Hello, everyone. I came here before for support on my first build; an $1100 setup for my younger brother's gaming. Now I'm back, looking to build my own rig. I've put together what I believe is a pretty decent setup. However, I usually make mistakes and would like the input of FacePunch, as my first build turned out great.
[h2]Parts List[/h2] - all prices in USD
[B]Memory:[/B] [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220557"]Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model PGD38G1333ELK[/URL] - $33.99
[B]Hard Drive[/B]: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185"]SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive[/URL] - $149.99
[B]Optical Drive[/B]: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151222"]SAMSUNG Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Combo Model SH-B123L LightScribe Support - OEM[/URL] - $59.99
[B]Power Supply[/B]: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207014"]XFX Core Edition PRO650W (P1-650S-NLB9) 650W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply[/URL] - $89.99
[B]Audio[/B]: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121014"]Logitech S-220 17 Watts 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System - OEM[/URL] - $28.99
[B]Monitor[/B]: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236205"]ASUS VS Series VS229H-P Black 21.5" 14ms HDMI IPS-Panel LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 ASCR 50000000:1[/URL] - $159.99
[B]Keyboard[/B]: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109191"]Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Keyboard [/URL] - $47.99
[B]Case[/B]: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197"]COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case[/url] - $104.99
[b]Motherboard[/b]: [url="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271"]ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard[/URL] - $124.99
[B]Video Card[/B]: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125401"]GIGABYTE GV-N560UD-1G GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card[/URL] - $209.99
[B]Processor[/B]: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072"]Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K[/URL] - $219.99
[B]OS[/B]: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986"]Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM[/URL] - $99.99
[b]Total before tax/shipping[/b]: $1,330.88
[h2]What I Need Help With[/h2]
* Cost Minimization; if I can exchange any products with minimal performance loss (including any peripherals), please let me know
* Reliablility; if you see any cheap-o pieces, please let me know
* Should I go with an ATI Radeon 6950 instead of the nVidia GTX 560 Ti? I know it's a performance drop, but it would save me money. Is it worth it? I've also considered swapping out for an ATI Radeon 6870. My younger brother's build has one and it works beautifully. How much of a performance drop would I notice on games like Skyrim and Battlefield 3?
* Is the 650W power supply enough? Is it a reliable brand?
* Bonus points to anyone who can recommend a good wireless network adapter; I looked at Rosewill ones that plug into your motherboard, but they had REALLY mixed reviews.
* Any overall improvements to the build would be appreciated
Thank you for any and all input!
[quote] Should I go with an ATI Radeon 6950 instead of the nVidia GTX 560 Ti? I know it's a performance drop, but it would save me money[/quote]
Actually the 6950 1GB is faster than the GTX 560 Ti by around 4-6% on average according to Techspot, this is corroborated by several other reviews on the web. I would actually suggest getting slightly cheaper ram to save a bit there, and grabbing [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102945]This HD 6950 2GB[/url] for $269 and it'll almost always unlock to a 6970 2GB by flippin' the switch next to the crossfire connector. I've only seen a few reports of it not unlocking, and even without the unlock it's still faster than a GTX 560 Ti by a fair amount for only a bit more than the Twin Frozr one you chose.
Alternatively if you want to minimize cost you could grab [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125401]This GTX 560 Ti[/url] and save yourself $50 dollars. The Twin Frozr cooler and a slightly higher factory overclock isn't worth the MSI price premium. I wouldn't get a 6870 for gaming at 1920x1080, not powerful enough.
I'd also like to strongly recommend [b]not[/b] paying $70 for 2133MHz ram. Ram speed has such a neglidgable increase on performance in games, it's very unnecessary to go above 1600MHz unless it's the same price/cheaper during a sale for faster ram.
[editline]28th December 2011[/editline]
The power supply is good from what I can see. I believe the TX ones have Seasonic internals which are always nice, but somebody like Demonguard or Shadaez would be able to tell you more about it, they're very knowledgeable about PSUs.
I think [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236205]this monitor[/url] would be better. It's the same price and it's an IPS panel. Ignore the 14ms response time listing, Newegg is stupid. It's 5ms which is fine for gaming and I believe some reviews have even noted the error on Newegg's listing.
If anyone notices an error or something I have missed in my recommendations please feel free to correct me.
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220557[/url] little (1-2FPS) to no performance gain in gaming from ram speed
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207014[/url] same internals at TX650V2, same price, more native PCI-E power connectors
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271[/url] slightly more for a much better mobo
[editline]28th December 2011[/editline]
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.783016[/url] CPU/RAM combo
newegg usually has combos with windows 7 for a lot of components, look at the components not comboed at the end and check if any have this
the OP has the mobo under case and no case is listed anywhere
[editline]28th December 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=garrynohome;33927373]somebody like Demonguard or Shadaez would be able to tell you more about it, they're very knowledgeable about PSUs.[/QUOTE]
cough
* Updated the RAM as suggested
* Updated the PSU as suggested (bonus points to reapaninja; I was looking for that PSU and couldn't find it)
* Updated the motherboard as suggested
* Updated the monitor as suggested
Quick question: is the Twin FROZR cooler more efficient than stock single fan coolers? I really have a problem with cooling in my house, as its always very hot.
Also, should I invest in an aftermarket cooler/thermal compound for the CPU? I'm very concerned about the longevity of my parts due to the heat in my house. I live in central Texas and its hot as shit in the summer.
[QUOTE=reapaninja;33927920]
cough[/QUOTE]
My apologies. I was thinking about "the person with the pacman ghost avatar" but I couldn't remember your name. I believe you also helped me with my PSU in the questions thread.
[editline]28th December 2011[/editline]
Also to answer your question, yes the twin frozr is better and more efficient but it's not worth $50-60 dollars over the gigabyte GTX 560 Ti I linked. Just get the $209 Gigabyte dual fan card if you want a 560 Ti. If you're going to spend $260 on a GPU don't get a 560 Ti, get an unlockable HD 6950 2GB and clock it to run as an HD 6970. It's much faster than the GTX 560 Ti, and in a lot of cases faster than the GTX 570.
* Replaced the MSI 560 GTX Ti with the Gigabyte GTX 560 Ti as suggested
Alright, I really appreciate the help with this build, guys. The PC building section is always very helpful and accommodating to those like me who aren't on top of the current parts. You've gone and saved me about $120 and given an overall better build.
Cheers.
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