New Builder.... Looking for suggestions.....

[Seattle51]

I want to build my first gaming rig.....I want to be able to run Star Wars at max settings....

Here is what I have come up with:

CPU - Intel Core i5 2550k
Motherboard - ASUS P8H67-M
Memory - G. Skill Ripjaws Series 8gb X 2
Video Card - EVGA O12-P3-1570 GeForce GTX 570
Power - Thermaltake TR2 Series 600w
Case - CoolerMaster HAF 912
SSD - OCZ Petrol PTL1
Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 1 TB
Cooling - CoolerMaster Hyper 212
Blu-Ray - LG 12X

I will be running Windows 7 64 bit

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!

 

[Seattle51]

Although I just found this barebones kit for $999 at TigersDirect.....

This Bundle Includes:

• ASUS P8Z68-V LX Intel Z68 Motherboard - ATX, Socket H2 (LGA1155), Intel Z68 Express, 2200MHz-DDR3 (O.C.), SATA 6.0 Gb/s, RAID, 8-CH Audio, Gigabit LAN, SuperSpeed USB 3.0, CrossFireX Ready
• Sony Optiarc AD7280S-OB 24x DVDRW Drive - 24x, SATA, Black, OEM
• Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B Vengeance Desktop Memory Kit - 8GB (2x 4GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, 9-9-9-24 CAS Latency, Intel XMP Ready, Unbuffered
• Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B Vengeance Desktop Memory Kit - 8GB (2x 4GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, 9-9-9-24 CAS Latency, Intel XMP Ready, Unbuffered
• Corsair Nova Series 2 Solid State Drive - 60GB, SATA II, 3Gbps
• Corsair CWCH60 Hydro Series H60 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler - Socket LGA775, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1366, Core i5, Core i7
• EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti FPB Video Card - 1024MB, GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0 (x16), 2x Dual-Link DVI-I, 1x Mini-HDMI, DirectX 11, Dual-Slot, SLI Ready
• Corsair CC-9011012-WW Carbide Series 500R Mid Tower Gaming Case - ATX, mATX, 4x Ext 5.25" Bays, 6x Int 3.5" Bays, 1x 200mm and 2x 120mm White LED Fans, 1x 120mm Fan, 2x USB 3.0 and 1x FireWire Ports
• Corsair CMPSU-650TXV2 Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 Power Supply - 650 Watts, ATX, 140mm Fan, 80 Plus Bronze, SLI Ready, Active PFC
• Intel Core i7-2600K BX80623I72600K Unlocked Processor - Quad Core, 8MB L3 Cache, 1MB L2 Cache, 3.40 GHz (3.80 GHz Max Turbo), Socket H2 (LGA1155), 95W, Fan, Retail

Of the 2 builds which would you get?

 

[DSF]

I think you'll get faster and more useful responses if you fill in the questions in the stickied thread that Blain wrote a while back. It gives everyone else a much clearer picture of what you're looking for and what you're working with. Not everyone is going to need the same components.

 

[DaveSimmons]

^ exactly. For example: if this is for gaming
- the GTX 570 is good but overpriced compared to AMD or a 560 ti, and the GTX 550 is overpriced and weak.
- you only need 2 x 4 GB = 8 GB, DDR 1333 is fine, 1.5 volt memory is the important part
- 2500K is the CPU for gaming

 

[Seattle51]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for.

Gaming....Skyrim, Star Wars, Guild Wars 2 etc.....


2. What YOUR budget is. $1500, including operating system and Monitor

3. What country USA....live near a Frys Electronics....no Micro Centers nearby.

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. No brand preferance....I want the best performance for my money........

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

No.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads. I have researched these forums for a couple of hours.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. Overclocking

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with. 1920 X 1280

9. WHEN do you plan to build it? Within the next 2 months.....


Sorry for not posting this earlier.......

 

[DaveSimmons]

> 9. WHEN do you plan to build it? Within the next 2 months.....

Then wait to ask until you are only 1-2 weeks away from buying parts.

Ivy Bridge CPUs may be out next month or in April.

Prices on hard drives and SSDs will change, SSDs have had many deals lately and new models may be out.

Also new motherboards may be out, new AMD 7xxx video cards, possible price drops on nvidia cards, etc.

Until you're just about to buy, try reading the other system threads here to get up to speed.

 

[Zap]

> 9. WHEN do you plan to build it? Within the next 2 months.....

