~$1000 Build: Need to finalize a few things!

P

PSPatrick2

n00b
Joined
Jul 1, 2011
Messages
24
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, encoding, downloading, browsing, Photoshop, Lightroom

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
About 1 grand, no tax or shipping included

3) Where do you live?
SF Bay Area, with Fry's and Microcenter in driving distance

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, DVD, HDD, SSD, RAM, Case, PSU, MoBo, Cooler, GPU

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None

6) Will you be overclocking?
Perhaps in the future

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
22" 1680 x 1050 IPS Dell

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Before September of this year (2011); Likely within a few weeks

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s preferred

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 x64

Here's what I have so far, and it's a bit over my limit:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=13204534

Any glaring issues? Please point me in the direction of better deals and such.

I will actually be ordering most parts from Amazon.com (I'm a CA resident)!

Notes/Concerns:
- I want a good SSD. Crucial, OCZ Vertex 3, or Intel 510?
- CM692, Antec 100, or what? I'd like a case with great cable management.
- What are your recommendations on a good water-based CPU cooler? Antec or Corsair?
- Any better modular PSUs? I'm only running one GPU and my power needs aren't too heavy.

Any input will be greatly appreciated. I'm wanting to buy by September.
 
Last edited:
If you don't plan to overclock initially, then why waste money on a watercooling setup? That's $80 that doesn't need to be spent. If you want better cooling, then spend a lot less than half that on a CM Hyper 212+ heatsink/fan.

I got that same case, cable management is good with it. I have a lot of cables, but they are all nicely hidden.
 
PSPatrick2 said:
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Before September of this year (2011)
...
Any input will be greatly appreciated. I'm wanting to buy by September.
Click to expand...

Yeah you're planning this build too early then. You're better off waiting 2-3 weeks before your actual build date and ask for advice then as the parts we recommend today maybe out of date, out of stock or outperformed within a month let alone the two months between now and September.

With that said, assuming that you're building this PC within July:
Intel 510 SSD if you can afford it. Crucial C300 if you need to save some cash.
Stick with your CM692 case choice.
N/A
Don't bother with that OCZ PSU. I recommend these PSUs instead:
$89 - XFX P1-650X-CAH9 650W Modular PSU
$120 - Corsair 650HX 650W Modular PSU
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Thanks for the PSU suggestions.
Didn't know that new stuff would come out by September, but my date was just a general guideline.
I can build this very soon, in fact.
 
PSPatrick2 said:
Thanks for the PSU suggestions.
Didn't know that new stuff would come out by September, but my date was just a general guideline.
I can build this very soon, in fact.
Click to expand...

The thing is a lot of the builds here are based on Neweggs combo deals which change each month.
 
Assuming you're ready to buy everything today, grab the RAM from NewEgg now; the promo code makes it worth the added sales tax.

Go to Micro Center and buy the following:

$180 - Intel Core i5-2500K (it's $180 there)
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus (its MSRP is actually $30)
$95 - MSI P67A-G43 (comes with an instant $40 discount for buying together with the i5-2500K)
$240 - Crucial m4 128GB SSD (in place of the Intel 510, though you may need to use the "18 min. Pickup" feature ahead of time)
$60 - Samsung HD103SJ 1TB hard drive (easily worth the $15 premium, especially since you're saving money in other areas)
$20 - LG GH22NS50 SATA DVD burner

You should also call ahead and see whether or not that store will price-match with NewEgg; if so, you should be able to grab the XFX power supply (which is made by the same manufacturer that makes Corsair's PSUs, Seasonic), video card,OS, and case from there (my recommendation is the HAF 912).
 
I updated the wishlist.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=13204534

I kind of want a Z68 motherboard, so that's why I chose the Gigabyte, although I hear MSI and Asus are better options?

