New PC For Poker/Surfing/Movies ($1200-$1400)

[imgrindin247]

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP

Budget Range: $1200-$1400

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Poker (running resource heavy apps like HEM, playing 20+ Tables), Web Surfing (tend to open a ton of tabs), Movies

Parts Not Required: Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NCIX

Country: Canada

Parts Preferences: Quality Parts for good durability

Overclocking: Unsure for future, but no for now.

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: Currently Running 1600 X 1200 Dual Monitors. Will upgrade one of the monitors to 1920x1080, 1920x1200 or 2560 X 1440 while keeping one of the 1600 X 1200 Monitors.

This is what I have picked out so far, but I'm open to suggestions on ways to cut down the price or changing parts that give better bang for the buck. I picked the i7, because of hyperthreading. I tend to surf with a ton of tabs open and run a lot of apps at the same time, so I figured this was a good choice. I don't game, but I do spend literally the entire day in front of the computer and I work from home, so durability is very important for me. This build is probably a bit overkill for my actual needs, but at the same time I don't plan on upgrading anytime soon, so I want something that will last for a while.

ASUS P8Z68-V Pro GEN3 Z68 LGA1155 ATX 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2 PCI B3 Motherboard
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=65323&promoid=1068 $199.99

Intel Core i7 2600K Quad Core Unlocked Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.4GHZ Sandy Bridge 8MB
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=57960&promoid=1382 $299.99

Crucial M4 SSD Micron C400 128GB 2.5IN Solid State Disk Flash Drive SATA3 6Gbps
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=60445&promoid=1068 $118.99

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT SP1 DVD OEM
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=45271 $111.30

Antec Nine Hundred Two V3 Mid Tower Gaming Case 902 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5 1X2.5 USB 3.0 Audio No PSU
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=58597 $132.25

Corsair CML8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance Lowprofile 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Dual Channel Memory Kit
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=61961 $53.87

Western Digital 2TB Caviar Green SATA3 Intelli Power 64MB Cache 3.5IN Internal Hard Disk Drive HDD
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=62047&promoid=1068 $108.99

EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti Fpb 951MHZ 1024MB 4356MHZ GDDR5 2XDVI-I Mini-HDMI PCI-E Video Card
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=59501&promoid=1068 $119.99

LG BH14NS40 14X Blu Ray Rewriter Bdrw SATA Black Lightscribe 3D Playback
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=71586 $105.46

Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366/1155/1156/2011 120MM
[url=http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=64385]http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=64385 [/url] $34.98

OCZ ZT Series 550W ATX12V 20/24PIN Modular 80+ Bronze Active PFC Power Supply 140MM Fan 5 Year Wrty
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=64380&promoid=1068 $69.99

PC Assembly and Testing With 1 Year Limited NCIX System Warranty (PRE-CONFIG WIN. OS If Purchased)
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=7842 $41.09

YOUR TOTAL $1,396.89

 

[ddan49]

$1200 for a SURFING COMPUTER?! Wow. Anyway, here's what I would change:

CPU: i5-2500k... you don't need i7. Keep in mind that this is for overclocking.
Mobo: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
PSU: OCZ isn't that good. Get a quality Corsair, Seasonic, or PC power and cooling
Case: Corsair 400R
RAM: Get 16GB just in case. 2x8GB, DDR3-1600, CAS9, 1.5v or lower

 

[imgrindin247]

$1200 for a SURFING COMPUTER?! Wow. Anyway, here's what I would change:

CPU: i5-2500k... you don't need i7. Keep in mind that this is for overclocking.
Mobo: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
PSU: OCZ isn't that good. Get a quality Corsair, Seasonic, or PC power and cooling
Case: Corsair 400R
RAM: Get 16GB just in case. 2x8GB, DDR3-1600, CAS9, 1.5v or lower

Yeah I know it's overkill for what I need currently, just don't want to have to upgrade in the future anytime soon. I didn't finish my post earlier and posted by accident, but just edited it to add in a few more details.

The difference in pricing for the i5-2500k and i7 is only $60, so I thought I'd get the i7. I'm not really planning on overclocking at least for now.

 

[imgrindin247]

Any reason why the OCZ PSU isn't good? I've read good reviews online.

I'm probably going to be buying this very soon in next few days, so if anyone has anymore input on the build, it would be very helpful, thanks.

One thing I could save a bit on is the Heatsink. I could get either the Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO Direct Touch for $35 or the Plus Direct Touch 4 version instead for $20. Is the $15 savings worth it?

