Check my gaming rig

[aevancho]

So I'm new to this forum and have never built a computer before, so go easy on my potential inadequacies. I have spent that last month or so researching articles, benchmarks, and forums to put together a decent gaming rig for the first time. My budget is anything between 1100-1400 but before I buy everything I just want to get more experienced approval or critique from all the geniuses I see posting here. So this is what I have in store:


Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium
Price: $100
Shipping: Free
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116986

Motherboard: GA-Z77X-UD5H
Price: 190.00
Shipping: $8.50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128545

CPU: Intel Core i5 3570-k
Price: $230.00
Shipping: Free
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-3 [...] 584&sr=8-1

GPU: Geforce GTX 680
Price: $520.00
Shipping: $free

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series (2x4gb)
Price: $47.00
Shipping: Free
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231314

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue (7200rpm/500gb/SATA 6.0gb/s)
Price: $80.00
Shipping: Free
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136769

Power Supply Unit: Corsair Enthusiast Series TX650 (650W)
Price: $110.00
Shipping: $6.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139005

Case: Rosewill Challenger
Price: $50.00
Shipping: $4.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811147153

Optical Drive: Asus CD/DVD Burner DWR-24B1ST
Price: $18.00
Shipping $5.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827135204

This computer will specifically be for gaming. I am really looking for something that I can use max/ultra settings on but without spending immensely too much. I have a laptop for all my other needs so keep that in mind. Please let me know any concerns I should have or anything that could be relevant. Thanks in advanced.

PS - because the gtx 680 is so impossible to find - how comparable is the radeon 7970?

 

[hellfire24]

please-
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice
thanks.

 

[robthatguyx]

well i can say for sure you should go with a 2500k over a 3570k if you plan to overclock in the future, and your going to have to check to see if your motherboard supports the specific model of ripjawx you chose, the links are not working on my end. and the 7970 and gtx 680 are nearly on par with each other its more or less a amd or nvidea deal with those cards, the 680s fast, the 7970s overclock like champs

 

[dudewitbow]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.908182

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.936991

hers the combos related to your picks, but i can say you couls spend on a rosewill challenger + rosewill hive/capstone combo vs rosewill challenger + corsair tx650

This shows that they perform at the same level.

using combos like this would be price and power effecient both on max power output and how much power they drain from the walls

heres one for the gold cert rosewill capstone series

if you want to browse the combo list for these 2 products because you can also change cases here they are

750w hive bronze cert modular

750w Capstone gold cert non-modular

 

[aznshinobi]

You could save so much more though. Check out my $850 build here:
http://www.squidoo.com/electronicandmore
Just change the 7850 to the GTX 680.

The board is cheaper but still supplies 8x/8x on SLI. Plus you get Gen3 support so PCI 3.0 is still supported even though the difference is minimal. Z77 literally has no difference in performance when compared to Z68. Z77 gives you native USB 3.0 and PCIe 3.0 but honestly, benches have shown that the difference isn't even noticeable.

As for everything else, looks solid but the TX650 is really expensive.

 

[aevancho]

Yeah - I apologize for the links. Not really sure how they got all screwed up.

robthatguy - aren't both the 2500k and 3750k over clock capable? And how might I check whether the RAM I picked out is compatible with the gigabyte z77x-ud5h?

dudewitbow - Wow, those combo deals are a steal! Thank you so much for finding those. Do they really just subtract a chunk of the price for it merely being a combo, or is there some catch?

Also - I have been hearing that a bigger case and CPU cooler might be necessary? Is this valid?

 

[dudewitbow]

Yeah - I apologize for the links. Not really sure how they got all screwed up.

robthatguy - aren't both the 2500k and 3750k over clock capable? And how might I check whether the RAM I picked out is compatible with the gigabyte z77x-ud5h?

dudewitbow - Wow, those combo deals are a steal! Thank you so much for finding those. Do they really just subtract a chunk of the price for it merely being a combo, or is there some catch?

Also - I have been hearing that a bigger case and CPU cooler might be necessary? Is this valid?

no catch, direct price cut. its used to convince people to make a larger purchase sometimes.