Working on a gaming build!

[jchsaab]

Hey guys, so here's the story: I'm wanting to build a gaming rig that will last me for a long time, it's basically going to be a graduation gift (hence the two subtotals, the first is gifted to me, the second subtotal will come out of my own paycheck). I'm wondering what you guys think on this build. I'm hoping the price can come down a lot while minimizing performance loss (I'm thinking the CPU and MOBO can be changed), so if you guys could throw in your own opinions that would really help me out. I appreciate it! All of this is going into a COOLER MASTER 830 FULL TOWER that I already own. Here's the build so far, I welcome all comments and changes:

I'VE TAKEN MJOLNIR'S ADVICE, APART FROM THE POWER SOURCE MY BUILD LOOKS LIKE WHAT HE POSTED, MINUS THE SSD.


RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314 $46.99

CPU Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504 $249.99

MOBO ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131821 $239.99

GPU EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625&Tpk=evga 01g-p3- #$1556-KR $134.99

PSU CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...p=Cat_Power_Supplies-_-Spotlight-_-17-139-021 $104.99

SUB-TOTAL: $776.95

CASE FANS COOLER MASTER R4-L4S-10AB-GP 140mm Blue LED Case Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103077x4 $47.96

OS Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 $99.99

DVD DRIVE LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276 $17.99

HARD DRIVE Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533 $139.99

SUB-TOTAL: $305.93

GRAND TOTAL: $1082.88

 

[Whitefang]

CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428
PSU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027
GPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948
CPU Cooler - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

$672

I don't know why you need so much in fans, but otherwise looks good. You don't need such a large wattage PSU for a single GPU/CPU system. I've heard Ivy Bridge is overpriced and not a large performance increase over SB. For a gaming rig, the better the GPU, the better the performance - the 6870 is better than the 550 ti. And you don't need a $240 motherboard .

 

[jchsaab]

Well, the case has 4 side fan slots, and I figure I want to keep it as cool as possible, so why not? Haha.

Also, why did you drop down to a 500W PSU? Everything I've read seems to suggest getting a larger PSU than needed as they last longer when only pushing out 1/2 to 2/3 of their capable wattage.

And, do I really need a CPU cooler? I don't plan on overclocking.

@Whitefang in response to your edit: I honestly had no clue on the CPU/MOBO so I just looked up a theoretical combination for them. I figured I didn't need the expensive MOBO.

 

[jchsaab]

Any more input from anyone? Especially about how many case fans I need? I think the CPU winner is the i5 2500k and the MOBO seems to be solid. Should I get a better graphics card than what White suggested? I don't want the system to be bottlenecked.

 

[manu2b]

For a gaming build, the GPU is kind of weak.

I'd go with an Asrock Z77 Extreme4 mobo ($140) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
and
a nVidia 560ti 448 cores GPU ($270 after MIR) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130738

 

[Whitefang]

For a gaming build, the GPU is kind of weak.

I'd go with an Asrock Z77 Extreme4 mobo ($140) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
and
a nVidia 560ti 448 cores GPU ($270 after MIR) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130738

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/290?vs=499

The 560ti will be better, but it will cost quite a bit more. I suggested the 6870 because it's really good in the price to performance area. $169 versus $289. Up to you .

I suggested a lower wattage PSU because you don't need 750W, and it costs less. This PSU calculator (http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp) suggests that a 6870 and a 2500k, unoverclocked, pulls about 365 watts under maximum load. 90% load is around 325 watts. You could go for the 750W PSU, but of course it costs more.

If you don't want to overclock, you don't need the CPU cooler, no.

@manu2b: That's the exact same mobo I recommended xP.

 

[manu2b]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/290?vs=499

The 560ti will be better, but it will cost quite a bit more. I suggested the 6870 because it's really good in the price to performance area. $169 versus $289. Up to you .

I suggested a lower wattage PSU because you don't need 750W, and it costs less. This PSU calculator (http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp) suggests that a 6870 and a 2500k, unoverclocked, pulls about 365 watts under maximum load. 90% load is around 325 watts. You could go for the 750W PSU, but of course it costs more.

If you don't want to overclock, you don't need the CPU cooler, no.

@Manu2b: That's the exact same mobo I recommended xP.

Honestly, I am too lazy to check links if there is no product name in the post!

 

[Mjolnir]

I see little reason to buy nvidia right now in that price bracket. The HD 7850 2GB> GTX 560 Ti. And IMO in terms of power draw; overclockability(new word!) and the 2GB VRAM; the HD 7850 > GTX 570 as well.