Also considering switching out the case to this one to save some money. Any thoughts on the MSI Interceptor Series Ravager ATX Mid Tower Case?

http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=70593&vpn=IN-623&manufacture=Others&promoid=1360

 

[ddan49]

I'd stick with the EVO

 

[axew]

I would go with 2500K and a better GPU, something like 6870.
Hyper 212 EVO rocks and for a PSU, well something like this http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=60329&vpn=CMPSU-500CXV2&manufacture=Corsair

Also i may be wrong, but if you are planning on lots of multitasking you might be better of with FX 8150, since it is an 8 core CPU, but i doubt that.

 

[imgrindin247]

I've decided to change my build based on some recommendations and more research. I've decided to go with the i5 3570k instead of i7. Won't miss much if at all in performance and the Ivy Bridge seems to perform a bit better and prices are about the same as Sandy Bridge, so I went with it. Mobo I went with a Z77-D3H, which should fit my needs well and paired it with the Antec 302 Case, which has front USB 3.0 ports that I wanted to have. Videocard I went with HD 6770 for the 2 DVI-Ports and I'll be fine if I upgrade my monitors to 2560 X 1440 in the future. The ram I was thinking about 16 GB, but value doesn't really seem to be there, so I went with 8gb which will be fine for me. I can upgrade it pretty easily in the future if really necessary, but probably won't be. The PSU I went with Seasonic M12II 620W, which was available as a combo deal for a pretty good price. Wanted to get a good stable PSU just for peace of mind. The heatsink probably isn't that necessary, but I got it in case I decide to overclock. I've never done it before, but it's an option I'm thinking about. Here's the full build below, let me know your thoughts, thanks.

Intel Core i5 3570K Unlocked Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.4GHZ Ivy Bridge 6MB Retail $238.99
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=70541&promoid=1068

Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366/1155/1156/2011 120MM $34.98
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=64385

Seasonic M12II 620W EPS12V 20/24PIN ATX PFC 80+ Bronze Modular 6PIN PCI-E 120MM Fan Power Supply PSU Combo Deal $80.86
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=52176

Gigabyte Z77-D3H ATX LGA1155 Z77 DDR3 3PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 HDMI CrossFireX SATA3 USB3.0 Motherboard $129.99
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=70264&promoid=1360

Western Digital 2TB Caviar Green SATA3 Intelli Power 64MB Cache 3.5IN Internal Hard Disk Drive HDD $108.99
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=62047&promoid=1068

Crucial M4 SSD Micron C400 128GB 2.5IN Solid State Disk Flash Drive SATA3 6Gbps $118.99
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=60445&promoid=1068

XFX Radeon HD 6770 850MHZ 1GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Video Card $124.99 plus a $20 MIB
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=71170&promoid=1068

Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Dual Channel Memory Kit $51.99 after PM from New Egg Canada
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=57078

Antec Three Hundred Two Mid Tower Gaming Case 302 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB3.0 & Audio $53.99 after PM from Computer Valley
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=67326

ASUS BW-12B1ST Blu-Ray Writer 12X BD-R 16X DVD+R SATA Black Retail $99.99 PM plus a $20 MIB from Memory Express
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=62678

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT SP1 DVD OEM $99.99 + $5.62 Shipping PM from Tiger Direct Canada
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=45271

PC Assembly and Testing With 1 Year Limited NCIX System Warranty (PRE-CONFIG WIN. OS If Purchased) $41.09
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=7842

Total: $1190.46 plus $40 in Mail-In Rebates

 

[imgrindin247]

Anybody have any thoughts on my build? Probably going to put this order in tonight.

 

[ddan49]

I wouldn't go green for the HDD... it slows it down quite a bit.

I'd get the HAF 912 as a case.

XFX can sometimes make loud GPUs... just keep that in mind. Check customer reviews for that specific GPU to make sure it's not loud.

 

[imgrindin247]

Any 2 TB HDD recommendations around $110?

Went with the Antec Case, because of the 3.0 USB ports. HAF 912 seems pretty good too.

This card might get a bit loud, but has a fan that cools it well. I won't be cranking it up all that often though, so it shouldn't be too big of an issue.

 

[imgrindin247]

Think I'm set on everything except the HDD.

Deciding between

Western Digital 2TB Caviar Green SATA3 Intelli Power 64MB Cache 3.5IN Internal Hard Disk Drive HDD

and

Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA3 64MB Cache 3.5IN Internal Hard Drive

Seagate is $10 more expensive but is 7200 RPM vs 5400 RPM for the WD. The reviews don't seem as good for the Seagate in terms of reliability though. Any opinions on which to get?

 

[ddan49]

If between 7200rpm and 5400rpm... always get 7200rpm. However, a green drive (as I've said) isn't quite 7200rpm... it's slower (not in rounds, but read/write).