New Build - Need Advice on Hardware Selection

[jubb]

I'm trying to help my friend build his first PC - my knowledge is about a year old so I'm a little behind the times. I'm almost certain my CPU choice is overkill for my GPU choice, so I'd like to bring that down to square.

Goals are to run BF3 at full settings easily. I'm sure the following build is overkill for that, but here goes...


Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next month

Budget Range: $1200

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Priority geared towards gaming.

Parts Not Required: none

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: none

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Not necessary

This is what I have so far (need suggestions on Mobo/any bottlenecking needs to be resolved).


CPU: Intel Core i7 2600k Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core ($299.99 @ newegg)
Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD55 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard ($159.99 @ newegg)
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 ($59.99 @ newegg)
Hard Drive: OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III SSD ($129.99 @ newegg) paired with Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive ($119.99 @ newegg)
Video Card: GeForce GTX 560 Ti (299.99 @ newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower ($69.99 @ newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake 850W Black Widow ($129.99 @ newegg)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: N/A
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ newegg)
Keyboard: N/A
Total: $1387.9



Will the 560ti bottleneck with the 2600k sandy bridge i7? What would be a better CPU to match the 560ti (not interested in picking up a heavier GPU)?

I could probably use a smaller slave drive (500gb), any suggestions?

I'm a little shaky on mobo specs, so I just picked the middle ground one. Any other mobo I can go with if I'm not interested in a crossfire/SLI setup?

I'm trying to bring this build into the $1200 range while keeping similar specs. I'm certain the CPU is overkill, so I think downgrading that plus downsizing a few things should bring me into my target range.

Thanks.

 

[g-unit1111]

299.99$ for just gtx560 ti,thats very expensive. better if you with hd7850 which has more performance than gtx560 ti 448 cores also.if you just want that expensive gtx560 ti then go for it,it wont bottleneck i7-2600k.

yes i7-2600k is overkill,better if you with i5-2500k or new ivy bridge i5-3570k.both are around 220$.

Your psu is also overkill. you might get a less expensive 700w or 650w psu which more than enough for crossfire or sli.

CHANGE THAT MOTHERBOARD TO NEW Z77 BOARD,which are cheap and feauture rich than P67 board you had mentioned. i recommend-Asrock z77 extreme 4 or extreme 6,whichever you like.botgh are below 150$ on newegg.

If you or your friend is gonna overclock get a coolermaster hyper 212 plus.

ocz vertex 3 is good but many review on newegg and forum member lean towards crucial m4,samsung 830,mushking chronos.so your choice what to buy.

Nothing more than this.if you like my suggestion then thats nice. read review on newegg of mine adviced products and i assure you wont bad reviews and complaints rather than doa. thats it. good luck.

I completely agree on the motherboard and the SSD but on a $1200 build I wouldn't use an SSD - put that money in the GPU and get a Radeon 7870. That build is a good start but the funds are mismanaged (and Thermaltake PSUs are crap). If gaming is your priority put all your remaining funds in getting the best GPU you can get for the money - CPU, hard drives, everything else comes second. On a gaming build the GPU is the most important parts of any build and you don't want to skimp or compromise if you can help it.

Try this:

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 - $59.99
PSU: Corsair TX650 V2 - $89.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H - $159.99
CPU: 3.4GHz Intel Core i5-3570K - $249.99
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo - $29.99
RAM: 8GB G.Skill Ripjaw X 1600MHz 1.5V - $46.99
HD: 500GB Samsung Spinpoint F3 - $79.99
Optical: Lite On DVD Burner - $17.99
Video Card: EVGA Geforce GTX 670 - $399.99

Total: $1,134.99

Add a Windows license and you're good to go.

 

[azeem40]

Tbh, I see no point in a 7870 when for $30 more you can get the 670 and for $100 less you can OC the 7850 to perform higher than the 7870.

 

[jubb]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the input. I think I'll go with your build g-unit, thanks for putting the time in to link everything.

However, is there an ATI equivalent to the 670? Or should I steer clear of ATI cards?

Like I said, kinda behind on the times.

 

[jacknhut]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the input. I think I'll go with your build g-unit, thanks for putting the time in to link everything.

However, is there an ATI equivalent to the 670? Or should I steer clear of ATI cards?

Like I said, kinda behind on the times.

Not at the same price as the GTX 670. The closest to it is the HD 7970 which is more expensive, and perform worse at stock speed.

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the input. I think I'll go with your build g-unit, thanks for putting the time in to link everything.

However, is there an ATI equivalent to the 670? Or should I steer clear of ATI cards?

Like I said, kinda behind on the times.

I have a 7870 and it's amazing - there's no ATI/AMD card that's an equivalent to the 670/680 but if you want a price / performance the 7870 and 7850 are both excellent.