Want to build first gaming PC, need help...

[jackofblad3z]

Hi. I recently wanted to build my own gaming PC. I have a friend to help me build, he has experience. All I need is the parts. I already have a list of parts I would like and it seems just about right. The thing is, I thought I should get some professional advice before buying anything. My budget is around 1200, but that can be changed if needed. Also, I live in Melbourne, Australia and will probably buy the parts from CPL:
www.cplonline.com.au
I asked them if they can do price matches but haven't gotten a reply yet. Also, these prices are old, so they are a bit lower then what is written here. So, here's the list:
WD 1TB Blue - $105
Asus 1G GTX 560 (Non TI)- $185
Antec HCG 750W - $137*
Antec 1100 - $138*
Core i5 3570k - $?**
Sony Optical Drive - $25***
21.5" E2211T-BN - $119***
Asus P8Z77-M - $120
Gskill 8G 1600C9 Sniper - $56
Logitech MK260 - $24***
*= These parts I want to change. Any alternatives?
**= This part isn't released yet, but priced around 245
***= These parts can be changed and I don't really care about quality. But if a better one is there for similar price, I'll change it.

Especially the PSU and case, I don't really like the look of the case and the PSU is pretty expensive. Any alternatives are welcome.
So basically, this is the build I would like to get, but I would like to make it the best I can for the money. As mentioned before, budget is around $1200 (AUD) and I live in Melbourne. I'm sorry if I posted this somewhere wrong, but I'm new to all this and like I said, I'd like professional advice before doing anything. Also worth mentioning, I'd like to stick with Intel/Asus/Nvidia and also the 3rd gen i core processors (Ivy Bridge) and the relative motherboards.
Oh, and is this build good? Will it last me and give me no lag at all on max graphics on games like Battlefield 3, Crysis 2, Metro 2033, etc...?
Thanks to anyone who can help and hope to get a few replies soon.

 

[Silvune]

How about this? I'm fairly envious of Aussies who have this case available at this price:
Cubitek XL-Tank $80
http://www.mwave.com.au/sku-16011422-Cubitek_Tank_Series_XL_TANK_CB_TKA_B410_Black_Aluminium_12_Drive_Bays_Supports_4

Seeing as the motherboard is mATX and does't support SLI/CF then you don't need anywhere near as much as 750W. But you shouldn't be afraid to spend a lot of money on a PSU as it is actually quite a vital component, so getting a good one is important.

This saves a fair amount of money and is plenty for a system with a GTX 560.
Antec HCG 520W $80
http://www.cplonline.com.au/online-shop?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_default.tpl&product_id=7722&category_id=250

 

[jackofblad3z]

How about this? I'm fairly envious of Aussies who have this case available at this price:
Cubitek XL-Tank $80
http://www.mwave.com.au/sku-16011422-Cubitek_Tank_Series_XL_TANK_CB_TKA_B410_Black_Aluminium_12_Drive_Bays_Supports_4

Seeing as the motherboard is mATX and does't support SLI/CF then you don't need anywhere near as much as 750W. But you shouldn't be afraid to spend a lot of money on a PSU as it is actually quite a vital component, so getting a good one is important.

This saves a fair amount of money and is plenty for a system with a GTX 560.
Antec HCG 520W $80
http://www.cplonline.com.au/online-shop?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_default.tpl&product_id=7722&category_id=250

Thanks

 

[jackofblad3z]

Hi. To anyone still reading this, I found out that CPL does not do price matching and so I'm going to get the parts from MSY. Therefore, I changed a few things in the system. These are the new specs:

Asus P8Z77-M – $113
8G Kit 1600 G Skill Sniper – $56
WD Blue SATA3 1TB – $104
1G GTX560 Asus – $179
Intel i5-3570k – $249
SATA Asus – $23
23” 5ms Acer V233HL – $140 (121 after cashback)
A4 Tech 3100N-BK V-Track- $25
Corsair Carbide CC500R Black- $150
Corsair GS-600 – $96

TOTAL: $1135 (1116 after monitor cashback)

So are these new specs good? Anything I should change for better value or whatever? Oh, and once again, I prefer to stick to Intel/Nvidia.
Thanks, and hope to get a few replies soon.

