First build: 1k Skyrim PC

panjojo

Honorable
Jun 29, 2012
3
0
10,510
Hi all,

I've decided to build up a PC for the firs time, dedicated it to Skyrim and BF3. I'd like to keep it between $900-1000.

So far this is what this is what I'm thinking:

CASE: Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

MOBO: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

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
Or is there something faster/cheaper out there?

The GPU im not entirely sure on yet. I was thinking about the Radeon HD 7850 , but it will be over a 1/4 of my total build cost.. worth it?

HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

VRAM: G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM

COOLING: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+

CASE: 50
MOBO: 115
PSU: 110
CPU: 220
GPU: 260
HDD: 100
VRAM: 40
Cooling: 30
---
Total: $925


I already have the keyboard, mouse and disk drive. Monitor is the last thing on my list, but any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. If I did decide to overclock would need more cooling?

Any thoughts/criticisms/suggestions/help in general would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
 
Solution
I dont know what ainausk is talking about, I have similar hardware and I am running Skyrim perfectly at a consistent 60FPS (max settings) with the HD texture pack and a bevvy of mods.

That RAM is 1333mhz and ugly as hell. This kit looks much nicer and runs at 1600Mhz, for only $7 more. They apparently overclock well if your so inclined.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

Motherboard + CPU
For $10 more you can get a Z77 board and an i5-3570k. Newer technology, better performance and USB3 is essentially the difference.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

That PSU is a bit overkill for you needs, but if you intend...

asinausk

Distinguished
Jan 13, 2010
65
0
18,640
BF3 should be fine, but the performance you will see in Skyrim will be very disappointing. The game is a shoddy console port and runs poorly on even the fastest systems. At 1080p, with a Q9650 and an overclocked GTX 670 it lags in populated areas. Markath is a slideshow. People who say "Dude, Skyrim runs great on my PC!" are people who play CoD at 30fps and think that's awesome. Skyrim is very CPU bound...on top of that it peaks at 70% CPU usage across 2-3 cores and peaks at 50% GPU usage.

Just thought you should be aware. :sol:
 
I dont know what ainausk is talking about, I have similar hardware and I am running Skyrim perfectly at a consistent 60FPS (max settings) with the HD texture pack and a bevvy of mods.

That RAM is 1333mhz and ugly as hell. This kit looks much nicer and runs at 1600Mhz, for only $7 more. They apparently overclock well if your so inclined.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

Motherboard + CPU
For $10 more you can get a Z77 board and an i5-3570k. Newer technology, better performance and USB3 is essentially the difference.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

That PSU is a bit overkill for you needs, but if you intend to Crossfire/SLI later, it will be fine.

Better case with same aesthetic, but with features such as cable management.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235026

The HD7850 is a good card, Nvidia doesn't really have a good competitor at this price range. I would suggest getting a different model though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125419

Have fun with the build.
 
Solution

panjojo

Honorable
Jun 29, 2012
3
0
10,510


Those changes are very helpful. Thanks you!

Im going to order the parts tonight, is there anything else I might be forgetting?