Need advice for my gaming rig

[cokegirl]

Hello,

So far my parts that I am considering to buy for my new PC are,

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Case - Antec Three Hundred Two Mid Tower Gaming Case 302 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB3.0 & Audio (59.99)

PSU - Corsair Enthusiast Series TX550M 550W ATX Modular Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan 5 Year Warranty ($79.99)

CPU&Mobo - NCIX Gaming Bundle Deal Intel Core i5 3450 CPU & MSI Z77A-G43 DDR3 CrossFire Motherboard ($304.99)

RAM - Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B Vengeance Blue 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Dual Channel Memory Kit ($44.79)

GPU - MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozr II OC 880MHZ 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI Mini-HDMI DX11 PCI-E Video Card  ($278.99)

Optical Drive - ASUS DRW-24B1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer OEM Black ($17.99)

LCD Monitors - Asus VE247H, 23.6" Widescreen LED Monitor, 1920x1080, 2ms(GtG), 10,000,000:1 (ASCR), 300cd/m�, HDMI, DVI-D, Stereo Speakers ($169.99)

HDD - Western Digital WD Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6GB/S 7200RPM 32MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM ($89.99)

My total cost is $966.73 before tax and I live in Canada.

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This will be my first time building my own PC and need to learn a lot of PC parts and build guide.

First question --> Is my PSU (550W) enough for my build considering the 560 Ti and I5 3450 CPU and no OC?

FYI, This PC will be used for half gaming (League of Legends, Diablo 3, Battle Field 3, CoD, Mass Effect, etc...) and half doing work on computer such as AutoCAD/Microsoft Office/Watching HD Movies/Music/Opening up many internet tabs for my research, etc.

If the PSU isn't enough for the build, can you recommend any better one (only considering Corsair, Antec, XFX, or Seasonic brands) with the good price? I prefer my budget without monitor between $800-$900.

Every part is from NCIX Canada except the Asus Monitor which I found in Canada Computers.

Second question --> For gaming, would Radeon 6870 be a better choice over 560 ti for price wise, I know 560 ti has a better performance according to my research. Would Radeon 6870 run pretty much most of current games with max settings? Or should I just stick with 560 ti? I wanted to wait for the new 660 ti but heard it will take weeks to come in the market and not sure if the price will be much higher.
Any great advice for the GPU would be very appreciated!!

Last question --> What do you think of my monitor choice?? I found that as the best price for specs.

Thanks guys!

 

[TheBigTroll]

its more than enough for hat 560ti but i would recommend a 7850, 7870 or a 670 instead of that 560ti for more performance.

 

[jerreddredd]

I love your build, you did a good job.

GPU wise, I always say get the fastest single card you can afford. I am a nVidia snob because the drivers are just so much better and they put out updates often. So I say stick with the 560 ti if you can't jump to a 6xx series nvidia and stay away from AMD GPU's especially the new ones until they work out drive issues (I own a HD 6850, GTX 570 and GTX 590)

XFX PSU will be just fine. and the monitor is a good choice also.

your system is well suited for your stated application with in your budget.

 

[precursoris]

Solid build overall. Just a couple of things you didn't mention: will you be overclocking or going CFX in the future? Keep in mind that if you overclock, you will need an aftermarket cpu cooler especially for an IB processor. Also, your MoBo only supports CFX if I'm not mistaken. So if you go for the 560 Ti, you won't be able to go that route. That being said, the 560 Ti is a large step ahead of the 6870, so personally I would stick to the 560 Ti. But if you're only a moderate gamer and would like to save some money, you can also go with a single 6870 now, which will still be able to play all the games you like at high settings, and then stick another one in later down the road.

The PSU you listed is an excellent one and will easily handle a single GPU. But for dual GPU I would go for something a little heavier.

Lastly, I would check the prices for the same items on newegg.ca. They usually have the cheapest prices. I would also look at Memory Express if you live in BC, Alberta, or Manitoba. It's not the best place to purchase parts, but it occasionally has some good deals.

 

[cokegirl]

its more than enough for hat 560ti but i would recommend a 7850, 7870 or a 670 instead of that 560ti for more performance.

Ah I see!! Thanks for your advice.

