1100$ mostly gaming rig

[sa1bot]

Approximate Purchase Date: asap today or tomorrow

Budget Range: 800-1000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming (d3- total war - maybe bf3), watching movies, listening to music loud enough to jam along to

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers,

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.ca or tigerdirect.ca... anything in canada really

Country: Canadia

Parts Preferences: by brand or type - the parts with best bang for my buck

Overclocking: Yes hopefully will have to learn how

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: not to high but not sure

Additional Comments: I havent bought a pc in 10 years and this will be my first attempt at building one on my own. I have very little knowledge of parts and pretty much am going with my gut and reviews when I picked out these parts so I am very open to suggestions.


CPU : Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

MB : ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157279

Memory : G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

HDD : Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

GPU : XFX Radeon HD 6950 2GB http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150549

PSU : OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W Modular High Performance http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016 ( dont know if this is big enough )

OD : LG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136236&Tpk=LG%20GH24NS70

Case : COOLER MASTER HAF http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

OS : Windows 7


This all comes out to 1115.82$ with taxes and shipping at newegg. I obiviously went over the budget but oh well, I really cant go to much higher so please dont suggest anything more pricey unless you can suggest an alternative for something else. I am mostly worried the power supply isnt up to the task and that I might also need to purchase a separate CPU heatsink/fan. As I said any suggestions or critiques welcome thanks for your time.

 

[azeem40]

I used to not like OCZ, but their ModXStream and ZS/ZT series are phenomenal. Everything looks good!

 

[l0v3rboi]

i5 2500k: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12200BD1527&vpn=BX80623I52500K&manufacture=INTEL
Asrock z77 Pro 3: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950BD1852&vpn=Z77%20Pro%203&manufacture=ASROCK
WD Caviar Blue 500 Gb: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=25350DR9541&vpn=WD5000AAKX&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD
XFX Core Edition 550W PSU: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180AC2961&vpn=P1550SXXB9&manufacture=XFX
Mushkin Enhanced Blacklyne Frostbyte 8Gb: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950AC4882&vpn=996995&manufacture=MUSHKIN
LG DVDRW: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950DR5259&vpn=GH24NS90&manufacture=LG
Antec One Midtower Gaming case: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10370AC8135&vpn=ONE&manufacture=ANTEC
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12850SW2113&vpn=GFC-02050&manufacture=MICROSOFT
XFX Radeon 7850: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950BD0013&vpn=FX-785A-CNJC&manufacture=XFX
Mushkin Chronos 60 Gb SSD: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950DR8063&vpn=MKNSSDCR60GB&manufacture=MUSHKIN
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11130AC0554&vpn=RR-212E-20PK-R2&manufacture=COOLERMASTER

The total right now is approximately 1054 without taxes. I think this build is better because it is using newer generation parts. Use the SSD as a bootdrive for windows and the HDD as a storage drive. Also, you plan to overclock so you need an aftermarket CPU cooler. If you're really strapped for cash, take out the SSD. You can always add it in later. It just makes all the applications installed there so much faster (e.g. my Windows literally loads in less than 5 seconds).

This website is reliable. I've used them and everything came on time plus its free shipping for orders over $50. You can also check Bestdirect.ca if their prices are lower. Other than that, happy building.

 

[adgjlsfhk]

Cheaper hard drive
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136767

Also, here is a slightly better gpu for the same amount.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131473

 

[sa1bot]

i5 2500k: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12200BD1527&vpn=BX80623I52500K&manufacture=INTEL
Asrock z77 Pro 3: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950BD1852&vpn=Z77%20Pro%203&manufacture=ASROCK
WD Caviar Blue 500 Gb: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=25350DR9541&vpn=WD5000AAKX&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD
XFX Core Edition 550W PSU: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180AC2961&vpn=P1550SXXB9&manufacture=XFX
Mushkin Enhanced Blacklyne Frostbyte 8Gb: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950AC4882&vpn=996995&manufacture=MUSHKIN
LG DVDRW: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950DR5259&vpn=GH24NS90&manufacture=LG
Antec One Midtower Gaming case: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10370AC8135&vpn=ONE&manufacture=ANTEC
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12850SW2113&vpn=GFC-02050&manufacture=MICROSOFT
XFX Radeon 7850: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950BD0013&vpn=FX-785A-CNJC&manufacture=XFX
Mushkin Chronos 60 Gb SSD: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950DR8063&vpn=MKNSSDCR60GB&manufacture=MUSHKIN
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11130AC0554&vpn=RR-212E-20PK-R2&manufacture=COOLERMASTER

The total right now is approximately 1054 without taxes. I think this build is better because it is using newer generation parts. Use the SSD as a bootdrive for windows and the HDD as a storage drive. Also, you plan to overclock so you need an aftermarket CPU cooler. If you're really strapped for cash, take out the SSD. You can always add it in later. It just makes all the applications installed there so much faster (e.g. my Windows literally loads in less than 5 seconds).

