An $ 800 Mid-range Gaming Rig

[richaron]

SSD only helps to load levels in gaming faster,no massive influence over general computing-this was told to me by someone. It will be useful if anyone can suggest me a cheapest config within my budget of $ 800 with 2 things fixed- 1.i5 2500K 2.HD 7850

A SSD makes a huge difference in general computing: you have to "load" windows, "load" your web browser, "load" control panel, "load" start menu, etc. Though in games all it does is load levels faster...

lehtv's build is as good as you'll get for that budget. It already has a hd 7850, & the 2400 is almost as good as 2500K at stock speeds.

 

[GothAmKing]

Check this config.I hope this will get me all ULTRA settings at every game at 1280x1024 res.

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $ 122

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 $ 210

Corsair Vengeance (2x4GB) DDR3 CL9 1600 RAM $ 45

LG W2043C 20 inches LCD Monitor $ 120

Antec Earthwatts 650-D $ 60

ZOTAC ZT-50709-10M GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $ 189

Frontech Safari $ 50

Proview 1.1kVA UPS $ 18

TOTAL----------------- $ 814

I want to get this rig running for the next 4 years.So will it ???

 

[richaron]

Check this config.I hope this will get me all ULTRA settings at every game at 1280x1024 res.

That monitor isn't 1280x1024 as far as I can tell

ZOTAC ZT-50709-10M GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $ 189

This is a pretty big step down from a 7850.

You seem to have your heart set on a 2500K, so do whatever you want. But if you want to be gaming in a few years time you should be spending more of your budget on the newer/better video card. A 2400 isn't a "bad" cpu.

 

[lehtv]

Check this config.I hope this will get me all ULTRA settings at every game at 1280x1024 res.

That build is missing a hard drive and a dvd drive. Do you not need those? If so, you will be able to get i5-2500K, Z68 and the bigger monitor along with the 7850, all without breaking your budget.

 

[mfenn]

SSD only helps to load levels in gaming faster,no massive influence over general computing-this was told to me by someone.

You should completely disregard the advice of that someone, as they have no idea what they're talking about. The main benefit of an SSD is keeping things snappy in general usage.

 

[mfenn]

Check this config.I hope this will get me all ULTRA settings at every game at 1280x1024 res.

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $ 122

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 $ 210

Corsair Vengeance (2x4GB) DDR3 CL9 1600 RAM $ 45

LG W2043C 20 inches LCD Monitor $ 120

Antec Earthwatts 650-D $ 60

ZOTAC ZT-50709-10M GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $ 189

Frontech Safari $ 50

Proview 1.1kVA UPS $ 18

TOTAL----------------- $ 814

I want to get this rig running for the next 4 years.So will it ???

No, it will not be able to run every game at ultra for the next 4 years. You could save some money on the PSU and RAM. Also an $18 UPS is very likely to blow your system up.

Where are you getting your pricing from by the way?

 

[tvo770]

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master V8 69.7 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H61ICAFE ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($72.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($267.15 @ Mwave)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($52.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $804.63
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-04-21 20:57 EDT-0400)

you could add a better motherboard
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($117.55 @ Newegg)
Total: $849.63

 

[RaistlinZ]

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master V8 69.7 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H61ICAFE ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($72.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($267.15 @ Mwave)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($52.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $804.63
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-04-21 20:57 EDT-0400)

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master V8 69.7 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H61ICAFE ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($72.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($256.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($52.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $802.45

Swapped the 7850 for one from Newegg that was $10.18 cheaper. I also swapped out the DDR3 1333 for some proper DDR3 1600, which added $8.00.

 

[tvo770]

that Motherboard ASRock H61ICAFE ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($72.55 @ Newegg)

CANT DO DDR3 1600.

 

[Smoblikat]

Get a CM 212 instead of a V8, its cheaper and works better. Ive owned both.

 

[GothAmKing]

Alright.But today I read some other threads at TH forum and I was starting to think that I should take a HD 7770 or GTX 560 Ti.the 560 Ti can superbly overclock.I game on 1280x1024 res amd am completely comfortable at 35-45 fps.I generally play Racing and FPS.But onething is for sure that I want that damn beast - i5 2500K !Everywhere people are saying "that it is the best cheapest available processor for good gaming".

