1st Gaming Computer Build

[RFTPS3]

I have picked parts to what seems like a good reasonably priced gaming computer. I would like advice on whether or not this is a good build. Any suggestions/advice will be greatly appreciated. I Would like the price to stay close to what it is now. Here is is:

PROCESSOR: Intel Core i5-3450 Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.5GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637I53450r - $200

MOTHERBOARD: ASRock Z77 Pro4-M LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - $110

GRAPHICS CARD: XFX HD-677X-ZNLC Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - $110

HARD DRIVE: Seagate ST310005N1A1AS-RK 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $110

POWER SUPPLY: Rosewill Green Series RG530-S12 530W Continuous @40°C, 80 PLUS Certified, Single 12V Rail, Active PFC - $50

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9S-8GBXL - $55

OPTICAL DISC DRIVE:ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM - $18

CASE: ZALMAN Z9 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $50

MONITER: ASUS VH232H Glossy Black 23" 5ms Widescreen Full HD 1080p LCD Monitor w/Speakers & HDMI - $160

OS - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - $100

KEYBOARD AND MOUSE - already own(may upgrade in future)

please give any advice you have and let me know if all of these work well together.
ANY SUGGESTIONS ON BETTER PARTS(THAT ARE AROUND THE SAME PRICE) ARE APPRECIATED

 

[Pyree]

This topic has been moved from the section Opinions and Experiences to section Systems by Pyree

 

[apache_lives]

PSU -- get something better, my preferences are Antec or Corsair

 

[RFTPS3]

PSU -- get something better, my preferences are Antec or Corsair

Will the computer run with the rocketfish power supply or would i have to upgrade? Does this one look good: Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 Power supply - 750 Watt - $94

 

[azeem40]

That is overkill for even 2 7770s. Get a 500W PSU.

 

[RFTPS3]

That is overkill for even 2 7770s. Get a 500W PSU.

Then will my 700 watt rocketfish be fine?

 

[kulladoctor]

Get this PSU, its great for the price, and will run everything.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182199

This is why you shouldnt use your rocketfish:

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Rocketfish-700-W-Power-Supply-Review/556/10

Nice deal on the Hard Drive. Where did you find that?

You seem to be spending a lot for an outdated z68 motherboard. Get something like this instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157306

Also, Consider spending $10 dollars extra to get a i5-2500k. you will easily be able to get 4 ghz clock speeds, even with the stock cooler. This is a 10% boost from 3.7 ghz on the one you choose, for next to nothing.

And Case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235026

 

[azeem40]

The Green series is pretty reliable.

 

[RFTPS3]

Get this PSU, its great for the price, and will run everything.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182199

This is why you shouldnt use your rocketfish:

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Rocketfish-700-W-Power-Supply-Review/556/10

Nice deal on the Hard Drive. Where did you find that?

You seem to be spending a lot for an outdated z68 motherboard. Get something like this instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157306

Also, Consider spending $10 dollars extra to get a i5-2500k. you will easily be able to get 4 ghz clock speeds, even with the stock cooler. This is a 10% boost from 3.7 ghz on the one you choose, for next to nothing.

And Case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235026

the hard dive is $100 on Amazon; the $97 was google shopping's price
actually the $100 is for a 1tb hard drive on Amazon, but google said it was 3tb...

 

[RFTPS3]

Any recommendations on which os is best for playing games?

 

[RFTPS3]

For a hard drive should I get the 500 gb WD caviar blue, black, or green?

 

[kulladoctor]

Ya, 3tb for 100 is a great deal. Do you mind spending a bit more? The best way to make your desktop/browsing/game loading experience fast is getting an SSD. pair the cheapest 500GB hard drive you can find (green or blue I think) with a 90-120 gb boot drive. The total will come to <$200 and you will have a great desktop experience.

Even if you rather not spend on an SSD, still get the cheapest WD caviar (blue or green, I dont remember) the extra speed/power savings from the more expensive drive are pretty unnoticeable.

 

[kulladoctor]

Oh, and Windows 7 Home Premium is the best OS for games by far. Dont get Pro unless you are going to use its features such as virtual XP mode etc.

