• Help With $2500 Build
    24 replies, posted
This is my first build. I'm sure there are [I]at least[/I] a few problems and would really appreciate any and all suggestions in making sure I don't waste money or make a poor decision. I'm on a 2500 dollar budget, including a monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc. The computer will mostly be used for gaming and some work in Photoshop, although I am known to experiment! I also have a couple of questions. Thanks guys! Edit: I live in the United States 1. Is liquid cooling worth it and/or needed? 2. What size case will I need? The core setup: Edit: Made it a single link for easier access. [url]http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=20881746[/url]
Get a GTX 670 and lose 5 FPS while saving $100. Get a high-end air cooler if you feel like it. I don't think liquid cooling would matter much. As for the case, that's a monster GPU, so get a full tower ATX case. For example, this case would fill the bill perfectly and looks like a frikkin alien spaceship. [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146068"]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146068[/URL] It comes in different colors too.
That case is nice, but I don't much like plastic doors and stuff. For a case that has style, strong structure, spacious innerds and massive cooling capability, go Antec. [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129100[/url] Antec all day, erryday. Liquid cooling has its perks, but its a pain in the ass to set up and if its not set up [I]just right[/I] then it'll leak, lose efficiency, things like that. I roll Air Cooling myself, works well in the case that I'm running (the antec 300). That case I've linked there has mounts for water cooling should you choose to go that route. If you stick with Air Cooling, go grab one of these for the CPU [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099[/url] Its cheap, and damned effective. Go grab one of these as well. [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185054[/url] Hell, grab two of them and replace the fan on the cooler linked above. It can mount two fans FYI.
Going by the latest issue of Custom PC, for a budget of £1500 (which is approximately $2500) they recommend; Asus Maximus V Gene Motherboard Intel i5-3570k 8GB Patriot G2 PGD38G1600ELK RAM PNY GeForce GTX 680 2GB Graphics Card Corsair Pro Series HX 650 PSU Seagate 2TB HDD Asus Xonar DX Sound Card Samsung 830 250GB SSD Obviously to save some cash you can drop things like the SSD and the sound card and for a case go with something with decent airflow, something like the Silverstone Raven 2 or as Naaz said the NZXT Phantom and make sure the case comes with Fan Filters, saves you so much hassle in the long run.
you will probably want to go with air for your first build.
[url]http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=17509651[/url]
[QUOTE=QuikKill;36795794][url]https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=17509651[/url][/QUOTE] empty wishlist [editline]16th July 2012[/editline] [img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59389727/11.PNG[/img] [img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59389727/12.PNG[/img] [img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59389727/13.PNG[/img] $2398 w/ shipping, add $100 if you don't have an OS though [editline]16th July 2012[/editline] What are you disagreeing with Quik?! [editline]16th July 2012[/editline] Okay, rate me disagree and dumb for no reason at all, are you guys just entirely against me giving anyone a build now?
[QUOTE=HolyCrapAWalrus;36796113]empty wishlist [editline]16th July 2012[/editline] [img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59389727/11.PNG[/img] [img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59389727/12.PNG[/img] [img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59389727/13.PNG[/img] $2398 w/ shipping, add $100 if you don't have an OS though [editline]16th July 2012[/editline] What are you disagreeing with Quik?! [editline]16th July 2012[/editline] Okay, rate me disagree and dumb for no reason at all, are you guys just entirely against me giving anyone a build now?[/QUOTE] No, there are better parts and better choices than what you chose. Monitor: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824260047[/url] Case: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163180[/url] HDD: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136798[/url] GPU: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130782[/url] PSU/RAM: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.997456[/url] CPU/Mobo: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.986932[/url] Heatsink: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018[/url] SSD: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167093[/url] ~2,445.31. This leaves plenty for mouse/keyboard.
But you don't need an 850W gold PSU, and that RAM is not going to fit under the NH-D14. Other than that, what I chose was nearly exactly the same performance wise and I fit in a great keyboard and mouse, with what you're left with in your list won't let him get that. The monitors come down to preference, and the Samsung is as great a monitor as the Dell in regards to color reproduction which is one of the main reasons for buying an IPS monitor. The only downside to the Samsung is like of HDMI/DisplayPort and no USB hub, which isn't really a huge problem as most people still use DVI and there are like 8 USB ports on the I/O panel.
