Help with a pre-build

[PSMTC]

Hi everyone, first time poster. I'm looking to get a new gaming tower soon, and while I'm a complete idiot when it comes to computers, I have friends who are not, and they sent me to this site. Note that I do not want to build something myself; I'm willing to pay the premium to get it built for me. I'm fiddling around with iBUYPOWER right now, but if you guys have a better idea, I'm not attached to a particular vendor.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Gaming/browsing, specifically SC2 and Civ5, but I'd like to keep gaming on this thing for as long as I can without opening it up.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
$1300-$1500

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
USA

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.
No idea, so no preference.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
I have a 22" 780p LCD TV, but I think I'll want a better monitor, so... all new parts.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
I used another thread as a jumping off point, if that helps.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
I'd rather run everything at default speeds unless I'd be making large savings.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.
1920x1080

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
I plan to make the purchase within the next few weeks.

10. Don't ask for a build configuration critique or rating if you are thin skinned.
No worries.

Anyway, here's a link to the thing I've been messing around with: http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Intel...7_Configurator (taken from the PC thread)

And here's a potential build... PLEASE tell me where I'm going horribly wrong. To call my selections haphazard would be generous. It ended up around $1443, which is expensive but not prohibitively so for a pre-build. Thanks again!

Case ( NZXT Gamma Gaming Case - Black )
Case Lighting ( None )
iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction ( None )
iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion ( None )
Processor ( Intel® Core™ i5 760 Processor (4x 2.80GHz/8MB L3 Cache) )
iBUYPOWER PowerDrive ( None )
Processor Cooling ( Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1156] - [Free Upgrade] Standard 120mm Fan )
Memory ( 4 GB [2 GB X2] DDR3-1333 Memory Module - Corsair or Major Brand )
Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 - 1.5GB - Single Card )
Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by ATI or NVIDIA )
Motherboard ( ASUS P7P55 LX )
Motherboard USB / SATA Interface ( Motherboard default USB / SATA Interface )
Power Supply ( 800 Watt -- Standard )
Primary Hard Drive ( 40 GB Intel X25-V MLC SSD - Single Drive )
Data Hard Drive ( 500 GB HARD DRIVE -- 16M Cache, 7200 RPM, 3.0Gb/s - Single Drive )
Optical Drive ( 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black )
2nd Optical Drive ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( None )
Meter Display ( None )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Operating System ( None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only )
Keyboard ( iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard - Black )
Mouse ( iBUYPOWER Internet Mouse - Black )
Monitor ( 22" LCD 1920x1080 -- ASUS VH222H (21.5" Viewable) )
2nd Monitor ( None )
Speaker System ( iBUYPOWER 2.1 Channel Stereo Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System )
Power Protection ( None )
Headset ( SYBA Circumaural Stereo Headphone with Built-in Microphone )
Video Camera ( None )
Warranty ( Standard Warranty Service - Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )

 

[mfenn]

Looks fine, but the pricing does seem a bit high. Also, I think a 21.5 is too small for 1080P. I would probably look at something in the 23-24" range.

EDIT: I looked around, and iBuyPower's price looks to be competitive with the other boutique vendors. The main place that you can save some money is by getting a GTX 460 or 470 instead of the 480. A 480 is definitely NOT required for SC2 or Civ5.

 

[TrueBlueLS]

After buying a X25-V 40GB... I'd recommend a larger drive for a SSD.

 

[fffblackmage]

I like the 60GB capacity point.

Also, it seems a bit odd buying an Intel SSD when the newer 3rd gen is coming out soon. I'd recommend any Sandforce-based SSD if you want an SSD now.

 

[PSMTC]

I'm thinking a GTX 480 might be recommended for Diablo 3, whenever it comes out, but I guess a bigger monitor is more important.

I'm not sure what iBUYPOWER means when they offer a primary hard drive and a "data hard drive." I initially assumed the majority of my data could be moved off the SSD to the larger drive, so the size of the SSD wasn't as important as the IO/s, but I suppose I'm missing something. Also, are Sandforce SSDs provided by some other vendor?

In any event, I can get a 64 GB Kingston SSDNow V Series MLC SSD or a 64 GB Corsair Nova Series V64 MLC SSD for a small amount more than the current SSD. Would either of those be more worthwhile?

 

[mfenn]

I somehow don't think that Diablo 3 will need a GTX 480.

You are correct in your idea about primary versus data drives. You'll put the OS and your most commonly used programs on the SSD, whereas your media and other programs that won't fit on the SSD will go on the HDD.

Of those two drives, I would get the Nova. It's an Indilinx drive, which isn't the fastest thing out there right now, but it's higher capacity and not not severely gimped on the write speeds like the X25-V.

 

[PSMTC]

All right, so if I instead get a Sceptre E246W-1080P (23.6" Viewable) monitor, a GTX-460 graphics card, and a 64 GB Corsair Nova Series V64 MLC SSD with a 1TB SATA data drive, I actually save some money. Does that look good?

Also, should I get a surge protector?

 

[fffblackmage]

Also, should I get a surge protector?

Aren't surge protectors relatively cheap? I got so many of them from past Black Fridays.... Now that I think about it, I hope they're not too cheap.

It's cheap protection; I'd get one if you don't already have one.

 

[mfenn]

All right, so if I instead get a Sceptre E246W-1080P (23.6" Viewable) monitor, a GTX-460 graphics card, and a 64 GB Corsair Nova Series V64 MLC SSD with a 1TB SATA data drive, I actually save some money. Does that look good?

Also, should I get a surge protector?

:thumbsup:

For the surge protector, just get one locally from Lowe's or Home Depot.