New PC build- help me slim it down a few dollars :)

M

minecraft

New Member
Hello all,
I have a budget of *around* $1500 US and i need help slimming down my current shopping cart to something closer to my budget.

Keep in mind, i have absolutely nothing i could use from an older PC, as ive always had laptops (i hate them). This rig is focused on gaming, but my theory is if it can handle games, it can handle my other programs (MS-Word/Adobe Dreamweaver CS6, Photoshop, etc etc).

ALSO: I have no idea if all these parts are compatible, and some of them seem to be out of date. Please advise on upgrades (keeping in mind my costs) and help me double check to make sure they are all compatible! If i am dumping too much money into a component that isnt terribly important, then inform me! Im a software guy, not a hardware guy :P



Heres my current plans:


COMPUTER BUILD

MONITOR-

Asus PA238Q $ 300

CASE-

NZXT PHANTOM- 130 or Corsair CARBIDE 500R 140$

COOLER-

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO- $ 35

CPU-

INTEL CORE I5-2500K 3.3GHZ $ 220

MOTHERBOARD-

Gigabytega-z68xp-ud3 $ 155

RAM-

Corsair Vengeance 8GB- 2 sticks x 4gb each- $50

VIDEOCARD-

Xfx Radeon HD 6950- $ 250

SOUND CARD-

Sound Blaster x-fi titanium fatality series- $120

OPTICALDRIVE-

ASUS 24XDVD RW DRW-24B1ST- $ 20

HARD DRIVE-
Seagate Barracude 3TB $200
OCZ Agility 3120GB $160

POWER SUPPLY-

Corsair TX750M $125

OS-
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM- $ 100

KEYBOARD-

Microsoft Sidewinder X4- $50


OPTIONAL:
Corsair Vengeance 1500 - $ 95





-Eric
 
Okay:
Get a i5 3570K.
A 6950 can be found by sapphire for $200-230.
650W is more than enough for that build.
Do you need a sound card in that price range? What set of speakers?
Get a Z77 board. A Asrock Extreme4 can be found for $130, but a gigabyte will be better, but the Asrock is a good board, still.
Why is that 23" so overpriced? You can find a good 23 or 24 for $200.
If you go with a phantom, do the Phantom Full tower for $130. Don't know what the 130 is.
 
Last edited:
Save $15 and get the regular hyper 212, the evo just adds support for other sockets. Only if you have high end speakers you need the sound card.
 
Micro Center has the Intel i5-3570 on sale for $189.00 and if you buy certain MB's you get $50.00 off but it is with in store pick up. Check out their on line ad's. Sale runs until the 15th of July.I'd like to get the i5-3570 and the Asus P8Z77-V-LX but the nearest Micro center is 12 hrs. away.
 
byteninja2 said:
Okay:
A 6950 can be found by sapphire for $200-230.
Click to expand...
Not anymore. The prices went back up to $240 for the cheapest
Hyper-Threaded said:
Save $15 and get the regular hyper 212, the evo just adds support for other sockets. Only if you have high end speakers you need the sound card.
Click to expand...

There's also a slightly more powerful fan.

For the power supply, go for a TX650.

And the CPU, a 2500k is fine. I see no reason to move to a 3750k if it is more expensive.

This RAM will save a couple of bucks:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220570

Like said, a Z77 is the best way to go:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128543
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130646
 
byteninja2 said:
I would just go with a 3570K. They are newer.
Click to expand...

Newer doesn't always mean better. They run hotter, require more voltage, and I doubt you'd see a difference in gaming.

If you want something just because its newer, or because you'll seem cooler with the newest thing, go for it. But if you like to save money and still have an amazingly fast computer, then I'd go for the 2500k. Only $205 with a promo code. Would get that way sooner than a 3570k, even if it is only $25 more.
 
I am quite surprised most people don't read the fully story. IVB does get hotter, yes, but only after an extreme overclock. At 4.2 GHz, temps are just fine. Even AFTER that promo code, the ASRock Extreme4 Z77 + i5-3570k is ~$5 cheaper.
 
UPDATE

Hello all! Ive decided to start a new build from scratch, since i found out a lot of my previous parts were out-dated (such as the mobo).

Im also discussing this build on greater lengths here:
e9x post

This is a car forum im a part of, so i naturally started there :D Ill copy/paste what i posted there:


First and Foremost
Im on vacation right now, so that should explain my late responses, not responding to PMs right away, and is also why im quoted you all (to get your attention ).





Secondly
I posted this question on two separate forums as well.

i didnt post on hardforums because my account took 20+ hrs to be activated

As you can see, there is a VAST amount of info i need to gain before i can select the right parts. What id like to do is discuss 2 parts at a time (from the most logical starting points). This will be my "build thread" so to speak. Ill try to update my first post with my build (including links) as time goes on...



First two parts
In my mind, i think i should start picking parts with these two:

-Case

-Motherboard (mobo)


Keep in mind my budget for this build. My preferences for these two items as it is:

I dont care if the case is large, and id like to keep it reasonably priced. I would prefer if it came with several fans if possible. So, what is your recommendations as far as cases go? Id like to have a case that would look good w/ LEDs too

My next item is the mobo. Im clueless on this part, because im not sure what is out there and what i need. I possibly will add/upgrade graphics cards/hard drives over time, and as my $$ permits.



So, lets start with these two parts! Ill start doing some research, and you all can pitch in what you know on these two parts only Once weve figured those two out, we can move on to processors/gpu's. Thanks so much, i honestly appreciate it


-Eric
 
minecraft said:
In my mind, i think i should start picking parts with these two:Case-Motherboard
Click to expand...
If push comes to shove, the hardware is more important than the case.
First pick quality hardware at the performance level you want/budget allows.
Then see whats left in the budget for the case.
If there's not enough left over for a case with adequate features/asthetics, some components might be changed or there could be budget saving opportunities on the hardware you've already selected.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top