First time builder $1700 gaming pc

[helluvagood]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, movies, web browsing
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1600, not including tax and shipping, don't have to reach this budget. Most likely buying at local store.
3) Where do you live?
Canada, please use newegg.ca or memoryexpress.com
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.
All the parts requried to build a PC. This is a new build.
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?
Yes
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
1920x1080, 23inch monitor
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
May
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.
USB3.0, optical out. Will OC.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes

My prelim build:

Case
Cooler Master HAF X Tower Case
$179.99


GPU
SAPPHIRE 100311SR Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready
$369.99


PSU
Corsair Professional HX850W 850W ATX 12V 70A 24PIN ATX Modular Power Supply Active PFC 140MM Fan
$159.04

Motherboard
MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$179.99


CPU
Intel Core™ i5-2500K Processor, 3.30GHz w/ 6MB Cache
$214.99

Memory
?


SSD
Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$139.99


HDD
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$74.99

Asus DRW-24B1ST 24x DVD-RW Drive, SATA, Black, OEM
$20.99

Cooling
Cooler Master 200mm Red LED Fan
$19.99

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7
$29.99

 

[Jonowxeno]

Note about the Haf X and that Gigabyte USB 3.0; It looks like the motherboard has internal USB 3.0 headers unfortunately, the HAF X appears to be just pass through USB 3.0 so they will connect to the USB 3.0 plugs on rear of the MB.

PSU : 750 is enough
SSD : I'd spend $10 more for the Crucial C300, most people find it to be better (or wait for C400)
HDD : If it's just for storage, get a 2TB green drive (Samsung F4, hitachi 5k3000 or WD20EARS) otherwise i think the Samsung F3 1TB will do better than the black/is slightly cheaper.

I'd get a CPU cooler even though you're not O.Cing,

 

[E4g1e]

First off, if you're buying the parts in May, I'd suggest that you wait five weeks or so before you make a final decision. That's because any parts that we recommend now might be outdated or become overly expensive or become discontinued entirely by that time due to the wild week-to-week (or even day-to-day) fluctuations in the computer component pricing.

Second, the Gigabyte P67 mobos are not the best choice for an all-around P67 mobo due to the company's refusal (or failure) to implement a true UEFI BIOS. Instead, that company continues to use the legacy old-style 16-bit BIOS with some UEFI-compatible features slapped on. That alone makes the Gigabyte P67 mobos partially unfinished, IMHO.

Third, why are you getting a K-series CPU if you're not going to overclock?

 

[helluvagood]

The samsung F3 1TB looks like a good alternative
Is this the c300 you are suggesting? (64gb is enough for me)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148357&cm_re=c300-_-20-148-357-_-Product
When does the c400 come out? Is there a good reason to wait for it?
What cpu cooler do you suggest?

@E4g1e
Im just doing some early research now, I know things will change in May.
I don't know if the UEFI BIOS will affect me because I don't know much about it..
I read the 2500k is the best cpu for gaming

 

[E4g1e]

@E4g1e
Im just doing some early research now, I know things will change in May.
I don't know if the UEFI BIOS will affect me because I don't know much about it..
I read the 2500k is the best cpu for gaming

IMHO buying a so-called new-generation motherboard with such an archaic interface (BIOS) is somewhat pound-foolish.

And the 2500K is no better than the plain i5-2500 for gaming if you're not overclocking at all.

 

[DarthV]

Not to mention if you're not going to OC, why buy a p67 board? Save the money and get a h67. But with how easy it is to OC a 2500k to 4.5ghz on a $25 cooler (hyper 212+), why wouldn't you OC?!

 

[tonytnnt]

IMHO buying a so-called new-generation motherboard with such an archaic interface (BIOS) is somewhat pound-foolish.

And the 2500K is no better than the plain i5-2500 for gaming if you're not overclocking at all.

I agree. There's also the fact that MSI and Asus both have motherboards in the same price range that are better (at least on Newegg.com. I'll check .ca when I'm not on my iPod.)

