New Gaming Build... 1st Build.. Question/Suggestion?

[xion711]

Hello, I'm planning on building my 1st gaming PC with hopes of playing MMOs focusing on PvP/Raiding type play.

I'm looking to stay around the $700-800 range, but cheaper would be nice

Would someone please check this over and tell me what they think and how I could cut costs without cutting quality too much..

What I'm currently thinking is the following:

Rosewill Smart One ATX Mid Tower: $50

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68: $122

Intel Core i5-2500K: $220

EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti: $230

OCZ ZS Series 750W 80PLUS Bronze: $90

Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600: $45

Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 2.5" 60GB SATA III (SSD)
$80 (For O/S and Game loading)

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive: $100

ASUS 24X DVD Burner: $18

Total: 955 with approx 50 in rebates.. making it ~900

 

[azeem40]

For $4 more, you can get a much better PSU. The XFX Core750W is a good choice.

 

[CaedenV]

not a bad build.

I personally am using the ex3 gen3 mobo, as well as that OCZ power supply and love both of them.
Many say that OCZ is junk for power supplies, but I have not heard many bad reviews on their recent products, and I have had 0 problems with mine. I think after they purchased PC Power and Cooling their quality improved a lot.

750W is enough for a monster rig with 2 570 GPUs, and is a bit much for this rig. Duel 560ti GPUs only needs ~650-700W, and a single will run just fine on 500W. Still go for a PSU that is 80+ Bronze or better. If doing heavy overclocking then add 50-100W to my numbers just to be safe.


As far as cost cutting goes:
SSDs are nice (finally got a 240GB one for my system, and what a difference it made!), but they will not add to your overall game expierence, so if budget is concerned then consider sticking with a traditional HDD for now.

Microcenter has killer deals on CPUs, SSDs, Cases, and modding parts (like coolers, fans, lights etc), so check and see if you have one near by. Sadly their best deals are in store only.

OCZ Agility 3 at Microcenter is $50 after rebate, at newegg it is $60 after rebate. Again, like their power supplies, they use to have issues a year or so ago, but their current products are solid, especially when the price is considered. But if you are concerned about budget, but insist on an SSD then that is an easy $20-30 to cut.

if not doing major overclocking then get the i5 2400, and to a turbo boost OC (should be able to hit ~4-4.3GHz under load while keeping your stock settings at idle). If you are doing an OC of any kind, then you will need an aftermarket cooler for ~25-30 such as the hyper 212+ or EVO. Again, if not overclocking, then save $30 on the CPU, and $30 on the cooler by getting the 2400.

While not Rosewill's biggest fan (in fact I plainly hate them), the case looks pretty decent for the price. Still, I would look into Thermaltake or some other decent budget brand.

Here is the effect of the changes I would make for a good budget game rig:
Cut the SSD: -$80
Smaller power supply (same brand): -$40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341047
i5 2400 from microcenter: -$70

Total price: $710 which is right in your target price range.

Oh, plus you need win7 for $100, so really it is $810 total, which is just out of your target price, but also makes your build $1000.

Best of luck! Looks like a fun build!

 

[andrewcarr]

That OCZ if fine look up the reviews.
http://www.ocia.net/reviews/oczzs750w/page4.shtml
http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Cases-and-Cooling/OCZ-ZS-Series-750W-Power-Supply-Review/Final-Thoughts-and-Conclusions
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/ZS_750W/9.html

 

[Zero_]

I'd suggest getting a HD7850 and a Corsair TX650V2.

The TX650V2 PSU is good enough for CF HD7850's. If you have no plans for getting multiple graphics cards in the future, get a Corsair CX430, Antec VP450 or XFX Core 450W and save ~$40.

The HD7850 is massively more powerful for just $20 more.

If you are willing to sacrifice overclocking, you can get a i5 2500 (or 3550 if you wait till next week) + H77 for around ~$50 less. You probably wouldn't even notice the difference in gaming. If you plan to overclock, keep in mind you need to spend an extra ~$30 for a cooler to get decent results.

 

[xion711]

Thank you everyone for the great insight! I now have to rethink/plan this again.. I was hoping to add a second video card down the road. I have the money now to build a beast of a machine but my wife would KILL me, she doesn't look at it from my point of view..*shrugs*