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cpu/mobo/ram/psu build

C

cicatriz63

Weaksauce
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Messages
118
Edit: added q/a for clarity
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming (WoW, LoL, Diablo 3) and movies
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
~400 not including shipping
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

PA, USA
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
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Reusing case, optical drive, hdd, video card (radeon 5770), sound card, monitor, kb/mouse
6) Will you be overclocking?
mildly if at all
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
23" 1920x1080
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
This week.
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)? etc.
Do not need any special features, no plans for any type of sli or any type of raid.
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


So my buddies computer finally crapped the bed and I told him I would help him put a build together so I am looking for some input. He will be reusing as much as possible and I think I can get away with just upgrading the cpu/mobo/ram and the power supply.
Things he will be reusing: case, optical, hdd, video card (radeon 5770), sound card
It will mainly be used for games (WoW, LoL, diablo3) and movies at 1920x1080 res
His budget is around $400 without shipping to PA and I figured with that I can come up with a decent 2500k build so thats what I was aiming at. He may not overclock immediately but the option is nice for how easy it is.
He has a legit 7 x64 he will be using.
Does not need anything special as far as mobo features go but a pci slot would be nice so he can reuse his sound card.
This is a prelim build i came up with real fast. Things I'm not sure of are mainly Ram and the psu, i think both can be tamed down a bit to lower the cost a bit.

i5 2500k http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Asrock z68m mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157270
8gb corsair dd31600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345
Antec Neo eco 520w psu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030

cost is $430 shipped and thats about as much as I can stretch the 400 budget with shipping included. Any thoughts or alternatives are appreciated.
edit: forgot to add he's looking to build within the next few days
 
Last edited:
cicatriz63 said:
So my buddies computer finally crapped the bed and I told him I would help him put a build together so I am looking for some input. He will be reusing as much as possible and I think I can get away with just upgrading the cpu/mobo/ram and the power supply.
Things he will be reusing: case, optical, hdd, video card (radeon 5770), sound card
It will mainly be used for games (WoW, LoL, diablo3) and movies at 1920x1080 res
His budget is around $400 without shipping to PA and I figured with that I can come up with a decent 2500k build so thats what I was aiming at. He may not overclock immediately but the option is nice for how easy it is.
He has a legit 7 x64 he will be using.
Does not need anything special as far as mobo features go but a pci slot would be nice so he can reuse his sound card.
This is a prelim build i came up with real fast. Things I'm not sure of are mainly Ram and the psu, i think both can be tamed down a bit to lower the cost a bit.

i5 2500k http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Asrock z68m mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157270
8gb corsair dd31600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345
Antec Neo eco 520w psu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030

cost is $430 shipped and thats about as much as I can stretch the 400 budget with shipping included. Any thoughts or alternatives are appreciated.
edit: forgot to add he's looking to build within the next few days
Click to expand...

I cannot recommend any ASRock motherboard at all due to that brand's inconsistent quality control (or a lot more defective boards than are justified for the price that you pay for them). Worse, the low-end boards are warrantied for only one year.

Second, unless you are planning to stick with the stock Intel HSF or go with a liquid cooling solution, the particular Corsair Vengeance RAM you chose are also a mismatch: The heatsinks on that RAM are so tall that they actually interfere with the proper installation of many fans that come on good tower air coolers (and even some of the coolers themselves might not fit on the motherboard properly with this RAM installed). Fortunately, Corsair sells a low-profile version of the Vengeance RAM that will not interfere with the proper mounting of a good air cooler or fan.

Third, please answer the "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST" sticky at the top of the Gen[H]ard forum. Though if you're not going to overclock, the i5-2500K or any other K-series CPU is overkill.
 
Might want to consider what he needs out of a motherboard. You can then find the best bang for your buck with that information.

Also, if a feature is just "nice" it may be better to consider cutting it, especially since when you talk over-clock, you are talking larger power supplies and after market cooling, which means he'll need to spend more money later anyhow.
 
E4g1e said:
I cannot recommend any ASRock motherboard at all due to that brand's inconsistent quality control (or a lot more defective boards than are justified for the price that you pay for them). Worse, the low-end boards are warrantied for only one year.

Second, unless you are planning to stick with the stock Intel HSF or go with a liquid cooling solution, the particular Corsair Vengeance RAM you chose are also a mismatch: The heatsinks on that RAM are so tall that they actually interfere with the proper installation of many fans that come on good tower air coolers (and even some of the coolers themselves might not fit on the motherboard properly with this RAM installed). Fortunately, Corsair sells a low-profile version of the Vengeance RAM that will not interfere with the proper mounting of a good air cooler or fan.

Third, please answer the "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST" sticky at the top of the Gen[H]ard forum. Though if you're not going to overclock, the i5-2500K or any other K-series CPU is overkill.
Click to expand...

appreciate the reply, I didn't see that the mobo only had a 1 year warranty. also I have the same memory linked and it does not interfere with my hyper 212+ at all, but your point is well taken.
I'm not sure what is missing from the sticky that isnt already answered above..
 
Drop the RAM down to free up $8:
$37 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

Now, if you can buy the motherboard soon, I recommend buying this motherboard:
$113 - Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 Intel Z68 ATX Motherboard

There's a "10% off with promo code GAMB210216, limited offer" deal going on with that mobo that drops it down to ~$102. That's only $2 more over your total but you'll get a significantly better quality motherboard that way.

If the likelihood of your friend overclocking past 3.6Ghz is zilch and you need to shave off $40 off the budget, go with the above CPU and motherboard but drop the CPU down to the $190 Core i5 2400:
$190 - Intel Core i5-2400 CPU
 
Danny Bui said:
Drop the RAM down to free up $8:
$37 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

Now, if you can buy the motherboard soon, I recommend buying this motherboard:
$113 - Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 Intel Z68 ATX Motherboard

There's a "10% off with promo code GAMB210216, limited offer" deal going on with that mobo that drops it down to ~$102. That's only $2 more over your total but you'll get a significantly better quality motherboard that way.

If the likelihood of your friend overclocking past 3.6Ghz is zilch and you need to shave off $40 off the budget, go with the above CPU and motherboard but drop the CPU down to the $190 Core i5 2400:
$190 - Intel Core i5-2400 CPU
Click to expand...

excellent, i was considering that mobo as well. any thoughts on the psu? I've used it in another build with no issues and it seems to be the best in its price range at the moment.
 
cicatriz63 said:
excellent, i was considering that mobo as well. any thoughts on the psu? I've used it in another build with no issues and it seems to be the best in its price range at the moment.
Click to expand...
Good choice if your friend is planning on a future GPU upgrade.
 
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