Then wait to ask until you are only 1-2 weeks away from buying parts.

Ivy Bridge CPUs may be out next month or in April.

I will parrot what DaveSimmons said. At this point, just wait before asking. Any advice we give now will very likely NOT apply in 2 months. Note that this doesn't always happen, but it is NEVER a bad idea to wait until just before buying to ask. Best case scenario on asking way in advance is that nothing changes. Worst case is lots of changes so you have to start from scratch.

Best advice is to decide on a budget and save up for it, and then ask right before buying (1-2 weeks).

AFAIK Ivy Bridge desktop quads will be out first week of April, with duals coming out a couple weeks later.

 

[Seattle51]

What would you improve on this system?


CPU - Intel Core i5 2500k

Motherboard - ASUS P8Z68-V LX LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel Motherboard

Memory - Kingston Hyper X blu 8GB

Video Card - Gigabyte GTX 560ti

Power - Thermaltake TR2 Series 750W

Case - CoolerMaster HAF 912

SSD - 64gb Samsung 830 Series

Hard Drive - Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive WDBAAY0010HNC
-
Cooling - CoolerMaster Hyper 212

Optical Drive - LG 22X SATA DVD

I will be running Windows 7 64 bit

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Ken g6]

I would improve:

CPU - Intel Core i5 3750k

Video card - Radeon 7850, 7870, or GTX660

Note that you can't find any of these products at Newegg right now. That's because

Spoiler

none of these products is out yet.

:sneaky: In other words,

Spoiler

wait a month or so if you can.

 

[mfenn]

What would you improve on this system?


CPU - Intel Core i5 2500k

Motherboard - ASUS P8Z68-V LX LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel Motherboard

Memory - Kingston Hyper X blu 8GB

Video Card - Gigabyte GTX 560ti

Power - Thermaltake TR2 Series 750W

Case - CoolerMaster HAF 912

SSD - 64gb Samsung 830 Series

Hard Drive - Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive WDBAAY0010HNC
-
Cooling - CoolerMaster Hyper 212

Optical Drive - LG 22X SATA DVD

I will be running Windows 7 64 bit

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

You didn't list prices, so I can't tell you if you're getting a good deal or not. As for the parts themselves, they look OK, except I would change the PSU to the XFX Core 550W because it is better quality than the TR2. Also, make sure the RAM is 1.5V.

 

[Seattle51]

You didn't list prices, so I can't tell you if you're getting a good deal or not. As for the parts themselves, they look OK, except I would change the PSU to the XFX Core 550W because it is better quality than the TR2. Also, make sure the RAM is 1.5V.

Sorry....My Bad, I bought all items at Micro Center.

CPU - Intel Core i5 2500k $179

Motherboard - ASUS P8Z68-V LX LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel Motherboard $69....

Memory - Kingston Hyper X blu 8GB $34.99

Video Card - Gigabyte GTX 560ti $249.99

Power - Thermaltake TR2 Series 750W $99

Case - CoolerMaster HAF 912 $55

SSD - 64gb Samsung 830 Series $119

Hard Drive - Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive WDBAAY0010HNC $109.00
-
Cooling - CoolerMaster Hyper 212 $19.99

Optical Drive - LG 22X SATA DVD $18.99

Total $953. I have about $50 in MIB as well....

I will be running Windows 7 64 bit

 

[raf051888]

One thing to note about the Tiger Direct Barebone kit is the speed of the SSD. Its only SATA II

 

[Seattle51]

Thanks for the advice....It is much appreciated.....

 

[Seattle51]

The Kingston Ram is 1.5v at 1333, if it is bumped to 1600 its 1.65v. What is the significance of the 1.5v?

 

[Zap]

1.5v is the original official standard voltage of DDR3. 1.65v means it is "factory overclocked."

 

[mfenn]

The Kingston Ram is 1.5v at 1333, if it is bumped to 1600 its 1.65v. What is the significance of the 1.5v?

Sandy Bridge (and Nehalem before it) are only rated for 1.5V memory. So it's best to keep the voltage there, even if it means sacrificing some performance. The difference between DDR3 1333 and DDR3 1600 is less than 2 percent anyway.

As for prices, you paid about $50 to much for the GPU and another $50 too much for the PSU. The rest of the parts are fine, $20 here or there.

 

[Seattle51]

Thanks for the info. Havnt actually purchased the PSU yet, will switch to the one you suggested the XFX Core 550w.....

Thanks for your input.....