I'll definitely be picking up the 2500k at Microcenter.
I'll try to buy as many components as possible from Fry's/Microcenter, and use Amazon.com as well. I'll buy the case and GPU from Newegg for sure though, as they don't sell Fractal Design cases anywhere else. As for the GPU, I'm not sure if I can get a deal + rebate elsewhere.
 
PSPatrick2 said:
I updated the wishlist.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=13204534

I kind of want a Z68 motherboard, so that's why I chose the Gigabyte, although I hear MSI and Asus are better options?
Click to expand...

There are better options than that Gigabyte motherboard, especially at that price: The Gigabyte mobo that you selected has some of the desirable functions of the Z68 chipset internally (and permanently) disabled - namely, the integrated graphics capability and QuickSync and Lucid Virtu support. (In other words, that Gigabyte mobo is not a true Z68 mobo - but instead one that's gimped to the functional level of a P67 mobo.) Hence, that board is functionally no more than a P67-based mobo that has SSD caching slapped on.
 
I don't know enough about Lucid Virtu (GPU virtualization) to say whether or not it's worth grabbing a Z68 board for. As for best bang-per-buck, however, the MSI P67A-G43 that I referenced earlier would be better. It has many of the Z68A-DG65's features, save for Lucid Virtu and SSD caching (which I don't believe is must-have), and you can grab it at MC for under $100. (Then again, the Z68A-GD65 is available at MC, and it also qualifies for the $40 instant discount when purchased alongside an Intel LGA1155 processor.)

If you insist on the Z68, however, go with the MSI board. ASRock boards have one-year warranties, whereas MSI carries three-year warranties on its boards.
 
Last edited:
tiraides said:
I don't know enough about Lucid Virtu (GPU virtualization) to say whether or not it's worth grabbing a Z68 board for. As for best bang-per-buck, however, the MSI P67A-G43 that I referenced earlier would be better. It has many of the Z68A-DG65's features, save for Lucid Virtu and SSD caching (which I don't believe is must-have), and you can grab it at MC for under $100. (Then again, the Z68A-GD65 is available at MC, and it also qualifies for the $40 instant discount when purchased alongside an Intel LGA1155 processor.)

If you insist on the Z68, however, go with the MSI board. ASRock boards have one-year warranties, whereas MSI carries three-year warranties on its boards.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately the two MSI boards mentioned are out of stock at my local Microcenter.

However, these two ASUS boards are in stock:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0358071
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0364220

Thoughts? $40 off is an amazing deal when bought with an already-cheap CPU.
 
Crap. The Asus P8P67 and P8P67 Pro ATX boards have a more-than-average rate of issues; the P8P67-M Pro microATX board doesn't have as many features for the price as the ATX P67A-Gxx series boards.

Look at the Gigabyte P67 boards. Danny doesn't like them because they don't utilize the UEFI interface (they use BIOS), but I haven't heard of any significant problems with them.
 
tiraides said:
Look at the Gigabyte P67 boards. Danny doesn't like them because they don't utilize the UEFI interface (they use BIOS), but I haven't heard of any significant problems with them.
Click to expand...

Yeah I do have to admit: Besides the lack of UEFI and confusing SKU, they do appear to be solid motherboards
 
Last edited:
Asus can't be that bad can it? The UEFI interface looks pretty nice, better than MSI's and certainly better than the Gigabyte BIOS (I already use a P35-DS3L from years ago). I guess I could wait until the MSI board comes back in stock.
 
Hey, if you are looking to shave some $$ off, I would definitely consider this case-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112323

They have a non-windowed version as well. It has really excellent cable management. I would also recommend the HAF 912 as another user posted above. I was able to fit a 240mm rad inside a 912 with minimal modding, so it is a solid choice for future expansion.

Cable management wise though, the Lian Li is an excellent buy. It also has 8 expansion slots, and uses 140mm fans (a solid improvement over 120mm fans, because you can get much better cfm/dBa ratios).

Sorry, can't be much assistance on the board situation, other than the fact that my first sandy bridge board was an Asus P8P67 and it took my 2600k to 5ghz easily. No problems (1kw psu, 2x5830, 4gb ddr3 1600) at all.

