Build advice - Review of what I've picked so far

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schapman

Gawd
Joined
Oct 23, 2003
Messages
721
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming/Photoshop/Lightroom
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$800-900CAD
3) Where do you live?
Canada!
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word
CPU/Board/RAM/Case/PSU/Videocard
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I have a 1TB WD drive to drop in, as well as an existing kb/mouse
6) Will you be overclocking?
No
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
23" 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? etc.
Fast USB is nice.. possibly eSATA and a later upgrade to a faster ssd drive (when prices permit)
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Have a win7 pro 64bit license already

Intel Core i5 2500K Quad Core Unlocked Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 6MB
209.99

Gigabyte Z68A-D3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 Z68 DDR3 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 HDMI DVI SLI SATA3 USB3.0 Motherboard
129.99

Kingston HyperX KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 XMP Dual Channel Memory Kit
54.99

XFX Radeon HD 6950 800MHZ 2GB 5.0GHZ DDR5 2XDVI HDMI 2x Mini DisplayPort PCI-E Video Card
224.99

Thermaltake V3 Black Edition ATX Mid Tower Case Black 4X5.25 1X3.5 4X3.5INT Front USB Audio No PSU
39.99

Antec Earthwatts 750W Modular Power Supply ATX12V V2.2 EPS12V Active PFC 80PLUS 135mm Fan
84.99

TP-Link TL-WN851N Wireless N Dual Antenna Network Adapter Card 802.11B/G/N 2.4GHZ MIMO PCI
31.99

$776.93 + tax = $870.16


Thoughts/Suggestions?
 
You could go with a Biostar Z68 board to save a few $.Same goes for ram. Value ram at 1333 won't matter without overclocking. (the price for 8 gb 1600 is very good, so why not).
I would probably spend more for a case, otoh I've spent less.
It is doubtful a $40 case has sufficient fans for a 6950. OTOH a couple of fans can fix that.
I like Cooler Master r4 1600-2000 rpm fans or Yaste Loon med.
750 watts is overkill but for $85 why not.
 
As wtourist noted, there's little to no real world performance difference between DDR3 1333 RAM and DDR3 1600 RAM. In addition, that Kingston RAM is rated at 1.65V, which is the max RAM voltage for Core i series CPUs. We generally recommend RAM rated at 1.5V to avoid any potential future issues. So go with any DDR3 1333 RAM set rated at 1.5V and you'll be set.

Case wise, I'd spend the extra cash for this better cooling case:
$60 - Cooler Master HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 ATX Case

EDIT: Also, are you factoring in rebates for those parts? Some of those prices look a little off.
 
Another option (since lightroom is my first motivation so the videocard can wait)


Intel Core i5 2500K Quad Core Unlocked Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 6MB
209.99
Gigabyte Z68A-D3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 Z68 DDR3 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 HDMI DVI SLI SATA3 USB3.0 Motherboard
129.99
Corsair XMS3 CMX4GX3M2B1600C9 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 1.5V Dual Channel Memory Kit
34.99
Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio
49.99
Coolermaster Extreme Power Plus 600W ATX 12V V2.3 Silent Power Supply 20/24PIN 120MM Fan
54.99
TP-Link TL-WN851N Wireless N Dual Antenna Network Adapter Card 802.11B/G/N 2.4GHZ MIMO PCI
31.99
LG GH24LS70 24X SATA Lightscribe Internal DVD Writer Burner DVDRW Optical Drive Black OEM (GH24LS70)
19.99

*These are all Canadian prices based on the current ++++ sales and pre-any mail in rebates.
 
schapman said:
Corsair XMS3 CMX4GX3M2B1600C9 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 1.5V Dual Channel Memory Kit
Click to expand...
Not a good choice in the long-run since it limits you to 12GB of RAM later on. Better go for a single 4GB set instead.
schapman said:
Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio
Click to expand...
Not a good choice for the money.
schapman said:
Coolermaster Extreme Power Plus 600W ATX 12V V2.3 Silent Power Supply 20/24PIN 120MM Fan
54.99
Click to expand...
Really really crappy PSU. Unless you're powering an Atom setup, it's not a good choice.
 
Just wondering what the issues are for the Antec 300?


Other than that (current list is)

ASUS PCE-N13 Wireless Network Adapter 802.11B/G/N Up to 300MBPS PCI-EXPRESS
$23.98
LG GH24LS70 24X SATA Lightscribe Internal DVD Writer Burner DVDRW Optical Drive Black OEM
$19.99
Mushkin Enhanced Silverline Stiletto 8GB 2X4GB PC3-10666 DDR3-1333 9-9-9-24 Dual Channel Memory Kit
$42.47
Gigabyte Z68A-D3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 Z68 DDR3 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 HDMI DVI SLI SATA3 USB3.0 Motherboard
$129.99
Intel Core i5 2500K Quad Core Unlocked Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 6MB
$209.99
Antec High Current Gamer 620W 48A 24PIN ATX12V V2.3 Active PFC 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply 135mm Fan
$76.99
Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio
$49.99
YOUR TOTAL $553.40
 
Last edited:
schapman said:
Just wondering what the issues are for the Antec 300?
Click to expand...
It's cramped and has little to no cable management capability. The Coolermaster HAF 912 is roomier and has significantly better cable management which means better cooling overall.

schapman said:
Antec High Current Gamer 520W 40A 24PIN ATX12V V2.3 Active PFC 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply 135mm Fan
$63.66
Click to expand...

If you're going with the HD 6950 2GB mentioned earlier, you're gonna need a larger PSU. I recommend the Corsair 650TX V2 or the 620W version of that Antec PSU.
 
Danny Bui said:
It's cramped and has little to no cable management capability. The Coolermaster HAF 912 is roomier and has significantly better cable management which means better cooling overall.



If you're going with the HD 6950 2GB mentioned earlier, you're gonna need a larger PSU. I recommend the Corsair 650TX V2 or the 620W version of that Antec PSU.
Click to expand...

Already edited for the 620 watt and now I'm contemplating the extra $50 for a Corsair 400R
 
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