Anywhere I can cut costs with this build?

[SeductivePig]

I currently need a case, power supply, processor, motherboard, ram, and video card to complete my build.. this is what I've come up with:

Case: Fractal Design R3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811352004
Power Supply: Corsair GS600 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Corsair+...0600&cp=1&lp=1
Processor: Core i5 2500k http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0354589
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z68 http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0364087
Memory: Gskill 8GB DDR3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231311
Video Card: PNY 560 TI http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814133384

Total cost after rebates is $635.. but I'm thinking of waiting until the radeon 7000 series is released so that my video card becomes cheaper. I would prefer not to go more expensive than this..

Btw, is it really worth overclocking the 2500k? I know it's easy, but if I decide to not overclock it I can save myself $40 on the motherboard, and I might change the case to a Lian Li and save another $40.. I just don't know if it really improves performance in games that much.


EDIT: I plan on only gaming. Right now I only have a 19'' 1440x900 monitor but I will upgrade to a 1080p monitor next year. The power supply is from best buy, I have a credit there.. it's the only good part I could find there. I don't want to overclock the 2500k too much - just looking to OC it a little, that's why I chose the cheapest motherboard that allows OC. The CPU and motherboard are both from microcenter.

EDIT: I updated the links. I have $90 + 10% off at bestbuy, and I'd prefer to get my cpu/mobo from microcenter since they have $40 off the combo.

 

[Puppies04]

Fill out the sticky, if we don't know what you plan to do with the build then we can't make suggestions.

 

[mfenn]

Your links are borked and your descriptions don't give me enough information to determine exactly which parts you're thinking of buying.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

I currently need a case, power supply, processor, motherboard, ram, and video card to complete my build.. this is what I've come up with:

Case: Fractal Design R3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811352004 Fractal Design R3
Power Supply: Corsair GS600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...3&Tpk=gs%20600 Corsair
Processor: Core i5 2500k http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115072
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z68 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...20GA-Z68MA-D2H
Memory: Gskill 8GB DDR3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231311
Video Card: eVGA 560 TI http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130604

Total cost after rebates is $635.. but I'm thinking of waiting until the radeon 7000 series is released so that my video card becomes cheaper. I would prefer not to go more expensive than this..

Btw, is it really worth overclocking the 2500k? I know it's easy, but if I decide to not overclock it I can save myself $40 on the motherboard, and I might change the case to a Lian Li and save another $40.. I just don't know if it really improves performance in games that much.

If you're thinking of using that CPU for at least 3 years, I recommend you get it to 4GHz-4.5GHz. Anything more is pretty unnecessary given the jumps in voltage you have to make.

The case, it's good for the price. Nothing against it there.

The power supply, you can do a lot better for the price. If you can pay $90, I suggest you get an XFX Core Edition Pro 650W instead. It's based on a better design with higher efficiency and less ripple, not to mention it can handle more power. It can also take up to a Radeon HD 6950 or GTX 560 Ti CF/SLI easily since it has 4x PCI-E connectors. However, if you're looking to spend less and get similar quality but only support for one high-end GPU you should go for an Antec HCG-620 or an Antec NEO ECO 620C. The NEO ECO 620C has a bit lower efficiency but has higher electrical quality (less ripple, for example). Either way, you can't go wrong with any of them as they match the quality of the Corsair GS600 while costing $20 less.

The motherboard, it has 4+1 phase power. What that means is that you shouldn't run the Core i5 at anything higher than 1.35V for long-term use, as it could damage the motherboard's VRMs in the long run (in three years, perhaps more). If you don't need any additional features, it's fine. If you're looking for something higher-end, I recommend the AsRock P67 EXTREME4. It's only $150 and it's one of the best LGA 1155 motherboards to have come out.

The graphics card, well, the GTX 560 Ti is kinda overpriced. It's only 5% faster at 1920x1200 overall than the Radeon HD 6870, a card that costs $40-50 less and consumes less power. On the downside, you have around 10% over-clocking headroom on the 6870 and 20% on the GTX 560 Ti.