[QUOTE=HolyCrapAWalrus;36797928]But you don't need an 850W gold PSU, and that RAM is not going to fit under the NH-D14. Other than that, what I chose was nearly exactly the same performance wise and I fit in a great keyboard and mouse, with what you're left with in your list won't let him get that. The monitors come down to preference, and the Samsung is as great a monitor as the Dell in regards to color reproduction which is one of the main reasons for buying an IPS monitor. The only downside to the Samsung is like of HDMI/DisplayPort and no USB hub, which isn't really a huge problem as most people still use DVI and there are like 8 USB ports on the I/O panel.[/QUOTE] What if he wants to sli or tri sli in the future? That nzxt near bomb isn't going to cut it. Ram issue solved: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.997456[/url] The 3930k is much better and much more future proof than the 3770k, which by all means isn't a bad card. But with his budget, why not. He said photoshop, So I say ips.
NZXT is OEM'd by Seasonic, I don't know what you're getting at calling it a bomb. It can draw something like 800W without blowing up, and has the efficiency to meet 80 plus Silver standards. He only mentioned some Photoshop, maybe with a new computer he'll use it more, but even then he also said he mostly will be gaming. Chipset saying that the UltraSharp had ghosting issues turned me off of it, even though I'd never seen anyone else have problems with it. iirc Samsung and Dell both use LG panels in their monitors, so they're not going to be hugely different, and that Samsung is one of the best monitors in that price range, second to [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824176221[/url].
[QUOTE=HolyCrapAWalrus;36798114]NZXT is OEM'd by Seasonic, I don't know what you're getting at calling it a bomb. It can draw something like 800W without blowing up, and has the efficiency to meet 80 plus Silver standards. He only mentioned some Photoshop, maybe with a new computer he'll use it more, but even then he also said he mostly will be gaming. Chipset saying that the UltraSharp had ghosting issues turned me off of it, even though I'd never seen anyone else have problems with it. iirc Samsung and Dell both use LG panels in their monitors, so they're not going to be hugely different, and that Samsung is one of the best monitors in that price range, second to [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824176221[/url].[/QUOTE] Well I learned something new today. I know the cheaper nzxt's are bad, so I assumed those were too. Turns out the hale series are the exact same as seasonic. I would still get an 850 for future proofing. Two 670s oc'd run about 450w, and an oc'd 3930k will be about 200. Plus all the other stuff and you're really pushing the 650. The monitor is up to the op to decide.
Plus, the HALE82 goes on shellshocker today, probably for $90 with a $30 rebate. I'm going to get one probably :dance: Yeah I agree the best thing to resolve any issues with monitors is let OP is let him decide and weigh pros/cons of TN vs. IPS If anything he could mix both of our builds and put in the 3930k/X79 combo in my build and either drop the 2TB storage drive or bump down to a 128gb SSD.
[QUOTE=HolyCrapAWalrus;36798263]Plus, the HALE82 goes on shellshocker today, probably for $90 with a $30 rebate. I'm going to get one probably :dance: Yeah I agree the best thing to resolve any issues with monitors is let OP is let him decide and weigh pros/cons of TN vs. IPS If anything he could mix both of our builds and put in the 3930k/X79 combo in my build and either drop the 2TB storage drive or bump down to a 128gb SSD.[/QUOTE] I would get the 3930, he wont need to upgrade for years.
[QUOTE=HolyCrapAWalrus;36796113]empty wishlist [editline]16th July 2012[/editline] [img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59389727/11.PNG[/img] [img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59389727/12.PNG[/img] [img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59389727/13.PNG[/img] If I were to buy this, would I also have to buy the IDE cords/Power cords separate, or do they come with the computer?
"Don't spend $2500. It's too much money!"
