New Gaming Build

[Summer01]

Hi, so I'm planning to build a new gaming PC by next week and would like some feedback and suggestions.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming and daily use. Mainly Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 and future expansions.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Around $850-1000. Tax and shipping included.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
NYC, 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.
This is a new build as I only have a laptop, so CPU, RAM, MOBO, GPU, HDD, CASE, etc.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
No parts.

6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes, minor OCing, not too extreme or hardcore.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
No monitor but I plan to play at 1920x1080.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
By next week most likely.

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)? UEFI? etc.
Nothing in particular.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, 64 bit Win 7 Ultimate.

NOTE - My monitor, keyboard and mouse will be separate and will not be included in this budget.


This is what I have narrowed it down to:

CPU: i5 3570k IB, which I believe drops next week,

Heatsink: CM Hyper 212+

MOBO: Not sure if there is a big difference between the two as I heard great things for both.
ASRock Z77 Extreme4

RAM: G.SKILL Value Series 8GB
GPU: Wanted a 7850, but most of them are OoS on newegg
ASUS HD7850-DC2-2GD5 Radeon HD 7850
PSU: Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W
HDD: Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB
I would also like at least a 1TB as storage.
Case: Need sugggestions for this, I prefer aluminum and something quiet. I don't need anything flashy. I was looking into the Corsaid 550D though.
DVD Drive: Lite On

I just have a few more questions:

1. Is installing an aftermarket heatsink difficult? In this case, the 212? Last time I built a machine was back in '05 and I don't want to end up breaking it

2. I plan to get a 120hz monitor and read it's only possible through Display port? Is that the mini display port on certain GPU's?

3. 4. The Z77 doesnt suport SLI/CF I believe, but I doubt I will need that since I'm not running any graphic intensive games?


Thanks again for the help!

 

[Astral Abyss]

To answer your questions:

1) Installing aftermarket heatsinks is quite easy, especially when you do it while you have the motherboard outside the PC and you won't have to disassemble anything.

2) Mini DisplayPort and DisplayPort are the same thing, much like USB and mini-USB.

3) Z77 does support SLI and CF. If your budget is $800-1000 I wouldn't plan on running SLI/CF. Just keep it in mind as an option for later should you want an easy way to add more graphics power to your build in the future.


Other thoughts:

Get the Extreme4 if you want to overclock. It has much better power circuitry and will be more reliable long-term.

I'd probably go with Ivy Bridge CPU since it's giving you PCIe 3.0 and the price difference is small.

That SSD is fine. Other good choices are Corsair Force series, OCZ Vertex 3, Intel 320/520 series. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Any 1600MHZ+ RAM is going to give you about the same performance but there's almost always some faster RAM on sale at Newegg. A few days ago it was the GSkill 2133MHz 8GB kit. Keep an eye out you might be able to snag something good for the same $$ when you order.

 

[Dangman]

The links for the RAM, GPU, and SSD are incorrect btw. To answer your questions first:
1) Honestly depends on the person: the 212+ didn't seem too hard to install to me and others but I know and have read of several people who thought installing the 212+ was a pain in the ass. So it's pretty much down to you and your level of understanding.

2) N/A

3) Z77 by itself does not support SLI. However it does support CF as is. SLI support is entirely up to the motherboard manufacturer and whether or not they want to pay the SLI licensing fee. But for the games you mentioned, you won't need SLI or Crossfire.

As for the parts you selected:
CPU wise, I'd recommend the i5 3570K.

Mobo wise, I honestly don't trust AsRock. I'd go with an Asus, MSI, or Gigabyte Z77 instead. Though if a review from HardOCP shows some of the AsRock Z77 mobos being good, I'll change my tune then.

PSU wise, you should be fine with this PSU:
$63 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU

HDD wise, I recommend this Samsung:
$120 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

The RAM and SSD are fine choices.

Case wise, I generally recommend the following cases:
$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

 

[Summer01]

Thanks for the input and suggestions! I added the PSU and fixed the links. Will wait till the i5 3570k comes out next week. Also narrowed it down to the Corsaid 550D or the Fractal R3 Artic case. That white looks really nice.

Just two more questions, how is this RAM for the price in comparison to the one I chose?
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin

And I'm looking at the Crucial M4 128GB SSD on newegg, and they both seem the same, but the one with the transfer kit is almost $20 cheaper?


EDIT: Managed to find this combo deal on Newgg, PSU + DVD drive for $75 with a $25 MIR.

OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Modular High Performance Power Supply

 

[DJ Big T]

I've used the Ripjaws X series, that's very good RAM. Yes there is the transfer kit one that is cheaper.

 

[Dangman]

Just two more questions, how is this RAM for the price in comparison to the one I chose?
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin

Good RAM but you honestly wouldn't notice the difference between DDR3 1600 and DDR3 1333. But cheap enough that you're not wasting that much money.

And I'm looking at the Crucial M4 128GB SSD on newegg, and they both seem the same, but the one with the transfer kit is almost $20 cheaper?

Same SSDs. The main reason why the transfer kit version costs less is because it's not selling in mass quantities like the non-transfer kit version.

EDIT: Managed to find this combo deal on Newgg, PSU + DVD drive for $75 with a $25 MIR.

OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Modular High Performance Power Supply

Not a good combo on account of the PSU being crap.