Is this i5 + asus monitor setup a good deal?

[Clinkster]

This is my projected build right now (I already have a keyboard and headset)(EDIT: and now I have a hard drive and CPU heatsink).

NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146061
$40

ASUS VH226H Black 21.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236051
$175 (not including $25 MIR)

Rosewill HDMI cable
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882021128
Free with monitor purchase

EVGA 768-P3-1360-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130562
$170

SeaSonic SS-650HT 650W ATX12V v2.31/EPS 12V v2.92 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151091
$80

Logitech MX 518 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 1800 dpi Gaming Mouse
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826104178
$41 (not including $15 MIR)

Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820226103
$90

i5 750 + EVGA P55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.493855
$315 (not including $40 MIR)

Subtotal: $910.93

Any comments, improvements, or suggestions are welcome.

EDIT: Removed Hard drive and heatsink since I purchased them on Superbiz.

 

[ther00kie16]

same hard drive is $10 less at superbizz with FALL15 15% coupon. also consider spending a little more for a 1tb drive. Even 2TB 7200rpm (hitachi) has been seen for $100, and you'll want that extra space eventually.

if you don't mind a lesser known brand, galaxy gtx 460 is $150 after $20 mir at tigerdirect

not to knock the 518, but consider a laser mouse like the g5

memory could be cheaper (1333 vs 1600 makes minute differences, u can check Anand's benchmarks in memory section)

cooler is $27 before 15% off at superbizz

bad impression of evga mbs but that could just be me.

What's this system for? may want to consider i7. decent prices with the 15% off sale,which ends today I assume it's midnight PT so you have 1hr

http://www.superbiiz.com/combo.php?cat_id=194 some i7 combos for less than that i5 combo after the 15% code

EDIT: nvm, the code has $10 off max but still should consider those i7 combos

 

[Davidh373]

I would recommend against the WD Black, not because it isn't reliable, but you can get the same performance and reliability from a samsung drive.

750GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-227-_-Product

1TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-185-_-Product

 

[Clinkster]

Thank you for the superbiz recommendation, I saved myself a grand total of $20 just by switching to them (for the hard drive and cooler).

I don't really feel like I need an i7 for 80$ more (at the very cheapest) than this i5 combo I got (for the marginal boost in performance).

I'll consider the mouse comment.

I'd rather max my board out for $5-10 more memory wise.

My friend has told me this EVGA MB isn't as bad as the others since it doesn't have the nvidia chipset attached to it, so I'll stick with it.

To the second poster....why would I choose Samsung over WD? Especially when the Samsung equivalent HD has 50% 1 egg ratings?

 

[ther00kie16]

Caviar Black is probably the fastest 7200rpm hd line but it depends on the platter density. You won't want a 640gb hd if u r concerned about speed.

This one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152185 is actually faster because of its 500gb platters vs the 320gb platters for the WD 640gb hd.
Here's a review: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/storage/2009/10/06/samsung-spinpoint-f3-1tb-review/3

edit: and some more tests: http://www.overclock.net/hard-drives-storage/596445-hdd-quick-bench-samsung-1tb-f3.html

 

[mfenn]

To the second poster....why would I choose Samsung over WD? Especially when the Samsung equivalent HD has 50% 1 egg ratings?

Yeah, I would not buy the HD754JJ. I would (and have!) bought the F3 1TB. They're really completely different drives. The F3 is a screamer since it has 500GB platters.

Regarding the memory, if you're willing to hassle with buying from different sites to save $20, I would assume that you're willing to save $12 and get 1333 memory, since there is no perceptible difference.

What I would put those savings toward is a 1GB GTX 460. You can grab this GA-P55A-UD3 + GTX 460 1GB combo for $300 AR and get the i5 760 by itself for $200. That's $500 AR versus $445 AR for what you have right now. Your extra $55 gets you a better GPU and a more feature-ful mobo (and you don't have to worry about EVGA ).

 

[Rinaun]

I'm not quite understanding the logic on the memory. Running each of the buses (fsb, memory, cpu) not as far as they can go but equally allows for a better overclock, which is what he's doing (he's a friend).
Lets check the timings too.

Mushkin: 7-9-7-24 1600@ 1.65v
G.skill: 9-9-9-24 1333@ 1.5v

I mean there won't be a very negligible difference in games, but I would think it beats playing the ramlottery with voltage, especially since as I said he WILL be overclocking modestly. If someone has more experience or can link me to a page with a good review of 1333 ram with pretty nice OC ability I would be ecstatic.

I will have to check out that motherboard deal though, I don't really prefer EVGA boards.......680i scared me off *shudder*.
edit: Now I remember why I didn't chose that. I have people I know who say those get pretty hot (Gigabyte 2 fan cooler), not sure if the fans need to be modded on them or what for them to cool at an aftermarket level they were designed for. Nice deal though.

 

[Davidh373]

The 750GB was a rush recommendation, but the 1TB is good. Sorry about that.

 

[mfenn]

I'm not quite understanding the logic on the memory. Running each of the buses (fsb, memory, cpu) not as far as they can go but equally allows for a better overclock, which is what he's doing (he's a friend).
Lets check the timings too.

Mushkin: 7-9-7-24 1600@ 1.65v
G.skill: 9-9-9-24 1333@ 1.5v

I mean there won't be a very negligible difference in games, but I would think it beats playing the ramlottery with voltage, especially since as I said he WILL be overclocking modestly. If someone has more experience or can link me to a page with a good review of 1333 ram with pretty nice OC ability I would be ecstatic.

I will have to check out that motherboard deal though, I don't really prefer EVGA boards.......680i scared me off *shudder*.
edit: Now I remember why I didn't chose that. I have people I know who say those get pretty hot (Gigabyte 2 fan cooler), not sure if the fans need to be modded on them or what for them to cool at an aftermarket level they were designed for. Nice deal though.

This is the first mention of overclocking in this thread. If you want to OC, sure 1600 will give you more headroom to play with the multis. I would still get G.Skill DDR3 1600 though since it is 1.5V.