First build, $1300-$1500 price range

Approximate Purchase Date: Sometime early next month, though possibly sooner.

Budget Range: $1500 Before Rebates.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (looking to run Minecraft, Skyrim, Sims 3, and Mass Effect 3 on maxed out settings).

Parts Not Required: Speakers.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.

Country: United States.

Parts Preferences: Definitely want an Intel CPU. Would like a 120G SSD for OS (Windows 7), apps, and maybe a few games.

Overclocking: Yes.

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in the future. I'd like to at least have the option.

Monitor Resolution: Not sure. I don't want to spend a whole lot on a monitor at this point though.

Additional Comments: I'm building on a bit of a budget now, but I'd like something that will give me the flexibility to upgrade in the future if I so choose.

Like I said, this is my first ever computer build. Seeing as I'm a novice when it comes to these things, I based the following build on the recommendations from build-gaming-computers.com. I tried to mix and match a bit between their mid-range and high-end builds. Let me know what you think.

ASUS P8P67 DELUXE (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS - $209.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131701)

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 - $229.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115072)

For extra cooling since I plan on overclocking:
CORSAIR CWCH60 Hydro Series H60 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler - $69.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835181015)

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory - $44.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145345)

EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1563-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $249.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130610)

Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $124.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148840)

OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive - $169.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227726)

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power - $89.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139020)

NZXT M59 - 001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $49.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811146058)

LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - $21.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827106289)

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - $99.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116986)

TOTAL (including unlisted mouse and keyboard and excluding monitor): 1,307.88

Other thoughts/concerns/questions:

- I plan on getting a cheap keyboard and mouse for now. I figure I can always upgrade those later if I need/want to. Right now I want to focus more on the hardware.

- I'm open to ideas when it comes to the monitor. Again, I don't want to spend too much on it, but I don't want something cheap and low quality either. Preferably I'd like something under $150.

- I'm fine with the integrated sound that comes with the MB. Audio isn't all that important to me at the moment, and I figure I can always upgrade later if I want.

- Is 650w enough power or should I go with 750w instead?

- I hope the case I chose is big enough. Anything else you can recommend in this area would be a big help.

- Anything else I'm missing?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Joel

Message edited by joeltp85 on 02-16-2012 at 01:35:23 AM

Reply to joeltp85

As far as the H60, if you're open to used parts, Beaversqueeezer on this forum said he was selling his H60, he might give you a discount if you PM him. I would go with 750W, just because you don't want to buy all your parts just to realize that you want to overclock something but don't have the power. Also, the 600 series nVidia cards are coming out soon, so currently I'd advise going with a Radeon 6870 - 6950, because the nVidia cards will be obsolete in a few months.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to termhn

I'd go with this motherboard over the one you have unless you are adverse to it for some reason. It will save you a few bucks and is probably better in the long run. You can also get a different brand if you want.

P8Z68
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131790

You can also save some money by going with a reliable CPU fan over the water cooler.

CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835103099

These two changes would likely require low profile memory.

Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB DDR3 1600 - Low Profile
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820233196

You also may need a wider case to fit the CPU fan. I will let that up to others who know more or yourself to browse around. I do see this recommended a lot around here, not sure if it fits what you are looking for though..

HAF 912
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119233

With the saved money you can increase your monitor budget to get a nice monitor. After all.. you will stare at it for how many hours over the course of a few years. You can save some money by getting something smaller than the one I am going to recommend, you didn't mention size. I went with this..

ASUS VS247H-P 23.6"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835103099

Message edited by Crush3d on 02-16-2012 at 02:09:38 AM

Reply to Crush3d

id recomend getting a full atx tower its just better here is one
rosewill thor $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811147053

if u want to sli you should probally spring for a 750 watt psu
corsair tx v2 75http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021&Tpk=corsair%20tx%20v2%20750%20w0 watt its on sale 80 bucks with rebates

The ssd you listed the agility has a bad rep ill admit i bought one but just becuse i found it on sale for 98 dollars and couldnt resit it thats cheap for any ssd

heres a reliable one

crucial m4 128gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820148442

and if ur gonna do that water cooling id spring for at least the h80 becuase the h60 gets beat out by alot of other coolers but up to you if u do decide to get an Air cooler instead of the h60 or h80 and the case i recomened even can fit an h100
make sure it doesnt intfroir with your ram becuase vengeance has a large heatsink on it
so up to u on the heat sink

MY BIGGEST SUGGESTION is if u can wait please please please wait for ivybridge it is coming soon according to most speculation about 2-3 months away but if you can not wait at least get a z68 motherboard there better in my opinoin

Here is my suggestion, get the asus p8z68 v-pro gen3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131790
$200

the ram and the gpu are fine unless you want to wait for the new nvidia series which may or may not be coming soon not sure on a date

and windows home preumium is fine unless u want more than 8 gb which is usually unnessarcy any ways

other than that your build looks fine too me

and you may or may not want to add more fans thats up too you do that after you have built the comp and see if it runs hot or not

Message edited by phemonus on 02-16-2012 at 01:53:36 AM

Reply to phemonus

termhn wrote :

I would go with 750W, just because you don't want to buy all your parts just to realize that you want to overclock something but don't have the power.