This website is reliable. I've used them and everything came on time plus its free shipping for orders over $50. You can also check Bestdirect.ca if their prices are lower. Other than that, happy building.

can you explain exactly what makes this newer gen? Is it the addition of the SSD? I simply ask for the benefit of furthering my knowledge and being able to compare parts better.

Also the only thing that worries me about adgjlsfhk's suggestions is that one has poor reviews and the other none at all which just kinda worries me as to the possible headaches DOAs or having to RMA could cause.

 

[Houseboratheon]

can you explain exactly what makes this newer gen? Is it the addition of the SSD? I simply ask for the benefit of furthering my knowledge and being able to compare parts better.

Also the only thing that worries me about adgjlsfhk's suggestions is that one has poor reviews and the other none at all which just kinda worries me as to the possible headaches DOAs or having to RMA could cause.

He added a z77 mobo which is a newer generation but if you get a z77 then you should not get a sandy bridge, go with a i5 3570k ivy bridge. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504&Tpk=i5%203570k

 

[l0v3rboi]

Z77 is the latest generation of motherboards. It has the newer technology like USB 3.0 and PCI Express 3.0. Houseboratheon is right though. To take advantage of its full potential, you need to have an Ivy Bridge processor.

That being said, SB will still work with a z77 MoBo. You will lose PCI Express 3.0 though. If you want to take advantage of it, you need to shell out a few more bucks. I think SB is still fine though. You can always upgrade to IB in a later date if you feel your PC is not functioning like you want it to.

Radeon 7850 is a great card. It performs similar to the gtx 570 for less price, power consumption and heat.

 

[sa1bot]

Z77 is the latest generation of motherboards. It has the newer technology like USB 3.0 and PCI Express 3.0. Houseboratheon is right though. To take advantage of its full potential, you need to have an Ivy Bridge processor.

That being said, SB will still work with a z77 MoBo. You will lose PCI Express 3.0 though. If you want to take advantage of it, you need to shell out a few more bucks. I think SB is still fine though. You can always upgrade to IB in a later date if you feel your PC is not functioning like you want it to.

Radeon 7850 is a great card. It performs similar to the gtx 570 for less price, power consumption and heat.

ok I have taken your advice and done some tinkering with the build on the site you supplied and came up with this build based on around 1150 or around 40 dollars more than the last :

Crucial M4 SSD Micron C400 64GB 2.5IN Solid State Disk Flash Drive SATA3 6Gbps


Antec One Mid-Tower Gaming ATX Case Black 3X5.25 5X3.5 2X2.5 Front USB3.0 Top Rear 120MM Fans No PSU


OCZ ZT Series 550W ATX12V 20/24PIN Modular 80+ Bronze Active PFC Power Supply 140MM Fan 5 Year Wrty

LG GH24NS90 24X SATA Internal DVD Writer Burner DVDRW M-DISC Compatible Optical Drive Black OEM



XFX Radeon HD 7850 860MHZ 2GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 DVI HDMI 2XMINIDP PCI-E Video Card


Mushkin Enhanced Blackline Frostbyte PC3-12800 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 9-9-9-24 1.5V Dual Channel Memory



ASRock Z77 PRO4 ATX LGA1155 DDR3 CrossFireX 2PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 3PCI SATA3 DVI HDMI USB3.0 Motherboard



Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 32MB Cache 3.5IN HDD Hard Drive OEM


Intel Core i5 3570K Unlocked Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.4GHZ Ivy Bridge 6MB Retail


Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT SP1 DVD OEM

all around this feels like a much better build for only a slightly higher price. I dropped the CPU fan as I probably wont overclock the 3750k and switched a few of the parts that were suggested, if someone could take a quick on over and make sure its compatible that would be nice. Thanks.