 

[FinneousPJ]

I love your build, you did a good job.

GPU wise, I always say get the fastest single card you can afford. I am a nVidia snob because the drivers are just so much better and they put out updates often. So I say stick with the 560 ti if you can't jump to a 6xx series nvidia and stay away from AMD GPU's especially the new ones until they work out drive issues (I own a HD 6850, GTX 570 and GTX 590)

XFX PSU will be just fine. and the monitor is a good choice also.

your system is well suited for your stated application with in your budget.

Your GPU rant isn't based on facts, just have to point that out the OP. I've owned both.

That PSU is indeed more than enough.

 

[cokegirl]

I love your build, you did a good job.

GPU wise, I always say get the fastest single card you can afford. I am a nVidia snob because the drivers are just so much better and they put out updates often. So I say stick with the 560 ti if you can't jump to a 6xx series nvidia and stay away from AMD GPU's especially the new ones until they work out drive issues (I own a HD 6850, GTX 570 and GTX 590)

XFX PSU will be just fine. and the monitor is a good choice also.

your system is well suited for your stated application with in your budget.

Glad to hear that I did a good job! Thanks a lot for the feedback. But is my Corsair PSU (550W) good enough for my build?

 

[azeem40]

It is enough.

 

[cokegirl]

Solid build overall. Just a couple of things you didn't mention: will you be overclocking or going CFX in the future? Keep in mind that if you overclock, you will need an aftermarket cpu cooler especially for an IB processor. Also, your MoBo only supports CFX if I'm not mistaken. So if you go for the 560 Ti, you won't be able to go that route. That being said, the 560 Ti is a large step ahead of the 6870, so personally I would stick to the 560 Ti. But if you're only a moderate gamer and would like to save some money, you can also go with a single 6870 now, which will still be able to play all the games you like at high settings, and then stick another one in later down the road.

The PSU you listed is an excellent one and will easily handle a single GPU. But for dual GPU I would go for something a little heavier.

Lastly, I would check the prices for the same items on newegg.ca. They usually have the cheapest prices. I would also look at Memory Express if you live in BC, Alberta, or Manitoba. It's not the best place to purchase parts, but it occasionally has some good deals.

Hi Precursoris,

As I mentioned above, I am not looking to overclock. Could you explain what CFX is? is it sort of AMDs crossfire? does that mean I cannot use my MSI 560 ti into my mobo? or did you just mean that I won't be able to use multiple video cards?

And thank you for the feedback on the PSU, I was very worried about the capacity of PSU.

 

[cokegirl]

Your GPU rant isn't based on facts, just have to point that out the OP. I've owned both.

That PSU is indeed more than enough.

Hi FinneousPJ,

Did you mean "That PSU" as Corsair (550W) that I originally posted or Jerreddredd's XFX PSU?

Thanks~

 

[precursoris]

Hi Precursoris,

As I mentioned above, I am not looking to overclock. Could you explain what CFX is? is it sort of AMDs crossfire? does that mean I cannot use my MSI 560 ti into my mobo? or did you just mean that I won't be able to use multiple video cards?

And thank you for the feedback on the PSU, I was very worried about the capacity of PSU.

What I meant is that you won't be able to setup a dual nVidia GPU system. You will only be able to do so with ATI.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Hi FinneousPJ,

Did you mean "That PSU" as Corsair (550W) that I originally posted or Jerreddredd's XFX PSU?

Thanks~

Either, really.

 

[cokegirl]

So I am thinking to use a single 560 ti card in this mobo. Can you guys recommend which manufacturer is best for the GTX 560 ti card? I chose MSI because I've read from my research that they make a good graphic card with low temperature. (It'd be nice if you guys can put a link with your recommendation).

Just to make sure, will the 560 ti fit into my mobo I listed above?

Also, since I am getting HDD (OEM) and DVD (OEM), Do I need any additional SATA cables or any kind to install? or Do I need to get them separately?

Again, I am very new to building a PC, any tips would be very appreciated!!

Thanks!!

 

[TheBigTroll]

msi is pretty good. if you are going with them get the twin frozer 2 hawk. they are factory oc to 950mhz and can usually be pushed to 1.05ghz. the asus directcu2 top is also great too