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i5-2500k Build

S

Snathan

n00b
Joined
Jan 19, 2011
Messages
24
Hey guys! I've been looking into build myself a really good gaming computer for awhile now and have finally decided to take the plunge. I started a thread awhile back, but wasn't able to take advantage of the help offered. I'm looking to play Diablo 3 on MAX setting and with that I should be able to play most other games on decent settings.

Here we go:
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
A little bit of surfing, but primarily for gaming.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I'm looking to spend around $1,500-$1,800 give or take.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
I live in the United States just outside of Chicago IL.

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.
Well "Everything" isn't a valid answer, so just about everything. LoL. I'm going to need a case, CPU, RAM, GPU, PSU, motherboard, HDD, and an optical drive. I hope I got everything.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I'll be reusing a keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

6) Will you be overclocking?
I am a complete novice to this, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Its just a 23 inch 1080p, but I'm looking to upgrade to a 27 inch 2560x1440 soon.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I would like to have it up and running by the end of the month.

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.
I'm not too worried about these features, but if it makes future upgrading easier then I'm all for it.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I'll also need an OS as well.


I know you guys are all for waiting til the end of the month for Ivy Bridge, but MicroCenter has a great deal on the 2500k right now. Thank in advance for any advice/insight on what I should be doing. I look forward to coming back and reading what you guys have to say.
 
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According to your last thread, you live about an hour away from Microcenter. Is the $90 or so in savings worth the two hour drive + gas spent + 2 1/2 to 3 hours spent + sales tax (if your state has one)?

And note that Microcenter may have deals on the Ivy Bridge CPUs when those come out.
Snathan said:
Well "Everything" isn't a valid answer, so just about everything. LoL.
Click to expand...
Yeah the problem with that "Everything" answer as it may mean literally everything:
True hardware RAID controller, sound card, firewire card, USB 3.0 card, speakers, mouse, mousepad, monitors, keyboard, fan controller, blu-ray drive, blu-ray software, 3rd party heatsink, thermal paste, serial/parallel controller card, SAS drives, SAS expander, sound mats, headphones, microphone, joystick, driving wheel, pedals, printers, scanners, SSD, flash memory readers, USB hub, router, switch, web cam, surge protector, UPS, projectors, computer chair, computer desk, external hard drive, NAS, etc.

See why "everything" isn't the right answer? :D
 
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It's gonna be tight with that budget.

5835158019_5217186d35.jpg
 
I understand why "everything" isn't an acceptable answer, so I tried to answer the best I could. "Everything" would almost be endless. Ha

The trip to Microcenter would totally be worth it. Especially if I can grab another part of the build for cheaper then online. I can take my lady friend to the city for dinner and try to justify spending a bunch of cash on a few computer parts. LoL. And I suppose I can wait til Ivy, but I am getting so impatient and want this thing like yesterday.

BTW, you gentlemen do awesome work here. Any ideas on where I can get started? Heh
 
Take my advice. Wait for IB. I built my rig in November, like 1 month before SB came out because I needed the computer; was tired of my laptop not handling what I wanted/needed. I regret that decision all the time. Just one month and I could have been rocking a 2600k instead of my 870. Wait for IB man.
 
Dammit.. I will always take the advice I'm given by certain members on here, so I guess I'll be waiting. I just REALLY want to be playing Diablo when it drops. I know I should have time to get everything together, but if I have any problems them I'm screwed. I guess I'll keep my fingers crossed that all goes well.

Bump the day Ivy is released. LoL
 
Skillz said:
Take my advice. Wait for IB. I built my rig in November, like 1 month before SB came out because I needed the computer; was tired of my laptop not handling what I wanted/needed. I regret that decision all the time. Just one month and I could have been rocking a 2600k instead of my 870. Wait for IB man.
Click to expand...

Yeah but IB is just a "tick" in the Intel release cycle rather than the "tock" which SB was, the performance gains won't be that much over SB.

Anyway it's still better to wait, IB is coming out real soon (like a few weeks).
 
you should look at the build i just did with a 7870 and a 2500k. under 1200 out the door at microcenter. they were price matching frys so with your budget you should be able to beef up video card and ram a bit.

also, i went with a z77 mobo. take a look further down the page
 
christianw said:
you should look at the build i just did with a 7870 and a 2500k. under 1200 out the door at microcenter. they were price matching frys so with your budget you should be able to beef up video card and ram a bit.

also, i went with a z77 mobo. take a look further down the page
Click to expand...

Hi christianw, would you mind sharing what did you get from MC beside the 7870 and 2500k?
 
slh28 said:
Yeah but IB is just a "tick" in the Intel release cycle rather than the "tock" which SB was, the performance gains won't be that much over SB.

Anyway it's still better to wait, IB is coming out real soon (like a few weeks).
Click to expand...

I'm not concerned with speculation on how much of a performance increase it will be over SB; we wont truly know until they are out. They will also have more standard features than current SB motherboards; though I don't think the OP will need any of those features though but it's wont add much, if any, to the costs.
 
Just the early reports. Wait until the actual reports comes out.
 
Snathan said:
And now I've been reading some not so good things about Ivy Bridge...
Click to expand...

