~$1000 SB Build

[volt290]

[This is an edited post from somewhere else I asked for advice.]
I'm putting together a computer for me and an identical computer for someone else (though the second one won't be built for a few weeks at least). I know the first build will be a bit cheaper than the second one probably will. I should note that I have never built a computer before, but I've read quite a bit about parts.

Approximate Purchase Date: Today for RAM (Newegg 15% off), have a $50 off code that expires the 20th (has to be used on two separate orders on Newegg), rest of stuff soon as I can decide.

Budget Range: ~$800-$1050 (for each) I can go up an extra $50 or so if need be.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Emulators (Dolphin meaning plenty of 100% CPU use), Photoshop, everything else (I like doing some of everything)

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I normally look at Newegg, Tiger Direct, and Amazon

Country of Origin: USA

Parts Preferences: Does anyone know if Radeon 69xx GPUs still have the texture shimmering problem? I can't find anything on this. Does Nvidia still have problems with Bethesda games? It sounds to me like Nvidia has the least potential problems.

Overclocking: I doubt it. If I did overclock, it probably wouldn't be more than a few hundred Mhz and I doubt even then.

SLI or Crossfire: Seriously doubt it.

Monitor Resolution: Will be getting 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 monitors (only one for each build of course) eventually so I'm planning for that, but that's not part of this budget.

Additional Comments: I like things quiet, I like things to be of quality and last for plenty of years, and I'm not sure if upgrading more often is better than getting something better now.

What I'm thinking about so far:
- CPU -
Intel Core i5-2500
or
Intel Core i5-2500K
- GPU-
EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
or
EVGA 012-P3-1571-AR GeForce GTX 570 HD w/Display-Port (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
- RAM -
This seems like some excellent RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL6D-4GBXH
If I buy 2x2GB now, would adding 2 more sticks cause any problems in the future? I remember hearing something about possibly needing to increase voltage or lower something, but that may have been only overclocking related. If I'm correct, 1155 CPUs don't like frequencies over 1600 and 1600 with those timings would be better/smarter (overall) than a higher frequency, correct?
- HDD -
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
(I already have one of these I got on sale for $55.)
- ODD -
I don't need blu-ray and I haven't looked much into DVD drives. I just want something that reads and burns well as I actually use DVDs for quite a few things. I hear LG is great.
- PSU -
I'm thinking I'd need 650 watts? I've seen an amazing one by SeaSonic (80+ Gold even). It's really expensive, but it IS the best 650 watt PSU.
- Motherboard -
ASUS P8P67 B3 Intel P67 Motherboard - ATX, Socket H2 (LGA 1155), Intel P67 Express, 2200MHz DDR3 (O.C.), Gigabit LAN, 8-Channel Audio, SATA 6.0 Gb/s, SuperSpeed USB 3.0, CrossFireX Support, Bluetooth

I'm not ruling out a Pro completely, but I have to check what all the differences are. I know there's SLI (don't need it) and Intel ethernet (might actually be useful, but $40 is the price of a separate card).
- OS -
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
(I bought one of these on sale for $85 a while back)
- Case -
Not much of an idea, but since cases with USB 3 seem to start pretty high, is it worth getting a separate USB 3 front panel box along with a cheaper case? (or whatever the official term is) I can't seem to an internal connector thing, though.

- Additionally -
I might need wifi (but I may have a USB adapter somewhere), bluetooth (for using multiple Wiimotes with Dolphin) (which comes with the p8p67 and hopefully will work), and I want to have room to someday add another HDD or two along with a blu-ray drive if needed and whatever else I might need such as a sound card or something. I also might need firewire for something specific (p8p67 also has this). I like to keep my future options open as I plan on having this for 5+ years and who knows what may happen in that time.

I'll also mention I have a $10 off thing for Tiger Direct (date doesn't matter) and Newegg has LianLi Lancool cases 20% off today so I'm looking into those.

One final question, if I want to add another 4GB kit of RAM later on, will that affect the timings? G.SKILL only guarantees those specs for two DIMMs, and I'm thinking they're just covering themselves, but I'd like to be more sure anyway.

I think that should be everything.

Edit: My links didn't copy over so I made some stuff bold. If the format is still too hard to read, just let me know.

 

[Sephire]

Get rid of that spinning hard drive and replace it with SSD. You are set.

 

[volt290]

Get rid of that spinning hard drive and replace it with SSD. You are set.

I don't think I'm ready to jump onto the SSD bandwagon quite yet.

Any case suggestions? If I choose a LianLi Lancool today, that's 20% off, but I've kind of neglected doing much research on cases...

