looking 4 help: $900 for game

[rainaway]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
most for gaming, i think for me, a good game machine can cover all i need.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
around $900, whatever after or before tax and shipping

3) Where do you live?
rhode island ( seems like no tax on newegg)

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.
( i already got 24 monitor for 170, 2X4 1600 memory for 75, and i have mouse and keyboard. )
what i need are cpu + mortherboard + video card + power + case +hard drive + dvd driver total = $655 (900-175-75)

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
i already got 24 monitor for 170, 2X4 1600 memory for 75, and i have mouse and keyboard.
for power and case, i have no idea.

6) Will you be overclocking?
probably, if i can using software to do that, because i am not an computer expert.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
i already have
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
AND
ASUS VE247H Black 23.6" 2ms Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 300 cd/m2

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
1-2weeks

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.
have no idea, i think no sli or xfire, better to have raid, usb 3.0 sata 6.0gb, but not necessary

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
of coure win 7 64 bit.



for cpu + mobo, i am looking for I5 2500K + asus P8P67 ( PRO OR LE , i donot know which is good for me )
for video card, there are many deals for 560ti, 560 and 6850, all from $150-200
for hard drive, i think there is no big difference for brand, just watting for WD deal.

for power, which watt should i using for better reliable?
Thank you guys

 

[Dangman]

$325 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU + MSI P67A-G43 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
$188 - XFX HD-687A-ZNFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$21 - Samsung SH-S222AB SATA DVD Burner
$64 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$60 - Cooler Master HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 ATX Case
----
Total: $723 plus shipping

Notes:
- There actually is a difference between hard drive brands and models. The above Samsung drive actually outperforms a majority of Western Digital's drives. The few WD drives that fully outperform that Samsung are WD's VRaptor drives.

- Considering the resolution of your monitor, you're gonna need every bit of GPU power that you can get. As such, I recommend getting that HD 6870 1GB no matter what.

 

[munkle]

I would wait a month for bulldozer, so you might get a better processor from them for the money or intel will drop prices.

 

[lilfiend]

$325 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU + MSI P67A-G43 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
$188 - XFX HD-687A-ZNFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$21 - Samsung SH-S222AB SATA DVD Burner
$64 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$60 - Cooler Master HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 ATX Case
----
Total: $723 plus shipping

Notes:
- There actually is a difference between hard drive brands and models. The above Samsung drive actually outperforms a majority of Western Digital's drives. The few WD drives that fully outperform that Samsung are WD's VRaptor drives.

- Considering the resolution of your monitor, you're gonna need every bit of GPU power that you can get. As such, I recommend getting that HD 6870 1GB no matter what.

personally i would switch out the intel build for an am3+ build, that way if bulldozer comes out and its a flop, who cares, you have a good system anyways, and if it does turn out to be a game changer, you can always upgrade down the road.

the bits i would switch from you build are the CPU/MOBO/PSU/HDD

i would replace them with the following:

AMD Phenom II x6 1055t $160
ASUS M5A78L-M $65
Corsair cx600 $70
Samsung f4 2tb 5400rpm $80

Total for the bits i replaced: $375, in danny's build they are $450, so this could leave you a bit more breathing room for a better video card or possibly an ssd for a boot drive

 

[Dangman]

personally i would switch out the intel build for an am3+ build, that way if bulldozer comes out and its a flop, who cares, you have a good system anyways, and if it does turn out to be a game changer, you can always upgrade down the road.

Yeah I personally wouldn't do that. You would end up with a poor bang for the buck gaming PC if you go the AMD route with the OP's budget.

Corsair cx600 $70

I don't see a reason for this swap at all since the Corsair 600CX actually offers the same amount of power on the +12V rail as the Antec Neo Eco 520C PSU I recommended. Not to mention that the Antec is of higher quality. So I don't see a reason to go with a lower quality PSU that basically offers the same amount of power over the Antec.

Samsung f4 2tb 5400rpm $80

Yeah maybe as a storage drive but as an OS only drive for a gaming PC? Not a good idea IMO considering how fast the Samsung F3 1TB is.