 

[RFTPS3]

Ya, 3tb for 100 is a great deal. Do you mind spending a bit more? The best way to make your desktop/browsing/game loading experience fast is getting an SSD. pair the cheapest 500GB hard drive you can find (green or blue I think) with a 90-120 gb boot drive. The total will come to <$200 and you will have a great desktop experience.

Even if you rather not spend on an SSD, still get the cheapest WD caviar (blue or green, I dont remember) the extra speed/power savings from the more expensive drive are pretty unnoticeable.

so this hard drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769
and what SSD do you recommend?

 

[kulladoctor]

Yes thats good. Also comes with a combo deal with dvd burner so you may save a few dollars there.

for 128 gb get this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148525

 

[kulladoctor]

Also, I have a question: will you use this build mainly for games, or will you be doing major photoshop/Movie etc?

And, what games would you be playing?

 

[RFTPS3]

Also, I have a question: will you use this build mainly for games, or will you be doing major photoshop/Movie etc?

And, what games would you be playing?

I will be using this mostly for gaming, but i'm not sure what games i'll play probably Diablo 3, Skyrim, Dishonered(when it comes out), guild wars 2, and i'm not really sure because I don't have a computer to play games on now.

 

[RFTPS3]

Do I need a sound card if i'm going to use a turtle beach headset? which sound card is good for it's price?

 

[kulladoctor]

If you are primarily gaming, that graphics card will not be enough to run games like Battlefield 3, Crysis 2, etc at anything higher than medium. Get a 560ti like this one for around $220 instead.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127616

You can do a couple of things to fund this within your budget:

1. downgrade your processor to i3-2120. You will not notice the difference in any games (except maybe a bit battlefield 3 multiplayer with 64 players). But photoshop,movie making etc will be a bit slower.

2. ditch the SSD.

I personally would go with option 1, especially for a rig meant mainly for gaming. Most games are GPU intensive, and the i3-2120 can handle anything that games today can throw at them. Sure, you will give up on overclocking and quad core, but the GPU upgrade is worth it.

If you are going to do a lot of productivity, or really want the future proofing offered by quad core CPUs, then ditch the SSD. You can always upgrade later.

Ideally, just spend $100 more and get everything I just feel bad that my suggestions have already increased your build price by $150 and now uping your graphics would be another $100.

 

[kulladoctor]

A sound card is a luxury these days that only makes sense if you spending quite a bit already. Motherboard sound is usually pretty good. You will not need a sound card for the Turtle beaches.

If you still want a sound card, check out the Creative XFI series, or Xonar from ASUS.

 

[RFTPS3]

If you are primarily gaming, that graphics card will not be enough to run games like Battlefield 3, Crysis 2, etc at anything higher than medium. Get a 560ti like this one for around $220 instead.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127616

You can do a couple of things to fund this within your budget:

1. downgrade your processor to i3-2120. You will not notice the difference in any games (except maybe a bit battlefield 3 multiplayer with 64 players). But photoshop,movie making etc will be a bit slower.

2. ditch the SSD.

I personally would go with option 1, especially for a rig meant mainly for gaming. Most games are GPU intensive, and the i3-2120 can handle anything that games today can throw at them. Sure, you will give up on overclocking and quad core, but the GPU upgrade is worth it.

If you are going to do a lot of productivity, or really want the future proofing offered by quad core CPUs, then ditch the SSD. You can always upgrade later.

Ideally, just spend $100 more and get everything I just feel bad that my suggestions have already increased your build price by $150 and now uping your graphics would be another $100.

i was planning on waiting a bit for the SSD, but will the graphics card i have listed be able to play the games i have listed- i don't think i'll be able to spend another $110.

 

[kulladoctor]

Can't speek about games that haven't been released yet, but skyrim should run fine on ultra.

 

[RFTPS3]

Are there a lot of games out now that my graphics card can't handle?

 

[kulladoctor]

You could do almost everything on Medium. But for High-Ultra on games like BF3, COD and Batman: Arkham City, you will have to upgrade.

Most RPGs should be fine. Guild Wars 2 included.

 

[RFTPS3]

which of these cases is better:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235026
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=11-147-153&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=true&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&chkPurchaseMark=on&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1#scrollFullInfo