 

[mfenn]

Comments:
CPU: If you're not going to overclock, you might as well get the 2500.
GPU: Both of those options are ridiculously high for a GTX 570. This Galaxy is $290 AR.
RAM: I would not bother paying the premium for DDR3 1600 and would not get something with tall heatspreaders. Here's some $40 Mushkin that will do just fine. As for upgrading the memory later, I've never had a problem mixing and matching manufacturers as long as I kept the voltages the same.
HDD: Good
ODD: Any $20 one will do
PSU: Do not go spending a ton of money on a Seasonic X series. A GTX 570 only gives you a total system power draw of about 360W when playing a demanding game. That being said, the Earthwatts 650W is a pretty good deal at $65 AP.
Mobo: The P8P67 is a good choice, but the GA-P67A-UD3 has a similar featureset for $30 less.

On final note, don't try to plan for PC components 5 years in the future. You'll just drive yourself in circles for no appreciable benefit.

 

[volt290]

Comments:
CPU: If you're not going to overclock, you might as well get the 2500.
GPU: Both of those options are ridiculously high for a GTX 570. This Galaxy is $290 AR.
RAM: I would not bother paying the premium for DDR3 1600 and would not get something with tall heatspreaders. Here's some $40 Mushkin that will do just fine. As for upgrading the memory later, I've never had a problem mixing and matching manufacturers as long as I kept the voltages the same.
HDD: Good
ODD: Any $20 one will do
PSU: Do not go spending a ton of money on a Seasonic X series. A GTX 570 only gives you a total system power draw of about 360W when playing a demanding game. That being said, the Earthwatts 650W is a pretty good deal at $65 AP.
Mobo: The P8P67 is a good choice, but the GA-P67A-UD3 has a similar featureset for $30 less.

On final note, don't try to plan for PC components 5 years in the future. You'll just drive yourself in circles for no appreciable benefit.

That Galaxy GPU is only better because of the MIR that'd take many weeks before I'd ever get the money back (if at all, knowing MIRs). 2 year warranty + $40 MIR vs lifetime warranty with EVGA's great support (so I've heard at least) is something I'd have to consider...

As for that RAM, I actually have a use for faster than 1333. I'd see the benefit, don't worry. I don't really feel like explaining what it's for as I'm tired right now. The 1600 RAM has been ordered by the time I post this, btw.

I do see your point about SeaSonic being expensive and I have been thinking about that myself.

For the motherboard, I don't understand what you mean. That Gigabyte board doesn't quite have similar features. It's missing Firewire, Bluetooth, and onboard USB 3. Gigabyte boards also don't support full EFI as far as I know. It also has half the power phases (which I doubt will effect me, but meh). There's the option of just buying adapters I suppose... Are there any other differences between them? Anything the Gigabyte has that would make up for what I listed? I'm sure the Newegg page doesn't list all the features.

I'm not sure I fully understand what you meant with your last point. Instead of me writing out what I THINK you might mean, care to elaborate a little?

Thanks for the advice.

 

[mnewsham]

That Galaxy GPU is only better because of the MIR that'd take many weeks before I'd ever get the money back (if at all, knowing MIRs). 2 year warranty + $40 MIR vs lifetime warranty with EVGA's great support (so I've heard at least) is something I'd have to consider...

As for that RAM, I actually have a use for faster than 1333. I'd see the benefit, don't worry. I don't really feel like explaining what it's for as I'm tired right now. The 1600 RAM has been ordered by the time I post this, btw.

I do see your point about SeaSonic being expensive and I have been thinking about that myself.

For the motherboard, I don't understand what you mean. That Gigabyte board doesn't quite have similar features. It's missing Firewire, Bluetooth, and onboard USB 3. Gigabyte boards also don't support full EFI as far as I know. It also has half the power phases (which I doubt will effect me, but meh). There's the option of just buying adapters I suppose... Are there any other differences between them? Anything the Gigabyte has that would make up for what I listed? I'm sure the Newegg page doesn't list all the features.

I'm not sure I fully understand what you meant with your last point. Instead of me writing out what I THINK you might mean, care to elaborate a little?

Thanks for the advice.

I have yet to see a greater then 2% increase in ANYTHING with faster RAM.

 

[volt290]

The second thing on my usage list, Dolphin (GC/Wii emulator), is RAM read/write limited when turning on a setting that makes certain things look correct. Quite a few games need this when emulating. In almost everything else, I know it doesn't make much difference. I consider an extra frame or two of minimum FPS a bonus.

 

[mfenn]

That Galaxy GPU is only better because of the MIR that'd take many weeks before I'd ever get the money back (if at all, knowing MIRs). 2 year warranty + $40 MIR vs lifetime warranty with EVGA's great support (so I've heard at least) is something I'd have to consider...

Two points: (a) assuming there is a non-zero probability of getting the MIR (in reality P = 95% assuming you follow the directions), the EV of price of the Galaxy is still less. (b) EVGA's support isn't all that. Search for posts on the dreaded "EVGA refurb treadmill" and you'll see what I mean.

As for that RAM, I actually have a use for faster than 1333. I'd see the benefit, don't worry. I don't really feel like explaining what it's for as I'm tired right now. The 1600 RAM has been ordered by the time I post this, btw.

