Build Check #2

C

Chibo

Gawd
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Messages
605
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Web browsing, gaming, etc. He plays Eve Online and was looking to play BF3 and Skyrim when they come out
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1000-1150 shipped before MIR
3) Where do you live?
Arizona
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.
Mobo, CPU, Ram, Case, PSU, HDD, Videocard, etc
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?
Lightly
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
24" right now, plan to get a second videocard in the future to run tri monitor
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.
Nothing special
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Win 7 x64


Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory
MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC Video Card
Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G310 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Mid Tower Silent PC Computer Case
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

Total: $1,147.92
Motherboard/CPU are a combo.

Anything I should consider swapping? It's another build for a friend, he'd like to stuff another GTX 560 Ti in it down the line to run tri monitors so I need to stick with a dual PCI-E motherboard. He'd like a modular PSU but I'm not too sure it'd fit in the budget at this point.
 
First switch the SSD to this Crucial M4 128GB or if your friend really wants Intel go with the 510 120GB. The Intel 320 is bottlenecked due to still being on the SATA II interface, so you are best off with one of the SSDs I mentioned to get the most of speed on SATA III that SSDs are meant for. Second is he seriously considering with a multimonitor setup? If so I would recommend looking into a 6950 2GB due to having more VRAM for slightly more. I just see the GTX 560 Ti choking even in SLI at the higher resolution due to the VRAM. That PSU may have to be bumped up to a 750W to properly handle the load, but I am not totally sure on that. Otherwise the build looks good in my opinion. If you want to add a bit more the build I recommend dropping the motherboard down to the MSI P67-G45. Only difference I see between the 65 and 45 is the amount of Sata III ports and considering you are not overclocking to the fullest do you need the extra premium?
 
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I picked the Intel drive because I kinda felt like Intel was the most reliable and issue free of the SSDs. I've heard good things about the M4 so I will switch to that. Ditto on the motherboard. :)

Tri monitor will probably be a pipe dream for him, so i'm not really worried about it. ;)
 
Thanks, Danny. Moved to the modular PSU and I guess I will switch back to that combo I had with the 65. I don't like Biostar but are there any other motherboards to consider in the same price area?

edit: Switched the videocard to a EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti since it has far better reviews and comes out a little cheaper after MIR.

Changes in bold
Current:
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory
EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Mid Tower Silent PC Computer Case
CORSAIR Professional Series HX650 (CMPSU-650HX) 650W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular

Total: $1,139.55
-$55 MIR
Final Total: $1085.55
Motherboard/CPU are a combo.
 
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Is that a typo on Newegg's site saying it has SLI then? I thought thats why it did. Hmm.

EDIT: Yup that is a typo that is very misleading on Newegg's part.
 
I found this in the Newegg comments about the G45:
PCI-e slot placements interfere certain parts of the board. More specifically, if you use a full size video card (I use a gtx 560 ti):
1) on the top slot - will block the PCH heatsink, and will therefore make it VERY hot under full load.
2) on the bottom slot - will block ALL (yes, all) of the SATA ports. You MUST have angled sata cables if you want to use the bottom pci-e x16 slot with a large video card.
Click to expand...
:(
 
I suggest getting the same card as you got - except the MSI Hawk version. Not much more but well worth it.
 
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