hard core gamer + first time builder.700-900 build.

[mokylim]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
*GAMING* - id really like to max out bf3 and upcoming diablo 3 as much as possible.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
*800-900*

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
US (im near a microcenter)

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.
just Intel for the CPU thats about it.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
24" 1080p monitor (best buy sale)
NZXT Phantom case (newegg sale)
500GB 7200rpm HD
keyboard,speakers and mouse

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
i have searched around and read some posts but since i have some stuff that i can use for the build then the budget differs for me.
so far im set on using intel 2500k + CM hyper 212 (most people recommend this)+ z68 board for ivy bridge compatibility.
id love to try out SLI/Xfire but most people wouldnt recommend it for first time builders.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
yes id want to overclock.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.
1080p

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
no later than december pls.

|||||||||||||||||||UPDATE||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
so i scoured around the net and stopped by some of the stores to check and see prices and availability and so far here are some of the items i already have/ordered and about to order:

CPU (about to order)- Intel i5 2500k

MOTHERBOARD (about to order)- im still debating which to get:
ASUS p8z68-v pro LGA 1155 -http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0364206
or
ASUS p8z68 deluxa LGA 1155 - http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0366668

*can anyone tell me the difference of both motherboards? mind you i have plans on going SLI/XFire in the future. im gonna order both the CPU and mobo on microcenter this late afternoon to avail the $60 off mobo/cpu bundle.

VIDEOCARD - i was set on getting the 6950's with the bios switch but then i saw the 560 ti's 448 cores and wondered what would be better or if theres anything nicer.

PSU (ordered) - XFX Core Edition PRO650W (P1-650S-NLB9) 650W - ordered this per mfenn's suggestion. if i do plan on Xfire 2 X 6950's will this be able to handle them?

RAM - corsair vengeance 2x4 gb's 1.5v (ordered)

CPU COOLER(ordered) - CM 212+

CASE (ordered)- NZXT phantom

MONITOR (ordered) - HP 24' 1080p

keyboard/speakers - still looking around but might settle for a razer keyboard and i still have my sennheiser 350's to use for the meantime.

thanks so much guys

 

[mfenn]

Take the build in this thread, drop the HDD, case and optionally SSD and add a Hyper 212+.

 

[mokylim]

tnx for the imput mfenn.

how big of a difference is a DDR3 1333mhz from a DDR3 1600 mhz RAM? would that make a huge difference when gaming comes into play?

 

[mfenn]

The difference is 0-1%, in other words negligible.

 

[mokylim]

update bump

 

[lehtv]

No need to pay for P8Z68-V Pro, not to mention a Deluxe! From microcenter, a Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 at $140AR probably does everything you need a motherboard to do.

Most of the relevant differences between motherboards can usually be looked up by comparing the newegg product pages, for example. Connectivity, ports, etc.

I think 560 Ti 448 Cores isn't bad at all, can be had for about 10% more than a 6950 2GB for a similar increase in performance. But it does consume more power and has less VRAM. If you ever plan on going dual-GPU, you'll want more than 1280mb. I would go with the 6950 2GB.

XFX Core 650 can handle 6950 crossfire as long as you don't go crazy on the OC. I would not OC dual GPUs at all, the performance of such a setup is already so high and I'd prefer to minimize the added heat/noise of the second GPU.

 

[mfenn]

I agree with lehtv except that I'd say that the GTX 560 Ti 448 (Nvidia, that's a retarded name) isn't worth it over the 6950 2GB unless you play games where Nvidia is favored. On average, it trades blows with the 6950 2GB and costs more.

 

[mokylim]

hey guys so for some reason i decided to overhaul my build today. ive been a gamer most of my life and its been my lifelong dream to build a custom desktop so i decided ill just go all out on this build. heres a somewhat preliminary build i have in mind:
HP 24' 1080p monitor
i7 - 2600k
CM hyper 212+
Gigabyte GA-z68xp-ud3h
12gb 1600mhz DDR3 RAM
2 x XFX 6950's 2gb
PSU - as what lehtv mentioned, my 650 would hold fine with stock clocks (i have no plans of OC'ing.but do u guys think i should increase my PSU? i tried the watt calculator from asus and with my proposed setup i need a 780 watt PSU)

let me knw what u guys think...

 

[mfenn]

I see two issues with that build:
- the i7 2600K doesn't do very much at all for gaming. It certainly isn't worth the $100 price increase
- 12GB of RAM is probably a triple channel kit whereas you want dual-channel for Sandy Bridge. 8GB is enough for gaming so I would sick with that.

The 650W PSU will be fine as lehtv said, though if you want to overclock the 6950 2GBs, you might want to get the 750W version.