 

[rainaway]

$325 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU + MSI P67A-G43 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
$188 - XFX HD-687A-ZNFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$21 - Samsung SH-S222AB SATA DVD Burner
$64 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$60 - Cooler Master HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 ATX Case
----
Total: $723 plus shipping





Notes:
- There actually is a difference between hard drive brands and models. The above Samsung drive actually outperforms a majority of Western Digital's drives. The few WD drives that fully outperform that Samsung are WD's VRaptor drives.

- Considering the resolution of your monitor, you're gonna need every bit of GPU power that you can get. As such, I recommend getting that HD 6870 1GB no matter what.

hi danny for the mobo
how about this one
TP67B+ LGA 1155 P67 ATX Intel Motherboard only $94http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138298&cm_re=TP67B%2b_LGA_1155_P67-_-13-138-298-_-Product

also i remeber there is a sumsung f4 deal , damn it . just expired

 

[rainaway]

personally i would switch out the intel build for an am3+ build, that way if bulldozer comes out and its a flop, who cares, you have a good system anyways, and if it does turn out to be a game changer, you can always upgrade down the road.

the bits i would switch from you build are the CPU/MOBO/PSU/HDD

i would replace them with the following:

AMD Phenom II x6 1055t $160
ASUS M5A78L-M $65
Corsair cx600 $70
Samsung f4 2tb 5400rpm $80

Total for the bits i replaced: $375, in danny's build they are $450, so this could leave you a bit more breathing room for a better video card or possibly an ssd for a boot drive

5400 rpm for destop? i think 7200 is better?
thanks for your opinion!

 

[rainaway]

personally i would switch out the intel build for an am3+ build, that way if bulldozer comes out and its a flop, who cares, you have a good system anyways, and if it does turn out to be a game changer, you can always upgrade down the road.

the bits i would switch from you build are the CPU/MOBO/PSU/HDD

i would replace them with the following:

AMD Phenom II x6 1055t $160
ASUS M5A78L-M $65
Corsair cx600 $70
Samsung f4 2tb 5400rpm $80

Total for the bits i replaced: $375, in danny's build they are $450, so this could leave you a bit more breathing room for a better video card or possibly an ssd for a boot drive

also your power supply is $50 after rebate
how about this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...05&cm_re=CORSAIR_power-_-17-139-005-_-Product

 

[rainaway]

$325 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU + MSI P67A-G43 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
$188 - XFX HD-687A-ZNFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$21 - Samsung SH-S222AB SATA DVD Burner
$64 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$60 - Cooler Master HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 ATX Case
----
Total: $723 plus shipping

Notes:
- There actually is a difference between hard drive brands and models. The above Samsung drive actually outperforms a majority of Western Digital's drives. The few WD drives that fully outperform that Samsung are WD's VRaptor drives.

- Considering the resolution of your monitor, you're gonna need every bit of GPU power that you can get. As such, I recommend getting that HD 6870 1GB no matter what.

hi danny here is a power just 10 dollar more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...05&cm_re=CORSAIR_power-_-17-139-005-_-Product
with 650w
how is that ?

thank you very much

 

[E4g1e]

hi danny for the mobo
how about this one
TP67B+ LGA 1155 P67 ATX Intel Motherboard only $94http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138298&cm_re=TP67B%2b_LGA_1155_P67-_-13-138-298-_-Product

also i remeber there is a sumsung f4 deal , damn it . just expired

Actually, that $95 price is after the OP receives the rebate check (which is never a sure thing, especially due to the fact that some rebate requests have been rejected and that some of the checks or prepaid debit cards have gotten lost in the mail and never arrives at the customer's place). Without the rebate, that mobo actually costs $110 shipped.

In addition, that combo deal with the i5-2500K and the MSI mobo expired a few hours ago. The combo discount is no longer available.

 

[draken24]

Agree 100% with danny and not with lilfiend

 

[E4g1e]

hi danny here is a power just 10 dollar more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...05&cm_re=CORSAIR_power-_-17-139-005-_-Product
with 650w
how is that ?

thank you very much

The problem is rebates are never a sure thing. There is a reason why Danny does not include rebates in the final shipped price of the items.

