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Low-end/ Mid-range PC

N

N4n45h1

Member
1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
It'll mostly be used for typical web browsing stuff, while running VMs and etc. However, I do intend to game quite heavily on it this summer.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
I'd like to keep it between $1000 and $1200

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
United States (I live in South East Michigan)

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 preference, only looking for reliability and performance

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
I have the typical assortment of Windows 7, keyboard, mouse, optical drive, and a couple of 1080p displays.
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7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
If overclocking would yield serious performance benefits, I would be partial to it, but I would prefer to keep performance/power consumption scalable.

8. What resolution will you be using?
Probably three 1920x1080p displays. However, I would only be using one while gaming.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
I'd like to build it in the next week or two, unless there is something that I should be waiting for. (I'm more than willing to wait for Ivy Bridge, so long it comes out 23rd or 29th)

*

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
Nope

If there's any other information that might help, please let me know. I'm thankful for any advice regarding this build, as I haven't looked at building a PC in a couple years now. Also, for the sake of being able to run my VMs, I would like at least 8gb of RAM.


Potential Build:

i5 2500K $220
ASRock Z77 Pro3 $110
G.Skill DDR3 1333 8GB $38
7850 $260
Seagate 1TB $100
OCZ ZS 550W $45
Antec Three Hundred Two $70
Total: $843 AR AP

I'm mainly concerned that the ivy bridge i5 comparable to the 2500k will have a similar price point but higher performance. Also, I didn't think that there was any chance that a $1000 build would include an SSD, but I happen to already have a Intel 520 240GB that I would be putting into this new desktop.

So, because I have a few hundred dollars left to spend, should I upgrade to ivy bridge and/or should I upgrade the graphics card?
 
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Thanks for the quick reply.

I'm mainly concerned that the ivy bridge i5 comparable to the 2500k will have a similar price point but higher performance. Also, I didn't think that there was any chance that a $1000 build would include an SSD, but I happen to already have a Intel 520 240GB that I would be putting into this new desktop.

So, because I have a few hundred dollars left to spend, should I upgrade to ivy bridge and/or should I upgrade the graphics card?
 
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Should I be looking at the GTX 680? If it comes back in stock at a price around $500, it could very well fit into my budget, or is there a direction with more bang for the buck?
 
i5 2500K $220 Get 3570k instead.
ASRock Z77 Pro3 $110 Fine
G.Skill DDR3 1333 8GB $38 Get DDR3 1600Mhz instead, not much more money.
7850 $260 Perfect
Seagate 1TB $100 Perfect, get 7200.12
OCZ ZS 550W $45 Don't get an OCZ PSU. Get a Corsair TX650 V2
Antec Three Hundred Two $70 Ok I guess
 
If you can afford it, GTX 680 is a good choice.

CPU/mobo 3570K + Z77 Pro3 is a good choice, as is 2500K + Z68 Pro3. Whichever is fine. Be sure to buy an aftermarket cooler for overclocking.

RAM DDR3 1600mhz is not essential, the performance difference to 1333 is negligible; but since 1600mhz is Ivy Bridge's official RAM speed, get that if you get Ivy.

GPU 7850 is a great card, but so is GTX 680 if you can afford it (or find it in stock!). You can also find 7950 for as low as $380 though it's only single-fan. The Sapphire card would have better noise/thermals.

HDD Good

PSU Would not buy that. Would also not buy TX650 even though it is a reliable unit. It's just that it's not as good bang-for-buck as the XFX 650W which costs $65 AR and is identical except it has four PCIe connectors and is branded XFX.

Case Not that great, for $70. I'd say even the $50AR CM HAF 912 is better. I'd recommend Corsair 400R for a rig at this price range though.
 
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None at all. GTX 680 will run happily off of a quality 500W unit. It consumes less than 200W of power and requires 2x6-pin connectors which are provided by pretty much all worthy 500W units.

It's still a good idea to buy a 600-650W unit just so that you have some extra margin for upgradeability, overclockability, longevity, peace of mind and all that.
 
Alright. Thanks for the help so far everyone. I'll probably be biting the bullet when Ivy Bridge is released, but current build is looking like this:
CPU: i5-3570k
MB: Z77 Pro3
RAM: 8GB 1600Mhz
GPU: GTX 680 (Probably)
HDD: Seagate 1TB 7200.12
SSD: Leftover 256GB Intel 520
PSU: XFX 650W
Case: Corsair 400R
 
lehtv said:
If you can afford it, GTX 680 is a good choice.

CPU/mobo 3570K + Z77 Pro3 is a good choice, as is 2500K + Z68 Pro3. Whichever is fine. Be sure to buy an aftermarket cooler for overclocking.

RAM DDR3 1600mhz is not essential, the performance difference to 1333 is negligible; but since 1600mhz is Ivy Bridge's official RAM speed, get that if you get Ivy.

GPU 7850 is a great card, but so is GTX 680 if you can afford it (or find it in stock!). You can also find 7950 for as low as $380 though it's only single-fan. The Sapphire card would have better noise/thermals.

HDD Good

PSU Would not buy that. Would also not buy TX650 even though it is a reliable unit. It's just that it's not as good bang-for-buck as the XFX 650W which costs $65 AR and is identical except it has four PCIe connectors and is branded XFX.

Case Not that great, for $70. I'd say even the $50AR CM HAF 912 is better. I'd recommend Corsair 400R for a rig at this price range though.
Click to expand...

For a GTX 680, I agree that you're better off with the a 650W power supply. The OCZ ZS 550W got a 9 from Jonny, so I wouldn't exactly consider it a bad unit. In fact, he only really dinged it for value given the $60 MSRP. At $45 it is a good value.
 
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