 

[jackofblad3z]

Alright. So following some of your suggestions and a bit of research, I've finally come up with this build:

Asus P8Z77-M - $110
WD Blue SATA3 1TB - $104
1G GTX 560 Asus - $179
Intel i5-3550 - $220
SATA Asus - $23
G.Skill F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 - $69
NZXT Phantom 410 Mid Tower Case Black - $129
Antec High Current Gamer 620W Power Supply - $99

TOTAL: $933

I will buy the parts from MSY, and the case and RAM from PC Case Gear. Possible OC and sli in the future, definite upgrading in the future. All I want to ask is if there is any more fine tuning I can do to this build before I buy it? I hope I can get a few replies soon so I can finally buy this PC. Thanks to everyone who has helped so far, and thanks in advance to anyone who can now.

 

[mojorisin23]

Looks good to me. if possible i would try and bump up the 560 to the EVGA superclocked Ti version. i'm not a fan of antec but thats your call.

 

[Silvune]

The Asus P8Z77-M doesn't support SLI.

The Antec HCG 620W won't really support GTX 560 SLI either, this is because it doesn't have enough connectors for it.

 

[jackofblad3z]

=

i'm not a fan of antec but thats your call.

So you mean the PSU? What should I get instead?

 

[jackofblad3z]

The Asus P8Z77-M doesn't support SLI.

The Antec HCG 620W won't really support GTX 560 SLI either, this is because it doesn't have enough connectors for it.

I don't think I'll do SLI, only a possibility. If I do, then I'll change the PSU. As for the motherboard, do you know the cheapest Z77 motherboard from Asus that can do SLI?

 

[jackofblad3z]

Alright. Just in case I decide to SLI or OC in the future, I've decided to give an extra $54 and make it completely futureproof, minus the PSU. I changed the CPU to 3570K and the motherboard to P8Z77-M-Pro. This is because I think the mobo and the CPU would be hard to change, but the PSU would be easier, so I thought I'd do it now then later. Was this a good choice, or should I change back to the original?

Also, I've realised that alot of people are saying that I should get a 560ti for a 1k build, but I have no idea how it got so expensive. I see similar builds for even under 1k. So can someone please tell me, what made this build so expensive? What can I do to free up some money so that I can upgrade the GPU? Thanks.

 

[jackofblad3z]

Alright, I've managed to confuse my self a bit and so I take it I'm not getting many replies because people don't know what to say. So I'll start again. I would like to build this system:

Asus P8Z77-M-Pro - $139
WD Blue SATA3 1TB - $104
1G GTX 560 Asus - $179
Intel i5-3570K - $245
Antec HCG 620 - $99
G.Skill F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 - $69
NZXT Phantom 410 Mid Tower Case Black - $129

My question is, is there any thing I can do to make this system better, and do you have any recommendations for other parts? The other question is, I was wondering why it is so expensive and if anyone out there knows how I can cut the price by a bit. Possible SLI and OC in the future, so I'd like it to be futureproof. If you need any other information, I'll provide. Also, buying parts from MSY and PC Case Gear.

Thats just about it and I hope I've managed to clear up the topic. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help, and a big thanks to everyone who already has.

 

[Silvune]

You've probably found the cheapest 1155 Z77 motherboard from Asus that allows SLI.

One of the ways to save money is by getting 1600MHz RAM.
With Sandy Bridge RAM faster than 1600MHz was seen as poor value. I think this would remain true with Ivy Bridge.

Some builds get cheap by using 'bog standard' parts. For instance if you want a particular case (and there's nothing wrong with that) then you sometimes have to pay more for it compared to just getting any old cheap case.

If your strategy is to replace the PSU later if/when you decide to SLI then I think you might as well save some money on the PSU now - I'd suggest going back to the 520W version.