Please proof this build

[kay0wd]

Hi all,

This is my first rig build in a few years, so im a bit out of date on current component pairing and compatibility issues.

My expectation is a rig that plays d3 and other contemporary games on med/high settings. However, my interest here is mainly the community's thoughts on this particular setup's collective functionality..

This is what I've come up with: http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/95UA

CPU:
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor

CPU Cooler: (my understanding is that this cooler will fit the CM elite 310)
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler

Motherboard:
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard

Memory: (2500k runs at 1333, don't see a need to force 1600)
G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory

Hard Drive:
Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Video Card:
Asus Radeon HD 6770 1GB Video Card

Case:
Cooler Master Elite 310 ATX Mid Tower Case

Power Supply:
Antec 500W ATX12V Power Supply

Optical Drive:
LG GH24NS70 OEM DVD/CD Writer

consider all other components/software accounted for.

Thanks!

 

[inzone]

The first question that I have is , are you on a tight budget? I'm sure that the 6770 video card will play Diablo 3 , howerver when building a gaming rig the main component is the video card and while the system requirements for Diablo 3 are reletivly low you do have to consider that there will be other games played on the computer that your building and you don't know the requirements of those games yet. That's why it's not a good idea to build a computer specificly for one game.
I would take a look at your budget and see if there's any more money that you can put towards a better video card.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

Here's a chart so you can see where cards are in order of best to worst.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150561

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130664

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127592

Here are a couple of cards to consider and if you have more than what's needed for these then you can of course go higher.

 

[kay0wd]

The first question that I have is , are you on a tight budget? I'm sure that the 6770 video card will play Diablo 3 , howerver when building a gaming rig the main component is the video card and while the system requirements for Diablo 3 are reletivly low you do have to consider that there will be other games played on the computer that your building and you don't know the requirements of those games yet. That's why it's not a good idea to build a computer specificly for one game.
I would take a look at your budget and see if there's any more money that you can put towards a better video card.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

Here's a chart so you can see where cards are in order of best to worst.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150561

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130664

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127592

Here are a couple of cards to consider and if you have more than what's needed for these then you can of course go higher.

thx for the quick reply.

ya, im aware of the video card bottle neck... and you are correct in assuming i am on a budget. i chose to invest in those areas (cpu for eg.) that were less easily upgradable in the future. as it stands, i don't have a lot of options for flexing the video card up.. maybe the hdd, but the difference in funds freed up wouldn't be that great.

I will take another look at the benches for vid options, though..

 

[jerreddredd]

looks pretty good to me, nice little build.

the Hyper 212+ should fit with a few mm to spare

if its in your budget try to get a HD 6850 or a HD 7770 GPU they are a good deal at $120-130 and you have some longevity in your gaming rig.


when I build budget gaming Rigs for people, I usually go for just a i5 2400/2310 and put the money saved on the CPU and hyper 212 into the GPU upgrade. just thought I would leave you something to think about:

Sub $200 CPU article the 2500K @4GHZ (mild OC) was at only 1-7 FPS ahead of the 2400 in minimum FPS across all games. for a $76 premium (i5 2400 stock cooler and i5 2500K and Hyper 212)
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-fx-pentium-apu-benchmark,3120.html

the 2500K easily OC's to 4.4/5 GHz, but I doubt you would get much more than 10 to 12 FPS added to the minimum.

 

[kay0wd]

looks pretty good to me, nice little build.

the Hyper 212+ should fit with a few mm to spare

if its in your budget try to get a HD 6850 or a HD 7770 GPU they are a good deal at $120-130 and you have some longevity in your gaming rig.


when I build budget gaming Rigs for people, I usually go for just a i5 2400/2310 and put the money saved on the CPU and hyper 212 into the GPU upgrade. just thought I would leave you something to think about:

Sub $200 CPU article the 2500K @4GHZ (mild OC) was at only 1-7 FPS ahead of the 2400 in minimum FPS across all games. for a $76 premium (i5 2400 stock cooler and i5 2500K and Hyper 212)
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-fx-pentium-apu-benchmark,3120.html

the 2500K easily OC's to 4.4/5 GHz, but I doubt you would get much more than 10 to 12 FPS added to the minimum.

hmm, very good points.. i'll look into the 2400 and flexing the vidcard..

Question: the 2400 is locked?

 

[azeem40]

yes.

 

[kay0wd]

ok, so this is where im at right now: http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/96qi


CPU: I swapped out the 2500k for the 2400

Video: Swapped the 6770 for the 6850


Two questions (and thx for the continued feedback!)
===================================

1) I calculated the rec'd PSU wattage and it stands at 401w. my selected PSU is 500w at peak.. this should suffice?

2) since downgrading the CPU, should i still go for the CM 212+ or is there a cheaper alternative that is just as good?

 

[azeem40]

Yes, it will suffice, but you didn't really need to do the calcs. Benchmarks do that for you already. The 212+ will help keep temps down and circulate clean air.

 

[inzone]

Most people will use the 212 cooler for overclocking the cpu and since the 2400 is locked then the stock cooler would suffice.


Intel Core i3-2130 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32130
$149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115092

By dropping down to this cpu which is a dual core with hyperthreading and using the stock cooler you can save a good chunk of money to be used for the video card. When you have a dual core that has hyperthreading it's the same as having a quad core because you end up with four processing cores either way. Also at a stock speed of 3.4ghz it's faster than the 2400 at 3.1ghz. You could go with this change if it ment that you could move up to a better video card. A 6850 to a 6870?

 

[kay0wd]

Most people will use the 212 cooler for overclocking the cpu and since the 2400 is locked then the stock cooler would suffice.


Intel Core i3-2130 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32130
$149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115092

By dropping down to this cpu which is a dual core with hyperthreading and using the stock cooler you can save a good chunk of money to be used for the video card. When you have a dual core that has hyperthreading it's the same as having a quad core because you end up with four processing cores either way. Also at a stock speed of 3.4ghz it's faster than the 2400 at 3.1ghz. You could go with this change if it ment that you could move up to a better video card. A 6850 to a 6870?

interesting proposition, but my impression is that the swap from 2400 to 2130 and 6850 to 6870 would be a diminished return. for instance, the bump in performance from the 6850 to the 6870 seems to be minor despite a $40 to $50 price difference. Also, although i indicated this would be a gaming rig, i think the quad core i5 has more versatility.

 

[kay0wd]

Best answer selected by kay0wd.

 

[inzone]

The thing with a gaming rig is it's all about the video card and that's why I suggested the i3-2130 so that you could put extra money towards the video card and if its' a 6870 then that's a step up but if it's a higher card then even better.

 

[kay0wd]

The thing with a gaming rig is it's all about the video card and that's why I suggested the i3-2130 so that you could put extra money towards the video card and if its' a 6870 then that's a step up but if it's a higher card then even better.

ya, i see your point. the performance difference in the benches ive seen is about 10fps at high res.. i'll give it some more thought. thx.

 

[jerreddredd]

ya, i see your point. the performance difference in the benches ive seen is about 10fps at high res.. i'll give it some more thought. thx.

I would keep the quad core i5 2400. as games progress, more will use more than 2 cores.