Gaming pc for my son

[Melvict]

Hello,
I'm in need of some advice on what RAM to buy and just a comment or three on the build so far.
Case: Aerocool VX-E Pro Limited Edition Case
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V-LK
CPU: i5 2500
PSU: OCZ Technology ZS 650W PSU 80+Bronze
Graphic Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1GB
RAM: Not to cheap but also not one's that will break the bank. Should it be 2x8G or 2X4G. In my book more is better in this case.

Please help me.

 

[manofchalk]

Fill out this form if you want the best feedback as it gives us a better idea of what you need and at what budget.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

 

[Melvict]

Approximate Purchase Date: This weekend

Budget Range:$1000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming(BF3, LOL), surfing the internet, watching movies

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS, Motherboard, CPU, PSU, GPU

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: pccasegear.co.au;scorptech.com.au

Country:Australia

Parts Preferences:Open to suggestions : Don't know enough about RAM specs.

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No idea what it is.

Monitor Resolution:1920x1080

Additional Comments:Reliable

 

[manofchalk]

Ahh, an Aussie. Someone else I can complain with about high prices.

Are you looking for a whole build or just the RAM? Because $1000 is a lot to spend on RAM.

 

[Melvict]

Visit Perth to experience high prices

Just the RAM. The whole build is around $1000, roughly.

 

[gekigami]

Well this seems to be the active thread out of the two you made so I'll post in this what I posted in the other

Hallo

If you are going for a SB CPU, I would reccomend the Z68 chipset as from what I can tell, SB won't make full use of Z77.
May I suggest the Asus P8Z68-V LX, which should be cheaper.
There is also not much need to get a z77 or z68 board unless you are overclocking, in which case, you will need a 'k' CPU (like an i5 2500k), and a heatsink like a CoolerMaster 212 evo.

For the PSU, I personally wouldn't go with OCZ, but I don't have any experience with them so my opinion probably means nothing. Just from what I have heard, OCZ tends to make unreliable parts, and I wouldn't go with an unreliable company for something which depends on reliability the most- the PSU.

You may want to change the 550ti to a 560ti, or an AMD card that performs similarly. I have heard bad things about the 550ti in terms of price : performance.

And for RAM, you most likely won't need more than 8 gb. 2x4gb would be best, and if you really did need 16gb, just add more 4gb modules later. 2 8gb models are going to be very expensive. Kingston and Corsair tend to make good RAM.

All the best

 

[manofchalk]

You can get much better than that for $1000.
This is a search engine thatl look for the cheapest component prices. Just go into advanced and put in your state. Then look for the component. Doesn't include postage or anything so that may be a hidden cost.
http://www.staticice.com.au/index.html

CPU: i5 3570k. $239
GPU: Sapphire HD7850 2Gb OC. $270
Mobo: AsRock Z77 Extreme4-M. $135
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600Mhz Low Profile. $58
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1Tb 7200RPM 64MB cache. $99
PSU: Antec High Current Gamer 620W. $93
Case: HAF 912 . $105

And that leaves you at $999.

Edit: If you want to overclock (make the CPU run faster), you'l need an after market CPU heat sink. Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO is the go-to cheap solution. Its usually $40.

 

[precursoris]

I agree with gekigami except on the PSU. The OCZ ZS series are quality budget units. You won't go wrong with that one.

SLI is pairing 2 nVidia GPU's and Crossfire is pairing 2 AMD GPU's. If you plan on either, I'd get a MoBo that's compliant. So if you plan on getting the 560 Ti, get a MoBo that supports SLI, and then you can stick in another 560 Ti down the road.

Personally, I prefer getting a single high end GPU, such as the 7850.

 

[Melvict]

Thanks for all the advise.

Now I'll just have to keep the smoke in as it seems to stop once the smoke comes out.

 

[AidanJC]

Watch out for PC Case Gears shipping costs on heavier items (Such as the case)

Try to order everything in separate orders, that way its $12-$19 overnight shipping per item

Scorptech has much better rates on some of the heavier items.