Trying to Build the Best Gaming PC at a Reasonable Price

[akbaras]

So far I have the following parts. I will be doing some mild - moderate gaming and probably will overclock. this is my first build so can you rate this and recommend any changes. Also, I don't know how many watts I will need for my PSU (i'm trying to stay under $50 for it). Also! is the mid tower case sufficient or should I go for a full tower? I'm trying to stay under $700.
Thanks!


CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge

CPU Cooler: ZALMAN CNPS5X Performa 92mm FSB (Fluid Shield Bearing) Powerful Cooling Performance CPU Cooler

Arctic Cooling Arctic MX-4 Thermal Compound $8.99

Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

RAM: Kingston Technology HyperX 8 GB (2x4 GB Modules) 1600 MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Kit

Graphics: EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti FPB 1024 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 2DVI/Mini-HDMI SLI Ready Graphics Card, 01G-P3-1556-KR

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB

Case: Rosewill REDBONE Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Power: Don't know yet, what wattage do I need?

Optical: None - I have a usb plug in at home.

Wireless: WL ADPT ROSEWILL RNX-N300X PCI RETAIL

 

[TheBigTroll]

overclocking and crossfire ready
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ghSL

no overclocking and no crossfire in the future(they perform the same)
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ghTc


you can add a samsung 830 128gb SSD to both builds and it would speed up the system by miles. its 96.48 im pretty sure at B&H. you can install games, the os, and apps onto the SSD and the rest on the hard drive

 

[manofchalk]

Good CPU.

Change the CPU cooler to a Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO. Most likely cheaper than the Zalman and will perform similarly.
Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO. $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

Drop the thermal paste, most aftermarket coolers (including the 212 EVO) come bundled with some.

Good mobo.

You need RAM that runs at 1.5v for modern Intel systems, most Kingston RAM is at 1.65v. COrsair or G.Skill are good brands to pick.
G.Skill Ares 8GB (2x4GB) 1600Mhz CL9 1.5v. $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231544

Dont get an EVGA card, reference design cooling. Get one from ASUS, Gigabyte or MSI. Also at the ~$150 price point the 550ti is at, the HD6850 is a better option.
XFX HD6850. $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150515

HDD is decent, but I think 1TB should be sufficient (feel free to ignore me here, I dont know if your a digital hoarder or holding a vast library of movies on this thing).

Case is meh, itl do.

For a single card rig, 550W is sufficient. Unfortunately, any $50 supply is not to be trusted, you will have to spend more here than you thought.
XFX Pro 550W. $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013

 

[akbaras]

Ok.
Zalman cooler is only 12 bucks after a rebate, the 212 evo is 30.
I didn't know you could mix radeon and intel together. I'll go with the 6850. The HDD was at a good price, but if I find anything cheaper at 1TB, i'll go with it.

 

[TheBigTroll]

you know you could get a xfx 6870 for 144.99 after MIR right?

the evo is worth the money.

 

[akbaras]

The EVGA 550ti was only $99. the 6850 is $130 after MIR and the 6870 is $150 after MIR? Which is best? i want to stay around $130.


What about this PSU?
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-eXtreme-Supply-RS500-PCARD3-US/dp/B001G0WPLK%3FSubscriptionId%3D19BAZMZQFZJ6G2QYGCG2%26tag%3Dsquid1580811-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB001G0WPLK

 

[TheBigTroll]

its bad. get something from xfx, seasonic, corsair, pc power and cooling. the rest arent that great. some of them are but these brands are my main go tos

 

[ahad]

Im pretty sure this build will make you happy: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gn8f

The psu may be for 69.99 but if you check on any site like newegg they gave great reviews for it.

So the budget is under 800 dollars, but this rig is capable of playing any game at high settings. If its ok with you and if its your kinda budget i`d definetly recommend this build to you, if you want you can change your gpu to an 6870 for a few bucks an your budget will be under 900 dollars. Which is a good starting budget!

 

[TheBigTroll]

@ahad: it really lacks graphical power

 

[ahad]

@TheBigTroll i know a 6870 is a midrange card but it depends on his budget if his budget was under 1000 dollars i would suggest a better card.+ the 7870 is an awesome card im gonna be ordering mine(its a gigabyte one).

 

[TheBigTroll]

theres a xfx one for 224.99 after MIR

i can fit a 7870 under 1000

 

[ahad]

Also lets say his budget was under a thousand i would recommend the cpu,hdd,optical drive,mobo, the things that i would change, a case coolermaster haf912, gpu: 7870 gigabyte, corsair tx 650 and the o.s is fine itself!