$1100 Gaming PC - Critique please! :)

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tritan

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Sep 16, 2008
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18,530
Approximate Purchase Date: Next Tuesday

Budget Range: $1100 - $1200 max

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Recording (fraps) while gaming, Streaming while gaming, Photoshop

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor(s), Speakers, Mic.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: None

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200

Additional Comments:

Here's what I have so far, please let me know if there are any improvements I could make or if something is a bad choice:
(I'm a bit shaky on the motherboard. There are so many choices, I'm not sure which is the best for me. If you know of a better motherboard please let me know!)


CPU:
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819116504&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=eldn0zbcd5ni

Aftermarket Cooling:
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
+
120mm fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103069
for push-pull

GPU:
MSI R7870 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127662

Mobo:
ASRock Z77 Pro4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157296&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=glc3nksbsu6q

RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

PSU:
XFX Core Edition PRO550W (P1-550S-XXB9) 550W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013

CD/DVD:
ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136795

Case:
NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Steel / Plastic Enthusiast ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146067



TOTAL: $1,096.90
 
Solution
Why_Me
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Why_Me

Why_Me

Polypheme
Jan 17, 2008
16,375
2,353
69,840
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.910387 $354.98
ASRock Z77 Pro4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

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

or here's a board that will clock even higher than that one up above.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.910480 $389.98
ASRock Z77 Performance LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Fatal1ty%20Z77%20Performance <---- another look at that board

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=AS-785DGD5 $253.99 Free Shipping
Asus ATI Radeon HD7850 2GB DDR5 DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card - HD7850-DC2-2GD5
 
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A

azeem40

Splendid
Dec 11, 2011
8,940
0
31,810

He stated he is not OCing. :p
 
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O

Outlander_04

Titan
BANNED
Nov 18, 2008
20,308
4
74,960
P67 motherboards are older tech .Im not even sure it can run an IB processor .
Use a Z68 or Z77 chipset board instead

The 560 ti is also a last generation graphics card so use a Radeon 7850 instead

The cpu cooler might be worth it for extreme overclocks . Hard to be sure . Consider a 2500K and and a $300 CM Hyper 212 instead

The power supply is overkill . If you use the radeon you need a 500 watt unit , and 600 with the 560 ti
 
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Why_Me

Why_Me

Polypheme
Jan 17, 2008
16,375
2,353
69,840

I edited that post of mine up above. I didn't read your OP correctly. Sry about that. Take a look at the board in the top of that post...the Asrock Z77 Pro4 or this board down below...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.910439 $339.98
ASRock Z75 Pro3 LGA 1155 Intel Z75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z75%20Pro3 <---- another look at that board

or...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.910435 $349.98
ASRock Z77 Pro3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z77%20Pro3 <----- another look at that board
 
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T

tritan

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Sep 16, 2008
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18,530
Updated with new Mobo, GPU, and PSU

Pro4, 7850, and 650w corsair

edit: Just read your post, i'll lower the PSU even more now. 500w or 600w?
Keeping in mind that I'm likely to upgrade the GPU a year or two from now
 
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T

tritan

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I guess if I'm getting that noctua I might as well OC more than just a little.

Reviews are saying you can still OC the IB pretty well, even to 4ghz off stock (not sure if I believe that).

I just want to do a little extra future-proofing on the CPU end so that I can just upgrade GPU in a year or so and still be perfectly fine. Don't want to get bottlenecked by CPU.
 
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Why_Me

Why_Me

Polypheme
Jan 17, 2008
16,375
2,353
69,840

Take a look at this cpu cooler down below. It comes with a small tube of great thermal compound and this cooler is by far the most recommended on here for moderate builds.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1336027973&sr=1-6 $34.95 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

You can add this fan to that cooler up above for a "push - pull effect" to help bring cpu temps down even lower.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-BladeMaster-Silent-R4-BMBS-20PK-R0/dp/B0030DL37I/ref=sr_1_15?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1336028029&sr=1-15 $10.41 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master BladeMaster 120mm PWM High Air Flow Silent Case Fan R4-BMBS-20PK-R0
 
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T

tritan

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Sep 16, 2008
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Woah.

Thats some mad-scientist frankenstein ***.

I might actually do that.
 
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Why_Me

Why_Me

Polypheme
Jan 17, 2008
16,375
2,353
69,840

The 480 is a old school power hungry heat producing hog. New generation card ftw.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127662 $369.99 - $349.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING 5% off w/ promo code MSI425, ends 4/30
MSI R7870 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Video Card

http://www.overclockers.com/msi-r7870-twin-frozr <----- review w/benchmarks of that MSI 7870

or...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418 $359.99
GIGABYTE GV-R787OC-2GD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

http://www.guru3d.com/article/gigabyte-radeon-hd-7870-oc-review/ <----- review w/benchmarks of that Gigabyte 7870

or...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121624 $349.99
ASUS HD7870-DC2-2GD5 Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7870_Direct_Cu_II/ <----- review w/benchmarks of that Asus 7870



 
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T

tritan

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Sep 16, 2008
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I love you.

OP updated. Added HDD and new GPU.
 
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T

tritan

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Sep 16, 2008
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This is looking to be my final build, unless anyone has any more suggestions / improvements.

For some reason I thought HDD's were cheaper. I remember getting a WD blue for like $50...
 
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Why_Me

Why_Me

Polypheme
Jan 17, 2008
16,375
2,353
69,840

They had a big time major flood in Thailand some months back, and that's where most all your hard drives are manufactured. When that flood hit the prices on hard drives sky rocketed. They are slowly coming back down.
 
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Why_Me

Why_Me

Polypheme
Jan 17, 2008
16,375
2,353
69,840

For a "push - pull" you need the CM Blade Master 120mm due to the identical RPM's. It's the fan used on all CM 120mm cpu heat sinks.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103069 $11.99 FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER R4-BMBS-20PK-R0 Blade Master 120mm Case Fan 600 - 2000 RPM

The psu is over kill. This XFX 550w psu down below is manufactured by Seasonic as is that Corsair you have up there and this 550w psu will easily push a gtx 680 with juice to spare.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013 $74.99 FREE SHIPPING 10% off w/ promo code XFXS10, ends 5/6
XFX Core Edition PRO550W (P1-550S-XXB9) 550W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

+3.3V@24A, +5V@24A, +12V@44A, -12V@0.5A, +5VSB@2.5A

And don't forget to combo that Asrock board with the cpu to save another $15.
 
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Solution
Why_Me

Why_Me

Polypheme
Jan 17, 2008
16,375
2,353
69,840

With the money saved I would give this card down below a serious look. Free shipping and a $20 mail in rebate make this card too good to pass up imo. This card over clocks like a beast, runs cool, and runs silent. It's a gtx 580 killer if there ever was one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127662 $369.99 - $349.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
MSI R7870 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Video Card
Free Dirt3 game coupon w/ purchase, limited offer
 
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