Budget Gaming System for My Nephew

[croe33]

Hi all, first post for me here. Any ideas are welcome.

My brother-in-law asked me to build a gaming PC with a budget of $500 for an 8th grade graduation gift for my nephew and to have him build it with me. I have a few gaming builds under my belt, but have never been worried about searching to get the most for your money. I put together the following system and was wondering what you guys think. He plays a ton of Minecraft on the PC - he likes other games like skyrim and battle field 3 but he plays those on xbox. My idea was to give him a good start and still have the ability to upgrade in the future

Case - Zalman Z9 Plus Black - $65 - Seems decent enough and comes with four fans.
CPU - Intel Core i3-2100 - $120 - I have always liked intel; a little worried about dual-core power tho; He can always buy an i5 later
MOBO - Biostar TZ77A LGA 115 - $110 - I have used a different biostar board in my last three builds and have come to love their price/quality ratio
Graphics - EVGA GTX 550 Ti 1GB 192-bit - $130 - pretty much sold on this
PSU - Seasonic M12II 520W Bronze - $60 - Seems like a good price and I used my first seasonic product in my last build and am a fan
Memory - G.Skill Ripjaws x series 4GB (2x2GB) - $30
HD - WD Caviar Blue 500 GB - $65 - never had a problem with these though I feel I can cut cost here
Asus Black SATA 24x DVD/CD - $17

Its a little over budget but my brother-in-law has been looking at $500 pre-builds from online aftermarket retailers and they are such garbage its not even funny.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Guys

 

[inzone]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html
This is a graphics card chart and will give you an idea of where cards fall in comparison between Nvidia and AMD.

XFX CORE Edition FX-777A-ZNF4 Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
$139.99 and a $15 rebate makes the final price $124.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150598

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card ( 11201-00-20G)
$134.99 and a $15 rebate makes the final price $119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102967

With the video card being the heart of any gaming computer it should be the main focus of the build. The 550Ti is not quite as good a card as the 7770 so on top of it being less money it would be a better choice. If by some chance there would be more available money for this build then it could go towards an even better video card.

The cpu that you chose is a dual core but it has hyperthreading so you in effect have quad core processing power. Also since you have chosen a Z77 chipset motherboard you can upgrade to an Ivy Bridge cpu later on.

COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case
$49.99 and a $10 rebate makes the final cost $39.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119227

You can save a few bucks with this case ($25) and while it comes with one 120mm fan it has places to add up to 5 more if needed and those can be added over time as needed so that the initial cost is less and can be put towards the video card.

MSI N560GTX-M2D1GD5 GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$184.99 and a $40 rebate makes the final price $144.99 with free shipping and a free game.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127592

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.963047 $114.98 save: $10.00 - $10.00 Mail In Rebates FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER Elite 311 RC-311B-SWN1 Silver Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
ASRock B75 PRO3 LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/B75%20Pro3/ <----- another look at that board along with a link to the latest bios

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194102 $54.99 - $34.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
LEPA B550-SA 550W SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.972832 $130.98 save: $11.00
Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32120
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231274 $25.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBRL

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=EV-560SE1G $129.99
EVGA nVidia GeForce GTX560 SE 1GB DDR5 2DVI/Mini HDMI PCI-Express Video Card - 01G-P3-1464-KR

 

[croe33]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html
This is a graphics card chart and will give you an idea of where cards fall in comparison between Nvidia and AMD.

XFX CORE Edition FX-777A-ZNF4 Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
$139.99 and a $15 rebate makes the final price $124.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150598

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card ( 11201-00-20G)
$134.99 and a $15 rebate makes the final price $119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102967

With the video card being the heart of any gaming computer it should be the main focus of the build. The 550Ti is not quite as good a card as the 7770 so on top of it being less money it would be a better choice. If by some chance there would be more available money for this build then it could go towards an even better video card.

The cpu that you chose is a dual core but it has hyperthreading so you in effect have quad core processing power. Also since you have chosen a Z77 chipset motherboard you can upgrade to an Ivy Bridge cpu later on.

COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case
$49.99 and a $10 rebate makes the final cost $39.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119227

You can save a few bucks with this case ($25) and while it comes with one 120mm fan it has places to add up to 5 more if needed and those can be added over time as needed so that the initial cost is less and can be put towards the video card.