In addition, that Corsair rebate is not in the form of a check at all - but a prepaid debit card instead. The problem with prepaid debit cards is that they are not rechargeable (meaning that you can't deposit money into it), and that you'd either end up with a little balance still remaining on that card (which may invoke a nonuse fee) or go over the prepaid amount (which invokes an overlimit fee that more than wipes out any rebate the owner of the product may have received). In other words, there is an excellent chance that whomever buys that PSU, receives the rebate card and uses the card at all might end up paying $20 more than if that person did not send in for the rebate at all. Hence, accounting for the use of the rebate card, that older 650W Corsair PSU might end up actually costing the OP $105 instead of the $85 that it would have cost if he did not claim the rebate at all.

 

[draken24]

That is the problem with debit cards... However u can go to any bank and withdraw the debit cards balance... If u got to the debit cards issuing bank its super simple and they hand u cash.. If u go to any other bank its still super simple as they will either know what to do or they wont and u have them call the number on tge back of the debit card and they will instruct the teller on what to do to give u the cash balance of the card

 

[draken24]

Oh btw all rebate debit cards in the united states can be cashed at all banks In the united states.. Most people dont.know this... Or actually try to do this.. And it might take some time to od it if the teller doesnt know how and thet have to call tge number on the back of the card...


I get about 10 visa/mc/amex debit cards for example every christmass... I cash them all dec 26th at my bank

 

[Dangman]

hi danny here is a power just 10 dollar more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...05&cm_re=CORSAIR_power-_-17-139-005-_-Product
with 650w
how is that ?

thank you very much

Anyone who's ever read my posts will know that I NEVER factor in rebates. They're not guaranteed at all. So to me, that Corsair 650TX is simply $85 which is a bad value considering that the higher quality 650TX V2 is $5 more:
$90 - Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU

If you can spend the extra $24 for the 650TX V2, go for it.

In addition, that combo deal with the i5-2500K and the MSI mobo expired a few hours ago. The combo discount is no longer available.

Ouch. In that case, go for this CPU + mobo combo instead:
$330 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU + Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 Intel Z68 ATX Motherboard

 

[rainaway]

Anyone who's ever read my posts will know that I NEVER factor in rebates. They're not guaranteed at all. So to me, that Corsair 650TX is simply $85 which is a bad value considering that the higher quality 650TX V2 is $5 more:
$90 - Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU

If you can spend the extra $24 for the 650TX V2, go for it.


Ouch. In that case, go for this CPU + mobo combo instead:
$330 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU + Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 Intel Z68 ATX Motherboard

thank you! i donnot know there are lots of tricky for therebate...
for the z68 and p67, the difference is z68 better support for the ssd?

 

[Dangman]

thank you! i donnot know there are lots of tricky for therebate...
for the z68 and p67, the difference is z68 better support for the ssd?

No that's not it at all. Read this:

So what’s new with Z68 Express? A lot that isn’t new, and a lot that is. Z68 Express supports overclocking through turbo multipliers and therefore is a good match with Intel’s Sandy Bridge "K-Series" SKUs. All the media features available with H67 are also available. Intel’s HD graphics and Quick Sync Video are among them. The new feature is support for "Switchable Graphics." Essentially Intel is brand agnostic on this but when combined with either an NVIDIA GeForce card, or an AMD Radeon card, the LucidLogix Virtu GPU Virtualization technology allows you to connect your monitor to the onboard graphics and use Intel’s IGPU for general desktop use. When you want to play games, you can use the power of your favorite discreet graphics board to accelerate your games and anything else you might need. This can also amount to power savings and efficiency as your graphics card can be put into a low power idle state. And again Intel is brand agnostic on this feature as it works with both NVIDIA and AMD based graphics cards. Intel refers to this as "Dynamic virtualization" which eliminates the need for restarts and cable swaps. So you can take advantage of all the IGPU and a discreet add-in board have to offer. All the benefits and none of the drawbacks of either configuration in theory.

Intel didn’t stop there. It has added two more noteworthy features. Intel’s IPT or Identity Protection Technology and Intel’s Smart Response Technology. The IPT feature is essentially an RSA token type feature built into the hardware. This can be used for additional layers of authentication through something like Valve’s new Steamgaurd feature. It can also be used for authentication for corporate networks, financial institutions and even social media sites. Essentially this is technology businesses have had available for years but can now be brought to the desktop level cost effectively. It’s too early to tell how well a feature like this will be accepted, or whether or not it will become a more mainstream feature, or something that goes unnoticed by anyone but the most hardcore security freaks and computer enthusiasts.

