end of summer build - a bit pricey

kyfredrickson

New Member
Hey guys... first off... new to site and its nice to meet everyone!!

This will be my second build... i just completed my first one flawlessly for my dad on fathers day.

i am looking to build myself a really nice computer, with no goals in mind. I want an overall awesome computer that can handle most that i throw at it. I play 1 game (runescape if it matters), do alot alot alot of multitasking. future business man. I plan on running duel monitors.

below is my current build (will be assembled sometime in august). is there any suggestions you may make? any ways to cut costs? a bit more expensive than I was hoping for.



LITE-ON 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model iHAP122-04 - OEM
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RAIDMAX SMILODON Extreme Black ATX-612WEB 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811156078
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-$10.00 Instant
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$89.99
$79.99


SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822152185
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$64.99


Acer S201HLbd Black 20" 5ms LED-Backlight LCD monitor
Item #: N82E16824009256
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$279.98
$219.98
($109.99 each)


MSI N460GTX CYCLONE 1GD5/OC GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Item #: N82E16814127510
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$194.99


CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible ...
Item #: N82E16817139005
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$119.99
$89.99


G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
Item #: N82E16820231314
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-$20.00 Instant
$84.99
$64.99


ASRock Z68 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813157250
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$199.99
$189.99


Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Item #: N82E16819115072
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$219.99
Subtotal: $1,147.90
 
Hey Welcome to the forum.That looks like a fine build but if you want to cut some cost I can offer some suggestions.
Since you won't be gaming a lot a downgrade on the GPU would help.But I would advice in keeping the GPU you selected.

Second you can go for something like the Cooler Master HAF 912 amazing case and is somewhat around $50.There are some good LIAN LI and LAncool cases in that range but I do not know about them.


The as for the PSU you won't be needing a 650W PSU.I would suggest getting a THE XFX Core Edition 550W PSU for $50 which woul be more than enough is a solid unit . :D

Since your motherboard supports SATA 6GBPS you should get a SATA 6gbps drive from Seagate which would be same or a bit cheaper but would be fast. :D


SInce you will be assembling in August I recommend you wait and see if Zambezi is released by then and if released then compile a new list but by then this list would do you good.
 
thanks for the response. im a noob with computers.. but am quickly learning and it has quickly evolved into an obsession lol. I like the haf 912 also and a better choice. I just wanted more style.. but ur right... should change.

I will also change the PSU to 550w... i wasnt sure wht power I would need.

I will change my hdd also... easy fix. I actually had that one first.

lastly... what is zambezi?
 
thanks for the response. im a noob with computers.. but am quickly learning and it has quickly evolved into an obsession lol. I like the haf 912 also and a better choice. I just wanted more style.. but ur right... should change.

I will also change the PSU to 550w... i wasnt sure wht power I would need.

I will change my hdd also... easy fix. I actually had that one first.

lastly... what is zambezi?

Zambezi is the new range of CPU which would be released by AMD and I am not really up to date with their release date since they keep postponing it.They will be Socket AM3+ CPUs and would be going against Intel's Sandy Bridge.

Would they be able to compete with the Sandy Bridge?
Can't say now without some trustworthy benchmarks.

Are the worth waiting for?
Depends on your needs.But if you do not want you computer really urgently then YES :D.

ALso if you want some more cost cutting you can save some on the motherboard also but the one you have got now is a really good motherboard.
And the build which you built by yourself was a fine build for a NOOB :D :good:
 
lol well im a noob that likes to research and id like to become very knowledgeable about all of this.

ok so the zambezi is being released with the bulldozer?

I can wait till mid to end august so hopefully something is released by then.

being amd I can assume a cheaper price than the 2500k, and hopefully comparable
 
Zambezi is a code-named bulldozer chip.
Bulldozer is name of the new architecture.

