2000$ first build (advice appreciated)

Just started finding the parts for my first build, because my XPS 720 is nearing its death gaming wise. To make the right decisions and to learn about building a computer i have read tons of guides and reviews. My aim is building a system with as much performance for the buck as possible. What i ended up with was the following.

Case: Cooler Master HAF X
CPU: I7 2700K
Mobo: ASUS p8Z68-V Pro
GPU: GTX 460 SLI (i have one from my current set up)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2x4 GB
Hard Disk: Corsair Force S3 SSD
PSU: Corsair Gaming Series 800

It took me many hours doing the build and i would like to know if i made some bad choices or if i can get even more performance for the same money. If needed i also have a little more money to spend. I will be happy to hear any suggestions.

PS: I live in Denmark where prices are high, therefore the price in the US might be less than 2000$

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to SargeK155

SargeK155 wrote :

Just started finding the parts for my first build, because my XPS 720 is nearing its death gaming wise. To make the right decisions and to learn about building a computer i have read tons of guides and reviews. My aim is building a system with as much performance for the buck as possible. What i ended up with was the following.

Case: Cooler Master HAF X
CPU: I7 2700K
Mobo: ASUS p8Z68-V Pro
GPU: GTX 460 SLI (i have one from my current set up)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2x4 GB
Hard Disk: Corsair Force S3 SSD
PSU: Corsair Gaming Series 800

It took me many hours doing the build and i would like to know if i made some bad choices or if i can get even more performance for the same money. If needed i also have a little more money to spend. I will be happy to hear any suggestions.

PS: I live in Denmark where prices are high, therefore the price in the US might be less than 2000$

I think you are making some less than good use of component choices and in so doing increasing the cost without getting the performance. Can we assume your main interest is gaming? If so then the cpu is overkill; you can save on the mobo; the video is too low end; Corsiar SSD is not a good choice (Crucial, Intel or Samsung) and the Psu is overpowered. Here is a $1300 USD gaming system with everything for comparison:

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Model #:RC-922M-KKN1-GP
Item #:N82E16811119197
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Mail in Rebate

Note (Add)
$119.99 -$15.00 Instant $104.99

Update

ASUS P8Z68-V LE LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

ASUS P8Z68-V LE LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Model #8Z68-V LE
Item #:N82E16813131773
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

Note (Add)
$139.99 -$10.00 Instant $129.99

Update

GIGABYTE GV-R695OC-1GD Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

GIGABYTE GV-R695OC-1GD Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Model #:GV-R695OC-1GD
Item #:N82E16814125385
Return Policy:VGA Standard Return Policy
In Stock

Note (Add)
$249.99 $249.99

Update

SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Model #:M12II 520 Bronze
Item #:N82E16817151093
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

Note (Add)
$99.99 -$20.00 Instant $79.99

Update

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 ...
Model #:BX80623I52500K
Item #:N82E16819115072
Return Policy:Iron Egg Replacement-Only Return Policy
In Stock

Note (Add)
$229.99 $229.99

Update

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) with Transfer Kit

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) with Transfer Kit
Model #:CT128M4SSD2CCA
Item #:N82E16820148448
Return Policy:Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock

Note (Add)
$199.99 -$40.00 Instant $159.99

Update

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
Model #:F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
Item #:N82E16820231314
Return Policy:Memory Standard Return Policy
In Stock

Note (Add)
$46.99 $46.99

Update

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:WD5002AALX
Item #:N82E16822136795
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

Note (Add)
$149.99 $149.99

Update

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Model #RW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS
Item #:N82E16827135204
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

Note (Add)
$22.99 $22.99

Update

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
Model #:GFC-02050
Item #:N82E16832116986
Return Policy:Software Standard Return Policy
In Stock

Note (Add)
$99.99 $99.99
Subtotal: $1,274.90

------------------------------ Remember that opinions are free so you get what you pay for
Reply to QuietPC

you don't need an i7 at all for gaming... i'd recommend saving money and getting the i5-2500K/2550K

also Intel SSD's are much more reliable - go with the Intel 520 Cherryville series instead

Quote :

I think you are making some less than good use of component choices and in so doing increasing the cost without getting the performance. Can we assume your main interest is gaming? If so then the cpu is overkill; you can save on the mobo; the video is too low end; Corsiar SSD is not a good choice (Crucial, Intel or Samsung) and the Psu is overpowered. Here is a $1300 USD gaming system with everything for comparison:

I definitely agree about the CPU and the SSD. However I will still say that the Caviar Black is not a good option right now - you're paying a huge premium for a secondary storage option that's kind of pointless to have when you can get a green drive with higher capacity for the same price and you won't notice anything at all.

Quote :

also Intel SSD's are much more reliable - go with the Intel 520 Cherryville series instead

Intels are pretty decent - I'd still recommend the Crucial or Samsung SSDs.

This would be my suggestion for a build (these are US prices so if you need prices in your country I can link those) :

Case: Fractal Design Arc MIDI - $99.99
PSU: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MKII - $149.99
Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V Pro - $219.99
CPU: 3.30 GHz Intel Core i5-2500K - $229.99
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo - $34.99
SSD: 128GB Crucial M4 - $164.99
HD: Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB - $139.99
Optical: Lite On DVD Burner - $17.99
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 - $449.99

Total: $1,481.92

Message edited by g-unit1111 on 02-16-2012 at 05:31:33 AM

Thanks for the suggestions, i changed some things and right now its looking like this:
CPU: I changed it to the 2500K
Is there any purpose in getting the 2550K instead?
SSD: changed to the Crucial M4 128GB
Cooler: Added a Cooler Master 212 Evo to my build
HD: Added the Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB
Optical: Temporarily going to use the optical drive from my current setup until i can afford a blue-ray.
PSU: Is 520W enough? I would like a PSU that i could use after upgrades too.
Video-card: This is what puzzles me the most. If i already have one of the 460GTX, what would be the purpose of investing in a new one if i can get another one in SLI?

Reply to SargeK155

cooler master haf x case
asrock z68 extreme3 gen3 mobo
intel i5 2550k cpu
cooler master hyper 212 plus cpu cooler
nvidia gtx 460 video card
western digital caviar black 1.5tb hhd
corsair force series 3 180gb ssd
g.skill ripjaws x series 8gb ram
corsair ax850w psu
lg black 12x bd-rom

The 460 is a crappy card now. The 7950 is 1000x better.

Reply to azeem40

^ i agree.

Reply to hellfire24

A second GTX 460 would be a good idea only if you need to save the money for something else. If you are willing to spend 2k, definitely change the VGA.

I run a dual-vga system and would advise against it whenever possible. Running dual GPUs means having to wait for driver updates to achieve decent performance, and in some scenarios you just won't be able to use the second card. Also, people tend to go for dual-vga because of the high average frame rates, without keeping in mind they usually suffer from stuttering and/or eventual slowdowns that make them feel much slower than the same FPS on a single card.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to Murissokah

Murissokah wrote :

A second GTX 460 would be a good idea only if you need to save the money for something else. If you are willing to spend 2k, definitely change the VGA.

I run a dual-vga system and would advise against it whenever possible. Running dual GPUs means having to wait for driver updates to achieve decent performance, and in some scenarios you just won't be able to use the second card. Also, people tend to go for dual-vga because of the high average frame rates, without keeping in mind they usually suffer from stuttering and/or eventual slowdowns that make them feel much slower than the same FPS on a single card.

Thank you for the in depth advise. I will wait for the next paycheck and invest in a single GPU.

Now i only need to find which GPU i can afford and my build is done. Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment, definetly a big help.

Reply to SargeK155

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