Probably the most interesting, and beneficial feature to most users will be Intel’s Smart Response Technology. In a lot of ways the feature is reminiscent of Microsoft’s Ready Boost feature and its SuperFetch feature. At least in a broad sort of way though the technical details are undoubtedly different. In simple terms you can now connect a small footprint SSD (think 20GB) which would be otherwise useless for installing your OS and games, and use it as a cache for your conventional hard drives. In theory this offers SSD like performance for the volume or volumes of your choice. This basically allows you to buy a tiny SSD drive and add it to your system and gain SSD like performance for your larger storage volumes, or so the story goes. It is recommended for use with the OS volume for best results. I will talk more about the feature in the subsystem testing section and we also have a feature article up today on this technology as well. It is a complex feature and a complicated subject when it comes to testing.

It is also important to note that the IGPU features of Z68 do not have to be implemented by board makers. They can choose to use it in lieu of P67 in order to offer the Smart Response Technology and Identity Protection Technology features in a package that’s more like P67 than H67. In fact some boards like some of those made by Gigabyte are designed and built that way. So Z68 won’t necessarily give you all these features unless the motherboard manufacturer decides to use them. So check your feature sets on specific products and do not make assumptions.

 

[rainaway]

$325 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU + MSI P67A-G43 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
$188 - XFX HD-687A-ZNFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$21 - Samsung SH-S222AB SATA DVD Burner
$64 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$60 - Cooler Master HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 ATX Case
----
Total: $723 plus shipping

Notes:
- There actually is a difference between hard drive brands and models. The above Samsung drive actually outperforms a majority of Western Digital's drives. The few WD drives that fully outperform that Samsung are WD's VRaptor drives.

- Considering the resolution of your monitor, you're gonna need every bit of GPU power that you can get. As such, I recommend getting that HD 6870 1GB no matter what.

hi danny
there is a wd 500GB for $35 do you think it is better if i buy two for $70 and make it raid0 for better performance?
thank you

 

[Dangman]

hi danny
there is a wd 500GB for $35 do you think it is better if i buy two for $70 and make it raid0 for better performance?
thank you

While the RAID 0 array would be faster, I still wouldn't recommend the route since I'm a follower of the KISS method. In addition, a RAID 0 array is a waste if you're not gonna get a 3rd drive for storage/backup.

 

[rainaway]

While the RAID 0 array would be faster, I still wouldn't recommend the route since I'm a follower of the KISS method. In addition, a RAID 0 array is a waste if you're not gonna get a 3rd drive for storage/backup.

I'm a follower of the KISS method
what's that mean
ok for hard drive, i think 500Gb is enough for me because i have 3x1gb EXTERNAL HARD drive to storage the po*n movie....
500gb just for daily use....
also when ssd 64gb price is going to acceptable level , definately want one

 

[Dangman]

ok for hard drive, i think 500Gb is enough for me because i have 3x1gb EXTERNAL HARD drive to storage the po*n movie....
500gb just for daily use....
also when ssd 64gb price is going to acceptable level , definately want one

Yeah I still recommend the Samsung F3 1TB drive since it's actually faster than that WD 500GB drive.

 

[E4g1e]

thank you! i donnot know there are lots of tricky for therebate...

Note that the "tricky" for the rebate is that you still have to pay the FULL price of the product up front. When you receive the product, you'll need to cut out the proof of purchase (usually the UPC code) and mail it in with the rebate form to the address shown on the form. And there is where anything could happen.

 

[E4g1e]

hi danny
there is a wd 500GB for $35 do you think it is better if i buy two for $70 and make it raid0 for better performance?
thank you

That 500GB RFHWD5000AAKX drive that you mentioned is not brand-new at all - but refurbished (used). Moreover, it does not cost $35 shipped - but actually $39 shipped. And despite its SATA 6.0 Gbps interface, it is only about as fast as most single-platter versions of its SATA 3.0 Gbps predecessor model WD5000AAKS - less than 130 MB/s on the outer tracks (and only about 100 MB/s average). For comparison, the 1TB Samsung F3 Danny recommended can reach 140 MB/s on the outer tracks, and average about 115 MB/s.