Review for new gaming computer

[aevancho]

Approx Purchase Date: Sometime this week
Budget: $1100-1400
Usage: Gaming
Country: USA
OC: In the future
SLI/Crossfire: In the future

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

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. Also, the GTX 680 seems to be unavailable everywhere. Should I wait or buy something comparable? Would the Radeon 7970 be an equivalent choice?

 

[Why_Me]

650w is over kill for a single 680, yet you need at least a 750w for dual 680's.

http://videocardz.com/32728/geforce-gtx-670-review-tweaktown <----- something to consider. I'm guessing between $350 - $400 tops.


http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7870_Direct_Cu_II/ <----- here's a review of that Asus card down below w/benchmarks

http://www.amazon.com/HD7870-DC2-2GD5-DisplayPort-Utilities-PCI-Express-Graphics/dp/B007JLFVNO $349.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
ASUS HD7870-DC2-2GD5 Radeon 2GB DDR5 VGA/DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort GPU Tweak Utilities PCI-Express 3.0 Graphics Card HD7870-DC2-2GD5

Try and find a case with front 3.0 USB ports and a bit more space to work with than that Rosewill case you have. Or even look at the CM HAF 912 on Amazon for $60 + free shipping and add those front 3.0 USB ports later on if you have to. Corsair 300R @ amazon is another case to consider.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293 $139.99
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z77%20Extreme4 <----- another look at that board

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-24xDVD-RW-Serial-Internal-DRW-24B1ST/dp/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1336324080&sr=1-1 $17.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive DRW-24B1ST (Black)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231544 $44.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-8GAO

 

[aevancho]

I heard 650 would be good considering the gtx 680 requires 550W. Even if I went with something comparable, I remember the other cards all requiring more power than that? I'm not an expert though, haha.

I appreciate the links for the Asrock board, the dvd/cd burner, and g.skill memory - are those all better options that what I have picked out?

 

[Why_Me]

I heard 650 would be good considering the gtx 680 requires 550W. Even if I went with something comparable, I remember the other cards all requiring more power than that? I'm not an expert though, haha.

I appreciate the links for the Asrock board, the dvd/cd burner, and g.skill memory - are those all better options that what I have picked out?

Their not better but as good and they save you money to put you into a 750w psu so you can add another one of those cards later on without having to purchase a new psu.

 

[gizmo_65]

Are you sure you want to go with intel cpu? i own the amd 6100 and an i5 2500 and i dont notice a difference in gaming. Got a radeon 6850 in the FX 6100 and a 6870 in the i5 They both play mw3 at max settings. the ati 7k series cards use less power so you might want to get one of them.
here is the specs on my amd computers
gaming htpc llano A-8 3870K processor, 500gb seagate momentus hybrid drive, 8gb g.skill sniper ram, sony blu ray player, crossfired 6670, bluetooth, wifi, mini keyboard/mouse combo, 450 WATT 80 PLUS PSU, WINDOWS 7 home premium http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TN5PZ6

gaming computer fx 6100 6 core processor,nzxt tempest 410 gaming case, 2tb western-digital green hard disk drive, xfx radeon hd 6870, 8gb crucial ram, corsair h60 liquid cooling, samsung blu ray drive, 630 WATT 80 PLUS PSU, WINDOWS 7 home premium http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007T0DXVM