[QUOTE=ToumaniSquirrel;36800277] If I were to buy this, would I also have to buy the IDE cords/Power cords separate, or do they come with the computer?[/QUOTE] You'll need to buy 2 SATA cables separately as the motherboard only comes with 2 and you need 4 for your optical drive/hard drives. Don't worry they're pretty cheap. The power cable for your PSU and monitor would already be packaged in with those. Also you'll need to get a DVI cable if you don't already have one and you choose the Samsung monitor. [editline]16th July 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=deaded38;36800450]"Don't spend $2500. It's too much money!"[/QUOTE] There's no need to start this shit in other peoples threads. [editline]16th July 2012[/editline] Also, 1000th post :v:
I really appreciate all of the help guys! I'm looking over the posts now to decide what I want to do. [editline]16th July 2012[/editline] The build below would run at about exactly $2600 after shipping and tax ($2,329.88 beforehand) which [I]should[/I] be doable. Did I forget anything? Alright, this is what I've got. Case: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146068[/url] CPU/Mobo: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.986932[/url] PSU/RAM: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.997456[/url] HDD: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136798[/url] SSD: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448[/url] GPU: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130782[/url] Heatsink: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018[/url] Monitor: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236100[/url] Keyboard: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823129003[/url] Mouse: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153055[/url] and finally, [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204[/url]
[QUOTE=HolyCrapAWalrus;36800640] There's no need to start this shit in other peoples threads.[/QUOTE] But there was a reason to start that shit in my thread, remember! In any case, I could care less. OP, your setup looks pretty decent. The one thing I think you should look into are the reviews on that heatsink. I was going to get that one as well when I realized from some of the reviews that it might cover some of your RAM slots. If you really want to, you could try watercooling; which shouldn't cover some of your RAM slots. It's up to you, though. I'm a little iffy on watercooling myself.
Dude, keep it in your thread, not here. This guy is including peripherals in his budget too, so that budget is justified.
[QUOTE=deaded38;36806024]The one thing I think you should look into are the reviews on that heatsink. I was going to get that one as well when I realized from some of the reviews that it might cover some of your RAM slots. If you really want to, you could try watercooling; which shouldn't cover some of your RAM slots. It's up to you, though. I'm a little iffy on watercooling myself.[/QUOTE] I'm not even going to respond to the first half of what you said. But that Noctua Cooler works with both a single fan or two fans. Two is obviously better, but he can get by if one doesn't fit. Not to mention, if he puts it on the correct way, the memory shouldn't even be an issue.
NH-D14 is the best cooler out today, and it only obstructs large heatsink RAM, which he doesn't have in his build. The problem is...what, exactly?
[QUOTE=Skarr;36801871]I really appreciate all of the help guys! I'm looking over the posts now to decide what I want to do. [editline]16th July 2012[/editline] The build below would run at about exactly $2600 after shipping and tax ($2,329.88 beforehand) which [I]should[/I] be doable. Did I forget anything? Alright, this is what I've got. Case: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146068[/url] CPU/Mobo: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.986932[/url] PSU/RAM: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.997456[/url] HDD: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136798[/url] SSD: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448[/url] GPU: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130782[/url] Heatsink: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018[/url] Monitor: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236100[/url] Keyboard: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823129003[/url] Mouse: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153055[/url] Optical drive: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204[/url][/QUOTE] Case: Personal preference, I won't knock you on this. My personal favorite right now is the Corsair 300R, which is a beat cheaper than what you picked and, in my own opinion, a bit more classy. CPU/Mobo: Those are WAY overpriced. You could get a 3770k and a nice Z77 mobo for about $600 instead of $900 for your combo. Those extra two cores aren't going to make a difference, especially since the 3770k is Ivy bridge, which is more