• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Need a Gaming Rig/Never built one/1500$

J

jdmillertron

Junior Member
So I answered the ?'s from the sticky. Ready for a new gaming computer. Ive only ever bought pre-built stuff. Im an MMORPG player and might possibly try out some FPS games. If its top notch for MMO's Im happy. If its top notch for both thats just a bonus. Thanks


1. Gaming - Mostly MMO's (WoW, Rift, Soon to be
The Old Republic, etc)

2. I'd go up to 1500$ no problem as long as I wont need to replace/upgrade parts in the next 15-18 months.

3. Whatever website is recommended. I have only ever bought pre-built stuff from sites like ibuypower and cyberpowerpc.

4. No preference, whatever will give me the smoothest, most hassle free experience.

5. Only thing I was going to keep is my monitor. Its a Samsung 22" Syncmaster 226bw. I dont know if its good or bad, just had a sweet price tag when I got it a few years back.

6. Most of the threads I have looked at have people trying to spend under 1000$. Im willing to spend more, but only if it will really make a difference and allow me to not upgrade again anytime soon.

7. I have never done overclocking before, is it easy and worthwhile? For 1500$ could I get a stock setup that I dont need to overclock?

8. Whatever is optimal for the build with the monitor I have. Getting a new monitor AND staying in that price range would be fine as well.

9. Would like to build this ASAP, meaning I would like to order the stuff this week or next. I may have punched my old computer into submission.....

10. First time not buying something pre-built, so any and all help is appreciated.
 
For gaming, your videocard is more important than the CPU. That being said, the Intel 2500k is an awesome CPU for its price. So the start of your system should be the 2500k. (Buy a 2500k in stead of a 2500. It might come in handy in the future, and the $10 extra price isn't big. The 2600k on the other hand, is too little performance increase with gaming compared to the 2500k).

Next you need a motherboard. Any decent brand P67 or Z68 motherboard will do. Asus, ASRock, MSI, Gigabyte, maybe I'm forgetting a few. Unless you want to do SLI/CF, you don't need an expensive board. As this will be your first self-build computer, I recommend you don't do SLI/CF. Too much hassle to get it to work in some cases. Even with the cheaper boards you can do some overclocking if you ever wanted to. But overclocking isn't really necessary with a 2500k.

RAM is cheap. Get 8 GB, in a set of 2 pieces of 4GB each. I believe DDR3-1600 (aka PC3-12800) is currently the most cost effective type of DDR3. Don't worry about CAS latencies. If you can get different brands DDR3-1600 for the same price, get the one with lowest voltage and lowest CAS. But don't pay more to get lower CAS or voltage, it's not worth it.

Videocard is an issue people can talk about for days. The fastest card is the gtx580. But I recommend you don't buy it, as it's not only expensive, but also hot and loud. And the next generation videocards is around the corner (6-9 months from now). The GTX560ti is a very nice card, with good performance, and good value for the money. AMD has similar cards. So go for a GTX560Ti (or a gtx460ish card) now. Save yourself $200 compared to a gtx580. And next year, buy a new generation videocard. Your 2500k will still be more than fast enough. That way you'll have a fast-enough system now, and also next year.
Which brand ? Technically all cards are very similar. You might want to look at other aspects of the deal. Like warranty, etc. Asus and MSI have nice gtx560ti's that come with 2 fans. You can run those at lower fanspeeds, to make your system more silent.

Get a decent PSU. Don't try to get the cheapest. So many decent brands, I can't recommend one, sorry.

If you have a spare $100 in your budget, get a SSD. One that is 60GB or 90GB. Make it your boot disk, with Windows. This will make your system feel a lot more "snappy". If you know how to do symlinks (see the Windows mklink/J command), you can move your games around, so that the one(s) you play are on the SSD for faster loadtimes. You can keep the games you don't play on a HDD, and swap them around if you wish to replay an old game.

All you need now is a case, a HDD, and probably a DVD-drive. Those parts will hardly impact your gaming experience. So pick something you like. Not sure there is anything else. Maybe a cpu-cooler&fan. That will make your system more silent, and imho that's worth something too. Altogether, the total cost should easily stay in your budget.

No idea where to buy your system. I'm in Europe. Sorry.

Hope this helps.
I'm sure others will have more to add.
 
Last edited:
AMD is slated to ship Bulldozer this week. I expect that we should see performance numbers next week. On both fronts (Intel and AMD) you will see a price adjustment. The other aspect of building an AMD machine is you can usually get a cheaper motherboard ~$50-$60 cheaper from my experience.

I would suggest going to Newegg to buy your parts, as they have a great and credible review system.

Here are my recommendations for a first build:

Case: Try something like the coolermaster HAF or an NZXT phantom or H2, I have the phantom and have recently built an H2 case. The benefit of the H2 is it has a stealth hot swappable HD dock right on the top. I love it. The Phantom is just a straight sexy case, and with the $$ your spending, that computer should look hot.

