plz halp me i want 2 pray gamez??///

[marklee42]

I have a ~900 budget for everything inside the tower. I want to max Skyrim, Human Revolution, The Witcher 2 (no übersampling) and every damn video game ever created at 1080p with third-party post-processing and high-resolution textures -- except for Battlefield 3. That game sucks. I'm waiting till after Kepler for the GPU, which means the less the rest costs, the more I get to spend on graphics. I will probably upgrade to a 2500k or the Ivy Bridge equivalent at some point. (This is not included in the $900 budget.) I am willing to buy used, depending on the part. Also, Microcenter is just far enough away to where the gas prices offset savings. I want to build it... soon. But I am stingy. So I can use integrated until Kepler. I also live in my mother's basement, so I don't pay for electricity. My priorities:

- runs games gud
- cheap
- high-quality components
- quiet
- makes anonymous people on the internet jealous

Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4RXk
Part price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4RXk/by_merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Microcenter)

I am upgrading later -- hence the Z68 mobo and aftermarket CPU cooler. If I procrastinate too long and the sale goes away, I might get a 2120. Or I could occupy the Newegg headquarters.

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.44 @ NCIX US)

$10 for 1[SIZE=-1]° of cooling over the 212+! What a bargain! Seriously though, if I don't have the latest model I get lower back pain.[/SIZE] By the way, I'm planning on overclocking after I upgrade.

Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.86 @ Newegg)

I don't like Assrock because the last motherboard I had was an Assrock and it broke. It was also a $60 budget motherboard, so the shipping costs for the RMA were like, 25% of the price. But this one is cheap as hell and I'm willing to forgive. It doesn't have PCIE 3.0, but even if I upgrade to IB I doubt I'll benefit. The alternative is the ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN3. But that's like, $60 more.

Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)

Cheapest 8GB 1600 (for IB) I can find. I know 8GB is overkill for a 2100, but it's good for the upgrade. Also, I can have 100 tabs of porn open AND put porn on a ramdisk for super fast loading!

Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($162.94 @ Adorama)

It's an SSD that goes fast and has 128GB. Also it's not Sandforce so I can laugh at anonymous people on the internet who have inferior controllers! Whohoo! By the way, I hate mechanical drives. Always rattling and what not. Who do they think they are, spinning around like that?

Case: Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)

I don't really have much justification outside the reviews. I want a mid-tower, the smaller the better. Also, low noise and cable management are good. Other than that I'm open to suggestions.

Power Supply: Silverstone 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($102.00 @ NCIX US)

This is the part I have the most trouble with. On one hand, it's Silverstone, so all the anonymous internet people with Seasonics might laugh at me. On the other hand, it got a 9.0 from Jonnyguru and it's on Tier 1 of this list. Also, here's some other stuff (I used bullet points for organization and also hipster cred):

• I want to have the possibility of using Crossfire / SLI with multiple cards somewhere down the road. 750W seems like a good number for this.
• I NEED modular cables. I am so obsessive over cable management that if I don't have a modular power supply, I spend countless additional hours routing cables. That's time that could be spent working at McDonald's or charging people for exotic webcam shows, so technically speaking I'm losing a ton of money!
• This was the cheapest I've found matching the above criteria. But really I have no idea what I'm doing and could use some suggestions.

Total: $669.21
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-02-18 20:17 EST-0500)

Wow! That's over $200 for graphics! Given nVidia's yield rates, I could potentially have a 620 in this bad boy!!

Anyway, there's my novel. Please respond!

 

[Slufa111]

GPU : 6950 2gb

 

[Ken g6]

As long as you're getting a Z68 mobo and a Hyper 212 EVO, I'd really like to get you a 2500k as well. They're only $80 more than the 2100 at Micro Center.

This month, this ASUS mobo is only $70 when purchased with the 2500k. So that's $60 off.

You can also get a cheaper 750W PSU (Antec HCG, $85AR) that's still very good. $17 off. $77 is close enough.

Edit: I missed the modular bit. In that case, realize that you're not going to SLI if you don't get both GPUs at the same time. Then get a Seasonic 620W for $90.

