New build final stages - looking for pre-buy input

[wanderica]

I've decided to build a new PC, and after quite a bit of research, thought, and pricing, have decided on things listed below. In the past, you all have helped me quite a bit, and I always like to get that last minute critique in from the anand boards.

Primary use: Gamaing - I'm not a huge FPS style gamer although I do toy around with L4D2 quite a bit (who doesn't like killing zombies by the score). Mostly I play MMOs and other RPGs, but I love my quality and eye candy.

All prices are taken from Newegg and MWave. I do have a Tiger Direct close by, but I try not to use that store as I've had nothing but bad experiences with their employees here. I've always been happy using Newegg, but if you know of a better place to buy from, I'm all ears


Resolution: 1920 x 1200 on a Dell 2405 FPW - Not going to be upgrading the monitor yet.

Budget: No more than $1500.00 - I'm cheap though, so the lower the better!



Here's what I have so far:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-412-_-Product
MoBo: Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 - FREE - This is being given to me upopened by a friend and is the only reason I won't be going 2500k. With the rest of the system, though, I've tried to build in a cheap upgrade option later to SB if I change my mind a year from now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115067
CPU: i5-760 - $209 @ Newegg - I will be overclocking this CPU. Not a lot of options here really due to the choice of MoBo, but I'm open to suggestions.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103065
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 - $29.99 @ Newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231428
RAM: G. Skill Ripjaw X Series DDR3 1600 - $99.99 @ Newegg - There is cheaper RAM out there, but again, I wanted to build in the option to go Sandy Bridge later if I so choose. I've never overclocked before. Will this choice of RAM affect my OC?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139020
PSU: Corsair TX 650 - $89.99 @ Newegg - I will not be going Crossfire right away, but would like to reserve that option as a cheap upgrade path later. I could reuse my current PSU if needed. I currently have a PC P&C 510 watt that has been amazing for the last 6 years.

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/SKUSearch...iteria=BA47347
Hard Disk Drive: Intel SSD 120 GB - $124.99 @ MWave - This will be my first SSD, and I'm open to any better options. I don't mind paying more for a better product.

Update: Decided to go for the Intel and stick to just one leaving room for a 1 TB SATA 6.0 drive as well.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136533
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB - $89.99 @ newegg w/ free shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136183
Optical: LG BD-ROM - $59.99 @ Newegg - Always been happy with LG drives.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112239
Case: Lian Li Lancool K62 - $99.99 @ Newegg ($30.00 instant savings!) - I could reuse my current Antec P180, but I really want a mid-tower to streamline the ol' master bedroom. As said, I do plan to OC, and reviews on this case state that it has great airflow. I don't want my case to look like a night club, however, so something like the Lanboy is a no go despite it's cooling capabilities.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102914
GPU: Saphire HD6950 1 GB - $276.99 @ Newegg - I'm not married to this card, but price versus performance and the, very likely, possibility that I can unlock shaders on this card made it seem like the best option. Open to suggestion though.
Update: Decided to go with the 2GB version instead of the 1 GB version. Newegg has a $30 MIR on this card as well right now!

Total Price of all listed above - $1150.10

 

[Anomaly1964]

The OBVIOUS question, CAN you wait on SB to get the motherboard issued resolved before you buy?

 

[wanderica]

The OBVIOUS question, CAN you wait on SB to get the motherboard issued resolved before you buy?

Yes, BUT, I already have the Mother Board. It's brand new and unopened. My friend was unable to return it after changing his mind on his build, so he gave it to me for free.

 

[Zap]

The SSDs use Jmicron chips which are at the bottom of the current drives in performance, meaning they aren't bad, but there are better choices. I would suggest this:

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/SKUSearch.asp?scriteria=BA47347
Intel 120GB retail kit
$225
-$30 rebate (expires TODAY 2/22 !!!)
FREE shipping

Even without the rebate I'd take these over the Adata you listed. These also comes with a 3.5" drive tray, plus comes with SATA cables and power adapters. Not even counting the rebate, Newegg is $5 more, plus $3 shipping. I would actually recommend just running the one 120GB SSD for Windows and your MMOs, and then using a fast HDD for your few FPS games, RTS games and your whole Steam install. If you don't need much space, get a Samsung 7200RPM 320GB F4 drive to go along with the single Intel drive.

The rest of the parts look fine. Maybe see if you can find a deal on a 2GB 6950 and try flashing it to a 6970.

 

[wanderica]

Thanks for the suggestion Zap. I decided to take your advice and opt for the intel. Price is better at MWave too. Looking over some SSD benchmarks here on Anandtech, the sandforce chips seem to do well too. Any benefit to grabbing an OCZ or Crucial with those chips?

Also, thanks for the 2 GB GPU suggestion as well. I honestly didn't realize there were two different options. Updated OP to reflect changes.

 

[betasub]

Looks solid. Agree with getting the 2GB version of 6950 without paying much extra over the 1GB. Also thumbs up to your choice of 1.5V-rated RAM - and a CPU cooler that won't interfere with the RAMsinks. 🙂

 

[fffblackmage]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231428
RAM: G. Skill Ripjaw X Series DDR3 1600 - $99.99 @ Newegg - There is cheaper RAM out there, but again, I wanted to build in the option to go Sandy Bridge later if I so choose. I've never overclocked before. Will this choice of RAM affect my OC?

Doesn't matter what DDR3 ram you get. Any DDR3 ram will work with SB.

You could get DDR3-1333 for $20 less as well, but DDR3-1600 is good for overclocking flexibility.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139020
PSU: Corsair TX 650 - $89.99 @ Newegg - I will not be going Crossfire right away, but would like to reserve that option as a cheap upgrade path later. I could reuse my current PSU if needed. I currently have a PC P&C 510 watt that has been amazing for the last 6 years.

How long is "later?" If it's not "soon," you're better off just getting a new graphics card in a couple years rather than deal with any xfire/SLI issues (microstutter, heat, power, scaling, etc).

It's also not a cheap upgrade option if you have to pay for a beefier PSU now.

Update: Decided to go for the Intel and stick to just one leaving room for a 1 TB SATA 6.0 drive as well.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136533
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB - $89.99 @ newegg w/ free shipping

Just as fast, but cheaper.
Samsung F3 1TB = $65

 

[eflat123]

Yes, BUT, I already have the Mother Board. It's brand new and unopened. My friend was unable to return it after changing his mind on his build, so he gave it to me for free.

Sell it and use the proceeds to fund an SB mobo...

 

[mfenn]

Doesn't matter what DDR3 ram you get. Any DDR3 ram will work with SB.

You could get DDR3-1333 for $20 less as well, but DDR3-1600 is good for overclocking flexibility.


How long is "later?" If it's not "soon," you're better off just getting a new graphics card in a couple years rather than deal with any xfire/SLI issues (microstutter, heat, power, scaling, etc).

It's also not a cheap upgrade option if you have to pay for a beefier PSU now.


Just as fast, but cheaper.
Samsung F3 1TB = $65

:thumbsup: My thoughts exactly as I browsed the build, uncanny!

OP, unfortunately you missed out on the $230 6950 2GB deal. 🙁