Need Advice building $1000 gaming PC (First Time)

[hopz]

Hey guys, I'm trying to build a desktop geared toward gaming. It's the first time I've done this so have been researching for a while on these forums and have a basic outline of what I was thinking. I was hoping to start ordering around June 1st. I am also hoping that the new Ivy Bridge and new NIVDIA GTX 660 will be out by then. Here's what i have so far.


Approximate Purchase Date: June 1st

Budget Range: 800-1000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming and school (engineering)

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

Country: U.S.

Overclocking: maybe a little bit?

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: would like it to relatively quiet, in my price range, and be able to last me 4 years playing smoothly at max settings (e.g. Diablo 3)




Computer Build

Mother Board
Z77 - $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157293

CPU
i5- 2500K - $220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115072

i5- 3570K? - ? April 29 $225?

GPU
(looking to play D3 and other new games on max setting for around 4 years)
GTX 660 - $260 ish range May 15?
HD 7850 - $260
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814121623


Case
COOLER MASTER Storm Enforcer -$90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 20Enforcer

Power Supply
(will this be enough for what I've got so far?)
Seasonic M12II 620 bronze - $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817151095

Hard Drives
(was thinking SSD for OS and games, then HDD for storage)
HDD
Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" - $170
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148844

SSD
SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128D/AM 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Desktop Upgrade Kit - $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820147137

Memory

G. skills ripjaws series 16GB (4x4) - $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231315

Optical Drive

Asus DvD burner - $19
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827135204

Wireless adapter card
Any - $30

Thanks in advance,
Alex

 

[azeem40]

Everything is great! That PSU is enough power.

 

[andrewcarr]

Only think I would change is the CPU to the IVY Bridge version which will be out by then. Whichever GPU is better is the one you get. You won't be able to use 16GB in most cases and 8GB should be more than enough. Just a side note your links don't work.

 

[g-unit1111]

That will be an excellent build - there's nothing I would change except - and I don't know how accurate this is - is that the 660TI will not debut in the sub-$300 range but more in the $300 - $400 range to compete with the higher-end 7870 and 7950. Again - I don't know how accurate this is, it's purely speculation.

 

[hopz]

Thanks guys. A couple more quick questions.

1) why won't it be able to use the 16GB?

2) how would I incorporate the wireless component?

3) are there any other costs I'm not taking into account? (ex. any wires or connects?)

 

[Why_Me]

For a single card set up then there's no reason to get the extreme4. This board down below better fits your needs.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157296 $119.99
ASRock Z77 Pro4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z77%20Pro4 <----- a better look at that board

 

[hopz]

I was also curious if overclocking would be worth it in my case. And if so, would it require extra cooling?

 

[Why_Me]

I was also curious if overclocking would be worth it in my case. And if so, would it require extra cooling?

Either one of these cpu coolers will suffice for a nice mild over clock.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=pd_cp_e_0 $34.95 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335435572&sr=1-1 $24.77 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1

 

[envy14tpe]

Why_Me..... about the motherboard choice. I am in the same boat as this buyer, and I'm gonna buy
the Extreme instead of the Pro4. I was told that the GOLD CAPS were worth the extra $10-15 to cuz
of vastly improved quality.

Hopz.... a lot of your choices are similar to mine. I too am playing the waiting game. One thing that is
different is that I'm going with a 560Ti Twin Frozr. Seems to be enough for the next 2-3 years to play
games at High Settings. I think 2-3 years is more reasonable than 4. I think most people that build
a system like this probably like to constantly improve and tweak things.

 

[hopz]

Either one of these cpu coolers will suffice for a nice mild over clock.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=pd_cp_e_0 $34.95 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335435572&sr=1-1 $24.77 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1

Would you recommend overclocking for my build to play games at the top settings smoothly?

 

[hopz]

Why_Me..... about the motherboard choice. I am in the same boat as this buyer, and I'm gonna buy
the Extreme instead of the Pro4. I was told that the GOLD CAPS were worth the extra $10-15 to cuz
of vastly improved quality.

Hopz.... a lot of your choices are similar to mine. I too am playing the waiting game. One thing that is
different is that I'm going with a 560Ti Twin Frozr. Seems to be enough for the next 2-3 years to play
games at High Settings. I think 2-3 years is more reasonable than 4. I think most people that build
a system like this probably like to constantly improve and tweak things.

It's nice to know that someone is in the same boat as me. And I also heard the Extreme was worth the upgrade, but wasn't completely sure.

The 560Ti Twin Frozr is basically the NVIDA version of the 7850?

 

[Why_Me]

Would you recommend overclocking for my build to play games at the top settings smoothly?

