Best Performance x Price balance

[pchioccola]

Hi everyone,
I'm building a PC, mainly for gaming, with a budget around $ 750
I have a simple monitor, but i'm planning play on my 40'' Samsung TV (via HDMI)
OC is not my priority.
I haven't bought anything yet, so if you guys have any tips for me, please let me know.

CPU: I5 3570K - Around $ 220 ~ 250

Video Card: GTX 560 Ti (EVGA) or GTX 660 - Around $ 215 ~ 250

MBOARD: ASUS P8Z77-V LK or Gigabyte Z77X-D3H - $ 134

RAM: Corsair 8GB (2x 4GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz - $ 44,90

PSUPPLY: Ultra LSP550 550-Watt Power Supply - ATX, SATA-Ready, SLI-Ready, 135mm Fan, Lifetime Warranty w/ Registration - $ 50
Ultra LSP650 650-Watt Power Supply - ATX, SATA-Ready, SLI-Ready, 135mm Fan, Lifetime Warranty w/ Registration - $ 50
Here's the thing. I've read that 550W would be enough, but 650W is better for gaming. So, what do you guys recommend ?

I prefer most reliable brands, cause I gonna be in the USA for only two weeks. So, if something went wrong, I think I won't be able to exchange it in my country.

 

[groundrat]

Buying a K series processor when you are not planning to over clock is a bit silly, as that is just what they are for. You might want to consider something less robust and more targeted. Most gaming performance (there are exceptions) come from the GPU and not the processor. A good i3 will compete with a non-over clocked i5 for most games with an identical motherboard and GPU. With nearly $100 cost savings you might even be able to afford a higher end OC’d 660 or a 670.

I wouldn’t go with an ultra PS. I get a good 600-700 watt Seasonic or clone (Antec or Corsair).

Corsair makes good ram, but GSkill is usually less expensive, just as reliable.

If you like the ASUS Z77, check the ASRock Z77's. They are made by ASUS and much less expensive.

 

[pchioccola]

Buying a K series processor when you are not planning to over clock is a bit silly, as that is just what they are for. You might want to consider something less robust and more targeted. Most gaming performance (there are exceptions) come from the GPU and not the processor. A good i3 will compete with a non-over clocked i5 for most games with an identical motherboard and GPU. With nearly $100 cost savings you might even be able to afford a higher end OC’d 660 or a 670.

I wouldn’t go with an ultra PS. I get a good 600-700 watt Seasonic or clone (Antec or Corsair).

Corsair makes good ram, but GSkill is usually less expensive, just as reliable.

If you like the ASUS Z77, check the ASRock Z77's. They are made by ASUS and much less expensive.

I do not have enough know-how to do it now, that's why I'm not planning for this moment. So, an i3-3240 or 3225 with gtx 660 would be ok ?

PSUPPLY: Corsair CMPSU-650TXV2 Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 Power Supply - 650 Watts, ATX, 140mm Fan, 80 Plus Bronze, SLI Ready, Active PFC - $ 79,99

Unfortunately, I could't find ASRock brand in Tiger Direct and Best Buy websites (I'll be in Florida).

 

[jonjonjon]

id look at something like this.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.98 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $771.46
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-09 16:52 EST-0500)

 

[jessterman21]

Go for the unlocked i5 - it's amazing at stock, and you have the option of trying overclocking later.

Go for the GTX 660 - it's almost as good as the GTX 660Ti, and ties it in many games when overclocked.

And you really only need a decent 400w PSU for that setup - even if you end up overclocking the card and CPU, it would never pull over 250w.

 

[MC_K7]

Very good suggestions by jonjonjon for the hardware.

When we said not to pick the "K" version we didn't say to drop to an i3. You could just get a less expensive i5, getting a quad-core if you can afford it is a good move IMHO. If you don't plan to OC the Z77 chipset isn't necessary either, as suggested by jon you can save money by picking H77 instead.

And very good pick for the PSU, I have the same! (Corsair TX-650 v2)

 

[pchioccola]

So I'll keep i5 3570K + gtx 660 + 8GB RAM = around $500
Now, which motherboard (only GIGABYTE or ASUS) would have better performance for this setup ?
And is 400w really ok ?

 

[jonjonjon]

are you going to overclock?

 

[pchioccola]

Probably yes

 

[jessterman21]

Probably yes

No hurry - There's no rule that says you have to overclock a K CPU as soon as your system is up and running.

If the need arises, crank it to 4.2GHz without changing voltage for a nice 20% boost.

 

[pchioccola]

No hurry - There's no rule that says you have to overclock a K CPU as soon as your system is up and running.

If the need arises, crank it to 4.2GHz without changing voltage for a nice 20% boost.

So, i5-3570 + 500W PSU + GIGABYTE z77 D3H + GTX 660 will be alright if I want to OC it someday ?

an i5-3570 would be more than enough considering this setup?

 

[jonjonjon]

No hurry - There's no rule that says you have to overclock a K CPU as soon as your system is up and running.

If the need arises, crank it to 4.2GHz without changing voltage for a nice 20% boost.

there is no hurry but downgrading other parts to maybe overclock isn't the best idea. if you are going to overclock then yes it makes sense.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($217.55 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.98 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $763.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-09 18:45 EST-0500)

 

[pchioccola]

Best answer selected by pchioccola.