Building my first PC. Need help with specs.

[Im_Jay_Kay]

So recently I have decided I have grown tired of my current computer and also weary of console gaming. So having decided to build my own computer for gaming purposes I have come up with the current parts.

I have little-to-no knowledge of computer assembly and compatibility of parts so I was hoping Tom's Hardware community would be able to give me some helpful tips and let me know if the following setup is good/ideal.

The computer would be used for graphic intensive games such as Battlefield 3.

Very open to advice and/or suggestions for alternative parts.

Motherboard- GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Intel Z68 Motherboard
CPU- Intel Core i7 2600K Quad Core
RAM- Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 16GB
Video Card- GeForce GTX 560 Ti
Hard Drive- Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB SATA
Case- NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Steel
OS- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
Keyboard- Logitech Gaming Keyboard G110
Monitor- Philips 247E3LPHSU, 23.6" LED Widescreen Monitor
Power Supply- Corsair CMPSU-750TXV2 Enthusiast Series

 

[Im_Jay_Kay]

I apologize if this is in the wrong section, it seemed most fitting to the circumstance.

 

[nekulturny]

I think that you should save a little money and downstep to to the i5-2500k. For gaming performance there is no advantage to the more costly 2600k.

The video card is very good. But you might/could save some money from a cheaper CPU and RAM and squeeze in a GTX 680. You don't really need 16GB of RAM, 8GB is plenty. ( I know I have 16, but that was overkill)

Very nice case, I have one too. Same goes for the power supply.

No worries, you posted in the right place. Welcome to the forums.

 

[Im_Jay_Kay]

In what situation would an i7 be more ideal opposed to the i5?

I think the GTX 680 is a little more than I wanted to put into this computer. My goal was to keep it around 1500$ which im basically at right now. The GTX 680 is around what...600-700$ in itself right?

Thanks for your help.

 

[kelthic]

There is not enough difference between the i5-2500k and the i7-2600k in gaming to justify the price increase.

If all you are doing is gaming, 8GB of RAM is plenty.

That PSU is a little heavy for this build unless you plan on a later SLI/Crossfire.

I would change the CPU to the new ivy bridge since this is a new build. The i5-3570k would be excellent. If you can't wait for these to be available, go with the 2500k. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 You would save $90 here.

After that, get a similar 8GB Ram kit. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233196 You would save $42 on this.

I would also drop to a 650w psu. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020 you would save $15 on this.

Then i would take the $147 difference and put this into an after market cpu cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1683510309 $34.99

and a stronger graphics card (112 left +220 from the 560 ti you would not be getting = 332 GPU budget). http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125419 is a bit below budget. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127582 is pretty close to budget.

If you could come up with like $20 more you could get http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2316880&CatId=7387 which is quite a bit better.

 

[Im_Jay_Kay]

Alright so with your help I've compiled the changes made to my setup. It goes as follows.

Motherboard- GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Intel Z68 Motherboard
****CPU- Intel Core i5-2500K Processor
****RAM- Corsair Vengeance Desktop Memory Kit - 8GB
****Video Card- GIGABYTE GV-R785OC-2GD Radeon HD 7850 2GB
Hard Drive- Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB SATA
Case- NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Steel
OS- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
Keyboard- Logitech Gaming Keyboard G110
Monitor- Philips 247E3LPHSU, 23.6" LED Widescreen Monitor
Power Supply- Corsair CMPSU-750TXV2 Enthusiast Series

The 750w power supply I found for only 89$, which was only a 5$ jump from the 650w.

This is more ideal than my previous setup? (It comes in 70$ cheaper than the original one I posted.)

EDIT: Also the 30$ Heatsink.

 

[kelthic]

This is a better build yes. The GPU is stronger, which is going to translate to better FPS and/or more eye candy while gaming.

 

[Rockdpm]

Yes!, Your all set. If you still have questions or need help. Contact us with a PM or just simply ask us in a thread. Welcome to the forums!

 

[nekulturny]

In what situation would an i7 be more ideal opposed to the i5?

I think the GTX 680 is a little more than I wanted to put into this computer. My goal was to keep it around 1500$ which im basically at right now. The GTX 680 is around what...600-700$ in itself right?

Thanks for your help.

The GTX 680 is about 500-600. Yea, I can see why you wouldn't want to put that much into it, just thought I'd throw it out there. I wouldn't either personally, I'm running Metro 2033 on maxed settings perfectly fluid gameplay with a 550 TI, I'm not a heavy gamer, good nuff for me.

As to what circumstance an i7 would be more beneficial. Thinks like video editing. CPU intensive applications, gaming is mainly a strain on your video card, not your processor.

The ivy bridge, I disagree with kelthic respectfully, theres really no advantage to ivy bridge. Reports are that its not going to be a significant improvmenet over Sandy Bridge. (a new generation rarely is significantly better than a prior generation of any computer component in the first place). Either way the 2500k already has enough power to demolish any game requirement on the market today and then some.

The 7850 video card is a good choice, its better than the 560 TI and around the same price bracket. Although all 3 of the ones mentioned should do just fine.

 

[kelthic]

The GTX 680 is about 500-600. Yea, I can see why you wouldn't want to put that much into it, just thought I'd throw it out there. I wouldn't either personally, I'm running Metro 2033 on maxed settings perfectly fluid gameplay with a 550 TI, I'm not a heavy gamer, good nuff for me.

As to what circumstance an i7 would be more beneficial. Thinks like video editing. CPU intensive applications, gaming is mainly a strain on your video card, not your processor.

The ivy bridge, I disagree with kelthic respectfully, theres really no advantage to ivy bridge. Reports are that its not going to be a significant improvmenet over Sandy Bridge. (a new generation rarely is significantly better than a prior generation of any computer component in the first place). Either way the 2500k already has enough power to demolish any game requirement on the market today and then some.

The 7850 video card is a good choice, its better than the 560 TI and around the same price bracket. Although all 3 of the ones mentioned should do just fine.

Only reason i suggested ivy bridge is because it has better efficiency than sandy bridge for similar price. If OP already had sandy bridge already, that would be out of the question. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ivy-bridge-benchmark-core-i7-3770k,3181-24.html shows very mild performance gains. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ivy-bridge-benchmark-core-i7-3770k,3181-23.html shows efficiency gains since Sandy bridget though. Actually, in Tom's review, they state the Ivy bridge is going to cost a little less than the sandy bridge, so i'm really torn on this recommendation. I think the clincher is that the op does not have sandy bridge, which would make an ivy bridge kind of pointless.

 

[nekulturny]

Yea. I wouldn't worry too much about the power usage. In terms of your electric bill its almost nothing, 6 watt difference is about a penny a day.

I'd really like to see Ivy cost less. Theres too big of a price gap for Intel between dual cores and quad cores. Quad cores are definitely the way to go for a modern system.

As far as the AMD side of things, Bulldozers really aren't worth considering too much, so that leaves the remaining Phenom IIs smack dab in the middle of Intel i3s and i5 Sandy Bridges. When the remaining Phenom IIs sell out, its a pretty big gap the market would be stuck with between a quad and a dual. But I digress..

 

[Im_Jay_Kay]

Best answer selected by Im_Jay_Kay.

 

[Im_Jay_Kay]

I thank you all for your contributions and I believe I have my computer.

 

[kelthic]

no problem! Enjoy that computer!