Need help with BF3 build

[steve90871]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming (Mostly BF3)
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1000ish(tax and shipping included). Not a huge deal to go over that.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
U.S./Alabama
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.
Motherboard, CPU, heatsink, GPU, 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.
Antec P180, X-fi fatality, SATA hard drives, Monitor, speakers, mouse/keyboard, DVD burner,
6) Will you be overclocking?
Maybe. Probably not to start.
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1920x1200, 24"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
within the next 2 weeks
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.
RAID, USB3.0, SATA 6gb/s, maybe crossfire/sli support
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
yes, win7 x64

I'll probably be getting a crucial M4 128gb at some point, if not for the intial build. I might eventually add another card for crossfire/sli but i' want to start with a single card. Also, is a PCIe 3.0 motherboard recommended for futureproofing?

 

[pwnrhasta]

You don't need a PCIe 3.0 motherboard, nothing really takes up THAT much bandwith at the moment.

 

[Forceman]

Here's something to start from:

$204.99 (after coupon code) Intel i5-2500K
$114.99 MSI Z68A-G43 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$46.99 G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
$329.99 EVGA 012-P3-1571-AR GeForce GTX 570
$94 (after coupon code) Corsair 750TX V2
$25.99 CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ CPU heatsink w/ fan

That's about $820, before MIRs, which would give you some room to add a SSD if you wanted. Or you could switch up to a 6970, for about the same money, if you prefer AMD. At this point, PCIe 3.0 isn't really needed, and it's debatable whether it would be needed anytime in the foreseeable future (my money is on no).

 

[steve90871]

Here's something to start from:

$204.99 (after coupon code) Intel i5-2500K
$114.99 MSI Z68A-G43 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$46.99 G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
$329.99 EVGA 012-P3-1571-AR GeForce GTX 570
$94 (after coupon code) Corsair 750TX V2
$25.99 CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ CPU heatsink w/ fan

That's about $820, before MIRs, which would give you some room to add a SSD if you wanted. Or you could switch up to a 6970, for about the same money, if you prefer AMD. At this point, PCIe 3.0 isn't really needed, and it's debatable whether it would be needed anytime in the foreseeable future (my money is on no).

I think i've decided on most everything you have here, but i have a few questions
1) that motherboard has 1 review and it's 1 star. Kind of makes me question it
2) is a 570 enough? I saw some benchmarks that 6950 outperformed it for bf3. should i just wait til the game comes out to make a more informed decision?
3) is that PSU enough for SLI 570s?

 

[obliv]

Definately agree with the 2500K and Ram

I would swap the motherboard for the one below, better reviews and has a 16x and a 8x PCI-E slot. Incase you wanted to do SLI / CF
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130583

Also i would swap the 570 for a 6970. The Extra Vram will help in BF3.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150517
Its the same price as the 570 after rebate.

PSU wise, if you plan on going SLI / CF in the future i personally would stretch for an 850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011
Just to be safe and a little more future proof. However 750 should be good for 570's or 6970's depending on how much you OC.

 

[Dangman]

I think i've decided on most everything you have here, but i have a few questions
1) that motherboard has 1 review and it's 1 star. Kind of makes me question it
2) is a 570 enough? I saw some benchmarks that 6950 outperformed it for bf3. should i just wait til the game comes out to make a more informed decision?
3) is that PSU enough for SLI 570s?

1) Fair point, try out this mobo:
$120 - Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 Intel Z68 ATX Motherboard

2) Wait till the game comes out and make an informed decision then

3) If you don't overclock, yes.

 

[Forceman]

I think i've decided on most everything you have here, but i have a few questions
1) that motherboard has 1 review and it's 1 star. Kind of makes me question it
2) is a 570 enough? I saw some benchmarks that 6950 outperformed it for bf3. should i just wait til the game comes out to make a more informed decision?
3) is that PSU enough for SLI 570s?

1. I'll take that off my list - both of the other ones are fine, although the one Obliv posted is P67, so you do lose the Z68 features (which may or may not matter to you) for the cheaper price.
2. I definitely wouldn't go down to a 6950 if you are worried about the 570 being enough - if you want to change it out I'd go with a 6970.
3. Nothing wrong with stepping up to an 850 if you are worried about it (although I think 750 is enough). If you want to go 850, and aren't worried about getting a non-modular PSU, the Corsair TX850 V2 is a good choice at $116 (after coupon, before $15 MIR):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139022