[New Build] First Build Ever, $800 Budget

Enano

Honorable
Jun 2, 2012
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Hi, I'm a hardcore gamer... 'nuff said. Nah just kidding but I am pretty tired of having a slow computer that takes 5 minutes to alt + tab out of a full screen game. I recently got a massive urge to build my own pc considering that buying one from a retail store like best buy will just be pointless. I would rather build it and get 3x the performance for the same price, AMIRITE? Anyways, I started reading alot of build threads on this site and other sites as well and have ended up with a set I'd like you guys to comment on.

To be completely honest, I am somewhat computer savvy, I took a networking course last year and I am familiar with the insides of a computer but not that much.

Basically I would like to know if this build seems to be good for most games out there and if it will all be plug-and-play once I get all the parts. Any ideas on improvements based on price/performance is also appreciated.

Approximate Purchase Date: This upcoming Monday if I find all the parts to be adequate.

Budget Range: 800-900 A/R

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, gaming, and more gaming.

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse (Although the Logitech Gaming G500 is looking nice..), Monitor, Speakers, OS)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Country: (e.g.: India) USA

Parts Preferences: by brand or type: Don't care as long as its reliable

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Yes

Monitor Resolution: 1280x1024

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Parts so far:

CASE: Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K

GPU: GIGABYTE GV-N560OC-1GI GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B

PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

MOBO: ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU FAN: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7

EXTRA FANS: Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition CO-9050006-WW 120mm Twin Pack High Static Pressure Case Fan

HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

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Thanks!
 

Merueth

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May 24, 2012
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SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870-Saves you $70, it will still max games at that res.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948

Corsair Carbide 400r-Saves you from buying those extra fans, so $10 more total (Just for luxury really, :p).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139008

Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB-$10 more, still worth it imo.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767

I don't know about the quality of that ASUS Mobo, but I always reccommend the ASRock Extreme4 for builds under $1000.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

Altogether, you shave $35-40 off your budget.

 

Enano

Honorable
Jun 2, 2012
7
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10,510
How big is the difference between the Radeon HD 6870 and the GTX 560 Ti? Almost everywhere I've looked everyone says the 560 is one of the best for the price and I don't really want to settle for less, just to be on the safe side lol. I willl take that 250gb upgrade to the HDD though, couldn't find one that wasn't refurbished.
 

Merueth

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May 24, 2012
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It's fairly large gap in performance, (10-15% better FPS in most games) however, you will not be able to tell the difference since either one of those cards will play all modern games at max settings (and at 55+ fps) simply because your monitor is so small. :p
 

traumaiv

Distinguished
Jan 16, 2012
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18,690
also if u were looking for a gpu in the 560 ti price range get the 480. it is the performance of a 570 and if u oc it a little it can get up to a 580. yes its a power hog w.e. should still run fine on that psu u picked but if u wanna be safe id pick up this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182133&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-Power%20Supplies-_-Rosewill-_-17182133&AID=10440897&PID=3938566&SID= 100 more watts. and its a very recommended psu.
 

Enano

Honorable
Jun 2, 2012
7
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10,510
The 15% better performance is of the GTX correct? And what if I were to buy a bigger monitor in the future, wouldn't it be better to just get the GTX? And I decided to pick up that extra 100 watts, thanks traumaiv. And also I currently own a 149gb HDD and i only use about 40gb so there's no point in getting more than 500gb, but thanks.
 

Enano

Honorable
Jun 2, 2012
7
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10,510
Also, the MOBO I chose says it only has:
1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (4 -pin)
2 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin, 1 x 3 -pin)
1 x Power Fan connector(s) (3 -pin)

And the case already brings 3 Fans pre-installed and I plan to buy 2 extra for the 2 side fans that the case allows, but I don't think the MOBO has enough connections.. or does it?

And for an extra $20 should I just pick up the i5 3570k? How much of a performance difference between the two?

And could someone tell me the difference between the Gigabyte GTX 560 Ti's and EVGA's Superclocked GTX 560 Ti's besides the obvious 2 fans vs 1?
 

Merueth

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May 24, 2012
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Yes, the GTX 560 Ti is 15-20% better in most games. If you were to buy a bigger monitor, then definitely pick up the 560 Ti over the 6870.


Don't know much about case fans and such. :p

Imo, the extra $20 for the 3570k is worth it because despite the fact it can have heat problems, you can usually OC it to 4.2 GHz without any problems (i5-3570k @ 4.2GHz = i5-2500k @ 4.5 GHz).

The Gigabyte Card is a bit smaller (8.43 vs. 9"). The Superclocked EVGA has a slightly faster memory clock at 4212 MHz vs. 4000 MHz, which will probably give it a tiny bit of advantage in terms of FPS vs. the Gigabyte.
 

Enano

Honorable
Jun 2, 2012
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10,510
Okay so I'll definitely pick up the 3570k instead then, and focusing on the cards, wouldn't it be better to sacrifice those 212 MHz for another cooling fan? Or is that extra 212 alot better compared to how much gfx cards overheat or what-not? Thanks again for all the pointers.. just want to get this done once and done right.
 

Merueth

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May 24, 2012
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I would go Gigabyte as that extra fan does help quite a bit when overclocking.