The main difference (for you) between a 2500k and a 2500 is that they both have the same clock speed, cache, and bus speeds, but the non-k chip is cheaper because it is multiplier locked, and can't be effectively overclocked.

 

[Tyler582]

How long do you want this PC to last? If you're spending $1700 I think you could do way better than GTX 570 for GPU. How big is your monitor? 2GB Radeon 6950's in Xfire will set you back less than 600 and, at 1920x1080, you will be able to run any game maxed out for probably a couple years. And for now you could buy a 120hz monitor and play games at over 60Hz which would be pretty f'in sick.

I think you're spot on with the i5-2500K. You mentioned that you won't overclock, but if you spend $60 on an aftermarket cooler and seriously put in like 30mins of time you'll be able to get massive performance increases and not look back. Trust me, I'm a total n00b but it was a breeze doing a 25% overclock on my older i5 chip.

 

[DarthV]

I think you're spot on with the i5-2500K. You mentioned that you won't overclock, but if you spend $60 on an aftermarket cooler and seriously put in like 30mins of time you'll be able to get massive performance increases and not look back. Trust me, I'm a total n00b but it was a breeze doing a 25% overclock on my older i5 chip.

And it's even easier to OC a 2500k than an i5-760!

 

[helluvagood]

Ok looks like you guys have convinced me to OC
Hyper 212 would be the cooler to get?
My monitpr is 23 inches and I want to get about 4 years out of it.

What mobo woulsd you suggest?
And should I choose RAM with lower latencies?
When does the c400 come out in Canada? Is it worth waiting for
Thanks

 

[helluvagood]

Ok looks like you guys have convinced me to OC
Hyper 212 would be the cooler to get?
My monitpr is 23 inches and I want to get about 4 years out of it.

What mobo woulsd you suggest?
And should I choose RAM with lower latencies?
When does the c400 come out in Canada? Is it worth waiting for
Thanks

 

[tonytnnt]

Are you saying you want four years out of the monitor, or four years out of the graphics cards? Four years from a monitor is definitely doable. Four years from one set of graphics cards might be pushing it unless you're willing to run at low settings 4 years from now. I've always found it better to plan to purchase a new graphics card a couple years down the road than try and future proof yourself with current technology. Get something good today, with breathing room for games coming out in the next year, but not so expensive that you can't justify spending the same amount 2 or 2.5 years from now. Alternatively, start with one card that gets you the performance you want now, and add a second one in Crossfire or SLI when you encounter games that need the performance boost.

For your budget and resolution, a Radeon HD 6970, GeForce GTX 570, Radeon HD 6950 will work pretty well. A quick look on Newegg.ca shows GTX 570s going for about $340 before a $40 MIR. A 2 GB 6950 goes for about $270, and a 6970 goes for $365 before a $30 MIR. Personally, I'd probably get the 2 GB 6950 and save the $70 over the GTX 570 for only slightly better performance. See this review for details on how the 6950, GTX 570, and 6970 stack up. The big advantage with the 6950 is that certain models have proven to be very friendly to overclocking and unlocking shaders. It won't quite deliver 6970 performance, but it'll be a fair amount faster than a stock 6950. However, on 1080p, you shouldn't need to overclock the GPU to get good performance for any game currently on the market.

For a motherboard, I would recommend an MSI P67A-GD65 for $170, an MSI P67A-G45 for $140, an MSI P67A-G43 for $125 or $130 (I don't know why there are two products listed on Newegg.ca), or a Biostar TP67B+. If you're considering nVidia and potentially SLI, get the GD-65. If you're considering ATI and potentially Crossfire, get any of the MSI boards. The MSI P67A-GD65 comes with the SLI bridge, whereas the G43 and G45 do not (though they do support SLI.) All the MSI boards support Crossfire. The Biostar is a good board, but I'd only consider it if you're sure you're not going to do Crossfire. I say this because the MSI boards can run both PCIe x16 slots at x8 speeds rather than having one at x16 and one at x4 like the Biostar and Asus boards in this price range. If you look at my sig you'll see I went with the G45, but the GD-65 for $40 more provides a few more high end features like eSATA, OC Genie buttons, and an SLI bridge. Here's a review of the GD-65.