MSI N560GTX-M2D1GD5 GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$184.99 and a $40 rebate makes the final price $144.99 with free shipping and a free game.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127592

Inzone, thanks for the reply. I did like that case. And if I add one more fan for exhaust it is still a lot cheaper than the one I had. Video cards, newegg has them at 129.99 with a $15 mail in, so that is less. my Borther-in-law is pinching every penny out of it. Wish I could get him the 560. I have a 560 ti, and put a 560 in a buddies. They are awesome - but not in the budget. I'm paying for the Hard Drive and DVD drive as a present to nephew. and now my bro in law wants me to get it as close to 400 as possible for him. Not much room, though I just found I have a connect at intel who may be able to do a 50% off deal for me. We'll see

 

[Why_Me]

Inzone, thanks for the reply. I did like that case. And if I add one more fan for exhaust it is still a lot cheaper than the one I had. Video cards, newegg has them at 129.99 with a $15 mail in, so that is less. my Borther-in-law is pinching every penny out of it. Wish I could get him the 560. I have a 560 ti, and put a 560 in a buddies. They are awesome - but not in the budget. I'm paying for the Hard Drive and DVD drive as a present to nephew. and now my bro in law wants me to get it as close to 400 as possible for him. Not much room, though I just found I have a connect at intel who may be able to do a 50% off deal for me. We'll see

I posted a gtx 560 for $130.

 

[loops]

If you could move up by 25 bucks or so you could eekk out a 560 ti build. Or just sub in a gtx 560 or hd 6870 card to keep it under 500. Note the use of combos at newegg.

For reference: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-pc-do-it-yourself-geforce-gtx-560,3216.html

1

NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811146061
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$14.00 Instant


$49.99
$35.99
1

HGST HDS721050CLA362 (0F10381) 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822145299
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant


$79.99
$69.99
1

ECS NGTX560TI-1GPI-F1 GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Item #: N82E16814134131
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate


$214.99
$204.99
1

Antec VP-450 450W ATX 12V v2.3 Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817371045
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$12.00 Instant


$49.99
$37.99
1

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNS
Item #: N82E16820231394
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy


$22.99
1

BIOSTAR B75MU3+ LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813138357
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant


$69.99
$59.99
1


Intel Pentium G850 Sandy Bridge 2.9GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623G850
Item #: N82E16819116397
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Item #: N82E16827135204
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$2.00 Instant
-$11.00 Combo


$106.98
$93.98
Subtotal: $525.92

 

[croe33]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.963047 $114.98 save: $10.00 - $10.00 Mail In Rebates FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER Elite 311 RC-311B-SWN1 Silver Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
ASRock B75 PRO3 LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/B75%20Pro3/ <----- another look at that board along with a link to the latest bios

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194102 $54.99 - $34.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
LEPA B550-SA 550W SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.972832 $130.98 save: $11.00
Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32120
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231274 $25.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBRL

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=EV-560SE1G $129.99
EVGA nVidia GeForce GTX560 SE 1GB DDR5 2DVI/Mini HDMI PCI-Express Video Card - 01G-P3-1464-KR

Thanks Why Me. Good catch on the i3-2120 dvd combo. Will defnitely do that.

Never heard of LEPA before and I didn't see any reviews anywhere on the model you shower me. Tho their higher-end ones have good reviews, there weren't many of those either. Hard to trust something I never used before and can't find too much on them. If someone who has experience with this particular model wants to jump in that'd be great.

More input would be awesome! Just saying

 

[loops]

Inzone, thanks for the reply. I did like that case. And if I add one more fan for exhaust it is still a lot cheaper than the one I had. Video cards, newegg has them at 129.99 with a $15 mail in, so that is less. my Borther-in-law is pinching every penny out of it. Wish I could get him the 560. I have a 560 ti, and put a 560 in a buddies. They are awesome - but not in the budget. I'm paying for the Hard Drive and DVD drive as a present to nephew. and now my bro in law wants me to get it as close to 400 as possible for him. Not much room, though I just found I have a connect at intel who may be able to do a 50% off deal for me. We'll see

Here is a 560 under 500:

