1st build - gaming 800-900

[bossmansmith]

Approximate Purchase Date: this week (easter weekend), will be close to microcenter this weekend

Budget Range: 800-900 After Rebates; After Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (WoW mostly, 2 copies running on 2 monitors), internet, general

Are you buying a monitor: No, have Acer 23 (1920x1080) and Acer 19 (1440x900) good enough for now - will upgrade 2nd monitor to 1920x1080 22-23 later

Parts to Upgrade: new build

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (microcenter in-store, amazon prime-eligible, newegg.com, w/e)

Location: buying parts in Minneapolis, MN, assembly in Milwaukee, WI
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/bowwowwow/saved/1ode ] Pcpartpicker [/url]

CPU Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $189.99
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing $29.98
Motherboard ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 $114.99
Memory Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $47.98
Storage Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM $69.98
Video Card Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870 2GB $229.99
Case Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower $59.99
Power Supply XFX 550W ATX12V / EPS12V $54.99
Optical Drive Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer $16.97
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) $89.98
Total: $904.84

motherboard = at MC for $94.99 extreme4 (combo sale) or $69.99 pro4 (combo sale) or another that can handle optical drive, ssd x2 (in future maybe), 2 harddrives not sure if i really to spend money for extreme4
case = MC has HAF912 for $47.99 AR or anything good for first-time builder
cpu cooler = possibly Hyper 212+ at MC 19.99 AR???
memory = MC has crucial ballistix sport for $48.99 (combo sale) or C8 ballistix tactical for $54.99 (combo sale)
ssd = would love to get included, MC has Samsung 840 120gb for $79.99
optical = would probably get any one anywhere
video = unsure what i really need, what about GTX 650 Ti Boost or 7790??? want something that can run WoW on ultimate and be good for couple of years, currently using ATi HD 5700 with Q6600 @ 2.40ghz
os = 64-bit 7 or 8, heard 7 is better to get right now
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: want to run 2 copies of WoW (one copy for raiding and one copy for ah=so more basic) at same time and cruise internet while waiting during raids, mostly raid 10-man but want something that can handle 25-man raiding


Overclocking: Maybe - haven't done before but might want to to get preformance

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe - plan on doing single card for now but want to have option to improve in future

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080 and 1044 x 900

 

[danielstern96]

looks pretty good man! +1

 

[bossmansmith]

looks like i missed out on the XFX - went to order after midnight and realized special expired. Any advice on another PSU? Also any thoughts on 300r case vs haf912 case?

 

[danielstern96]

why not the xfx 550W? its still a good PSU. about the 300r vs haf912- i guess its all preference. both would suit well for your parts. i personally can't stand the "HAF" written on the side and i like the sleekness of the 300r. also, the had 912 doesn't have front port usb 3.0. its up to you.

also- if youre gonna get the 7870 card...id suggest the sapphire 7870XT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202024)

 

[danielstern96]

its out of stock now...but if you can manage to wait it out it might be worth it.

 

[bossmansmith]

why not the xfx 550W? its still a good PSU. about the 300r vs haf912- i guess its all preference. both would suit well for your parts. i personally can't stand the "HAF" written on the side and i like the sleekness of the 300r. also, the had 912 doesn't have front port usb 3.0. its up to you.

also- if youre gonna get the 7870 card...id suggest the sapphire 7870XT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202024)

Forgot to mention I would need 2 monitor ports on video card since I use 2 monitors currently both are dvi

Going to get the 300r - free 16gb usb 3.0 flash drive for wife

 

[bossmansmith]

Well now I need a new psu. Was going to buy the XFX for the off-sale price of 69.99 but now its 76.99 after rebate. Not going to do it, any thoughts on CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply for 49.99 AR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

Going to wait on Geforce 650 TI Boost also I think - good preformance for value since I play WoW only. Might be able to swing a ssd Samsung 840 Pro 120gb then sooner.

 

[n3cw4rr10r]

I have the Corsair 300R and love it. Believe the Corsair TX650v2 is on sale now $59.99 ( $79.99 - $20 MIR)

EDIT: Sorry its $69.99.

CX600 nice @ $40. Not sure if it will support a second card in the future (if u decided to upgrade).

P.S: Nice build.. so similar to mine

 

[g-unit1111]

video = unsure what i really need, what about GTX 650 Ti Boost or 7790??? want something that can run WoW on ultimate and be good for couple of years, currently using ATi HD 5700 with Q6600 @ 2.40ghz

Those are both pretty low end GPUs. If you want to get something good stick with the Radeon 7870 XT version.

Both of my rigs have Corsair cases - my home PC uses the Graphite 600T and my work PC uses the Carbide 500R - both excellent, well built cases that have lots of great features.

