How does this build look?

JD3V3N3Y

JD3V3N3Y

New Member
I've decided to build a desktop and I originally went completely overboard and looked at some expensive stuff that I really wouldn't need. So now, I'm looking at another, more affordable build. I'm definitely going to be gaming on it, but I don't need to be running BF3 at Ultra graphics settings. I also would like some room to upgrade in the long run. Aside from gaming, I will be watching videos and doing a small amount of music production and schoolwork. Basically, I'm looking for an almost all-around rig that leans toward gaming and is upgradeable for the future.
Here's the build:
(The whole thing can be viewed here.)
CPU---------------Intel Core i5-660 3.33Ghz Dual-Core Processor
CPU Colling----Xigmatek D982 25.2 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard----Asus P7P55D ATX LGA1156 Motherboard
Memory----------Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory
Hard Drive------Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card------VisionTek Radeon HD 5670 1GB Video Card
Case--------------Cooler Master Elite 310 ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU---------------Apevia 520W ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive---Sony DDU1681S-0B DVD/CD Drive
OS------------------Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit)
 
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Are you in the USA? Whats your budget?

Some of your parts are out of date (video card, CPU, Motherboard), some are poor quality (PSU), and some you can do better for the same price (RAM).
 
 
jonnyp11 said:
this will outperform that thing like hell in game, the only real difference is this cpu is slower, but still plenty fast enough and can either overclock like hell, unlock 2 cores, or unlock and overclock some. and this is with that hdd in that list for the 90
Click to expand...

I saw the recommended parts here and kinda dug the lower prices. Would these pieces be compatible with the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161372 Jonny?

How much performance would I lose in giving up the i5-2500 for the AMD Phenom II, or the GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD4 for the GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3?

I listed my post for $900, but if I could save additional cash on a build that isn't much worse I'd be up for it.

Would this build + the $270 IceQ still be pretty future proof? Would upgrading be relatively painless?

Also, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197 is only $10 more after the rebate. Would you still recommend the case you listed here, or is the 10 bucks worth it?

Hey, thanks for taking the time to help everyone out by the way.
 
wolfeking said:
Are you in the USA? Whats your budget?

Some of your parts are out of date (video card, CPU, Motherboard), some are poor quality (PSU), and some you can do better for the same price (RAM).
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm in the US(I should probably put that in my info) and my budget is about $800 give or take 50. I will look at a new PSU, but could someone recommend a decent motherboard, video card, and CPU that still fit my budget? Thanks!
 
jonnyp11 said:
this will outperform that thing like hell in game, the only real difference is this cpu is slower, but still plenty fast enough and can either overclock like hell, unlock 2 cores, or unlock and overclock some. and this is with that hdd in that list for the 90

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103995

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128519

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150563

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233180

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112238

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, will look into it.
 
 
wolfeking said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115078
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157254
Click to expand...

Wolf, how would these compare to an i5-2500k with a GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard ?

I'm a bit wary of the graphics card and power supply you linked: the graphics card has a fair share of reviews complaining about its tendency to crash, and lack of compatibility, and the power supply seems to be loud, has too many cords, and failed quite a bit. For an extra $10 after rebate I'm thinking http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005 would be better, wouldn't it?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197 is the same price as the tower you linked (after rebate), and seems a bit better as well.
 
a 2500k will be a good bit better, but as far as gaming once you get to 1080p it is almost pure gpu in most games, the i3 is pretty powerful and would do fine.
 
nickmoNW said:
I'm a bit wary of the graphics card and power supply you linked: the graphics card has a fair share of reviews complaining about its tendency to crash, and lack of compatibility, and the power supply seems to be loud, has too many cords, and failed quite a bit. For an extra $10 after rebate I'm thinking
Click to expand...
you have to watch what the reviews say. How many people do you really think will write a review when it worked fine? not many. Even I am guilty of that, I only review when something didnt work.

And Antec is very good. I wouldn't put too much credit to the loud unless they took a decibel meter to it to show the PSU caused the noise. Most computers are slightly loud with the case fans and HSF anyway.
 
 
Alright, I guess I didn't do enough research for my part selection, but thanks to wolfeking and jonnyp11, I have it narrowed down to 2 builds.
This:
Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock H61DE/S3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($82.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($101.99 @ Office Depot)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Video Card ($222.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec 620W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222AB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit) ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $778.03
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2011-11-27 22:26 EST-0500)

or this:
Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 960T Black 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($124.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Scythe SCSMZ-2000 55.5 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.08 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.95 @ Office Depot)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6870 2GB Video Card ($187.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian-Li LanCool PC-K57 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 600W ATX12V Power Supply ($69.94 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit) ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $808.46
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2011-11-27 22:31 EST-0500)

So, which one looks better?
I will also look at any other suggestions, but I'm probably going with one of these.
 
jonnyp11 said:
i would get build 2 but just get home premium os, i don't think the 20 will get you anything useful since i think it's just ms security stuff and there are free ones just as good and better. but i'd drop the cooler and change to that 560ti and antec psu and then grab this ram

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428
Click to expand...

Well, the only thing the 20$ extra will get me is XP mode which lets me run xp programs, but I can always just use a virtual pc.
And I'll do some research on the ram you suggested. Thanks!
 
you can run xp programs without that, there is an option when you go to properties on a program to run in xp and even older windows compatibility modes. the xp mode basically makes the computer run xp instead of 7 i think it was,m not sure about that part.
 
jonnyp11 said:
you can run xp programs without that, there is an option when you go to properties on a program to run in xp and even older windows compatibility modes. the xp mode basically makes the computer run xp instead of 7 i think it was,m not sure about that part.
Click to expand...

Oh... I thought they just replaced the run in compatibility mode with the xp mode. Well you just saved me $20. Haha thanks.
 
Oh and another thing, will the second build work with the HAF 912? Because I really like that case, the reviews I've read and watched said that it's nice.
 
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