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. Yeah, probably best to go with the 750.

Quote :

Also, the 600 series nVidia cards are coming out soon, so currently I'd advise going with a Radeon 6870 - 6950, because the nVidia cards will be obsolete in a few months.

Didn't know this. Thanks for the heads up.

Message edited by joeltp85 on 02-16-2012 at 02:00:46 AM

Reply to joeltp85

Crush3d,

Thanks for the input. I'll go with the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 since you both recommended it. Plus, like you said, it saves me ten bucks.

For the CPU fan, the only thing I'm worried about is overheating due to overclocking. I don't plan on pushing it to extremes, but I'd like to overclock to at least 4.0, possibly higher. If a standard fan does the job I don't mind going with that. I guess I could always upgrade later if my CPU runs too hot, although that would be a bit a pain.

Appreciate the monitor recommendation. I haven't yet had a chance to do a whole lot of research on those, so I'm a bit out of the loop as to what to go with there.

Phemonus,

I was afraid the case I chose would be too limiting. I don't mind going with a more expensive full-tower, I just don't have the budget to spend too much money on it. $130 doesn't sound bad, though.

Yeah, like I said, I'll probably go with the 750w over the 650w, just to make sure I have all the power I need now and into the future.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by joeltp85 on 02-16-2012 at 02:22:30 AM

Reply to joeltp85

joeltp85 wrote :

Crush3d,

Thanks for the input. I'll go with the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 since you both recommended it. Plus, like you said, it saves me ten bucks.

For the CPU fan, the only thing I'm worried about is overheating due to overclocking. I don't plan on pushing it to extremes, but I'd like to overclock to at least 4.0, possibly higher. If a standard fan does the job I don't mind going with that. I guess I could always upgrade later if my CPU runs too hot, although that would be a bit a pain.

Appreciate the monitor recommendation. I haven't yet had a chance to do a whole lot of research on those, so I'm a bit out of the loop as to what to go with there.

This fan should more than handle that style of overclocking. If you read the reviews on that fan or the 212 Plus, some people list how high can they go and still maintain a good temperature. I've read that you can even overclock the i5 2500k to ~4 with the stock fan and still run at a safe temperature (although higher than most would prefer). I don't know how much merit there is to that. Unless you are doing some serious OC'ing and have a case that is not conducive to good airflow and cooling, the 212 EVO should meet your needs and provide great cooling for the amount of money you spend on it.

You can easily hit your $150 mark on the monitor by dropping down to a 21.5" ASUS.

You can probably find a case that is less than $130 that meets your needs if you don't like the HAF 912. I don't look into cases much, so like I said I'll leave that to you and others that know more - that's my two cents for what it's worth.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by Crush3d on 02-16-2012 at 02:34:12 AM

Reply to Crush3d

Crush3d wrote :

This fan should more than handle that style of overclocking. If you read the reviews on that fan or the 212 Plus, some people list how high can they go and still maintain a good temperature. I've read that you can even overclock the i5 2500k to ~4 with the stock fan and still run at a safe temperature (although higher than most would prefer). I don't know how much merit there is to that. Unless you are doing some serious OC'ing and have a case that is not conducive to good airflow and cooling, the 212 EVO should meet your needs and provide great cooling for the amount of money you spend on it.

You can easily hit your $150 mark on the monitor by dropping down to a 21.5" ASUS.

You can probably find a case that is less than $130 that meets your needs if you don't like the HAF 912. I don't look into cases much, so like I said I'll leave that to you and others that know more - that's my two cents for what it's worth.

Awesome. Yeah, I have no interest in pushing it to anything crazy like 5.0 or higher. At most I was going to try 4.5 and see how that goes.

I'm still trying to decide what case to go with. I'd love to invest in a full-tower, not just for the extra room now but also for future upgrades, but like I said I don't really have the money right now to be going too crazy with cases. The HAF 912 looks to be very popular, judging by the reviews. I'll probably go with that over the one I listed if I decide not to invest in a full-tower.

I'll be sure to have a look at that monitor. I just want to make sure I have all the hardware in place first so I know what kind of money I have left over for peripherals.

Message edited by joeltp85 on 02-16-2012 at 02:49:33 AM

Reply to joeltp85

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