$1200 gaming build w/ivy bridge - close to buying, need input

R

robotlegs

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Jan 9, 2009
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1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mostly gaming, across a bunch of genres. RPG/FPS/RTS/MMO

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1200ish including tax and shipping
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

USA. I have access to Microcenter
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU, Mobo, RAM, PSU, CPU Cooler, Case, hard drive, video card
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
keyboard, mouse, monitor
6) Will you be overclocking?
yes
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1920x1080
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
SATA 6Gb/s, pci express 3.0
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
yes, win7 x64



Here's where I'm at right now, prices include tax/shipping/discounts but not MIR because I hate them:
cpu: $200 Core I5 3570K

cpu cooler: $28.5 Cooler Master Hyper 212+

mobo: $115 Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H

ram: $49 G.Skill Sniper DDR3 1600 - 8GB

HD: $90 Samsung 830 series 128GB SSD

HD2: $100 WD Caviar Black 1TB

video card: $420 EVGA Geforce GTX 670

case: $60 Cooler Master HAF 912

PSU: $81 Corsair Enthusiast 650w TX650 V2

Thermal: $12 Arctic Silver 5

Total: $1,172.50 (including tax & shipping)

I am not too sure about my choice of motherboard, but its $50 off when purchased with the i5 3570k at microcenter. Not sure about my choice of PSU either. Any input is appreciated. Planning on OCing to 4.2ghz or so.

Also, do I need to buy some kind of HD mounting kit for the SSD? Do I need to buy SATA cables, and extra case fans? Anything else that I'm forgetting?

Thanks for the help!
 
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looks about like my build..
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1692762

Just FYI the SSD card is no longer $90 ..dam promo got pulled fast..i know i tried to get 1 :(..I am hope'n Cruicials M4 will go on sale now too.

1)The ram might be too expensive...im sure the experts will be in here sooon enough to let you know the best bang for the buck..( a GREAT bunch of guys here to help you out)

not sure about Card..im interested on their views myself...

anyway good luck

AP514
 
Yeah our builds are pretty similar. I actually snagged the samsung SSD at $90 yesterday :) Not sure what the difference is between our two mobos, yours is cheaper so I may switch to that one. The ram i chose is slightly more money, but the CAS timings are 8. Not sure if its worth it or not.
 
Thanks, I think I'll stick with my mobo as I like some of the extra features. I just updated my original post, changing the power supply based on a recommendation in another thread. It's $10 more but looks like a safer bet. Now I just need to find out if my ram is worth $60 or if I should get something cheaper.
 
If there's a microcenter near you, I recommend at least checking them out (in store) as they tend to have killer "in-store only" deals for Intel CPU + mobo.
Their CPU prices are lower than most already and when you buy select CPUs with select mobos, you get up to $50 off instantly (I'm not going to count the MIR that some mobos may have).
And if you are a part of their rewards program (free) and you make a purchase previously, you get a 5% off coupon for a single item on your next purchase.

as for SSDs, they have been dropping in prices.
My main gaming rig's got two 512GB m4's in them and that was before the current round of price drops (the m4 512GB are now $400 a pop)

anyways, happy shopping/building! :D
 
yep microcenter is awesome for the cpu/mobo deals, I am definitely taking advantage of that. I'm planning on ordering everything tomorrow, so hopefully my choices are solid :cool:
 
Looks pretty solid! One thing to consider is maybe picking up 1 or 2 120mm fans to add to the front and side panels If there is room.o I would assume that the MOBO would come with sata cables, however the microcenter website says that the mobo comes with "Motherboard, Bundled Software" So you may need to buy cables ( I find this rather odd and think it may just be a lazy write up) When you are at the store (if you are doing instore pickup) I would suggest opening it up and seeing if there are any cables and if it doesnt come with any then just pick some up at microcenter. Also the pictures of the Case seem to not have a SSD mount so you may need to find one of these as well.
 
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Few things I see wrong, will comment when I get on a PC if no one else does.
 
Also, if you are planning to stick with the Antec 300 case, be aware that if you install a hard drive in any of the three bays in the middle section, you will not be able to even physically fit the GTX 670 card. This is because the hard drives themselves intrude into the motherboard space enough to restrict the length of any compatible graphics card to only 9 inches long! (The GTX 670 is 10 inches long already.) This forces you to install any 3.5" hard drives in one of the three bays at the very bottom of the case.

Worse, the 300 has virtually no cable management features whatsoever; thus, if the PSU that you select has so many non-detachable cables, they will seriously restrict the airflow inside that case.
 