CPU: Overclocking at your price level is not really needed. If you buy AMD the current generation of CPU's at ~$140 will be black editions, which in the future as you learn more will allow you to overclock. If you wait a week to see what Bulldozer offers, I believe those already have a turbo boost (self overclock) based on load.

Motherboard: If it has USB 3.0 its a newer motherboard. Read the reviews, look for a higher review number and 4 or 5 stars.


Video Card & monitor: Since you have a big budget, you may think about doing a multi monitor setup. The above info about Nvidia is accurate, the AMD side is that you could get a card that is capable of Eyefinity and multiple monitors that act as one screen. Using a triple monitor setup is best for a game like WOW as your character will remain on your main center display. Your other monitors would need to be the same size and resolution. I would budget 200-250 on the video card.

Hard Drives: With current prices, you SHOULD get an SSD, as the amount of time it will save you over the course of the life of your computer is well worth it. If you get a smaller SSD ~60GB, you should get a larger storage drive and relocate your My Documents and Media to the secondary drive. With 8GB of ram, you can also reduce the size of your paging file to save space.

Other tip: Go to monoprice.com to get yourself any video cables and monitor mounts you may want/need. Prices are fantastic and quality is indistinguishable.
 
The most usual set up for your price range is

i5 2500k
z68 mobo
8 gb ram
1 tb HDD
SSD
any case
500~600 PSU
6970/570 (at his price range?)
 
No need for a gtx 570, the games he plays don't warrant it, even a gtx 560 ti is overboard but it is what i would recommend coupled with a i5 2500k a z68 mobo and 8gb of ram. That set up will still be relevant for MMOs for 2 years and the CPU has more than enough grunt to handle a GPU upgrade a year or 2 down the line.

I run this set up in my gaming rig and battlefield 2 at max settings 1920 * 1080 runs smooth as silk. Wow, rift and old republic as well as any new MMO's for the forseeable future will run maxed out.
 
I agree with all of the above, but I'll give you some links to parts for you to browse and check out.

CPU + MOBO: http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/ShoppingCart.aspx?submit=ChangeItemI'll give you some specific links to check out as well. i5 2500k + ASUS P8P67 Pro motherboard. Well regarded motherboard at a nice combo price.

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 1600 Mhz 8GB kit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231428 You can get a blue kit if you want it to match your board all purty.

PSU: Corsair Enthusiast 650w: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...t-_-17-139-020 Nice power on the 12v rail and a trusted brand. Also a 10% off deal until tomorrow.

GPU: MSI 6950 2GB Twin Frozr II: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127562 Just an opinion, there are many good GPU options right now.

Case is your pick. I like a number of Antec and Coolermaster cases, as well as the high end stuff. If you want, you could even build a Micro-ATX case, like the fractal arc mini, but you'd have to get a lower profile board. Not sure if a smaller computer case matters to you at all.
 
This is the link he wanted to post. That said, I can post some better ones.

This wish list isn't bad, except for the PSU, RAM, and HDD prices (and the lack of a SSD). 😛 So, swap in...

- This HDD/PSU combo (Note promo code on the PSU, expires 8/31, but even after that it would still be a good deal.)
- This RAM combo with the 2500k CPU (Not that 1600 Mhz RAM helps gaming; it's just cheap.)

Then you've still got plenty of space left in your budget, so add an SSD, like this Intel 320 for $220. You could also add a bigger, better monitor; I've heard this one is good and inexpensive.
 
Ken g6 said:
This is the link he wanted to post. That said, I can post some better ones.

This wish list isn't bad, except for the PSU, RAM, and HDD prices (and the lack of a SSD). 😛 So, swap in...

- This HDD/PSU combo (Note promo code on the PSU, expires 8/31, but even after that it would still be a good deal.)
- This RAM combo with the 2500k CPU (Not that 1600 Mhz RAM helps gaming; it's just cheap.)

Then you've still got plenty of space left in your budget, so add an SSD, like this Intel 320 for $220. You could also add a bigger, better monitor; I've heard this one is good and inexpensive.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup::thumbsup: Agree.

OP, you'll definitely don't need to spend $1500 if you plan to keep your 1680x1050 monitor. I'd say that you'll run into diminishing returns at around $1200 for a build that includes a new 1080P monitor.
 
Thanks for all the help. Going to keep my monitor. This is what I am going to do:

LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

NZXT Apollo ORANGE NP Orange SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1563-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ...

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory with heatshield Model PSD38G1600KH


Only question I had was about the SSD, the one that was linked above says it is for laptops?? So I put this one in the cart

Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW080G3K5 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Unless there is something really wrong with this I am going to order it probably next week. I know some of the prices might change like mentioned above with AMD releasing a chip and the fact that a few pieces were combo-priced. Right now, including shipping, I am at 1216$ at newegg. Which is in my range for sure. Thanks again!
 
