My first build ever. need help

[chapstick2k13]

hey guys im building my first Gaming PC Ever. however i dont have a large budget (500$) and i need to get ram. mobo .cpu and gpu.

my current pc is a dell inspiron 560. and i added a 5670 HD 512mb....and yea my case is a minitower so im gonna get a matx board because is all i can afford. atm all i can play is cod4 in low settings and some mmo games

im from chicago and i found out about a store were pc parts are really cheap called Microcenter and i found the i5 2500k for only 139.99
http://www.microcenter.com/product/4...rocessor_-_OEM

i was reading somewhere that the z77ma-g45 board doesnt support 2500k cpus and u cant OC them... i was wondering if
there was a new BIOS update were maybe they fixed that and u can now.

the case i have now is the dell inspiron http://www.pacificgeek.com/productim...560MT-FB-R.jpg
http://www.stuartconnections.com/643...-PSU-MK9GY.jpg

Im not a PC genius if you guys have some recommendations please feel free to help me out.. remember my budget is only 500$

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130647 mobo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231314 RAM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127699 GPU

thats the other stuff i wanted to get... i dont know if the graphics card will fit in the case but it should
in total is 500 dllrs including CPU( if yuo guys have other combos with about the same price feel free to post them)

im planning to play games like bf3,all Cods, new GTA game , and most demanding games out there

PS. Plz dont recommend me to save up more im a stundent and i dont work atm

i recenlty found out about the gigabtye sniper m3 mobo would u guys recommend it?

Thanks for the help in advance!

 

[Torn Mind]

It's the other way around. Later Ivy Bridge chips cannot work in older Cougar Point(Z68, P67, H67,H61,Q67,etc) chipsets without a BIOS update. Panther Point chipsets(Z77, H77, B75, etc) accept older Sandy Bridge chips like the 2500k or my Celeron G550 without problems. In fact, I installed my G550 in my Asrock H77M and needed no BIOS update.

The Z77 is the overclocking chipset.

Microcenter currently has a bundle special in which if you buy an i3-3225 or i5-3570k with any LGA1155 motherboard, you get $50 off the motherboard.

Your links aren't working. You can edit your post to fix that.

 

[meeshu]

Suggested addition/changes -

CPU: Intel i3-3220

Video Card: Gigabyte GV-R785OC

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H

 

[Torn Mind]

i5-3570K + Biostar H77MU3 @Microcenter $226.25 or $229.40

RAM G.SKILL NS Series 8GB$45
GPU: GIGABYTE GV-R785OC-2GD $185/$170 AR
PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3938566&SID= $47 before rebate/$27 after rebate.

Total $503.25 before rebate/$468 after rebate

 

[Sleepingforest]

I'm thinking that stepping down to the i3-2225 and getting a $280 or so graphics card may be a better combo--but I'm not sure how the bottlenecking works out.

 

[Hubb1e]

The 7850 is a good card and you'll update your GPU more often than your CPU so just get the i5 at microcenter. It's too good of a deal to pass up. You'll have this chip for many years if you put a bit of overclock on it.

 

[Sleepingforest]

And I agree with all those points, but for him to overclock and get the full value out of the CPU, he needs a Z77 rather than H77 board, which drives up cost a fair bit. At the very least, spend an extra $70 upfront now (like giving up cable for a month or getting 20 less Starbucks drinks) to get a Z77 board and CPU cooler.

 

[Torn Mind]

It's less "value" but more MUCH more performance if he gets an i5-3570K. The i5 absolutely kills the i3 in benchmarks, far more than the clockspeed difference and 2 virtual cores vs. 2 physical cores would imply(more on that later).
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/701?vs=677

He's losing Turbo Boost, two cores, and 100 Mhz of clockspeed. The 100 Mhz is a small difference, but the Turbo Boost and cores make a huge difference. If the game he plays uses two cores, the two extra cores that pretty much rid the cores occupied by the game of "interference" from other processes, such as antivirus, etc. He will be sorely missing the two extra cores if he plays Skyrim or BF3 multiplayer.
And there is also resale value...

Also, cache is much more plentiful on the i5.

While he says its a gaming rig, the i5 would be excellent for schoolwork if he can manage to get the software cheaply. It will pull him into using it over his old computer

 

[mfenn]

It's less "value" but more MUCH more performance if he gets an i5-3570K. The i5 absolutely kills the i3 in benchmarks, far more than the clockspeed difference and 2 virtual cores vs. 2 physical cores would imply(more on that later).
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/701?vs=677

He's losing Turbo Boost, two cores, and 100 Mhz of clockspeed. The 100 Mhz is a small difference, but the Turbo Boost and cores make a huge difference. If the game he plays uses two cores, the two extra cores that pretty much rid the cores occupied by the game of "interference" from other processes, such as antivirus, etc. He will be sorely missing the two extra cores if he plays Skyrim or BF3 multiplayer.
And there is also resale value...

Also, cache is much more plentiful on the i5.

While he says its a gaming rig, the i5 would be excellent for schoolwork if he can manage to get the software cheaply. It will pull him into using it over his old computer

Sure the i5 is faster than the i3 in some games that can take advantage of extra cores. However, the 7950 is faster than the 7850 in all games.

 

[Sleepingforest]

I think if he decides he can spend a significant chunk more now, go for the i5, CPU cooler, and Z77 mobo. It'll provide a better experience overall in non-gaming and some instances of gaming.

If he can't spend the extra cash though, he should go for the i3/7950, which gives a better performance in all games. It also leaves an easy upgrade path (i3 to i5), though the hardware installation will be slightly more time consuming (removing the HSF, swapping CPUs, rather than just unscrewing a GPU and sliding a new one in).

I suppose it depends on whether he anticipates upgrading and whether he can get some more cash now.