 

[adgjlsfhk]

I would use WD Caviar Blue because there is no speed difference at all and black costs more. Look at this, $74
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769

 

[Houseboratheon]

ok I have taken your advice and done some tinkering with the build on the site you supplied and came up with this build based on around 1150 or around 40 dollars more than the last :

Crucial M4 SSD Micron C400 64GB 2.5IN Solid State Disk Flash Drive SATA3 6Gbps


Antec One Mid-Tower Gaming ATX Case Black 3X5.25 5X3.5 2X2.5 Front USB3.0 Top Rear 120MM Fans No PSU


OCZ ZT Series 550W ATX12V 20/24PIN Modular 80+ Bronze Active PFC Power Supply 140MM Fan 5 Year Wrty

LG GH24NS90 24X SATA Internal DVD Writer Burner DVDRW M-DISC Compatible Optical Drive Black OEM



XFX Radeon HD 7850 860MHZ 2GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 DVI HDMI 2XMINIDP PCI-E Video Card


Mushkin Enhanced Blackline Frostbyte PC3-12800 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 9-9-9-24 1.5V Dual Channel Memory



ASRock Z77 PRO4 ATX LGA1155 DDR3 CrossFireX 2PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 3PCI SATA3 DVI HDMI USB3.0 Motherboard



Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 32MB Cache 3.5IN HDD Hard Drive OEM


Intel Core i5 3570K Unlocked Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.4GHZ Ivy Bridge 6MB Retail


Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT SP1 DVD OEM

all around this feels like a much better build for only a slightly higher price. I dropped the CPU fan as I probably wont overclock the 3750k and switched a few of the parts that were suggested, if someone could take a quick on over and make sure its compatible that would be nice. Thanks.

well if you are not going to overclock then their is no point in getting the unlocked processor

 

[l0v3rboi]

ok I have taken your advice and done some tinkering with the build on the site you supplied and came up with this build based on around 1150 or around 40 dollars more than the last :

Crucial M4 SSD Micron C400 64GB 2.5IN Solid State Disk Flash Drive SATA3 6Gbps


Antec One Mid-Tower Gaming ATX Case Black 3X5.25 5X3.5 2X2.5 Front USB3.0 Top Rear 120MM Fans No PSU


OCZ ZT Series 550W ATX12V 20/24PIN Modular 80+ Bronze Active PFC Power Supply 140MM Fan 5 Year Wrty

LG GH24NS90 24X SATA Internal DVD Writer Burner DVDRW M-DISC Compatible Optical Drive Black OEM



XFX Radeon HD 7850 860MHZ 2GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 DVI HDMI 2XMINIDP PCI-E Video Card


Mushkin Enhanced Blackline Frostbyte PC3-12800 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 9-9-9-24 1.5V Dual Channel Memory



ASRock Z77 PRO4 ATX LGA1155 DDR3 CrossFireX 2PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 3PCI SATA3 DVI HDMI USB3.0 Motherboard



Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 32MB Cache 3.5IN HDD Hard Drive OEM


Intel Core i5 3570K Unlocked Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.4GHZ Ivy Bridge 6MB Retail


Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT SP1 DVD OEM

all around this feels like a much better build for only a slightly higher price. I dropped the CPU fan as I probably wont overclock the 3750k and switched a few of the parts that were suggested, if someone could take a quick on over and make sure its compatible that would be nice. Thanks.

If you're sticking with no overclocking, you can make that build cheaper but still have the same features. Get an Hzz MoBo instead. Something like this Asus one:
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530BD4985&vpn=P8H77-V&manufacture=ASUS

Also, you can get a locked processor. This one is the same as that one but not overclockable:
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=1220135401R&vpn=BX806237I53550&manufacture=INTEL

I think you should just get the WD Caviar Blue. The Black, though the prices have gone down, costs too much. Performance gained with it is not worth it I think. Its up to you though if you want to stick with it.

I like your SSD choice. I have the same one and it works great.

Everything else looks good.

 

[azeem40]

So OP, you say in OP that you will OC, then you say you won't OC? Which one is it?

 

[sa1bot]

So OP, you say in OP that you will OC, then you say you won't OC? Which one is it?

sorry to be bouncing around on what I want but I just read about some people having issues with overclocking the new IB processors cause of the whole thermal paste issue so thats why I kinda didnt want to OC. I think I am gonna continue with the idea to overclock but go back to the SB 2500k based on reliability alone, I really dont want to have any problems down the line. The reason I was gonna get the WD black over the blue was because it is only 7 dollars more expensive on the direct canada site which really doesnt seem like too much to me.

so like I said sorry to be jumping around on parts I just want to make sure everything is reliable and the best bang for my buck - i really had no idea about the k being unlocked and so on so needless to say I am still learning much lol. That being said here is what I am thinking :

Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366/1155/1156/2011 120MM
$31.05 $31.05


Intel Core I5 2500K Quad Core Unlocked Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 6MB
$224.79 $224.79