Preliminary tests showed that IB produced significantly more heat than originally speculated, leading to Intel re-rating the CPUs at the higher 95W TDP (the same as current SB CPUs) instead of the originally intended 77W, and significantly lower maximum overclocks.
 
E4g1e said:
Preliminary tests showed that IB produced significantly more heat than originally speculated, leading to Intel re-rating the CPUs at the higher 95W TDP (the same as current SB CPUs) instead of the originally intended 77W, and significantly lower maximum overclocks .
Click to expand...

And that sucks. I might as well pick up a Sandy.
 
Is it still too early for some advice on a build? I'm looking to start picking up the parts next weekend. If i can get something cheap or try and get Microcenter to price match, I'll make the trip after payday.
 
Here's a prelim setup:
$220 - Intel Core i5 2500K or Intel Core i5 3570K, which ever CPU is available.
$140 - MSI Z77A-G45 Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
$96 - 2 x G.Skill Sniper F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$488 - Gigabyte GV-R797D5-3GD-B Radeon HD 7970 3GB PCI-E Video Card
$143 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SSD w/ USB to SATA Adapter and Drive Cloning software
$110 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$18 - LG iHAS124-04 DVD Burner
$105 - Corsair 750TX V2 750W PSU
$100 - Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit OEM
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
---
Total: $1450 plus tax and shipping.

Case wise, choose your own case. I recommend the following:
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$118 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$120 - Fractal Design Define R3 Arctic White ATX Case
$120 - Fractal Design Define R3 Silver Arrow ATX Case
$125 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl ATX Case
$120 - Lian Li PC-9F ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$140 - Antec Performance One Series P183 V3 ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$150 - Silverstone TJ04B-EW ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$164 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$170 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$220 - Silverstone FT02S-W ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case
$270 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Full Tower ATX Case
 
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+1 Danny's build. you may be able to find a few savings but that is about as solid a recommendation as you will find.

some small changes I might opt for:
wait to see i5 3570 pricing
$ 120 $+15 SeaSonic X750 Gold
$100 $+$5 2x G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series(2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 especially if you chose 3570 to take advantage of the higher clocks which I would with Z77
$128 $-12 BIOSTAR TZ77XE3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 nice reviews so far for Biostar. I also really like Danny's MSI choice especially since Asus seems over-priced at Z77 launch and I never like anything less than Gigabytes UD5 series.
HD 7950 vs 7970 is also an option if you need to save an additional $80.

edit: ignore if you are not buying before the promo code expiration
@ Skillz yeah I didn't notice the promo expire dates. as for the RAM early Ivy benches like higher clock RAM at least for the IGP HD4000 so I figured it was worth the $5.
 
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That PSU is good, but the promo code is going to end in about an hour or two. Once it goes back up in price, not really worth it IMHO.

So far there has been no proof/reports that IB will take advantage of higher memory clocks more than what current SB chips do. Therefore, once the promo code expires (in a little over 24 hours) it's not really worth it IMHO to go with the higher clocks.

I'm not sure there are enough reviews out yet to determine if it's a good buy or not.
 
Danny Bui said:
Here's a prelim setup:
$220 - Intel Core i5 2500K or Intel Core i5 3570K, which ever CPU is available.
$140 - MSI Z77A-G45 Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
$96 - 2 x G.Skill Sniper F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$488 - Gigabyte GV-R797D5-3GD-B Radeon HD 7970 3GB PCI-E Video Card
$143 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SSD w/ USB to SATA Adapter and Drive Cloning software
$110 - Samsung F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$18 - LG iHAS124-04 DVD Burner
$105 - Corsair 750TX V2 750W PSU
$100 - Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit OEM
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
---
Click to expand...

Ok, I've got an update. Microcenter has a sweet deal on the 3570k for $190 and $50 off a z77 motherboard, but I don't think the MSI G45 is one of the choices. Can I swap it for an ASUS P8Z77-V PRO LGA 1155 Z77 ATX instead? It will bring the total up to about $383 including tax.
 
Snathan said:
Ok, I've got an update. Microcenter has a sweet deal on the 3570k for $190 and $50 off a z77 motherboard, but I don't think the MSI G45 is one of the choices. Can I swap it for an ASUS P8Z77-V PRO LGA 1155 Z77 ATX instead? It will bring the total up to about $383 including tax.
Click to expand...

I hope that you don't need RMA service if you do go with Asus: The company's Jeffersonville, IN center is notorious for horrible customer service. Search the [H]ard|Forum forums for "Asus" and "Jeffersonville". You are much more likely to wait months and months before you get anything back - and then, you get back someone else's damaged board unrepaired.
 
I took your info to heart about the customer service, but i really don't have many options. I appreciate the things you guys do for us novices. LoL. Thanks again guys, I'll let you know how it goes.
 
Sorry to keep bumping this thread, but I'm just getting the build finalized. Instead of this PSU you recommended in your build, how about this one? I saw the deal in the [H]ot|DEALS section and thought it was a steal. The deal expires tonight I believe.
 
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Thanks for the wicked fast reply. I was afraid I was going to have to order that PSU on my break at work to take advantage of the deal. Now I can wait til I get home. LoL. Thanks again man, but I'm sure this will get bumped again when I have another question.
 
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I only need a few more parts, but I have another question. If I planned to SLI a 670 or xfire a 7950 in the future, would the 750w PSU still be sufficient?
 
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