My first Desktop Build...EVER

[piasabird]

With a i-3 processor you could get bottle necked at the CPU and not be able to run the video card at full speed. However everything is tradeoff when you try to save money. If you have a Micro Center store near you you might be able to buy an i-5 2500k for a little less than online. They usually sell for $179 + Tax. It is up to you.

Good luck.

 

[Athadeus]

Just want to say I strongly agree with Belegost's recommendation.

I'm not sure what else touches GTX460, 6870 in value now, but not much me thinks.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/290?vs=293
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU11/188
6950 performance is nowhere near the 80%+ it costs.

 

[Belegost]

Also, the since you listed the H67 board which doesn't overclock, and save some money and get the 2400, unless your budget could stretch to a p67 or z68 board.

 

[mnewsham]

yeah the i5-2400 would be my suggestion if you wanted a quad core. And the HD6870/6850 to save money on the GPU (like I had originally suggested )

 

[skipsneeky2]

Also, the since you listed the H67 board which doesn't overclock, and save some money and get the 2400, unless your budget could stretch to a p67 or z68 board.

+1 true it doesn't overclock i have tried.

Also Op for BF3 the 2500k would be a very nice processor i own basically both the i3 2100 and the i5 2500k and the i5 2500k is in a league of its own.

Run mine on stock on a h67 motherboard which i plan to replace and it blows the i3 2100 away.:thumbsup:

 

[mfenn]

Ok, by changing to a 6870 and 2500k, the new cost is $729, which is only $5 more than my original.

And this is good enough to not just play games like Battlefield 3 on highest, but also for development?

I'll wait a few days before purchasing just in case anyone else comes up with any more suggestions.

Thanks!

No, you will not be running BF3 on the highest settings at 1080P with a 6870. Well, not and getting any kind of acceptable framerates in multiplayer at least.

 

[lgv212]

Ok, I decided to get the i5-2500k, I changed to a z68 motherboard, I'm sticking with 6870 and the total is now $780

 

[mnewsham]

Ok, I decided to get the i5-2500k, I changed to a z68 motherboard, I'm sticking with 6870 and the total is now $780

IF you are going to overclock i give this idea a :thumbsup:

IF however you are never going to OC (and you know it) then I would really suggest stepping down to the i5-2300 as it is the same CPU as the 2500k but clocked a little lower (wont matter all that much) and you can't overclock it. (Not a problem if you don't plan on OC'ing)

If you are going to OC however you will need a heat sink fan such as the coolermaster hyper 212+

 

[lgv212]

IF you are going to overclock i give this idea a :thumbsup:

IF however you are never going to OC (and you know it) then I would really suggest stepping down to the i5-2300 as it is the same CPU as the 2500k but clocked a little lower (wont matter all that much) and you can't overclock it. (Not a problem if you don't plan on OC'ing)

If you are going to OC however you will need a heat sink fan such as the coolermaster hyper 212+

Thanks for the heads up! That takes me back down to $736.

I think its time I order. Any objections? I'll give it 30 minutes lol
I just want to make sure I make the right choices

 

[mnewsham]

Can you post a complete list of all the parts you are ordering one more time so we can have a final look?

 

[lgv212]

Can you post a complete list of all the parts you are ordering one more time so we can have a final look?

Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan

Power Supply: COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS500-PCARD3-US 500W ATX12V v2.3 Power Supply

RAM: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT51264BD1339

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

Processor: Intel Core i5-2300 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz (3.1GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I52300

Dvd: LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

HD: Hitachi Deskstar 3.5 Inch 1 TB 7200 RPM SATA II 32 MB Cache Internal Hard Drive 0S02860

Graphics: SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB GDDR5 PCIE Graphics Card

 

[lgv212]

Correction:

HD: Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST2000DL003

 

[mnewsham]

Looks like a good build all together, quad core, decent graphics. Should play most games on medium-high details at 1920x1080. I will let others chime in if they have anything to add, but it looks good to me

 

[lehtv]

Don't buy the i5-2300. It's a 2.8GHz CPU for $185, while i5-2400 is a 3.1GHz CPU for just $5 more.