And now I've become quite aware that ASRock cannot be a choice,there's lot of risk in that.Most customers say that the board is too thin,but that ain't any major problem.The problem is DOA and those warped pins at RAM slot or psu slot.Yet ASRock Z68 Extreme4 gets TH Recommended buy.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z68xp-ud3-dz68db,2980-8.html

Can I rely on ASrock ? Will it be able to keep it's promises ?

I'm pretty tight on my budget but Asus is foremost option.I hear good things or rather improvement from MSI and Gigabyte.Sadly again Biostar falls into the same quality as the ASRock.Right now I want some choices on the mobo-be it a H61,P67,Z68 or whatever LGA 1155 board it must have -
1.Support for 2 cards for SLI/Crossfire(@ x8/x8,I saw that no LGA 1155 supports x16/x16 :|)
2.Must support OC(I will do some mild OCing,maybe upto 4 Ghz atmost)
3.Price within $ 160(please)

Hve a look at these.Which will do the job for me ??

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131770

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128512

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128498



Also I'm quite xcited for upcoming GTX 650.If it's near to $ 200,maybe I should grab it.GTx 680 outruns both of the Tahiti s,maybe 650 will repeat that for Cape Verde and Pitcairn.

In SLI/CrossfireX I've a big doubt-
Say, it's 15 th of June,2013.Pixel shader 6 is out.So does the new GTX 7xx s.Microsoft is celebrating the birth of DirectX 12.My GTX 560 ti is highly depressed 'cuz it cannot run MW4 and BF4 for me.on 16 th I come home with a blazing new GTX 760 supporting all latest features.If I SLI them will be able to use the ability and VRAM of 560 ti and 760 both simultaneously ??? Imagine the same scenario for AMD too.Will crossfire utilize both 7850 and the latest 8850(say) ???

Lastly,thanx for ya all for your time and patience.God will bless ya all for letting a dumbo like me know something for buildin a rig.

 

[GothAmKing]

No, it will not be able to run every game at ultra for the next 4 years. You could save some money on the PSU and RAM. Also an $18 UPS is very likely to blow your system up.

Where are you getting your pricing from by the way?

From newegg,amazon. Believe me Every Of MY classmates have used ups of that quality and that never gave us a show of fireworks even working around for 5-7 years.We have load shedding on weekends for 1-2 hours only.But I want to keep it as a necessity not a luxury.It will be hard for you to believe but many of my classmates game on a Dual core CPU without OC.

thanx for your comment though

 

[GothAmKing]

You should completely disregard the advice of that someone, as they have no idea what they're talking about. The main benefit of an SSD is keeping things snappy in general usage.

Okay dude.But right now leave that out.Maybe I'll buy after 3-4 months.right now it will burn a hole in my pocket.

thanx

 

[lehtv]

Whatever you do, upgrade the monitor. You'll get a lot better gaming experience at 1080p than you do at 1280x1024.

What do you think of the build I posted?

 

[GothAmKing]

Whatever you do, upgrade the monitor. You'll get a lot better gaming experience at 1080p than you do at 1280x1024.

What do you think of the build I posted?

The build is decent but not that attrctive to me at my budget esp. the CPU,mobo and the PSU.Spending 10 bucks more I can get the beastly i5 2500K.Mobo cannot be OCable as far as I think.I was looking for the P8P67 Pro-V of Asus.But with that I will have either to degrade to a GTX 560 Ti or wait for Kepler.The PSU should be atleast 600 W for good OCing.

By the way what are these ?-
In Win Mana134 $20 AR
Asus VH238H $150 AR AP

 

[lehtv]

The build is decent but not that attrctive to me at my budget esp. the CPU,mobo and the PSU.

Feel free to buy a higher quality PSU for $60: Seasonic M12II 520W.

I was just trying to cut corners as much as possible in order to maximize CPU and GPU performance while fitting in a new monitor. I think that made sense.

Spending 10 bucks more I can get the beastly i5 2500K.Mobo cannot be OCable as far as I think.

You'd need to spend $30 more for the CPU (i5-2500K = $220), $40 more for the motherboard (Asrock Z68 Pro3 Gen3 = $105) and another $25 or so for a CPU cooler in order to be able to overclock. Total $95 more for a potential 30% increase in CPU performance (assuming i5-2500K @ 4.5GHz). Stock vs. stock, you will not notice a difference between i5-2400 and i5-2500K. Overclocked, you will not see a difference most of the time because you'll be GPU limited, most of the time.

