First Gaming Build

[Guest]

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: 1-2 weeks

Budget Range: $800-$900 Before Rebates; After Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming,web browsing,photoshop

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: Computer (already have a CPU fan)

Do I need to buy OS: No (using Windows 7 64-bit)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg (doesn't really matter though)

Location: Maryland(USA)

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Would like to be able to play BF3 at/near max settings.

Why I'm Upgrading: Old gaming pc broke.

Got some suggestions from friends and this is what i've come up with...not sure if its any good.

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: ASUS P8H77-V LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Western Digital 500gb 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 560 FPB 1GB Video Card
Case: Cool Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair Builder Series CX600 V2 600W Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus
Total: Around $914 (after tax/shipping)

New to this so sorry if anything I picked doesn't make sense. It'd be nice if I could somehow spend a little less. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[sadams04]

You are in OK shape. My thoughts are:

CPU - Fine and all, but there is a Microcenter in Rockville, MD and their prices on Intel processors are lower and justify going with a newer Ivy Bridge i5. There is also no reason to buy a K series CPU since you aren't overclocking. Look toward the Sandy Bridge i5-2400 or Ivy Bridge i5-3470.

MEM - Skip memory modules with tall heat spreaders. They aren't needed at that speed and can get in the way of some aftermarket CPU cooler. Look for "standard" or "low profile" DDR3-1600 1.5v modules.

HD - For not much more than that WD Black you can get into a Seagate 1TB7200 RPM drive ($100), or step up to the Samsung F4 or Seagate 2TB for $120. 500GB at $85 isn't a good price / storage.

SSD - Great choice, but opt up to a 128GB model. 64GB is a bare minimum and you will constantly be cleaning data up to maintain a good level of free disk space.

If you have the option to use Microcenter, compare prices and pit them against Newegg. They will have lower prices on the CPU and maybe motherboard, but you will need to stay on the to price match other components.

 

[DarkOutlaw]

You might have a microcenter store near you. You could get like $50 off the CPU if you buy it there in person.

http://www.microcenter.com/

You do not want to get that motherboard. Death to the H series. Look at the Asrock z77 Extreme4. It is one of the best boards you can buy, and should be cheaper than that Asus garbage. Overclock it, or at least leave yourself the option. It is a very easy process if you read and listen.

Stick with WD Caviar Black. It comes with a 5yr warranty, seagate comes with only a 1 yr. You get what you pay for. For a few extra bucks you can get the 1TB model.

Gonna need a heat sink. The Cooler Master Hyper 212 evo is affordable (around $20) and has outstanding performance.

If you can squeeze a little more into your budget, the GTX 660 ti is a great card, trading blows with cards that cost $400. You can pick one of these up for $300.

Your RAM is fine.

SSD I agree you should go for a 128 GB. OCZ has the 128 GB Agility 4 @ newegg on sale for 69.99 after MIR, which is the cheapest I have ever seen a quality SSD.

Here is what I generally recommend for around the $1k mark: $1k Budget Rig

 

[Guest]

The Rockville locations pretty close to me so ill compare prices. I may end up getting the k series just in case i become interested in overclocking in the future. Just curious, whats wrong with the H series? Ill swap that out for the motherboard you recommended. Ill get the 1tb hd in either the seagate or wd. And I agree,id probably be more comfortable with the 128GB ssd. Ill look into the 660ti,ive heard good things and didn't realize they were only $300.
Thanks for the help!

 

[DarkOutlaw]

H = no overclocking, more locked down bios. That is also why the H motherboards are normally dirt cheap. I prefer to have complete control of as much as I can, that is why the Z series is the most popular.

 

[Guest]

Best answer selected by rks_19.