but not as bad as the Corsair.

Also take a look at this psu down below.

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10370AC9838&v... $75.31
Antec HCG-520M 520W ATX12V Modular SINGLE-RAIL 40A 80PLUS Bronze 135mm Fan Active PFC Power Supply

The BenQ has a contrast ration of 5mil. to 1, and the Asus is 10mil. to 1. Throw in the fact the Asus has a quicker response time it beats the BenQ in both depts. Also check out those boards I posted to save a few dollars.


Ahh... I see. lower response time=faster=better. I get it now. lol. Thanks I'll take all your suggestions into consideration. I'll repost my new build when IB comes out. :D 
Anonymous

ok, but what USB3 devices are there?

i'll put it this way; i look at the USB3 headers on my board and think, "i should mod my case and put some ports on the front." but then i ask myself, "what for?"

Anonymous said:
ok, but what USB3 devices are there?

i'll put it this way; i look at the USB3 headers on my board and think, "i should mod my case and put some ports on the front." but then i ask myself, "what for?"

Here's a better question. Ask yourself why you would purchase a Z68 board meant for dual vid cards when you plan on purchasing a IB cpu with a single card build?

That should answer your question right there.

Its very easy to use, but you have to have drivers to make it to work.

l0v3rboi said:
Thanks! That's pretty cheap. I'll take that into consideration. Is it as easy as plug and play?

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