Since you don't seem concerned about crossfire/sli capability and your CPU is not overclockable, you could save some cash by going with a H67 motherboard. You won't miss SSD caching (= Intel SRT), which is really the only advantage you'd get with Z68. Here: Intel BOXDH67BLB3 $81 after promo (has Intel's network controller which I hear is superior to the more common Realtek chips).

Definitely do not buy a 5400RPM hard drive as your main drive for OS and programs. Bad, bad idea. How much space do you think you'll actually need in the immediate future? Is 500GB enough? Hard drive prices are bound to fall to normal levels sooner or later, so try not to spend a lot on storage if at all possible.

I'd buy this 6870 over the Sapphire: XFX 6870 $145 AR. Transferable lifetime warranty, free shipping - same otherwise.

You'd save about $100 with the cheaper mobo and HDD combined, enough to afford a 64GB SSD or a 6950 2GB.

 

[mfenn]

Definitely do not buy a 5400RPM hard drive as your main drive for OS and programs. Bad, bad idea. How much space do you think you'll actually need in the immediate future? Is 500GB enough? Hard drive prices are bound to fall to normal levels sooner or later, so try not to spend a lot on storage if at all possible.

:thumbsup: I was thinking, "OK, everything looks decent", then I saw the correction post and was like "WTF?".

Also, there are some pretty decent i5 2400 + DVD Burner combos out there right now.

 

[charre]

Does your budget take into account your monitor, keyboard and other accessories? How you interface with your of is arguably as important as the PC itself.

 

[mnewsham]

Yeah forgot the i5-2300 and 2400 were priced so similarly, has been so long since iv looked at prices on them.

 

[lgv212]

Don't buy the i5-2300. It's a 2.8GHz CPU for $185, while i5-2400 is a 3.1GHz CPU for just $5 more.

Since you don't seem concerned about crossfire/sli capability and your CPU is not overclockable, you could save some cash by going with a H67 motherboard. You won't miss SSD caching (= Intel SRT), which is really the only advantage you'd get with Z68. Here: Intel BOXDH67BLB3 $81 after promo (has Intel's network controller which I hear is superior to the more common Realtek chips).

Definitely do not buy a 5400RPM hard drive as your main drive for OS and programs. Bad, bad idea. How much space do you think you'll actually need in the immediate future? Is 500GB enough? Hard drive prices are bound to fall to normal levels sooner or later, so try not to spend a lot on storage if at all possible.

I'd buy this 6870 over the Sapphire: XFX 6870 $145 AR. Transferable lifetime warranty, free shipping - same otherwise.

You'd save about $100 with the cheaper mobo and HDD combined, enough to afford a 64GB SSD or a 6950 2GB.

Dammit. Unfortunately I ordered everything before reading this. I checked and there's no refund for the 2300 and for everything else there's a 15% restocking fee. Luckily I ordered the HD from somewhere else, so that's probably the only thing I'll be able to change

 

[sm625]

I'd wait till the new HD77xx series is lauched. It could affect pricing on a 6950... hopefully anyway!

 

[lgv212]

Does your budget take into account your monitor, keyboard and other accessories? How you interface with your of is arguably as important as the PC itself.

I already have all that taken care of

 

[mfenn]

I'd wait till the new HD77xx series is lauched. It could affect pricing on a 6950... hopefully anyway!

Doubtful. Usually what happens is that AMD/Nvidia/Intel immediately stock making/ordering the new chip and so there is no more supply. That causes prices to stay steady until stocks dry up completely.

 

[lgv212]

Hey guys, so I built the computer, I turned it on, all the fans are working, lights are on, but no video output and there's a red light on on the motherboard. It's the MemOK! switch. I hold it down and it starts blinking and rebooting, but then it just stays on

 

[fffblackmage]

My first thought is to reset BIOS.

Check video card, make sure it's seated properly. If it needs a PCIe power connector, make sure it's connected (forgot that a few times).

 

[lgv212]

My first thought is to reset BIOS.

Check video card, make sure it's seated properly. If it needs a PCIe power connector, make sure it's connected (forgot that a few times).

How would I reset the bios if I have no video output?

 

[lgv212]

Aha. So I took out one of the RAM sticks and it the memok light went away, and the computer beeped. My next question...do I have to use VGA the first time?