Fair enough, considering your post below. You should explicitly state such things in your OP.

I do see your point about SeaSonic being expensive and I have been thinking about that myself.

Good idea.

For the motherboard, I don't understand what you mean. That Gigabyte board doesn't quite have similar features. It's missing Firewire, Bluetooth, and onboard USB 3. Gigabyte boards also don't support full EFI as far as I know. It also has half the power phases (which I doubt will effect me, but meh). There's the option of just buying adapters I suppose... Are there any other differences between them? Anything the Gigabyte has that would make up for what I listed? I'm sure the Newegg page doesn't list all the features.

In order:
(a) If we bought boards that had every feature that we "might" need, we'd be making ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI very wealthy indeed.
(b) A $10 USB bluetooth adapter that you can move around is better IMHO.
(c) The Gigabyte board most certainly does have USB 3.0.
(d) All P67 boards use UEFI. ASUS and ASRock have just stuck a half-functional graphical interface on top whereas Gigabyte has stayed with the tried and true. Complete non-issue IMHO.
(e) The number of phases completely irrelevant if you're not going to overclock and in fact a large number of phases causes the board to draw more power than necessary

Like I said originally, the P8P67 is a fine board, I just don't think that it's $30 finer than the GA-P67-UD3.

Thanks for the advice.

You're welcome.

 

[volt290]

I can't find much about EVGA's "refurb treadmill." Any links or examples? What I'm thinking of is your replacement doesn't work, then the next doesn't work, etc. Is that it?

 

[mnewsham]

IIRC they were sending defective cards and knew it.

 

[volt290]

That sounds really bad, but is it something I should be concerned about? Are any other companies better? It seems all companies tend to have pretty bad customer service...It's still a lifetime warranty, too, which although they could waste time and effort, the warranty wouldn't run out like it might with another company doing the same thing.

Wait, if they were doing it on purpose, wouldn't it cost them a lot of shipping? Sounds counter productive...

 

[mfenn]

IIRC they were sending defective cards and knew it.

Bingo

That sounds really bad, but is it something I should be concerned about? Are any other companies better? It seems all companies tend to have pretty bad customer service...It's still a lifetime warranty, too, which although they could waste time and effort, the warranty wouldn't run out like it might with another company doing the same thing.

Wait, if they were doing it on purpose, wouldn't it cost them a lot of shipping? Sounds counter productive...

When faced the prospect of a lifetime of shipping broken cards around, I think I'd just buy a new one.

Basically, they send out warranty returns that undergo little to no testing. They get away with it for the most part because many so-called defective cards actually work just fine (i.e. user error on the part of the original customer). However, when enough truly bad cards get into the mix, you get the "treadmill". There have been cases of people getting the same bad cards back multiple times.

I can't know their reasoning for sure, but I'll bet that they have a heavily discounted shipping contract and it's actually cheaper for them to just ship cards all over the country than it is to invest in a real refurb process.

 

[mnewsham]

When faced the prospect of a lifetime of shipping broken cards around, I think I'd just buy a new one.

Basically, they send out warranty returns that undergo little to no testing. They get away with it for the most part because many so-called defective cards actually work just fine (i.e. user error on the part of the original customer). However, when enough truly bad cards get into the mix, you get the "treadmill". There have been cases of people getting the same bad cards back multiple times.

I can't know their reasoning for sure, but I'll bet that they have a heavily discounted shipping contract and it's actually cheaper for them to just ship cards all over the country than it is to invest in a real refurb process.

And eventually you (the customer) will give in and just buy a new one...

 

[volt290]

I decided to get an EVGA GTX 570 (support is always going to be meh with any company, I'm not really worried about it). Anyone know if the reference cooler is quieter or cooler than the HD version? The HD version also has Display Port...hmm...

 

[jterrell]

I decided to get an EVGA GTX 570 (support is always going to be meh with any company, I'm not really worried about it). Anyone know if the reference cooler is quieter or cooler than the HD version? The HD version also has Display Port...hmm...

Why would you decide that?
Not sure why you are posting here if someone basically tells you the parts you chose are the very worst ones but you go for it anyway with no real reason to do so.

Nothing at all wrong with doing your own thing with your own money but why waste people's time asking only to disregard?

I can't think of a single thing more likely to cause me to choice a different manufacturer than they recycle refurbs in an attempt to avoid paying for a thorough testing and repair process.

 

[mfenn]

Why would you decide that?
Not sure why you are posting here if someone basically tells you the parts you chose are the very worst ones but you go for it anyway with no real reason to do so.

Nothing at all wrong with doing your own thing with your own money but why waste people's time asking only to disregard?

I can't think of a single thing more likely to cause me to choice a different manufacturer than they recycle refurbs in an attempt to avoid paying for a thorough testing and repair process.

Add that to the fact that the EVGA one costs more in the first place, and we've got a major situation on our hands here.