Possible new gaming rig, aiming for around $500-700

[Yamitoko]

All right everyone, so I've been on a few different forums and I'm still a bit bewildered about a few things when it comes to my plans for a new rig. It'll be my first time buying and assembling all of the components separately since I usually go OEM and just put a graphics card and PSU replacement. I have all of the components in a shopping cart on Newegg and I'm just kind of curious about whether or not they will give me the most bang for my buck. There is also the matter of Intel vs. AMD, I've heard Intel has the superior average and max FPS while gaming which is what I'll be doing. I don't have too many current intentions of CrossfireX or SLI if it comes down to it in the future though I may do just that. I mainly game and it is done casually, I want to be able to run smoothly on high-ultra settings. I'll be recycling a HDD and an Optical drive from my current CPU and placing them in this rig as well. Any suggestions you guys have as far as the rig goes would be greatly appreciated. I also have a question regarding the HD Radeon 6850 Vs. HD Radeon 6870. I know there has been a lot of debate on these forums already about it but I noticed the posts were quite old and the price gap has shrunken since they were made. Thanks for your time.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119227

Mobo: Unsure

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460

CPU: Unsure

Additional Cooling: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103022

Aftermarket CPU Cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Thermal Paste: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

If it would be possible to reduce the price on the CPU to get an i3 or something but not compromise the power, I would greatly appreciate the knowledge, I know there are a few i3's and another few AMD's that have lower price tags with similar bench marks but why are they cheaper? Simply because of the L2/L3 caches? Would those matter for someone who'll just be gaming, listening to music, browsing, and using voice chats?

Additiontal Information: I do not have a "Frys" or "Microcenter" anywhere close to me, I will be open to using newegg and Amazon, tigerdirect and I have a hateful past so I would like to avoid them if at all possible. I'm now looking to buy an Intel Board and processor, possibly an i5 2500k or i5 2400 ,not sure just yet. I do not plan on doing SLI anytime soon so a board that is cheaper and lacks SLI compatibility would be completely fine. I hope to have this build within a month or so and I know that products and pricing are subject to change greatly within that time frame. The resolution that I will probably be playing on primarily is 1366x768 but I would not mind upgrading to a 1080 resolution after upgrading my monitor and such. I appreciate all replies and feedback.

 

[Yamitoko]

Thanks for the fast replies. >_> Am I missing something in my post or something like that? If so I'll be happy to revise it.

 

[Scout]

If you can swing it I would go for the I5 2500k and a decent motherboard that cpu should last you a long time and it overclocks very well.

 

[Nineteen]

if you don't plan on overclocking, there's not need for the 2500k imo. 2500 or 2400 would work well enough if you're looking to save some money. and if you're not overclocking, then there really won't be a need for an aftermarket cpu cooler. Thermal paste is included as well so you won't need to buy that either. saving all that money can leave room for a better gpu. perhaps a 6900 series

 

[Yamitoko]

Thank you for the replies, I'll cut the Thermal paste out as well as the Aftermarket cooler and that might leave room for me to get a better processor, I'm looking at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130612 currently as a mobo, any objections to MSI? I want something that can handle the RAM speeds and such without much effort and SLI isn't really important to me upon further thought.

 

[Scout]

What worries me is that there is nothing to cool the mosfets around the cpu socket thats bad for overclocking ! I think you might be able to find some cheaper your not going to notice any difference between 1866 and 1600.
Someone with more intel expirence can probably give you a safer reccomendation on the mobo but you can the new z77 chipset http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138355 so you can upgrade in the future.

 

[Nineteen]

Yea i agree, go with the new z77 chipset. For the ram, you can even get away with 1333 ram. there is no real-world difference between ram speeds. You won't notice the difference anyways. cutting off the cooler, thermalpaste and cheaper 1333 ram, I think you can get away with the new ivy bridge cpu's and stay within your budget.

 

[Yamitoko]

Nineteen, with the 6870, do you have any issues gaming on ultra? I'm pretty much debating the 6870 or 6950 right now and I know the 6950 is far superior but I would like the $60ish cut off of it.

 

[Yamitoko]

Current Rig Config:

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102987

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460

MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138355

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074

It's coming in at about $754.93 with S&H added in. I know it'll probably drop a bit by mid June which is when I intend on buying it, I'll probably get the 2500 or 2500k at that point and maybe some extra fans and an aftermarket cooler to OC it if it comes to that down the road and maybe another 6950 to do CrossfireX. We'll see but that should be it for now.

 

[Nineteen]

Nineteen, with the 6870, do you have any issues gaming on ultra? I'm pretty much debating the 6870 or 6950 right now and I know the 6950 is far superior but I would like the $60ish cut off of it.

I can't run on ultra without it being choppy. I play on High and I play on 1080p without problems. Playing at 1366x768 should be no problem on ultra. 6870s are probably the best at it's price point and I plan on Crossfire soon. and you can probably save a few bucks going down to 1333 ram rather than the 1866 you have right now. (there won't be any noticable performance drops)

 

[Yamitoko]

I can't run on ultra without it being choppy. I play on High and I play on 1080p without problems. Playing at 1366x768 should be no problem on ultra. 6870s are probably the best at it's price point and I plan on Crossfire soon. and you can probably save a few bucks going down to 1333 ram rather than the 1866 you have right now. (there won't be any noticable performance drops)

Well, I plan on getting a 6950 now, I have my build finalized including the Sapphire HD Radeon 6950 OC Edition, and an i5 2500K processor.

 

[Moussa93]

MicroCenter has the i2500k for 169: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589
For your price range, I'd go with this motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131824 Not that big difference and since you're saving on the CPU with MicroCenter, you're good to go!
You'd love to have this!

 

[Yamitoko]

MicroCenter has the i2500k for 169: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589
For your price range, I'd go with this motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131824 Not that big difference and since you're saving on the CPU with MicroCenter, you're good to go!
You'd love to have this!

Yea, I was looking at that mobo a few minutes ago actually, procrastinating on a presentation that I have to do for class tonight. As for the processor, I'm going to look up its exact location and talk to my brother about it. I wish it wasn't in-store only and that they would ship it, that would be pretty nice. It's an hour away from me currently, not as bad as I thought it was. 1 hour and 9 minutes away.

 

[Moussa93]

Yea, I was looking at that mobo a few minutes ago actually, procrastinating on a presentation that I have to do for class tonight. As for the processor, I'm going to look up its exact location and talk to my brother about it. I wish it wasn't in-store only and that they would ship it, that would be pretty nice. It's an hour away from me currently, not as bad as I thought it was. 1 hour and 9 minutes away.

Good luck

If you need someone to buy one for you, let me know

 

[Yamitoko]

Good luck

If you need someone to buy one for you, let me know

I'll probably end up taking a drive up there when it comes to it. I won't be buying my build for about a month or so, bills and such and I need to save up a bit but other than that, I'll be all set by probably mid june.

 

[Moussa93]

I'll probably end up taking a drive up there when it comes to it. I won't be buying my build for about a month or so, bills and such and I need to save up a bit but other than that, I'll be all set by probably mid june.

Mhh I see ! Will buy mine as soon as I sell my MacBook.
Will pick the Ram + CPU @ MicroCenter and will do Overnight order with Amazon. Hopefully, I can get everything tomorrow (If I sell my laptop today) ^^ !

Good luck buddy

 

[Yamitoko]

Thank you, and I hope all goes well for you. Hopefully you can get your rig built and up and running soon. Be sure to post some pictures of it along the way and as it's completed!

Good luck to you as well.