 

[n3cw4rr10r]

Powercolor Radeon 7870 LE (tahiti) is on sale now @ Newegg $215 ($245-$30 MIR) if you can swing it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131487

 

[bossmansmith]

Powercolor Radeon 7870 LE (tahiti) is on sale now @ Newegg $215 ($245-$30 MIR) if you can swing it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131487

Was thinking of a 7870 originally but I need to hook up two monitors via dvi, the linked one I see only 1 dvi port and my 2nd monitor is vga,dvi while first is dvi - also some really good reviews of Geforce 650 TI Boost (though not available right now coming very soon) and price of 169 seems good. Then again 50 bucks gets me the 7870 LE just need 2 dvis which the 650 Ti Boost has

 

[g-unit1111]

Powercolor Radeon 7870 LE (tahiti) is on sale now @ Newegg $215 ($245-$30 MIR) if you can swing it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131487

The XT that I suggested and the LE are both based on the same processor.

 

[n3cw4rr10r]

Powercolor Radeon 7870 LE (tahiti) is on sale now @ Newegg $215 ($245-$30 MIR) if you can swing it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131487

The XT that I suggested and the LE are both based on the same processor.

Yea its just the damn confusing naming conventions these manufacturers use. Sapphire calls it XT and Powercolor calls it LE.

 

[n3cw4rr10r]

Powercolor Radeon 7870 LE (tahiti) is on sale now @ Newegg $215 ($245-$30 MIR) if you can swing it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131487

Was thinking of a 7870 originally but I need to hook up two monitors via dvi, the linked one I see only 1 dvi port and my 2nd monitor is vga,dvi while first is dvi - also some really good reviews of Geforce 650 TI Boost (though not available right now coming very soon) and price of 169 seems good. Then again 50 bucks gets me the 7870 LE just need 2 dvis which the 650 Ti Boost has

http://www.amazon.com/BlueRigger-Speed-Adapter-Cable-Meters/dp/B004S4R5CK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364497104&sr=8-2&keywords=hdmi+to+dvi HDMI to DVI adapter $6.49 problem solved.

Also the 650 Ti doesnt even come close to the 7870 XT/LE. The equivalent to a 78780XT/LE would be a GTX 660 Ti or Radeon 7950

 

[bossmansmith]

You know that I am talking about the 650 Ti BOOST announced yesterday - tests show it is about 11% behind the 7870 and 36% ahead of 650 Ti
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-650-ti-boost-gk106-benchmark,3463.html

 

[n3cw4rr10r]

You know that I am talking about the 650 Ti BOOST announced yesterday - tests show it is about 11% behind the 7870 and 36% ahead of 650 Ti
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-650-ti-boost-gk106-benchmark,3463.html

yes I understand. But the 7870 XT/LE is a step above the 7870. As we have stated above its a crippled 7950. With OC it can hit 7950 speeds easy. The difference between the 650 ti Boost and 7870XT/LE is much bigger than 11%.

 

[bossmansmith]

Ok, don't want the GPU to be the thing i wished I didn't skimp on. Just need to nail down the PSU then ready to order i think.

 

[danielstern96]

its slower than the 7850...which isn't as good as the 7870...which isn't as good as the 7870 xt/le. if you want that card go for it, but in terms of price to performance the 7870xt/le is your best bet.

 

[n3cw4rr10r]

Ok, don't want the GPU to be the thing i wished I didn't skimp on. Just need to nail down the PSU then ready to order i think.

The PSU you have selected is just fine for your build. You might need to upgrade it if you decide to Crossfire in the future.

 

[g-unit1111]

Yea its just the damn confusing naming conventions these manufacturers use. Sapphire calls it XT and Powercolor calls it LE.

I agree. Marketers need to make their products less confusing, not more. :lol:

 

[bossmansmith]

The XFX is over $75 now with rebate so thinking either:

CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028 for 39.99

or

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020 for 59.
99

Open to suggestions of any other psu

seems amazon has the xfx 550 for 61.24 - is it really better then the corsair options listed?
http://www.amazon.com/XFX-ATX-550-Power-Supply/dp/B004RJ8EKI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1364507750&sr=1-1&keywords=XFX+ATX+550+Power+Supply+-+P1550SXXB9

 

[blade2697]

Shit bro, I'm in Mankato MN. Lol just thought that was cool Nobodys around where i'm at haha. Heres my build, You could go off of this and improve it (Mines a 850$ after MIR budget) http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MRRB

 

[boulbox]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU Cooler: Xigmatek GAIA SD1283 56.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Other: i5+asrock extreme4 ($290.00)
Total: $823.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-28 18:14 EDT-0400)

leaves you room with OS but i recommend getting an SSD and using a free OS like Ubuntu

For PSU, skip the CX series, the TX650 is a pretty good deal. I myself prefer XFX over Corsair(XFX pricing is usually better with the same quality parts inside)

 

[bossmansmith]

I want to thank everyone for their assistance. First build here I come, ordered Newegg items already, and pickup microcenter items on saturday.

Have to buy WIn7 and memory still. I read somewhere that using the 212 evo means i need to be careful with which ram i get to make sure it fits under the heatsink. Will the corsair vengeance fit or should I be looking at something else - not sold on any memory so whatever fits and is reliable

 

[boulbox]

The vengeance does fit but it is a tight fit and it depends on what motherboard you get because spacing is different. It also limits the way you can have the hyper 212 evo.

PS: go for the xigmatek gaia, $10 less with the same performance and less noise