Building my first gaming computer - Around $800ish preferably.

[FSJSteel]

Hi there, I've never built a computer before and know virtually nothing about doing so. I have a build here a friend of mine made me earlier today that prices out at $817.68 on ncix.com (I'm Canadian). I'm also looking to buy tonight as there are some deals that end tonight.

CPU - Intel Core i5 3570K Unlocked Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.4GHZ Ivy Bridge 6MB Retail

MB - ASUS P8Z77-V Pro LGA1155 Z77 DDR3 SLI 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI SATA3 DisplayPort USB3.0 Motherboard

Power Supply - Thermaltake TR2 500W Power Supply Cable Management ATX12V V2.3 24PIN With 120mm Fan

Video Card - EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti SSC 1071MHZ 2GB 5.4GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI Minihdmi PCI-E Video Card

Memory - G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1333 CL9-9-9-24 Memory

Storage - Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM 64MB SATA 6Gbps 3.5in Internal Hard Drive - OEM

Drive - ASUS DRW-24B1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer OEM Black

Case - Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case Black 3X5.25 1X3.5 5X3.5INT No PS w/ Fan Controller & Temp Display

Looking around here it seems like you guys suggest a lot cheaper motherboard. My friend told me not to cheap out on it, so I'm not sure what to do.

I think I'd like to go a little cheaper on the motherboard & upgrade the video card, I'm just not sure to what. Also not sure about the power supply.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[AMD Radeon]

Power Supply - Thermaltake TR2 500W Power Supply Cable Management ATX12V V2.3 24PIN With 120mm Fan
want to switch to corsair/seasonic?

 

[AMD Radeon]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($217.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $789.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-03 00:22 EST-0500)

 

[manofchalk]

Will you be overclocking at all? Just if you aren't theres a few ways to get a cheaper build.

Yep, get a cheaper mobo. There are others on the market that support the same features as that board at a lower price.
AsRock Z77 Extreme4. $150 ($25 rebate)
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=70902&vpn=Z77%20Extreme4&manufacture=ASRock&promoid=1366

The PSU is the one place you dont want to cheap out on a build. Thermaltake aren't a great brand and a 500W supply for $40 isnt a good sign. Also its not 80+ Certified (so its voltage control and efficiency is unknown)
This PSU is a lot better.
XFX Core 550W. $70 ($10 rebate)
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=59615&vpn=P1550SXXB9&manufacture=XFX

Small bump to the RAM speed and its low profile so it wont conflict with any heatsinks.
Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) 1600Mhz CL9 1.5v. $50
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=61961&vpn=CML8GX3M2A1600C9&manufacture=Corsair

If you are overclocking, you will need a CPU heatsink, as stock is insufficient for any decent overclock.
Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO. $35
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=64385&vpn=RR-212E-20PK-R2&manufacture=COOLERMASTER

At the 650Ti's price point is a much stronger card from AMD, the HD 7850 1GB. For some reason the pr icings of the 7850's on NCIX are ridiculous.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202004
Proof it out-performs the 650Ti (this was before the 12.11 updates, so you can expect better performance)
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=680

 

[FSJSteel]

Thanks for the replies guys! I've changed some thing around.

manofchalk, if I were to go a step up in video cards, what would you recommend?

 

[manofchalk]

The next best card to what I recommended above would be the 7850 2GB.
Sapphire HD7850 2GB. $210 ($15 rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102999

The 660 and 7870 are the next price-point up and they are fairly evenly matched with the 7870 coming out slightly ahead.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/Catalyst_12.11_Performance/23.html
So this is the card I recommend.
Gigabyte HD7870. $240
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418

 

[FSJSteel]

Thanks. Decided not to purchase the video card yet as I couldn't decide before midnight haha.

I will be overclocking, so I went with the mobo, PSU & heatsink you suggested, and kept everything else the same. I'll figure out the vid card tomorrow.

Edit: Puts me at $760 after taxes & shipping (before rebates), so I guess I'm going over budget!

 

[manofchalk]

Edit: Puts me at $760 after taxes & shipping (before rebates), so I guess I'm going over budget!

A common occurrence I can tell you. Pray you dont get bit by the performance bug (and now water-cooling bug) like I have.
When I first sat down to build my computer half a year ago, knowing absolutely nothing like you I planned for ~$1300 to be my budget. As of last weekend I'v now spent over $2000, with plans for more in the future.

Computers are an expensive hobby :lol: