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$1500 gaming build

A

AugB.

n00b
Joined
Jan 4, 2006
Messages
37
Hey guys, I'm trying to build a rig for a buddy of mine but I've been out of the loop for quite some time. I did some brief research and this is what I've been able to come up with thus far. The list is very ballpark-ish and any and all advice, especially pricewise to get the most bang for the buck ($1500) is greatly appreciated.

Obligatory build form below:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Primarily gaming
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1500 give or take $50~ not including tax
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Chicago, Illinois
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc.
Case, PSU, CPU, cooler/fan (if needed?) GPU, RAM, HDDs, DVD drive
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing?
Monitor, mouse + kbd, speakers
6) Will you be overclocking?
Not particularly but having the option is a plus
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1920x1200, 24"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
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 (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
None in particular
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No; will be going with Win7 Home Premium 64 bit


List of parts (as seen on newegg) & thoughts:

  • Corsair Obsidian Series 550D Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $139.99
    heard good things about this one. is the cooling sufficient for heavy gaming?

  • BIOSTAR T5 XE LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - $134.99
    open to other suggestions

  • EVGA 02G-P4-2670-KR GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $399.99
    does ATI offer a better alternative?

  • CORSAIR Professional Series HX650 (CMPSU-650HX) 650W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE - $109.99
    is 650w enough juice? better options?

  • Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor - $289.99
    thoughts? advice on an aftermarket cooling device?

  • Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - $124.99
    will be putting games/apps/os on this. other suggestions? enough size?

  • SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $109.99
    preferrably 1-2TB. thoughts on this model + others?

  • G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-16GBXL - $98.99

  • ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM - $16.99
    better options?

  • Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - $99.99

Total: $1,545.90


Big thanks in advance to all who contribute.
 
Well, if your by a Microcenter and I think there is one in your town...go for a combo deal.$189 i5 CPU +$50 bucks off a Mobo...In store pickup
you can get a i5 Ivy 3570K w/ a good Gigabyte/Asus mobo for about 325ish after tax. they also have discounts on the Sandies/mobo combos..either way will save you 100 Buck right off the bat...

I have never been a big fan of (biostar) Mobo's myself....not know for Quality
(Do they still call them BioCrap ? )

Anyway im sure they pro's will come along shortly to give you some real good advice.....thats why we are here :)

AP514
 
First and foremost, that motherboard and CPU will not work together.

How far are you from a MicroCenter?
 
As Skillz said, that CPU and motherboard won't work together at all since the mobo is socket LGA 1156 and that CPU is LGA 1155. So you want a LGA 1155 mobo. Before I recommend a mobo, how far are you away from these Microcenter location?:
http://www.microcenter.com/at_the_stores/chicago.html

Speaking of the CPU, since you're only gaming and haven't mentioned doing a ton of video, 3D, or audio editing/rendering, zero reason for you to get the Core i7 2600K. You'll be fine with the Core i5 2500K or Core i5 3570K. If you're not overclocking, then go with the Core i5 3450. Either way, no reason for you to get the 2600K.

As for the RAM, since you're going with Windows 7 HP, no point in grabbing that 2 x 8GB set since Windows 7 HP is artificially limited to 16GB of RAM max. So you can save yourself close to $20 by going with two of this RAM set instead:
$40 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

The case, GPU, PSU, SSD, and HDD are fine choices. As for the DVD burner, just go with the cheapest DVD burner you can find with free shipping or low shipping costs and you'll be fine. They're basically all the same.
 
Skillz said:
First and foremost, that motherboard and CPU will not work together.

How far are you from a MicroCenter?
Click to expand...

Thanks for pointing that out. It's what happens when I'm in a hurry and do half-ass research.

Microcenter is about a half hour drive from where I live, although I'm pretty sure the person I'm building this for wants to get all the parts from the egg. I'll look into it.

Also I'm hearing that all i5 is sufficient for all gaming purposes. Anyone care to comment?
 
AugB. said:
Thanks for pointing that out. It's what happens when I'm in a hurry and do half-ass research.

Microcenter is about a half hour drive from where I live, although I'm pretty sure the person I'm building this for wants to get all the parts from the egg. I'll look into it.

Also I'm hearing that all i5 is sufficient for all gaming purposes. Anyone care to comment?
Click to expand...

Well Microcenter has an extremely good deal with a CPU and motherboard compo, would be worth the trip for sure.

As Danny pointed out, an i5 is all you'll need for a gaming rig.
 
Danny Bui said:
Speaking of the CPU, since you're only gaming and haven't mentioned doing a ton of video, 3D, or audio editing/rendering, zero reason for you to get the Core i7 2600K. You'll be fine with the Core i5 2500K or Core i5 3570K. If you're not overclocking, then go with the Core i5 3450. Either way, no reason for you to get the 2600K.
Click to expand...

This makes sense.

As for the RAM, since you're going with Windows 7 HP, no point in grabbing that 2 x 8GB set since Windows 7 HP is artificially limited to 16GB of RAM max. So you can save yourself close to $20 by going with two of this RAM set instead:
$40 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
Click to expand...

Sorry, is there a difference between going 2x8gb and 4x4gb? Both equal to 16gbs... not sure if I'm missing something.

Also I think I remember you from one of my other build threads... you helped build a comp that's going strong almost 4 years in. So, cheers for that and keep up the good work :)
 
Just remember the MICROCENTER CPU/MOBO combo deal ends next weekend....so at least pull the trigger on those...and SAVE a good chunk of change.....
 
AugB. said:
Sorry, is there a difference between going 2x8gb and 4x4gb? Both equal to 16gbs... not sure if I'm missing something.
Click to expand...

There is no difference from your point of view. That's what he is trying to say. The motherboard you get will most likely have 4 DIMM slots and the version of Windows you have supports a maximum of 16GB. So you want to get to that 16GB as cheap as possible, so you can spend the money else where. In this case, going with a 4x4GB kit will save you ~$20. In the end, you'll still have 16GB worth of RAM. The 2x8GB modules should be for systems with only 2 DIMM slots and/or if you can support more than 16GB of RAM.

AP514 said:
Just remember the MICROCENTER CPU/MOBO combo deal ends next weekend....so at least pull the trigger on those...and SAVE a good chunk of change.....
Click to expand...

They've been doing it every month for a while now, pretty sure it'll be the same next month as well.
 
I always go after market Cooler.....Cool Master hyper 212 Plus $29 or EVO $34 is what has been a forum favorites.
 
Since you aren't really overclocking, no need to honestly. If and when you do decide to start overclocking, would probably be better to just buy a better cooler then for a couple reasons.

1. You might decide you don't ever need to overclock.
2. Cheaper and better coolers might be out by that time.

Also unless you plan to make the trip to Microcenter to get the CPU/Motherboard combo deal we probably aren't going to set you up with a "K" series processor anyway. That's money that can be spent else where. However if you do plan to go there for the "K" series processor/motherboard deal; then it wont cost more than buying the non "K" version off Newegg. So essentially you'll get more bang for your buck going to one of the Microcenters Danny mentioned. The non "K" processors can be overclocked, but they can't really overclock beyond what the stock cooler can handle anyway so no need for an aftermarket cooler at that point.
 
really appreciate the input so far guys.

can anyone recommend a good mobo for i5?
 
Gigabyte/ ASUS....
Have not heard alot of good things about ASRock...just reading advice here...
 
AugB. said:
really appreciate the input so far guys.

can anyone recommend a good mobo for i5?
Click to expand...

Since you're not overclocking, this mobo should do the trick if you're going with the Core i5 2400:
$90 - Intel BOXDH67CLB3 Intel H67 mATX Motherboard

If you're going with the 2500K or 3570K and are overclocking, I recommend this as a minimum:
$135 - MSI Z77A-G45 Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard

If you're only going with the Core i5 3450:
$103 - Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H Intel H77 mATX Motherboard
 
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