New Gaming PC

[Delicious T Silk]

Building my 2nd PC. The last PC I had I built in 2011 and parted it out about a year later because I wanted the mobility of a laptop. I miss having a desktop and no longer require the portability.

1) What will you be doing with this PC?

Predominately gaming with casual web browsing and word processing.

2) What's your budget?

With taxes and shipping included I would like to stay around $1200-1300


3) Which country do you live in?

I'm from 'Muricka (12miles from the MicroCenter in Minnesota). They should change that question to "Are you close enough to get the CPU/MOBO bundles via MicroCenter"

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget?

I need CPU, GPU, PSU, RAM, MOBO, SSD, Monitor (24-27"), Keyboard, Windows.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing?

The only thing that I will be reusing is my mouse G700 and HAF X case. I have a Zalman CNPS11X CPU heat sink but I am unsure if I will be reusing it.

6) Will you be overclocking?

Doubtful. In 2011 I built a computer that had a 2600K and I never really cared to OC it. I may wish to get a K version of the CPU though simply for resale values?

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor?

1080p is enough for my tastes. I will be purchasing a monitor and am thinking of going for the 27" bad boy.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

Within 1-2 weeks pending the sale of my laptop.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard?

I liked Asus's BIOS in my old p8z68. I don't ever plan to use SLI. I like that some of the boards now come with built-in wifi as then I won't have to use a PCI slot for the adapter. I don't like the looks of the new black/yellow mobo's for the Haswel chips; I prefer the black/blue look of the z77.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?

No, I plan to pick up Windows 7 from amazon.

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With that said, I would greatly value your input. As a rough starting point with not that much research I cam up with the following:

Mother board: ASUS p8z77-v Pro

CPU: i5 3570K

Here I am unsure if I want an i5/i7 or a K version or just plain. But if I had to pick today I would get what I posted.

PSU: Seasonic X650
Only because there is a $15MIR; if there wasn't I should probably buy bronze?

SSD: Mushkin 240gb

GPU: MSI N760 TF 2GD5/OC

RAM: Corsair Vengance LP 16gb

OS: Windows 7

Monitor: Acer 27"
There are quite a few in the $200-230 range. I Could also save $80-100 and just get a 24" I am unsure what I want as of now.

Keyboard: Cheap $10 Logitech. I really liked my old mechanical cherry brown, but I might just see if I can save another $100 and just get the Logitech.

This would put me right around the $1200 mark. Any comments you have have will be appreciated.

 

[Dangman]

I'm from 'Muricka (12miles from the MicroCenter in Minnesota).
.....
Mother board: ASUS p8z77-v Pro

CPU: i5 3570K

The fact that you live near a Microcenter mean that you should not be getting the motherboard from Amazon.com at all since you're not taking advantage of Microcenter's $30 to $40 off deal when bought with a K series CPU. So get the motherboard from Microcenter. In addition, don't get that mobo since it's not worth it. You'll be fine with the slightly cheaper Asus P8Z77-V.

They should change that question to "Are you close enough to get the CPU/MOBO bundles via MicroCenter"

Nah. We actually do get a lot of non-American posters in this subforum so asking about Microcenter wouldn't help for those cases.

Here I am unsure if I want an i5/i7 or a K version or just plain. But if I had to pick today I would get what I posted..

Since you live near a Microcenter and don't already have a motherboard, the K series is your best bet for best bang for the buck value. However, if you didn't live near a Microcenter and/or had a motherboard that you couldn't return, a non K series CPU would have been your best bet. You're only gaming so an i5 will be enough.

PSU: Seasonic X650
Only because there is a $15MIR; if there wasn't I should probably buy bronze?

No. Even at $115, that's a good deal for a solid PSU. With that said, considering that you have no plans for SLI or overclocking, you could drop the PSU down to this 550W and still have enough power left over:
$80 - Seasonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W Modular PSU

SSD: Mushkin 240gb

I don't recommend this SSD since the more trust-worthy Samsung 840 250GB costs around the same price:
$173 - Samsung 840 Series 250GB SSD

Monitor: Acer 27"
There are quite a few in the $200-230 range. I Could also save $80-100 and just get a 24" I am unsure what I want as of now.

I would highly recommend hitting up the Displays forum for monitor advice. However, IMO, 27" is a bit wasted when you have a resolution of 1920x1080. If you're going to go for a 27", you might as well get a higher resolution model.

 

[Delicious T Silk]

The fact that you live near a Microcenter mean that you should not be getting the motherboard from Amazon.com at all since you're not taking advantage of Microcenter's $30 to $40 off deal when bought with a K series CPU. So get the motherboard from Microcenter. In addition, don't get that mobo since it's not worth it. You'll be fine with the slightly cheaper Asus P8Z77-V.


Nah. We actually do get a lot of non-American posters in this subforum so asking about Microcenter wouldn't help for those cases.


Since you live near a Microcenter and don't already have a motherboard, the K series is your best bet for best bang for the buck value. However, if you didn't live near a Microcenter and/or had a motherboard that you couldn't return, a non K series CPU would have been your best bet. You're only gaming so an i5 will be enough.



No. Even at $115, that's a good deal for a solid PSU. With that said, considering that you have no plans for SLI or overclocking, you could drop the PSU down to this 550W and still have enough power left over:
$80 - Seasonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W Modular PSU


I don't recommend this SSD since the more trust-worthy Samsung 840 250GB costs around the same price:
$173 - Samsung 840 Series 250GB SSD


I would highly recommend hitting up the Displays forum for monitor advice. However, IMO, 27" is a bit wasted when you have a resolution of 1920x1080. If you're going to go for a 27", you might as well get a higher resolution model.

Good call on buying the mobo at Microcenter. When I first looked they only showed the open-box version of the board I wanted but they do have 8 new in stock.

Also, I don't think I should get the V over the Pro at all. It will only save me $5 and I think the features between the two are worth $5 for sure.

For PSU I will definitely drop down to a 550w, but I can get a gold certified for the same price of $80 so I will most likely do that.

In regards to the SSD, the Samsung looks like a much better option, thank you!

As for display I will probably get the BenQ or Asus 27" since that just went on sale. 1080p will be great for me at that size. I will be getting an Xbox 360 from a friend here in a week so that size/resolution will work out great if I want to have the console at my desk. I had a roommate who was very much into displays (monitors and TV's) and I found that the things he complained about as an expert in the matter were things I would have never noticed unless he showed them to me haha. Also, when people complain about "nasty ghosting" or colors being "so off" I usually don't notice it at all.



Thank you for your recommendations!

 

[Dangman]

For PSU I will definitely drop down to a 550w, but I can get a gold certified for the same price of $80 so I will most likely do that.

FYI, for all intents and purposes, the 80Plus rating is basically useless so I would not factor that into why I buy a PSU:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/10/04/80_plus_irrelevant_to_you_when_buying_psu/#.UfrXXo1iRjs

As for display I will probably get the BenQ or Asus 27" since that just went on sale. 1080p will be great for me at that size. I will be getting an Xbox 360 from a friend here in a week so that size/resolution will work out great if I want to have the console at my desk. I had a roommate who was very much into displays (monitors and TV's) and I found that the things he complained about as an expert in the matter were things I would have never noticed unless he showed them to me haha. Also, when people complain about "nasty ghosting" or colors being "so off" I usually don't notice it at all.

Well I guess good luck with your low standards then.

 

[Delicious T Silk]

Well I guess good luck with your low standards then.