 

[DarthV]

Ok looks like you guys have convinced me to OC
Hyper 212 would be the cooler to get?
My monitpr is 23 inches and I want to get about 4 years out of it.

What mobo woulsd you suggest?
And should I choose RAM with lower latencies?
When does the c400 come out in Canada? Is it worth waiting for
Thanks

You can buy better coolers, but I tried out the 212+ for $24 and was happy with the performance. There are other good options for around the same cost (corsair a50 or a70 when on sale).

 

[helluvagood]

Ok I updated my build in the original post
Some questions:
1. 6970 or 570? Those are my main choices. Will be playing at 1920x1080... such a hard choice
2Is the 750W enough for 2 6970s or 2 570s?? (may want to do xfire in the future)
3. The HAFx has 2 usb3.0 front ports, can the GD65 mobo take advantage of it? Also is the HAFx worth getting over the 932? or should i just save 20-30$?
4. Changed the gtx570 to 6970 after reading some reviews
5. I am confused about choosing RAM. Some people have said there is no difference between 1600 vs1333. What kinda RAM should I get?

New total is 1390.9 without RAM and before taxes and stuff.


Thanks =)

 

[Jonowxeno]

1. Could get 6950 and unlock to 6970 spec to save some money.
2. The 750W should be enough for 2 6970, might be close on 2 570 since they use a little more power. If you are going to overclock CPU & 2 GPU, you might want a larger PSU. [H] has image of power draw
3. Again, the HAF X is still currently passthrough USB 3.0; I think they are working on an adapter so you can use the internals headers.
4.
5. Get 1333 RAM,

 

[helluvagood]

1. Could get 6950 and unlock to 6970 spec to save some money.
2. The 750W should be enough for 2 6970, might be close on 2 570 since they use a little more power. If you are going to overclock CPU & 2 GPU, you might want a larger PSU. [H] has image of power draw
3. Again, the HAF X is still currently passthrough USB 3.0; I think they are working on an adapter so you can use the internals headers.
4.
5. Get 1333 RAM,

I don't want to void the warranty and don't know much about flashing
What makes HAFX>HAF932?
Lower latency is better right? Not sure what 'latency' means. How does this affect the computer? Will games benefit from cas7 vs cas9?

Is this RAM a good choice?
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory

Thanks

 

[SUPERGT]

Why are you buying from Newegg if you're in Canada, they have terrible prices. Use Direct Canada or at very least the 4-letter store...

 

[Dangman]

Ok I updated my build in the original post
Some questions:
1. 6970 or 570? Those are my main choices. Will be playing at 1920x1080... such a hard choice
2Is the 750W enough for 2 6970s or 2 570s?? (may want to do xfire in the future)

For either, I recommend a larger PSU. Something like the Corsair 850TX.

5. I am confused about choosing RAM. Some people have said there is no difference between 1600 vs1333. What kinda RAM should I get?

Go for 4GB DDR3 1333 1.5V RAM.

I don't want to void the warranty and don't know much about flashing
What makes HAFX>HAF932?

Well the HAF X has USB 3.0 and can fit 4 dual-slot video cards just fine. That's about it. I 'd stick with the 932 unless you really want a front panel USB 3.0 port at all costs.

Lower latency is better right? Not sure what 'latency' means. How does this affect the computer? Will games benefit from cas7 vs cas9?

Nowadays, there's really no real world difference between CAS 7 and CAS 9. You would honestly not notice a difference between the two.

Is this RAM a good choice?
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory

Not a good choice at all due to the above reason. In addition, that RAM will not work with MSI's P67 motherboards.

 

[E4g1e]

In addition, that RAM will not work with MSI's P67 motherboards.

That has something to do with the IC's used on that RAM: There is a compatibility issue between the IC's on that RAM and the UEFI BIOSes on the MSI mobos.