1

NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811146061
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$14.00 Instant


$49.99
$35.99
1

HGST HDS721050CLA362 (0F10381) 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822145299
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant


$79.99
$69.99
1

EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1463-KR GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video ...
Item #: N82E16814130664
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card


$179.99
$169.99
1

Antec VP-450 450W ATX 12V v2.3 Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817371045
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$12.00 Instant


$49.99
$37.99
1

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNS
Item #: N82E16820231394
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy


$22.99
1

BIOSTAR B75MU3+ LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813138357
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant


$69.99
$59.99
1


Intel Pentium G850 Sandy Bridge 2.9GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623G850
Item #: N82E16819116397
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Item #: N82E16827135204
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$2.00 Instant
-$11.00 Combo


$106.98
$93.98
Subtotal: $490.92

or $480 with this 560 sub: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162084

 

[croe33]

I posted a gtx 560 for $130.

I saw that, but the 550 comes with the $15 mail in

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks Why Me. Good catch on the i3-2120 dvd combo. Will defnitely do that.

Never heard of LEPA before and I didn't see any reviews anywhere on the model you shower me. Tho their higher-end ones have good reviews, there weren't many of those either. Hard to trust something I never used before and can't find too much on them. If someone who has experience with this particular model wants to jump in that'd be great.

More input would be awesome! Just saying

LEPA has two different manufactures for their psu's...just like Corsair does. The high end LEPA's are manufactured by Enermax, and the low end by CWT. That particular psu I linked is the non modular version of the Corsair TX550M...both psu's manufactured by CWT. It has 550w and 38A at the 12V rail. It's a bargain. It was just released and nobody knows of it for the fact not many people follow who manufactures what for who. Corsair for example has never ever manufactured a psu in it's entire history. Others do it for them. Seeing how you have a 560 ti up there I would go with that LEPA for the fact you want those extra watts and amps.

If your looking to save money on a board then look at that B75. It's targeted for Ivy Bridge cpu's (PCI-E 3.0) but it works with any 1155 cpu. The one draw back is that you need an Ivy Bridge cpu to run 1600hz RAM but the difference between 1333 and 1600 is negligible at best.

 

[Why_Me]

I saw that, but the 550 comes with the $15 mail in

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-550-ti-gf116-radeon-hd-5770,2892-6.html <----- gtx 550 ti

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-560-amp-edition-gtx-560-directcu-ii-top,2944-6.html <---- gtx 560

 

[croe33]

Loops, thanks for the combo deals. I looked through a few more after wards an I'm just not seeing a full package of whatd I'd buy for myself if this was my budget. The G850 (my biggest issue with this package) is a three tier drop from the i3-2120 according to this site's CPU hierarchy. I know it would work well for games, but he also does some video and photo editing - should have mentioned that before.

I figure with the z77 chipset he will be able to upgrade for years. And the graphics card will work for the games he is playing now. he can upgrade later.

 

[Why_Me]

Loops, thanks for the combo deals. I looked through a few more after wards an I'm just not seeing a full package of whatd I'd buy for myself if this was my budget. The G850 (my biggest issue with this package) is a three tier drop from the i3-2120 according to this site's CPU hierarchy. I know it would work well for games, but he also does some video and photo editing - should have mentioned that before.

I figure with the z77 chipset he will be able to upgrade for years. And the graphics card will work for the games he is playing now. he can upgrade later.

Here's another combo to have a look at.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.977673 $174.98 save: $15.00 FREE SHIPPING
ASRock Z77 Pro4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Samsung by Seagate Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ/ST500DM005 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Pro4/ <----- another look at that board along with a link to the latest bios update

 

[croe33]

LEPA has two different manufactures for their psu's...just like Corsair does. The high end LEPA's are manufactured by Enermax, and the low end by CWT. That particular psu I linked is the non modular version of the Corsair TX550M...both psu's manufactured by CWT. It has 550w and 38A at the 12V rail. It's a bargain. It was just released and nobody knows of it for the fact not many people follow who manufactures what for who. Corsair for example has never ever manufactured a psu in it's entire history. Others do it for them. Seeing how you have a 560 ti up there I would go with that LEPA for the fact you want those extra watts and amps.

