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First time building a gaming pc, here's my specs

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Gdllr

Registered
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
I've planning the following build but have scarce knowledge about overclocking,(which i might learn in time). If some the parts below aren't compatible to the other, I'd appreciate anyone pointing it out for me.

I'll be using it primarily for gaming, not video editing,etc. I usually game in short bursts so I'm not quite the hardcore gamer but I'm a fool for graphics and hoping to future proof it. At the same time, i want to stress that it's primarily a battle of performance vs power consumption for me, i want a high performance PC that is reasonable on my electricity bills. So I managed this list within a budget of $1500(US), 120000 yen to be exact as I'm currently in Japan.

If anyone has any alternative recommendations or any inputs at all, please leave a message. This is my first pc build and I'm worried for just about everything.


CPU- Intel i5 2500k
GPU- GTX 560 TI Twin Frozr II
Motherboard- Maximus IV Gene Z OR Asus Sabertooth 990 FX (a little lost between the two)
RAM- Patriot dd3 1600 4gb x 2
SSD- M4 Crucial 64gb
HDD- Any 1TB HDD will do i guess
PSU- Silverstone Strider Plus 750w PSU ( there's gold and silver level efficiency for this one with a price difference of $50, opting for gold is really going to be pushing my budget)
Case- Fractal Design R3 ( chose this on a whim based on someone's recommendation but not sure about it. Opting for performance over looks)
 
the 990 fx is a AMD mother board so that wont work with your i5.
Are you planning to do ssd caching or use it as a boot drive? I'd make sure your HDD is at least 7200 rpm with a decent sized cache.
know nothing about the case but the rest sounds good.
Oh you should try to budget in a aftermarket CPU cooler since the stock one is junk, but a good one can be had for $25-$30, esp if overclocking or heavy overclocking isn't the biggest deal to you.

*edit* Also :welcome: to the the forums!
 
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+1... You are looking for a Z68 based motherboard.

Also, with that setup, you dont need close to 750W, even overlocked. So long as you dont plan to SLI in the future, I would get a Corsair GS600
 
You need to look for an 1155 motherboard, that's the socket of your CPU.
If you're going for graphics, I would suggest a better GPU such as a 6970.
I also would suggest you get some g.Skill or Corsair RAM in the 1600 flavor.
Lastly, most people (and me included) will suggest either a Corsair or Seasonic. Their reliability is ridiculously good. However, I won't go as far as to say I recommend AGAINST the Silverstone, because I have never read anything about it, to be honest, so I would simply advise you to go do a little research on them first.

Edit: Ninja'd by ED
 
Silverstone usually has quality units. However the wattage is overkill for the system.
 
Much appreciation for the helpful comments here.

That clears out my dilemma for my motherboard. Since i've pretty much decided on an Intel I5, I will go on with the Maximus.

As for the 750W psu, i did choose it to prepare my build for future SLI, quite a number of people seem to agree on 750w being optimal for SLI with GTX 560s(not sure if the same applies to TI Twin Frozr IIs). As for the Silverstone brand, their products are the cheapest near where i live with certified gold/silver.

As for what 57udl3y suggested, i did consider buying a cooler but considering that i game in short intervals and not OC'ing in the near future, i wasn't quite sure i wanted to invest in one, but if it does prevent any potential harm to the hardware, i suppose i can justify the purchase...

I'm planning to use my SSD as a boot drive, I'm completely in the dark about what SSD caching does...might have to check up on that later in the day.

Corsair for RAM? Got it.
 
Corsair and GSkill both make great RAM. I'm not sure about Patriot, haven't heard much about them.

Is there any idea of a budget you have for RAM? I could make up a comparison sheet on Newegg for you, to look at different RAM.

All the other stuff looks good.
 
Ram is ram is ram essentially. Especially to a non overclocker. All ram *should run* its rated specs and thats all thats needed.

Get the cheapest DDR3 1600Mhz set you can find that looks good is my advice. ;)
 
Where do you live? Are you buying from a single online shop?

Even if it's in a different language, we can usually get by with Google Translate and put together a list for you.
 
That motherboard is probably way overkill if you don't plan to bench, fold or overclock like stink. Furthermore, if you want more future-proofing you would benefit more from a GEN 3 board such as the ASUS P8Z68-V Gen 3, P8Z68-V Pro Gen 3, or the ASRock Z68 Extreme Gen 3. Any of these boards will overclock a 2500k to 4.5GHz or so on a 40 dollar cpu cooler without breaking a sweat.

With the money you save from the board you will be able to kick up to a 6950/70 or a GTX 570.
 
I just recently upgraded my system and I went with the MSI 560 GTX Ti 448 Cores Twin Frozer III and love it. I don't have much to compare off of but from doing a lot of research and my own gaming with it it competes with the 570/6950 for sure. Especially if you go with the OC'ed version. And if you overclock it most say it outperforms the above cards and is 35-45$ cheaper which can go to other items. I also bought the Maximus IV Gene Z/2500k and it is really an improvement from what I had. I have been editing, gaming, etc.. for the past week and it still ask for more. I'm not to savvy with this stuff but IMO, any of the newer generation stuff will perform great.
Also Knufire can get you set up within your budget while saving with rebates/combo deals.

Terry
 
I'm currently living in Nagoya and making my purchases at local electronics stores like Sofmap, Yamada Denki and Bic Camera(the stores here are way WAY overkill when it comes to home electronics), but mostly, i buy them online through Rakuten since they're a lot cheaper there and i don't need to worry about shipping.

For my motherboard, i decided on going all the way with Maximus IV after comparing it a few other lighter alternatives including the P8Z68-V Pro Gen 3 but the prices in Rakuten for motherboards are just about the same so i just figured why not if i could prepare myself for future OC'ing. For comparison:

Maximus IV Gene Z @ 16601 yen($213)
P8Z68-V/GEN3 @ 16270 yen($209)
ASRock Z68 Extreme 4 Gen 3 @ 15970 yen($205)
(prices with 5% tax incl.)