Next problem. You don't have a mechanical drive. So I expect you'll run out of space pretty quickly. And remember that SSDs can fail suddenly, without warning. (Not that mechanical drives can't too, but it's rarer.) My suggestions:

- Hitachi Deskstar 750GB, $106 with shipping.
- 32GB Patriot Torqx SSD for caching, $50AR.

 

[marklee42]

As long as you're getting a Z68 mobo and a Hyper 212 EVO, I'd really like to get you a 2500k as well. They're only $80 more than the 2100 at Micro Center.

That's the intention -- I'm just not sure I need one now. Won't they get cheaper after IB? Actually it's probably cheaper to buy one now compared with buying both an i3 and an i5 down the road... and opinion everywhere seems unanimously for the 2500k. Then again, it really won't help in games... OH MAN. I guess I'm holding out because the money would be more useful when spent on the GPU. Speaking of money...

This month, this ASUS mobo is only $70 when purchased with the 2500k. So that's $60 off.

You can also get a cheaper 750W PSU (Antec HCG, $85AR) that's still very good. $17 off. $77 is close enough.

Edit: I missed the modular bit. In that case, realize that you're not going to SLI if you don't get both GPUs at the same time. Then get a Seasonic 620W for $90.

I fully understand what you mean about the SLI thing. My last system was supposed to have two graphics cards, but when I put it together I was too lazy and never ended up doing it.

But the thing is, if I grab that PSU, then I don't need a crossfire-compatible motherboard. Also, the motherboard you linked, with the LX suffix, is a budget version with exposed MOSFETs. So with both those things in mind, why shouldn't I go with the Assrock pro3 gen3? Keep in mind the nearest Micro Center is 150 miles away, and my delicate complexion prohibits me from venturing outside in daylight.

Next problem. You don't have a mechanical drive. So I expect you'll run out of space pretty quickly. And remember that SSDs can fail suddenly, without warning. (Not that mechanical drives can't too, but it's rarer.) My suggestions:

- Hitachi Deskstar 750GB, $106 with shipping.
- 32GB Patriot Torqx SSD for caching, $50AR.

This is my disk usage right now. I probably will buy a 1TB only after prices drop back to $50/TB.

This is the build with the pro3 gen3, Seasonic 620, and 2500k:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.44 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($162.94 @ Adorama)
Case: Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($86.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $729.33

It's a little more expensive. I like that motherboard even less than the other one, but in lieu of any logical reasons, I will let people more knowledgeable than I decide. I know I'm being a disagreeable bastard and I apologize.

Incidentally, I realized that the original post was a monolith of text, so I constructed this picture for those with short attention spans:

 

[Puppies04]

That's the intention -- I'm just not sure I need one now. Won't they get cheaper after IB?

Not really, intel chips just get older not cheaper.

 

[Ken g6]

But the thing is, if I grab that PSU, then I don't need a crossfire-compatible motherboard. Also, the motherboard you linked, with the LX suffix, is a budget version with exposed MOSFETs. So with both those things in mind, why shouldn't I go with the Assrock pro3 gen3? Keep in mind the nearest Micro Center is 150 miles away, and my delicate complexion prohibits me from venturing outside in daylight.

In that case, I'd say you have two choices. Either get the mobo I linked when you get the CPU, pay $70, and hope you don't have to return it; or get the cheapest possible Z68 board at NewEgg (which lacks a few features but isn't bad) for $92 with shipping. I don't know about you, but I hate RMAing by mail almost as much as driving 150 miles to a Micro Center.

If you're worried about exposed MOSFETs, realize that (1) they won't matter unless you overclock, and (2) if they become a problem you could add heat sinks to them later!

You didn't mention you already had some hard drives. Any other parts you might reuse that you forgot to mention?

 

[marklee42]

In that case, I'd say you have two choices. Either get the mobo I linked when you get the CPU, pay $70, and hope you don't have to return it; or get the cheapest possible Z68 board at NewEgg (which lacks a few features but isn't bad) for $92 with shipping. I don't know about you, but I hate RMAing by mail almost as much as driving 150 miles to a Micro Center.

If you're worried about exposed MOSFETs, realize that (1) they won't matter unless you overclock, and (2) if they become a problem you could add heat sinks to them later!