By the way what are these ?-
In Win Mana134 $20 AR
Asus VH238H $150 AR AP

I provided links, you can click on them, you don't have to ask me what they are 😀. The case is unfortunately out of stock, I'd recommend CM HAF 912 at this point. And the second item is your new 1080p monitor.

 

[GothAmKing]

I don't need a SSD for time being, I'll get that later from my pocket money.As for tower i see that Antec 200 S has 2 front mount fans at a reasonable price.Won't that be better cooling/price wise???

Does that seasonic thing give me room for OCing 'cuz it's 520W.Also will it permit SLi with suppose 2 GTX 560 ti ??

And i think ASUS P8P67-M PRO is enough for me now.I need to grab a i5 2500K at any cost man.i hope u understand.... 🙂

CM HAF 912 is good,really impressed me at that price........

thanx for ya advice

 

[mfenn]

And i think ASUS P8P67-M PRO is enough for me now.I need to grab a i5 2500K at any cost man.i hope u understand.... 🙂

No, I don't understand. It just doesn't make any sense for somebody who is gaming at 1280x1024 and is OK with 35-45 FPS to want an i5 2500K over a new monitor or better GPU.

 

[lehtv]

Agreed, you need to let go of your 2500K fantasies, and grab a new monitor at any cost. If needed, back down to an Intel i3. The i3 is a very capable CPU for 1080p gaming.

 

[GothAmKing]

Well I want the i5 for longivity and better performance.In my opinion CPu will have if not equal but somewhat nearer bearing like GPU in performance in games.Though I see it's a bit overkill at my resolution but I have to run this for another 3-4 years.See I may be a noobie but I'm not a fanboy of any brand.I just want better performance at the cheapest price available.Otherwise I could take a Sabretooth P67,but that will be xcess than the features I xpect.

Also regarding ASRock I have got a mixed opinion from people and sadly enough no one among my buddies have had it before.So I prefer being with Asus maybe for it's service and 3 year warranty.

Regarding 1080p monitors will it make any differences at 1280x1024 res ??? I mean will I be able to get a great xperience from Asus VH238H than from a 20 inch LCD monitor ??? I really want to save some dough for getting a HD 7850 than a GTX 560 Ti without breking my budget........If only I could have some more paper......... 🙁

@lehtv
Also do let me know if there are any 20 inch monitors of the Asus VHxxxx series

thanx everyone again...............

 

[T_Yamamoto]

ASRock is highly recommended at this forum.

 

[lehtv]

Also regarding ASRock I have got a mixed opinion from people and sadly enough no one among my buddies have had it before.So I prefer being with Asus maybe for it's service and 3 year warranty.

If you want, you can swap the Asrock H61 board to an Intel H67 board for $25 more. Similar set of features, so Asrock is better value for money... But with Intel you do get 3 years of warranty

Regarding 1080p monitors will it make any differences at 1280x1024 res ??? I mean will I be able to get a great xperience from Asus VH238H than from a 20 inch LCD monitor ???

Yes, it makes a huge difference. 1920x1080 is 60% more pixels than 1280x1024, and assuming similar pixel density, a 1080p monitor will be around 60% larger in area as well. In my opinion, this makes the monitor the number one component to upgrade

I really want to save some dough for getting a HD 7850 than a GTX 560 Ti without breking my budget........If only I could have some more paper......... 🙁

Both cards are way overkill for 1280x1024 gaming

Also do let me know if there are any 20 inch monitors of the Asus VHxxxx series

Why limit yourself to 20 inches...? To save costs? 20 inch monitors aren't 1080p, better to upgrade directly to 1080p so you don't need to upgrade again later

 

[GothAmKing]

ASRock is highly recommended at this forum.

Can I completely trust ASRock over Asus ??? I say this cuz many people have issues like DOA,warped pins with ASRock.

Thanx for reply...........

 

[GothAmKing]

Both cards are way overkill for 1280x1024 gaming

So,what kinda GPU do you recommend ???

 

[lehtv]

Can I completely trust ASRock over Asus ??? I say this cuz many people have issues like DOA,warped pins with ASRock.

Thanx for reply...........

Many Asus boards are DOA as well. Heck, every brand has DOA products. It happens all the time, just check newegg reviews on almost any item and it's likely there are some who complain about DOA.