I did read some glowing reviews about 560 TI 448s being the closest to a 570 but i can't find them anywhere around me.

Going further, i might as well post the cheapest i could find for all the parts in my build.

Maximus IV Gene Z @ 16601 yen($213)
intel i5 2500k @ 17270 yen($222)
GTX 560 TI Twin Frozr II @ 21500 yen($276)
M4 Crucial 64gb @ 8180 yen($105)
Corsair vengeance ddr3 ram 4gb x 1 @ 2740 yen($35)
Silverstone Strider Plus 750w Silver @ 11900 yen($153)
Fractal design r3 case @ 11470 yen($147)
(prices with 5% tax incl.)
 
The Gene-Z isn't a "lighter" alternative, it's a mATX motherboards. It's not as big as a standard sized motherboard and therefore has less expansion slots. If you go SLI on that motherboard, you have NO slots left for other stuff, plus the cards are right up against each other. If you're only going to use 1 GPU though, this is a nonissue.

1 stick of 4GB? I'd recommend going two sticks so you'll take advantage of dual channel on the motherboard.

Don't forget an aftermarket cooler.

Other then that, looks like a great build.
 
Most, if not all, Z68 boards are (I believe, at the risk of being a complete dingus) ivy bridge compatible, or so manufacturers are claiming. I'm not certain intel has confirmed anything of the sort, but moving on. The Maximus IV Gene-Z Gen3 is a 'future proof' board, but a stock one like this is not. It does not have PCIe 3.0.

If you would prefer the maximus however, by all means, go for it. Also, as knu posted, get 2 pieces of DDR3 Ram to take advantage of the dual channeled setting of Z68 motherboards, so +1 for that.
 
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Yeah, I'd go for the ASRock. If it isn't a GEN3 board and you put an Ivy Bridge chip in it, you lose SLI/CFX compatibility.
 
I've actually decided against the Gen 3 version of Maximus IV. I wasn't hoping to future proof myself for Ivy Bridge but if anyone could justify it for other reasons, i would go for the Gen 3 in a blink of an eye(it's just an additional $20 after all). Also, are there any other differences between the Gen 3 and non Gen 3 Maximus IV other than the PCIe 3.0?

Been doing a little research on coolers and came up with Cooler Master's Hyper 212+. Seems to be be just right in between price and performance. Anyone got any comments on it?

At the same time, i have my eyes on Samsung's 1tb Spinpoint F3 HDD. Compared to the Western Digital's Black Caviar, the performance is about the same from what i could gather but on the other hand, it's only on SATA 2. Would that noticeably affect the speeds?

So my (slightly)modified list would be:

intel i5 2500k
mother board Maximus iv gene z
psu silverstone ST75F-P silver medal@750w
hdd Samsung Spinpoint F3 1tb
ssd m4 crucial 64gb
pc case Fractal design r3
ram Corsair Vengeance 4gb x 2 1600 ddr3
gpu N560 GTX-TI twin frozr ii OC
cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212+

Lastly, I've managed to saved some money from choosing Windows 7 Home Premium OEM over the retail version and found some cheaper stores for my parts. Altogether I've got about $350 to spare so i'm currently playing around with the thought of getting the OCZ Vertex 3 120gb or 240gb SSD instead of the Crucial 64gb but considering the current staggering prices for the largest and fastest of SSDs, not to mention some reports that the prices of SSDs are rapidly falling, I'm not sure if i should be getting it now.

It would help greatly if anyone can suggest where i should invest my additional $350. Also, I prioritize value over the absolute latest and high tech performance.
 
I wouldn't get the Gene if you ever plan on SLIing. A normal sized motherboard will give you more space in between the cards. Plus if you SLI on the Gene you cannot add any other cards. IMO, ASUS ROG boards are only if you want to really push the OCs.

PCIe 3.0 is also probably going to be used on the next generation of GPUs and all subsequent generations after. After a while, your PCIe 2.0 is going to start being a bottleneck as GPUs get faster and need more data throughput.

The prices of SSDs have been rapidly falling for years now. And it's probably not going to stop anytime soon. The major price drops are probably going to be in the realm of large SSDs, not the smaller ones. IMO, a 60/120GB SSD is VERY worth it at it's current price.

With the extra money, I say bump up the video card to a 560Ti 448 core or a Radeon HD 6950. Probably the two best price/performance cards on the market.
 
I've just been researching about SLI trouble with the Gene Z and indeed, it seems to be a real problem. I did plan from the beginning of this build that i would get into SLI somewhere around a year or more, thus the 750w psu and I'm not changing that now, besides, i'm can't imagine myself OC'ing hardcore. So I've found another motherboard that caught my eye: Asus Sabertooth P67(i don't know why but everywhere I've searched, the price is about the same as a Maximus IV Gene Z even though it's supposed to be the the most expensive of the Sabertooth series). Now i've got to do a whole lot more research into it... I don't know anything to go by with this new motherboard so please post your impressions of it. If you have it, any details you could provide would be of much help.

That is some nice bit of SSD advice there Knufire. I'll be avoiding those 240gb's for quite a while then.

I have been desperately trying to find a 560 TI 448 cores for some time now but there just isn't any at all here. As for HD 6950, i have absolutely no information about it so i'm gonna have to look around about it for awhile but the graphic card can still wait, i'm more worried about which motherboard i should go for right now.
 
The Sabertooth is a pretty good board, price is slightly inflated as their "TUF" jacket is highly marketed, but it's not a bad board. There's no reason to go P67 when Z68 has more features for a similar price though.
 
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