 

[SeductivePig]

If you're thinking of using that CPU for at least 3 years, I recommend you get it to 4GHz-4.5GHz. Anything more is pretty unnecessary given the jumps in voltage you have to make.

The case, it's good for the price. Nothing against it there.

The power supply, you can do a lot better for the price. If you can pay $90, I suggest you get an XFX Core Edition Pro 650W instead. It's based on a better design with higher efficiency and less ripple, not to mention it can handle more power. It can also take up to a Radeon HD 6950 or GTX 560 Ti CF/SLI easily since it has 4x PCI-E connectors. However, if you're looking to spend less and get similar quality but only support for one high-end GPU you should go for an Antec HCG-620 or an Antec NEO ECO 620C. The NEO ECO 620C has a bit lower efficiency but has higher electrical quality (less ripple, for example). Either way, you can't go wrong with any of them as they match the quality of the Corsair GS600 while costing $20 less.

The motherboard, it has 4+1 phase power. What that means is that you shouldn't run the Core i5 at anything higher than 1.35V for long-term use, as it could damage the motherboard's VRMs in the long run (in three years, perhaps more). If you don't need any additional features, it's fine. If you're looking for something higher-end, I recommend the AsRock P67 EXTREME4. It's only $150 and it's one of the best LGA 1155 motherboards to have come out.

The graphics card, well, the GTX 560 Ti is kinda overpriced. It's only 5% faster at 1920x1200 overall than the Radeon HD 6870, a card that costs $40-50 less and consumes less power. On the downside, you have around 10% over-clocking headroom on the 6870 and 20% on the GTX 560 Ti.

Sorry for not including info about where I'm buying.. based off that what should I do with the PSU?

And should I switch to a 6870 then, because I can get it for $130 AR.. instead of $200AR for the 560TI.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Sorry for not including info about where I'm buying.. based off that what should I do with the PSU?

And should I switch to a 6870 then, because I can get it for $130 AR.. instead of $200AR for the 560TI.

Well, you said you needed a new PSU, right? Get the Antec NEO ECO 620C or the Antec HCG-620 if you're gonna use a single 6870 and gonna heavily over-clock the system, or get the XFX Core Edition Pro 650W if you want to CrossFire two 6870s in the future along with having a heavily OCed CPU. For future-proofing, I'd just recommend you get the XFX.

As for the prices of the graphics cards, you should absolutely get the Radeon HD 6870 if it's so cheap. By going with the GTX 560 Ti you'll be getting a tiny bit more performance, higher power consumption, and a much higher price tag. Only look at the 560 Ti if you're looking to push for a 950MHz+ OC or want to fold.

 

[oynaz]

>600 W is overkill for the PSU. Get a quality ~450W instead, and save some $

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

>600 W is overkill for the PSU. Get a quality ~450W instead, and save some $

I had the same mentality before. Didn't have to wait until long and I wanted to add another graphics card. Power supplies under 650W are a dead-end if you want more than one performance GPU and to future-proof. If all you want is a single GPU forever, though, it makes more sense to get a lower wattage unit.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

i would say go with a 500 ~550 watt PSU

 

[Zargon]

I had the same mentality before. Didn't have to wait until long and I wanted to add another graphics card. Power supplies under 650W are a dead-end if you want more than one performance GPU and to future-proof. If all you want is a single GPU forever, though, it makes more sense to get a lower wattage unit.

future proof? GPU watts arent really going up, and cpu/mobo/ram volts are constantly going down.

 

[mfenn]

future proof? GPU watts arent really going up, and cpu/mobo/ram volts are constantly going down.

Agree. 550W is plenty for a single-GPU system. Most people don't upgrade frequently enough such that adding a second GPU makes sense.

Also, I agree that the GS600 isn't very good compared to others in its price range, but you do have extenuating circumstances with store credit. Definitely get the 6870 though.

Another easy place to save money is the RAM. This Patriot 8GB kit is $40 AR.