First Time Build: ~$1000 Budget (Gaming)

[testdemon]

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP

Budget Range: I'd like to keep it as close to $1000 as possible, but I'm open to a little extra for good reasons

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (99%), surfing the internet, watching movies

Parts Not Required: Starting from scratch

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, ncix.com, amazon.com

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: No real preference

Overclocking: Maybe (most likely)

SLI or Crossfire: No immediate plans

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Quiet would be nice and I want to be able to play most games on high end settings


Here's what I am thinking (but PLEASE call me out if things feel wrong, I am very much a n00b):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1039.91
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-04-30 17:59 EDT-0400)


NOTES: I am particularly unsure about the motherboard, the graphics card (MSI Twin Frozr vs asus given that they are the same price...) and whether I should shoot for the 2500k or 3570k intel CPU.

 

[testdemon]

Any thoughts at all?

Is the case a good fit for the parts? Does that cooler make sense? Is the motherboard compatible? Should I go with the Intel 2500k or Intel 3570k (for an extra $10)?

Obviously I think I am on the right track, but I'd love some people to either disagree with me or confirm that this is a good rig

 

[testdemon]

Hopefully last question... would the Asrock Z68 Gen3 Extreme3 work just as well with my set up?

 

[azeem40]

Get the Z77 ASRock Extreme4 Board and an i5-3570k. So what if it has the same OC headroom as SB? It is the latest and greatest.

 

[testdemon]

Get the Z77 ASRock Extreme4 Board and an i5-3570k. So what if it has the same OC headroom as SB? It is the latest and greatest.

Man, those thoughts are always going through my head! I'm trying to keep the cost down a little so that I can also buy a decent keyboard, monitor, mouse, etc.

From what I hear the 3570k doesn't overclock as well as the 2500k, so I was leaning towards sticking with the 2500k unless there was a good reason not to...

 

[azeem40]

That is a load of crap tbh. It OCs just as well, and PCIe 3.0 is worth it.

 

[testdemon]

Alright, fair enough... and that's good enough to justify the increase in price for the 3570k and the Z77?

Sorry, as I mentioned, this is all very new to me :/

 

[azeem40]

It definitely is. Understandable.
PCIe 3.0 is 2x the bandwidth of PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 3.0 will be utilized soon enough.

 

[testdemon]

Another question, is one of these better than the other in terms of a 7870?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2316880&CatId=7387

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2262860&SRCCODE=LINKSHARE&cm_mmc_o=-ddCjC1bELltzywCjC-d2CjCdwwp&AffiliateID=8BacdVP0GFs-Y6LRrcpyA6fd0fdRQLoK7g

Thanks for all your help!

 

[testdemon]

After figuring out the graphics card, I swear I am done! This is my last tweak that I need. I even already ordered the 3570k based on your suggestion

 

[testdemon]

Now I'm noticing that the 7950s dropped in price recently... would this be a better bang for buck than the 7870?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102962

Also, is it a big deal that it isn't the model with dual fans?

EDIT: Other Sapphire for reference: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102963

 

[azeem40]

It shouldn't matter how many fans it has. Good choice!