If your looking to save money on a board then look at that B75. It's targeted for Ivy Bridge cpu's (PCI-E 3.0) but it works with any 1155 cpu. The one draw back is that you need an Ivy Bridge cpu to run 1600hz RAM but the difference between 1333 and 1600 is negligible at best.

That is some great information you have there. Thanks a lot for the input. It is only the 550 Ti that I am looking at right now. I am considering the B75 board you posted earlier.

As to the PSU, I do like the modular cabling system that the Seasonic 520 has - I hate hving to find a place for the mass of wires hanging around after the build. I have a bigger Seasonic at home and I love its design. Besides the 30W difference, the $20 prepaid card rebate, and the modular desing. Is there any other reason I shouldn't go with the seasonic? I'm on the fence with this one. Does Seasonic have any glaring negatives that I haven't heard about or experienced?

 

[Why_Me]

That is some great information you have there. Thanks a lot for the input. It is only the 550 Ti that I am looking at right now. I am considering the B75 board you posted earlier.

As to the PSU, I do like the modular cabling system that the Seasonic 520 has - I hate hving to find a place for the mass of wires hanging around after the build. I have a bigger Seasonic at home and I love its design. Besides the 30W difference, the $20 prepaid card rebate, and the modular desing. Is there any other reason I shouldn't go with the seasonic? I'm on the fence with this one. Does Seasonic have any glaring negatives that I haven't heard about or experienced?

You make some good points and now that you pointed out the fact that your nephew likes doing video editing a H77/Z77 board is the smart option. As far as the rebates go it comes down to immediate budget. Are you willing to include the rebates towards the total budget. The reason I ask if every dollar you save...whether it be non modular vs more RAM, vs...etc... can be put towards that gtx 560 I linked seeing how the gtx 550 ti is probably one of the worst cards Nvidia put out in regards to gaming hence the horrible reviews everyone across the net gave it. The older gtx 460 curb stomped that card and did it for cheaper. The 550 ti dropped over $50 in price in less than a a few weeks once the benchmarks came out on that card.

 

[croe33]

You make some good points and now that you pointed out the fact that your nephew likes doing video editing a H77/Z77 board is the smart option. As far as the rebates go it comes down to immediate budget. Are you willing to include the rebates towards the total budget. The reason I ask if every dollar you save...whether it be non modular vs more RAM, vs...etc... can be put towards that gtx 560 I linked seeing how the gtx 550 ti is probably one of the worst cards Nvidia put out in regards to gaming hence the horrible reviews everyone across the net gave it. The older gtx 460 curb stomped that card and did it for cheaper. The 550 ti dropped over $50 in price in less than a a few weeks once the benchmarks came out on that card.

I'm adding rebates into the overall budget. And yes, I would love to get him a 560. I didn't realize that the 550 was such garbage, never owned one - reviews didn't seem too bad to me tho.

 

[croe33]

So Here is where I am at right now, out of all we discussed above this actually came out to lower than with a few more of the combo deals Why_Me suggested.

Case - Cooler Master Elite 430 - $49.99 ($10 MIR)= $39.99
CPU/DVD Combo - i3-2120 + Asus DVD - $130.98 (My 10% i3 promocode) = $118.48
MOBO - Biostar TZ77B LGA 1155 - $89.99 + $7.56 s/h = $97.55
HD - WD Caviar Blue 500GB - $74.99 ($10 Promo) = $64.99
Memory - G.Skill Ripjaws Series 1333 - $25.99 (My %10 Mem Promo) = $23.39
PSU - LEPA B550-SA 550W - $54.99 ($20 MIR) = 34.99
GPU - EVGA GTX 560 SE 192-bit - $129.99 + 6.98 s/h

After rebates and promos, total comes to $555.35

Is there anything you'd change?

 

[Why_Me]

So Here is where I am at right now, out of all we discussed above this actually came out to lower than with a few more of the combo deals Why_Me suggested.

