First Gaming PC Build around $1000

[sam9527uel]

I am thinking about finally getting a desktop PC for gaming, movie and some school works. should be around $1000. I did some research and this is the part list I have in mind right now.

CPU: i5 3570k
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme 4
Video Card: EVGA GTX 660ti
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8G
Case: CoolerMaster HAF 912
PSU: Rosewill Hive 650W
Storage: SSD+HDD (I don't really care about storage, thinking about getting it on sale)
Optical Drive:Lite-On DVD burner

I am still having few questions about some parts though
I went through a lot builds, some have 500W PSU and some have 700W, I don't want to spend too much money on this but how much power do I need and what's the reliable brand or modle for it.
About graph card, does gtx 660 and 660ti have big difference for performance? Dose the brand for graph card matter? What card should I get for most games in market.
The pc should last at least 3 years before I graduate from college. Of course the longer it last the better.

 

[ThatMoose]

Wise advise, keep the money to pay off student loans...

 

[cutebeans]

Hahaha!

Get a 7870 XT. Better with free games.

Get an NZXT Source 220.

1tb WD blue HDD and 128gb Samsung 830 or 840

PSU: Get a Rosewill Green 630w

 

[scragnoff]

HardOCP did a performance benchmark on the 660 vs 660ti back here: http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012...directcu_ii_video_card_review/11#.URN9n6X0CCk with their conclusion: "The summary is clear, as you raise the MSAA level in these games the difference in performance between the GTX 660 Ti and GTX 660 narrows. As we lower AA settings, or disable AA altogether, this is when the video cards pull apart and the GTX 660 Ti is able to perform up to 20% faster than the GTX 660."

Yes, sometimes brand does matter, as some offer better after-service and others better cooling solutions, leading to quieter cards.

Before getting a psu, i suggest doing the power calculations first. This here's a nice online calculator: http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp.

And this here's a great site for computer builds: www.logicalincrements.com.

 

[Berberis]

HI there,

About GPU : I would definitively go for a HD 7850 or better.

Here is some benchmarks about Nvidia vs. AMD : http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=680

results are far better for AMD , same budget