I cannot say anything about the price and performance and all we can do is hope for the best ie AMD crushing Sandy Bridge.
But anyways just drop by here or hang around till then see what would be the estimated dates of release if it is anything to your suiting you can decide.
 
thanks alot for the help... sounds like im on the right track....

basically hope for bulldozer to be cheaper or comparible to sandybridge.. then change to a a3+ mobo.. which should also b cheaper


looks like release date should b anytime now... hmm
 
If you do go with the 2500k, are you going to overclock your CPU? If not, a 2500 would be the same thing but without unlocked multipliers.
 
im not familiar with the advantages of the overclocking or not... but i might as well!

Overclocking a 2500k is a must since it has an unlocked multiplier.:D
The below will rid all your questions. For further reading http://www.computerforum.com/16346-overclocking-101-oc101.html
What is Overclocking?
Simply put, overclocking refers to the process of running hardware at a higher speed than it was originall intended/marketed to run at. Overclocking is often abbreviated to OCing.

What can we OC?
Well almost anything that has a clock generator can be made to run at a higher clock. Of course this includes a whackload of useless devices that have clock generators in them so this guide will focus only on the CPU, motherboard and RAM. The videocard is a device that can be commonly overclocked however it will be dealt with in the video section of the forum.

Why would anyone want to OC?
For people with older machines and are beginning to have problems running current generation software smoothly, OCing may give the machine the added oomph required to power through the application
For some tasks like animation or movie encoding which depends on the speed of the CPU and to a degree, that of the RAM, OCing will help reduce the amount of time it takes for, say, a movie encoding process.
Another common reason for OCing is that it's fairly easy to get the performance of a system that has better parts without shelling out the cash for those parts
For some people, the 'thrill' or simply 'because they can'

Why wouldn't anyone want to OC?
Warranties are voided when you run the system or any components outside of specification
People running [serious] servers are more concerned about stability rather than brute force, bleeding edge performance: an extra bit of performance isnt worth a random restart
Beginners (to both OCing and computers in general) or those who dont want to risk frying components. The rist of component failure increases if poor/average components are used in the system
Users that just upgraded from a really old system -- the performance jump from the upgrade will be so massive that they wont notice the additional performance delta when OCing a bit

Whats the worst that can happen if an OC goes wrong?
There are three general things that can happen if an OC doesnt go as planned, listed from most likely to least likely
The OC fails without causing any damage, permanent or otherwise. This is the most common and is important in determining the maximum amount your system can can handle for an OC. Usually a reboot or a jumper reset is all that is required.
A component gets slightly 'messed' up but is still functional. Sometime you have to run the device in a slighylu underclocked state to maintain stability. This is more common with video card OCs that go wrong and running the card a bit slower than stock clock speed will allow the card to function normally. There are two ways this failure occurs: (1) extended use of a component in its overclocked state (usually this requires both a fairly large OC to start with as well as for the device to be constantly stressed for a loooooong time i.e., years) or (2) user carelessness (OCing is not risk free and there are telltale signs of failure that should be watched for)
A component gets totally toasted and requires replacement. This form of failure almost always has a telltale sign that "something is amiss" and the user has some time to deal with it before it fails outright. If the device fails 'instantly' there are two comments to be made: (1) you pushed it way to hard way too fast (i.e., user fault for not using common sens: you simply cant push a machine that hard that fast) or (2) luck of the draw (and in this case, bad luck)
Total failure of numerous components. Same comment as above however more often then not, the culprits are (1) a bad PSU or (2) an inexperienced OCer wanting to push the system too far, to hard, too fast
 
sounds kinda risky

If you do not have the heart for it don't do it.
But do not worry you if anything goes wrong most prolly it can be RMAed. And something would have to go really wrong then only it will lead to that situation.Mostly if an overclock failed you can just reset the bios.
 
If you do not have the heart for it don't do it.
But do not worry you if anything goes wrong most prolly it can be RMAed. And something would have to go really wrong then only it will lead to that situation.Mostly if an overclock failed you can just reset the bios.

well i have my phone oc'ed so I probably have no problem doing it. are there any real world advantages that you can actually feel and see?
 
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