Case wise, I'd just ditch the Antec 300 altogether for the reasons stated by E4g1e. There are better cases for the money:
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite Black ATX Case
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
$60 - Cooler Master HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 ATX Case

PSU wise, the TX650M only has a few modular cables. Those few removable cables aren't worth the $20 extra and the lesser quality compared to the TX 650 V2. So go with the higher quality TX650 V2 for $20 less:
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Enthu...=UTF8&qid=1339731554&sr=1-1&keywords=TX650+V2

HSF, the Hyper 212 Evo isn't worth the extra $12 over the regular Hyper 212+:
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master...2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1339731410&sr=1-2

That RAM is fairly overpriced. This is a better bang for the buck RAM (and no, you won't notice a performance difference in timings):
$48 - G.Skill Sniper F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
 
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In addition to what E4g1e and Danny Bui said, ditch that WD Black drive for this faster, same priced hard drive.

$100 - HGST Deskstar 7K1000.D HDS721010DLE630 (0F13180) 1TB 7200
 
Just updated my original post with the latest parts. I took Danny Bui's advice, switched to the cooler master HAF 912 case, the TX 650 V2 PSU, the non-EVO Hyper 212, and the cheaper RAM.

I am not too sure about the HGST drive, I am a little apprehensive based on a lot of reviews saying DOA or died soon thereafter. I have had good experiences with western digital drives.
 
I am w/ you on that DRIVE....Crap for reviews.....also the WD has a good warranty.


and as Danny has pointed out the 212 is $19 bucks after rebate..he never counts the rebate...because they are hit and miss......just think of it as a bonus if you actually get it..:) either way it is a great deal ATM....imo


I would go w/ the MX-4 thermal paste..non-conductive..just in case you get a bit too much on cpu and a droplet spills out...no shorting

got that black case that Danny suggested..it is in my build... Loved it..but Newegg is charging $15 bucks for shipping ATM for the Black...dam it
 
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You guys do know the HGST is a Western Digital now....

If it worries you that much, then go with the other faster than Black drive...

$109.99 - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM

Use promo code SAMIHD6X to get $30 off. It's faster than that Black drive as well, only slighly slower than the HGST I posted above. In fact, with that $30 off, I should have recommended it instead of the 7K1000.d. Buying one now I think, already have two in RAID 0.

Either way, that Black drive is based on extremely old technology and not worth the $100.
 
Skillz said:
You guys do know the HGST is a Western Digital now....

If it worries you that much, then go with the other faster than Black drive...

$109.99 - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM

Use promo code SAMIHD6X to get $30 off. It's faster than that Black drive as well, only slighly slower than the HGST I posted above. In fact, with that $30 off, I should have recommended it instead of the 7K1000.d. Buying one now I think, already have two in RAID 0.

Either way, that Black drive is based on extremely old technology and not worth the $100.
Click to expand...

Uh, the 1TB WD Black FAEX is not all that slow: Its sequential speed is only slightly slower than the Samsung F3 1TB. Plus, Samsung's hard drive division is now a Seagate.

In addition, the 1TB WD Black has a somewhat faster random seek speed than other 7200 RPM hard drives.
 
E4g1e said:
Uh, the 1TB WD Black FAEX is not all that slow: Its sequential speed is only slightly slower than the Samsung F3 1TB. Plus, Samsung's hard drive division is now a Seagate.

In addition, the 1TB WD Black has a somewhat faster random seek speed than other 7200 RPM hard drives.
Click to expand...

Right, making it not really worth the extra $20 you'd pay over the Samsung F3; IMHO.
 
Skillz said:
Right, making it not really worth the extra $20 you'd pay over the Samsung F3; IMHO.
Click to expand...

I forgot that you factor in the promo codes from Newegg in the final cost. That Samsung F3 actually costs $80 after the promo code.
 
E4g1e said:
I forgot that you factor in the promo codes from Newegg in the final cost. That Samsung F3 actually costs $80 after the promo code.
Click to expand...

Yeah I didn't put the promo price in the link.
 
I would still pay extra due to the WD's 5 year warranty vs 1year.

But $30 is a good savings if you actually get the MiR
 
I ended up going with the WD hard drive due to peace of mind (My last 3 HDs have been WD and never had an issue) and the 5 year warranty.

Thanks everyone for their input. I have ordered all the parts! Can't wait to get this mofo up and running. Total came out to $1169
 
Great...Remember to Take some PIC's would love to see them...


Did you post your final picks some place ?



AP514
 
The original post is updated with my final picks. I saved a couple extra bucks fom the 20% off fans promo code
 
The TIM that comes with that Coolermaster Hyper 212+ is just as good as the AS5 btw. So you can save money there. Though even if you wanted extra 3rd party thermal paste for whatever reason, go with MX-4 instead of AS5 as MX-4 doesn't have the curing time requirement of AS5 and has similar if not better cooling properties.
 
sorry guys no pics (my phone camera is broken). But I did want to say huge THANKS to everyone who helped me tweak my build. You guys are the best. The new computer is running awesome and I can't wait to OC this soon. I popped a chub just writing this post - thanks again.
 
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