Crucial M4 SSD Micron C400 64GB 2.5IN Solid State Disk Flash Drive SATA3 6Gbps
$83.13 $83.13


Antec One Mid-Tower Gaming ATX Case Black 3X5.25 5X3.5 2X2.5 Front USB3.0 Top Rear 120MM Fans No PSU
$47.17 $47.17


OCZ ZT Series 550W ATX12V 20/24PIN Modular 80+ Bronze Active PFC Power Supply 140MM Fan 5 Year Wrty
$81.04 $81.04


LG GH24NS90 24X SATA Internal DVD Writer Burner DVDRW M-DISC Compatible Optical Drive Black OEM

$17.79 $17.79


XFX Radeon HD 7850 860MHZ 2GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 DVI HDMI 2XMINIDP PCI-E Video Card
$258.08 $258.08


Mushkin Enhanced Blackline Frostbyte PC3-12800 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 9-9-9-24 1.5V Dual Channel Memory
$41.79 $41.79


ASRock Z77 PRO4 ATX LGA1155 DDR3 CrossFireX 2PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 3PCI SATA3 DVI HDMI USB3.0 Motherboard

$150.12 $150.12


Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 32MB Cache 3.5IN HDD Hard Drive OEM
$84.79 $84.79


Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT SP1 DVD OEM

$94.93 $94.93

These are all based off of the DirectCanada.com web site - it comes to 1170.41 with taxes and the free shipping. I think this is a better build than I had originally intended but am open to more suggestions. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to offer suggestions and point out my errors so far.

 

[Houseboratheon]

sorry to be bouncing around on what I want but I just read about some people having issues with overclocking the new IB processors cause of the whole thermal paste issue so thats why I kinda didnt want to OC. I think I am gonna continue with the idea to overclock but go back to the SB 2500k based on reliability alone, I really dont want to have any problems down the line. The reason I was gonna get the WD black over the blue was because it is only 7 dollars more expensive on the direct canada site which really doesnt seem like too much to me.

so like I said sorry to be jumping around on parts I just want to make sure everything is reliable and the best bang for my buck - i really had no idea about the k being unlocked and so on so needless to say I am still learning much lol. That being said here is what I am thinking :

Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366/1155/1156/2011 120MM
$31.05 $31.05


Intel Core I5 2500K Quad Core Unlocked Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 6MB
$224.79 $224.79


Crucial M4 SSD Micron C400 64GB 2.5IN Solid State Disk Flash Drive SATA3 6Gbps
$83.13 $83.13


Antec One Mid-Tower Gaming ATX Case Black 3X5.25 5X3.5 2X2.5 Front USB3.0 Top Rear 120MM Fans No PSU
$47.17 $47.17


OCZ ZT Series 550W ATX12V 20/24PIN Modular 80+ Bronze Active PFC Power Supply 140MM Fan 5 Year Wrty
$81.04 $81.04


LG GH24NS90 24X SATA Internal DVD Writer Burner DVDRW M-DISC Compatible Optical Drive Black OEM

$17.79 $17.79


XFX Radeon HD 7850 860MHZ 2GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 DVI HDMI 2XMINIDP PCI-E Video Card
$258.08 $258.08


Mushkin Enhanced Blackline Frostbyte PC3-12800 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 9-9-9-24 1.5V Dual Channel Memory
$41.79 $41.79


ASRock Z77 PRO4 ATX LGA1155 DDR3 CrossFireX 2PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 3PCI SATA3 DVI HDMI USB3.0 Motherboard

$150.12 $150.12


Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 32MB Cache 3.5IN HDD Hard Drive OEM
$84.79 $84.79


Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT SP1 DVD OEM

$94.93 $94.93

These are all based off of the DirectCanada.com web site - it comes to 1170.41 with taxes and the free shipping. I think this is a better build than I had originally intended but am open to more suggestions. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to offer suggestions and point out my errors so far.

I know of no issues with OC ivy bridge besides temp. The hyper 212 evo comes with a tube of mx-4 thermal paste which should have no problems but if you want to stick with SB then once again get a Z68.

 

[sa1bot]

I know of no issues with OC ivy bridge besides temp. The hyper 212 evo comes with a tube of mx-4 thermal paste which should have no problems but if you want to stick with SB then once again get a Z68.

sounds good - I am just gonna order with IB i5 3570k and the Z77 with everything else as listed. Getting a little sick of my indecision and just want to be done with it lol - thanks alot to everyone who helped me out. I think this will be better than what I had originally intended with only a slight price increase - now lets hope I am able to put it all together lol.