Case - Cooler Master Elite 430 - $49.99 ($10 MIR)= $39.99
CPU/DVD Combo - i3-2120 + Asus DVD - $130.98 (My 10% i3 promocode) = $118.48
MOBO - Biostar TZ77B LGA 1155 - $89.99 + $7.56 s/h = $97.55
HD - WD Caviar Blue 500GB - $74.99 ($10 Promo) = $64.99
Memory - G.Skill Ripjaws Series 1333 - $25.99 (My %10 Mem Promo) = $23.39
PSU - LEPA B550-SA 550W - $54.99 ($20 MIR) = 34.99
GPU - EVGA GTX 560 SE 192-bit - $129.99 + 6.98 s/h

After rebates and promos, total comes to $555.35

Is there anything you'd change?

Looks good. The kid will be able to play some of the higher end games now, that and later on he can always upgade the vid card in a few years if and when he feels the need.

 

[loops]

So Here is where I am at right now, out of all we discussed above this actually came out to lower than with a few more of the combo deals Why_Me suggested.

Case - Cooler Master Elite 430 - $49.99 ($10 MIR)= $39.99
CPU/DVD Combo - i3-2120 + Asus DVD - $130.98 (My 10% i3 promocode) = $118.48
MOBO - Biostar TZ77B LGA 1155 - $89.99 + $7.56 s/h = $97.55
HD - WD Caviar Blue 500GB - $74.99 ($10 Promo) = $64.99
Memory - G.Skill Ripjaws Series 1333 - $25.99 (My %10 Mem Promo) = $23.39
PSU - LEPA B550-SA 550W - $54.99 ($20 MIR) = 34.99
GPU - EVGA GTX 560 SE 192-bit - $129.99 + 6.98 s/h

After rebates and promos, total comes to $555.35

Is there anything you'd change?

That looks like a good build for the money. It should do most thinks competently and given that this is not just a gaming build it work.

The builds I put up basically has a CPU as a place holder. As you know it would have done rather well in games but day to day it would have some draw backs. The builds is much like the last 500 build TH did but it has a better CPU.

I own gtx 560s and I ran them solo and in SLI with a q9300 and a 2500k in games like WoW to BF3. Its a good card but it struggles on its own in demanding games like BF3. (SLI it another matter ) The gtx 560se is a "cut down" of the 560 and it will struggle in BF3 on large outdoor maps. It will dip below 30 fps.

A gtx 560 ti with a OC is a very able card as it was shown in the last TH build. Drop in an i5 and you got a great set up. Going with an i3/550 or 560 se and then upgrading to a 7850 is also a valid path that is about the same cost.

After upgrades it could look like this: 2500k + 560ti vs i3 + 7850. Where one build has a functional CPU holder for about 80 bucks and the second has a functional GPU holder for 129.00. The move from the CPU goes 80 to 220 or so. The move to the GPU right now goes 129.99 to 240ish.

That was my logic anyhow. You have a fine build and some really good feed back from others here.

BTW, a good uncle is a nice thing to have. Nice work!

 

[croe33]

That looks like a good build for the money. It should do most thinks competently and given that this is not just a gaming build it work.

The builds I put up basically has a CPU as a place holder. As you know it would have done rather well in games but day to day it would have some draw backs. The builds is much like the last 500 build TH did but it has a better CPU.

I own gtx 560s and I ran them solo and in SLI with a q9300 and a 2500k in games like WoW to BF3. Its a good card but it struggles on its own in demanding games like BF3. (SLI it another matter ) The gtx 560se is a "cut down" of the 560 and it will struggle in BF3 on large outdoor maps. It will dip below 30 fps.

A gtx 560 ti with a OC is a very able card as it was shown in the last TH build. Drop in an i5 and you got a great set up. Going with an i3/550 or 560 se and then upgrading to a 7850 is also a valid path that is about the same cost.

After upgrades it could look like this: 2500k + 560ti vs i3 + 7850. Where one build has a functional CPU holder for about 80 bucks and the second has a functional GPU holder for 129.00. The move from the CPU goes 80 to 220 or so. The move to the GPU right now goes 129.99 to 240ish.

That was my logic anyhow. You have a fine build and some really good feed back from others here.

BTW, a good uncle is a nice thing to have. Nice work!

That's what I was thinking too. Give him a good amount of processing power and decent amount of graphic power now, it will get done what he needs and as/if he gets more into pc gaming he'll have plenty of room to upgrade.

Thanks for all the input guys. I really appreciate it.