Good luck with your build
 
I realized that I might have clearance issues with the G.Skill RAM and the Cooler Master CPU cooler.
Any other suggestions for RAM without the huge heatsinks? I want 2 x 4GB DDR3.

Also, and suggestions for fans? I'm planning on adding two more to the fractal design.
120 or 140mm will work, and the quieter the better.
 
PSPatrick2 said:
I realized that I might have clearance issues with the G.Skill RAM and the Cooler Master CPU cooler.
Any other suggestions for RAM without the huge heatsinks? I want 2 x 4GB DDR3..
Click to expand...
You'll be fine. I have a similar set of G.Skill RAM (rated at 1600 rather than 1333) and the Hyper 212+. Works just fine. Granted I do have to raise the fan ever so slightly but unless you're unfathomably incompetent, you shouldn't have any issues.

PSPatrick2 said:
Also, and suggestions for fans? I'm planning on adding two more to the fractal design.
120 or 140mm will work, and the quieter the better.
Click to expand...
$3.60 - 120mm Yate Loon D12SL-12 Case Fan
$14 - Scythe SY1225SL12L 120mm "Slipstream" Case Fan
 
Beautiful. Everything will be purchased quite soon.
Only thing is, Microcenter is out of stock for the 2500k!

Thanks for your help, Danny.
Hopefully those two fans won't add too much noise to my rig. By the way, any reason to choose the 120mm versions over their 140mm counterparts?
Since the Fractal Design R3 supports 140mm fans, I thought bigger fans = less noise and more CFM.
 
PSPatrick2 said:
By the way, any reason to choose the 120mm versions over their 140mm counterparts?
Since the Fractal Design R3 supports 140mm fans, I thought bigger fans = less noise and more CFM.
Click to expand...

Price pretty much. If you can find quiet 140mm fans, go ahead and use them.
 
I'm having second thoughts about the SSD. Is the Intel 510 worth the money? I've read that the Crucial M4 is just as reliable and almost as fast. What are your recommendations? Longevity and reliability out of the box are my main concerns.

Also the i5 2500k is still out of stock at the NorCal Microcenter!!
 
PSPatrick2 said:
I'm having second thoughts about the SSD. Is the Intel 510 worth the money? I've read that the Crucial M4 is just as reliable and almost as fast. What are your recommendations? Longevity and reliability out of the box are my main concerns.
Click to expand...
It's worth the money IMO.
 
Flip a coin to choose between the Intel 510 and the Crucial m4. Various benchmarks have shown that the 510 has fast sustained read/write speeds whereas the m4 has faster random read/write speeds. Intel's SSDs are known for their reliability whereas Crucial based its m4 SSDs off its successful C300 line.

Just to be different (from Danny Bui), I recommend the m4. It's what I ended up choosing for myself.
 
I really like Intel's rock-solid reliability, but I'm wondering if it's really worth $60 more than the Crucial.
 
Again, flip a coin. Either SSD would be noticeably faster than any single hard drive.
 
I'm still open to motherboard suggestions. I have basically everything but the SSD and i5/Mobo.

What's the best option for motherboards under $170? P67 or Z68.
I like ASUS's UEFI but I want a motherboard that's very reliable.
 
From what you've written so far, you should be fine with this mobo:
$133 - MSI P67A-G45 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
 
Thanks for your suggestions guys! The build is up and running now. Everything is lightning fast. Games, loading Windows, everything is just a snap. It's cool and quiet, too.

MSI P67A-GD55
XFX 6870
2500k
Cooler Master Hyper 212+
128GB Crucial M4
1TB Samsung
24x ASUS DVD
650W HX650
Fractal Design R3

Only thing is, that I can't seem to connect the front USB =(...
Maybe you guys can help??
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1623050
 
You've received some good advice in the other thread... what more do you want from us?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top