That 320 series is overpriced in terms of SSDs, and the particular one you've linked has a slow write speed. Its an inferior drive compared to some of the other available options, especially at that size and price point. Maybe some of the other guys can shed more light on this, but other than a possible controller issue, the Sandforce drives have way better specs. I love my vertex 3 despite OCZ's bad reputation, for example.

I'd go with a Corsair Force 3 GT or the like. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo

There's also a nice shell shocker deal on a Crucial M4 120 GB drive for $170, though that may be after rebate. Starts at 10am PST/1pm EST. Today only. http://www.newegg.com/Special/Shell...c=EMC-SD082011-_-SD083111-_-item-_-singleitem
 
Last edited:
That PSU would probably work. But how old is your "old" system? (PSUs degrade over time.)
 
Good rig, very similar to the Gaming HTPC I just built (see below).

I was going to warn you about how damn big some of the newer GPUs are. Some of them literally wont fit in anything but a full sized case. But that 560Ti is only 9" long, which is why I'm probably going to get one...
 
guys just a quick O.T from a guy whos on his first build as well.. things is im only here in the US for about until end of november ill i go back home. would it be wise for me to wait until like oct-nov. to buy the things i need or should i grab the deals now that is available. also, the other stuff (case,PSU, GPU) i can just buy them back home.

reason why i said to wait till oct-nov prices might go lower or something new might come release.
heres a link to the stuff that im getting.

http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/ShoppingCart.aspx?Submit=view
 
Last edited:
Mokylim:
  1. That's a link to your shopping cart. So it shows my shopping cart, which is empty. Please make a public wish list.
  2. Please start a new thread for your question.
  3. Please answer the questions in [thread=80121]the stickied thread[/thread].
Thank you.
 
jdmillertron said:
Thanks for all the help. Going to keep my monitor. This is what I am going to do:

LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

NZXT Apollo ORANGE NP Orange SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1563-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ...

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory with heatshield Model PSD38G1600KH


Only question I had was about the SSD, the one that was linked above says it is for laptops?? So I put this one in the cart

Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW080G3K5 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Unless there is something really wrong with this I am going to order it probably next week. I know some of the prices might change like mentioned above with AMD releasing a chip and the fact that a few pieces were combo-priced. Right now, including shipping, I am at 1216$ at newegg. Which is in my range for sure. Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Nearly all SSDs are in the 2.5" form factor, so that's why you sometimes see them classified as laptop drives. The SATA power and data connectors are the same.

As for the parts you listed, here are my comments:
- GPU: I would not pay $250 for a GTX 560 Ti. Either get one of the ones that goes for around $200 or step it up to a 6950 2GB.
- HDD: If you end up ditching the combo due to the PSU (see below), then I'd go for the Samsung F3 1TB over the Seagate.

jdmillertron said:
I had just one last question. I pulled out this PSU from my old system. Will it suffice for this build or should I just buy a new one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817379003
Click to expand...

Should work fine.

Axon said:
That 320 series is overpriced in terms of SSDs, and the particular one you've linked has a slow write speed. Its an inferior drive compared to some of the other available options, especially at that size and price point. Maybe some of the other guys can shed more light on this, but other than a possible controller issue, the Sandforce drives have way better specs. I love my vertex 3 despite OCZ's bad reputation, for example.
Click to expand...

Raw performance specs aren't everything, especially for a new builder. Sandforce 2281 drives can very easily have firmware issues that are not obvious to debug. The 320 is rock solid and is back by Intel's support structure, which is far superior to OCZ.
 
mfenn said:
Raw performance specs aren't everything, especially for a new builder. Sandforce 2281 drives can very easily have firmware issues that are not obvious to debug. The 320 is rock solid and is back by Intel's support structure, which is far superior to OCZ.
Click to expand...

All four SF 22xx SSDs have been plug and play for me, but I can't argue with the support aspect. Still, you can get a Corsair or a Crucial, who put out wildly superior drives and still have excellent customer support.

As I'm sure you know, Crucial recently put out its new firmware and it's pretty damn good: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4712/the-crucial-m4-ssd-update-faster-with-fw0009/1 Even beyond the scope of that article, people are reporting outrageously fast reads with the new firmware and no reports that I know of with the hard locking issues. But hey, to each their own.

Agree with the Samsung F3 1TB by the way. A much better drive than the seagate.
 
Axon said:
All four SF 22xx SSDs have been plug and play for me, but I can't argue with the support aspect. Still, you can get a Corsair or a Crucial, who put out wildly superior drives and still have excellent customer support.

As I'm sure you know, Crucial recently put out its new firmware and it's pretty damn good: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4712/the-crucial-m4-ssd-update-faster-with-fw0009/1 Even beyond the scope of that article, people are reporting outrageously fast reads with the new firmware and no reports that I know of with the hard locking issues. But hey, to each their own.

Agree with the Samsung F3 1TB by the way. A much better drive than the seagate.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I have no problem with the M4. The 128GB version had been hovering around $200 for a while, but it looks like Newegg has sold out temporarily.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top