With your resolution and a 7850, a mild o/c wouldn't hurt. It would give you a little extra FPS. You can get a decent o/c without messing with the voltage.

 

[hopz]

With your resolution and a 7850, a mild o/c wouldn't hurt. It would give you a little extra FPS. You can get a decent o/c without messing with the voltage.

Awesome thank you. Would you happen to know a good link or somewhere where I could find out how exactly to do that? And I can do that with just the normal Ivy Bridge i5 3570k?

 

[Why_Me]

Awesome thank you. Would you happen to know a good link or somewhere where I could find out how exactly to do that? And I can do that with just the normal Ivy Bridge i5 3570k?

Ivy Bridge won't be officially released yet until this weekend. It's a new chip so you want to run at stock speeds for a month or two until people get it down. After a month you will see god only knows how many threads on o/c that cpu on this board and many others. The "K" after the 3570 means it's unlocked and that it can be over clocked so your good to go with that cpu.

 

[hopz]

Ivy Bridge won't be officially released yet until this weekend. It's a new chip so you want to run at stock speeds for a month or two until people get it down. After a month you will see god only knows how many threads on o/c that cpu on this board and many others. The "K" after the 3570 means it's unlocked and that it can be over clocked so your good to go with that cpu.

That clarifies a lot on overclocking, thank you! Do you have any opinion on GPUs? Still not sure if the NVIDA 660 will be out by June when I want to start ordering. So was thinking of the 7850, but have read a lot that NVIDA was better for blizzard games, so was also thinking of MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II. Was leaning more towards 7850 just because I've heard more people mention it and recommend it.

 

[burton88]

If your really worried about overclocking you can use the programs that come with asus. it can overclock it for you in windows safely and all you will have to do is click one button.

 

[hopz]

If your really worried about overclocking you can use the programs that come with asus. it can overclock it for you in windows safely and all you will have to do is click one button.

Oh cool, thank you. Would I still need to worry about the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler in that case then?

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Maste [...] =pd_cp_e_0 $34.95 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

 

[azeem40]

I would just OC in the BIOS as it is more accurate.

 

[hopz]

I would just OC in the BIOS as it is more accurate.

K thanks, I'll look into that. do you know what OC speed i would need to start adding extra cooling?

 

[azeem40]

After 4 GHz.

 

[hopz]

I"m also having some trouble pick cases. I want one that can hopefully keep my system cool with stock setting, that is big enough, and that is relatively quiet.

Here are the 3 i'm looking at.

COOLER MASTER Storm Enforcer -$90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119240&Tpk=CM%20Storm%20Enforcer

Antec Twelve Hundred
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139010

Corsair Carbide Series 500R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139010

 

[Why_Me]

I"m also having some trouble pick cases. I want one that can hopefully keep my system cool with stock setting, that is big enough, and that is relatively quiet.

Here are the 3 i'm looking at.

COOLER MASTER Storm Enforcer -$90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119240&Tpk=CM%20Storm%20Enforcer

Antec Twelve Hundred
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139010

Corsair Carbide Series 500R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139010

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Series-Gaming-Computer/dp/B0055Q7BR4/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335487850&sr=1-3 $99.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 400R Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case - CC-9011011-WW

http://www.corsair.com/pc-cases/carbide-series-pc-case/carbide-series-400r-mid-tower-case.html <----- another look at that case

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Series-Gaming-CC-9011012-WW/dp/B005E983JW/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335489421&sr=1-7 $116.16 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 500R Mid Tower Gaming Case CC-9011012-WW

http://www.corsair.com/pc-cases/carbide-series-pc-case/carbide-series-500r-mid-tower-case.html <----- another look at that case

 

[hopz]

I was originally thinking of ordering parts starting in June. Would it be smart to order all my parts at once then? Or slowly start ordering parts that are on sale now? while still waiting for the Ivy Bridge and possible the new NVIDA 660?

 

[Why_Me]

I was originally thinking of ordering parts starting in June. Would it be smart to order all my parts at once then? Or slowly start ordering parts that are on sale now? while still waiting for the Ivy Bridge and possible the new NVIDA 660?

Order them all at once. Prices on hard drives and SSD's continually drop while new tech will be released.

 

[envy14tpe]

Hopz. I would wait until almost everything has been released. For one, you'll have to wait at least 2 weeks to get an Ivy i5. And it seems the new Kepler series GPUs won't be for a while yet, and when they do come out they might be the high end ones, and the 660 will be later this year...i assume that means Fall. Can you wait that long? I can wait until mid May, then it'll be driving me nutz and I'll need to finally get my build. And the build centers on the GPU.