That motherboard seems like a terrible idea, especially considering the amount of money I'm already spending on extraneous stuff (modular PSU, case, 212 Evo). If nothing else, at least I now realize how little I actually know about motherboards. Hopefully this thread will enlighten me.

You didn't mention you already had some hard drives. Any other parts you might reuse that you forgot to mention?

Actually, that's one hard drive that I partitioned. It's in my laptop. I'm not using it in my new PC. The point of the picture was that I don't need much storage space. Sorry for the confusion.

I kind of decided that I don't need to spend $100 right now on a 2500k, considering I just want to play some games. I also decided I should still keep that upgrade path open for later.

Unless there is further feedback on any of these parts, I will probably order the CPU, RAM, and PSU tomorrow (because the discount expires). I will get the motherboard after I find out what I'm doing.

For the GPU, I'm planning on getting an unlocked 6950 2GB with a transferable warranty for around $200 used.

Opinions on any of the parts are appreciated. Thanks!

 

[mfenn]

If you're getting an i3 2100, I wouldn't bother paying extra for an overclocking-capable mobo and HSF. The reason being that spending $125 on a Sandy Bridge and then less than 12 months later turning around and spending $200 on an Ivy Bridge quad (just in time for Haswell!) means that you'll have spent $325 on CPUs and only gotten performance barely better than a $230 i5 2500K today. So, in short, either get the i3, an H67, and spend more on the GPU or HDD OR go ahead and get the i5 2500K today.

The rest of the parts look fine to me.

 

[lgv212]

Hey marklee42. I just built my first desktop a couple of weeks ago, and I was asking for the same thing.

Mine came out to less than $800 and runs every game I've thrown at it at ultra (Skyrim, Crysis 1&2, Battlefield 3, Human Revolution). I got everything on NewEgg. The following are my specs:

Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan

Power Supply: COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS500-PCARD3-US 500W ATX12V v2.3 Power Supply

RAM: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT51264BD1339

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V LE LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Processor: Intel Core i5-2300 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz (3.1GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I52300

Dvd: LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

H Hitachi Deskstar 3.5 Inch 1 TB 7200 RPM SATA II 32 MB Cache Internal Hard Drive 0S02860

Graphics: SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB GDDR5 PCIE Graphics Card

Good luck!

 

[marklee42]

Hey marklee42. I just built my first desktop a couple of weeks ago, and I was asking for the same thing.

That system would probably be enough for everything I'm planning on doing, but I've got a little more money I wouldn't mind spending. This is the build I've come up with after the feedback:

Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4TN6
Part price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4TN6/by_merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.44 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($152.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB Video Card ($254.89 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($86.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $979.14
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-02-21 18:53 EST-0500)

I'll probably pick up the 2500k at Micro Center and get the rest online, unless I can get a P8Z68-V/GEN3 for around the same or slightly more than the Extreme3 Gen3 (which apparently is almost as highly regarded as the 2500k).

Some questions:

1. Why is the Ares RAM recommended despite being more expensive and still 8GB 1600? What does the lower voltage on the Crucial RAM mean practically?
2. Thoughts on buying used GPUs?
3. How are the parts now? Any recommended swaps?
4. Is there anything I should be in a particular hurry to buy now rather than in a few weeks?
5. Alternatively, is there any point waiting for IB or 7800?

 

[mfenn]

Why is the Ares RAM recommended despite being more expensive and still 8GB 1600?

What Ares RAM?

What does the lower voltage on the Crucial RAM mean practically?

Pretty much nothing. It's recommended because it's 8GB of DDR3 1600 from a major brand for $35.

Thoughts on buying used GPUs?

Fine as long as the price is right and you trust the seller.

How are the parts now? Any recommended swaps?

Looks pretty good to my eye.

Is there anything I should be in a particular hurry to buy now rather than in a few weeks?

Not really.

Alternatively, is there any point waiting for IB or 7800?

IB is June now, so no. 7800 or Kepler are closer and might be a decent jump for the money. Waiting will always get you something faster for the same amount of cash, so it's up to you how long you feel like waiting for a new machine.