efficient clock-per-clock and the higher speeds on top of that (not to mention overclockability) closes the gap between the two, making the extra $300 spent completely frivolous. PSU/RAM: Both of those are overpriced. You could easily shave off $60 from the PSU and $10 from the RAM with no performance difference. In fact 2x8GB sticks would give you more room to upgrade later and cost less than 4 separate 4GB sticks. HDD: Looks good. SSD: That crucial model is old and very slow compared to newer models. The OCZ Vertex 4 128GB costs exactly the same, does sustained writes 3x faster, and is also much faster in real-world applications. Sorry, but your choice here is just plain silly. GPU: Looks good, but with all the savings I'm affording you here, you could afford to get two of them in SLI. Heatsink: This will work, but it's a lot of extra money to spend for not much benefit. You'd be better off saving $50 and getting the Hyper 212 Evo. Monitor, keyboard, mouse, optical drive: Those are fine. Here's what I highly suggest you do instead: [img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PtKKodK41so/UAVEt8Ty42I/AAAAAAAACkM/gsonTAjxneI/s0/amazing.jpg[/img] Link to wishlist so you add all these things to your cart at once: [url]http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=14936529[/url] You can replace the case I have in there (300R) with yours if you want, and add your keyboard, mouse, monitor, optical drive (DVD), and hard drive and it will still only cost [b]$2206.87[/b] (instead of your $2,329.88), AND it will run MUCH better than what you have (in both games and photoshop thanks to it GPU acceleration) due to the two cards in SLI. You could use the extra cash to upgrade to the 256GB Vertex 4 SSD which is even faster, or keep it to yourself, or even drop the second GTX 670 and save yourself another $400 and it'd still be faster than what you picked.
[QUOTE='[EG] Pepper;36807434']Dude, keep it in your thread, not here. This guy is including peripherals in his budget too, so that budget is justified.[/QUOTE] They were in mine as well, I only showed the main things that mattered, though. [editline]17th July 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Evilan;36807532]I'm not even going to respond to the first half of what you said. But that Noctua Cooler works with both a single fan or two fans. Two is obviously better, but he can get by if one doesn't fit. Not to mention, if he puts it on the correct way, the memory shouldn't even be an issue.[/QUOTE] Ah. Well, I'm just going by what I read on the reviews.
[QUOTE=mblunk;36808346]Case: Personal preference, I won't knock you on this. My personal favorite right now is the Corsair 300R, which is a beat cheaper than what you picked and, in my own opinion, a bit more classy. CPU/Mobo: Those are WAY overpriced. You could get a 3770k and a nice Z77 mobo for about $600 instead of $900 for your combo. Those extra two cores aren't going to make a difference, especially since the 3770k is Ivy bridge, which is more efficient clock-per-clock and the higher speeds on top of that (not to mention overclockability) closes the gap between the two, making the extra $300 spent completely frivolous. PSU/RAM: Both of those are overpriced. You could easily shave off $60 from the PSU and $10 from the RAM with no performance difference. In fact 2x8GB sticks would give you more room to upgrade later and cost less than 4 separate 4GB sticks. HDD: Looks good. SSD: That crucial model is old and very slow compared to newer models. The OCZ Vertex 4 128GB costs exactly the same, does sustained writes 3x faster, and is also much faster in real-world applications. Sorry, but your choice here is just plain silly. GPU: Looks good, but with all the savings I'm affording you here, you could afford to get two of them in SLI. Heatsink: This will work, but it's a lot of extra money to spend for not much benefit. You'd be better off saving $50 and getting the Hyper 212 Evo. Monitor, keyboard, mouse, optical drive: Those are fine. Here's what I highly suggest you do instead: [img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PtKKodK41so/UAVEt8Ty42I/AAAAAAAACkM/gsonTAjxneI/s0/amazing.jpg[/img] Link to wishlist so you add all these things to your cart at once: [url]http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=14936529[/url] You can replace the case I have in there (300R) with yours if you want, and add your keyboard, mouse, monitor, optical drive (DVD), and hard drive and it will still only cost [b]$2206.87[/b] (instead of your $2,329.88), AND it will run MUCH better than what you have (in both games and photoshop thanks to it GPU acceleration) due to the two cards in SLI. You could use the extra cash to upgrade to the 256GB Vertex 4 SSD which is even faster, or keep it to yourself, or even drop the second GTX 670 and save yourself another $400 and it'd still be faster than what you picked.[/QUOTE] Wow, tons of help. Thanks.
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