Your PSU is both overkill and a little silly. If you can buy a modular power supply; why wouldn't you? A HD 7850 will also Xfire easily on a quality 550-650W PSU. I'm thinking the OCZ 550W ZT PSU. Fully Modular;

pURL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161406"]HD 7850 2GB[/URL]
OCZ ZT 550W Fully Modular

Note; if you wanna be 'safe' there's a 650W version as well. But 550w is MORE than enough for an Ivy Bridge Proc OC'd as well as 2 HD 7850s.. Consider 2 HD 7850s run around 100w or less average. Ivy Bridge is 77w TDP BUT that's INCLUDING the IGP. So you're looking at an overclocked use of MAYBE 100w. But that's full stress. Gaming you'll never hit that. Add another 50-100 for the rest of the system 'just cause'. And you're sitting where.. 300-400w? Average use around <300.

I would also drop your motherboard to what someone suggested.. A Z77 Asrock Extreme 4 is a great board. Unless you want that board specifically for its looks..?

Also; fans wise.. Frankly for such a low power system; you don't NEED any of those extra fans you have there. If it's for some flashy lights sure I guess? Otherwise I'd forgo those for now.. + fans are something you can always add later on should you so desire.
Dropping a couple things also perhaps makes room for an SSD? Crucial M4's are cheap right now for you guys! More than 1GB per dollar!!! I would so go with this! .


Oooohhhh. I just saw something. You don't plan to overclock? Ever? Then why buy a K model CPU? ^^. You can get a non-k model.. And forgo the CPU cooler and save a few bucks on a motherboard as well... I'll post a proposed build for you under this..


There. Similar pricing. With an SSD. Etc.. I did end up leaving in the 2500K.. Cos for 10 bucks difference; why not? Vs the non-K model. Gives you the OPTION to OC later on at a later date... Though you can stick with the stock cooler if you wanted.

Just another thought. Remove the CPU cooler from my build. Drop in the 3570 non k. Or some CPU around that.. if you really don't wanna oc that is. For this purpose then I'd go Ivy Bridge. So a i5 3550 or something with stock cooler should be more than enough. Will last you a long while plus give you those extra features of Ivy Bridge.

 

[manu2b]

^+1
Agreed on everything, as I didn't think about the 7850...

 

[jchsaab]

What do I do in terms of wireless internet for my desktop? I've never even messed with that before, always used an ethernet cord.

@Mjolnir, I probably will endeavor into the world of overclocking at one point so I'm going to take your advice on the CPU fan and the K model. The concept of it scares me though, I've never done it and I don't want to ruin any hardware.

ALSO, that PSU you recommended is getting awful reviews, and I noticed it wasn't in the true/tested PSU list here on the forums. Are you sure I should get that one?

ALSO ALSO, are SSDs really that great? They're a bit pricey for me. I'm not interested in spending $125 if all that happens is my computer boots up in 30 seconds instead of a minute.

 

[manu2b]

Rahhh! You grab the cheapest USB Wifi adapter ($10/$15)!

 

[Twiggz]

ALSO ALSO, are SSDs really that great? They're a bit pricey for me. I'm not interested in spending $125 if all that happens is my computer boots up in 30 seconds instead of a minute.

Well, they are good for other things too, but mainly yea, they just speed things up. If that isn't a big deal, don't bother with it.

 

[jchsaab]

Well, they are good for other things too, but mainly yea, they just speed things up. If that isn't a big deal, don't bother with it.

Other things, such as? I don't know much about them.

 

[Whitefang]

Access times. Your game may load in five seconds instead of twenty. That kind of thing.

 

[jchsaab]

Access times. Your game may load in five seconds instead of twenty. That kind of thing.

Yeah that's not worth $120 to me haha

 

[manu2b]

Yeah that's not worth $120 to me haha

Until you try one!

 

[jchsaab]

Until you try one!

Haha, I will when/if they replace regular hard drives

I still don't know which PSU to get. I'm iffy about the OCZ one someone (forgot who) recommended, it's got awful reviews on newegg.

 

[Mjolnir]

Me. Lol. Uhhh. I'd ignore new egg reviews if I were you .

SSDs retain their speed over time. Better than HDDs do. Your entire user experience is faster and more responsive. Though yes things will load and boot faster too. It's worth it. I spent over 400 aud on my first ssd 2 years ago and haven't looked back . And considering I fit it into your budget I don't see why you wouldn't buy one! ^^. I have 2 personally. And my current boot drive is that same Crucial M4. .

If you're that concerned about the psu. Look at the Corsair TX 550M. .

Corsair TX 550M VS OCZ 550 ZT

Note; while the Corsair takes the win according to that article. The OCZ 550 is still a decent PSU. At newegg after rebates; its 15 dollars different between the two.

Also; You'll notice even the Corsair TX 550M has bad newegg reviews... But Johnny Guru recommends it.. So.. I cannot see the issue there . If Johnny Recommends it; it's good! ^^.

 

[mattman1022]

I have a HP desktop that I bought to upgrade and I still am and I do have a 560 time 2gb that is really great but I'm still without a power supply and I'm planning on getting the on you're talking about here

 

[Conumdrum]

OP: jsab something.

You have NO idea what an SSD can do for you. Nuff said. I know 7 people personally in the real world that said WOW, OMG, thanks for the advise. It's fast, and easy to use if that is an issue.