Originally Posted by sinned47 ill be finally be able to start my build tomorrow once my motherboard and ssd come in from amazon. core i5 2500k asus z68 pro gtx 560 ti g.skill ripsaw 2x4gb ocz vertex 2 60gb wd 1tb black cooler master hyper 212 corsair tx850 lite on dvd-rw antec 1200 case im planning to get a second gpu sometime down the road anyone recommend a certain keyboard? i have my eyes on the 40-50 dollar razer keyboard. pretty cheap and i like how it feels from using my friend's keyboard.

Let me know how much clearance you get on the CM Hyper 212+ and the RAM slots.

Originally Posted by zechs34 Wow finally found a good thread to discuss this so hoping anyone can give me some input... I Currently have a stock HP w/ A Core 2 Duo, 4 GB Ram, Win 7 Pro, and I put in a 9500 GT about 2 yrs ago, and about 6 months ago, replaced that with a GT430. Its starting to show its age as I cant get Witcher 2 past 14-16 FPS on low, and the like. Metro 2033 same. So on and so forth. So for Father's day, my wifey let me start building a PC. Here is what I have decided on with my budget ($400-$600) 1TB Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM $55 Asus DVD-RW 24x Burner $20 ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 AMD Motherboard $93 This case; http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147153 $50 AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz Socket AM3 $160 G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 $65 Diablotek PHD Series PHD550 550W $40 Now my question. How should either of my graphics card run on this until I wait for more games like BF3 and Skyrim to buy another card? I was thinking of getting a Radeon HD. Maybe this HD 6850 unless they of course fall more in price or my GPU's plain out wont work right now... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-908-_-Product Please advise! Thanks!

I'm not sure if you are asking for advice on choosing a new card or if you will be happy with either of your old cards. I could be wrong, but I don't think you are going to see much performance improvement on the 430. Don't take that as gospel, I'm sure someone with MUCH MORE XP than me will chime in

Originally Posted by reddjoey Let me know how much clearance you get on the CM Hyper 212+ and the RAM slots.

im sure room isnt going to be a problem. just look up some youtube videos and there many people with the same hsf and case. i will update tomorrow however.

Originally Posted by sinned47 im sure room isnt going to be a problem. just look up some youtube videos and there many people with the same hsf and case. i will update tomorrow however.

I think you misunderstood me. I'm asking if the 212 will cover the 4th RAM slot on the motherboard.

Reddjoey thanks! But yeah I was just asking if I had a good enough setup with my new items and that GT430 or should I just go out and get that Radeon HD6850 or w.e since I have seen its a good value for the price... all my items are actually crossfire ready which is why im considering that radon so I can get a dual setup later...

Originally Posted by reddjoey I think you misunderstood me. I'm asking if the 212 will cover the 4th RAM slot on the motherboard.

I went with the ASRock z68 mobo and the 212 Plus comes REALLY close to covering it but it doesn't. As a precaution I installed my RAM before installing the cooler so I wouldn't have to put it at a weird angle or anything.

Question for the group, are there any internal card readers that you really like? It seems like the $15-$20 ones are usually hit or miss and the next step up is $40-$50 and that is more than I want to spend.

Originally Posted by ZForce915 I went with the ASRock z68 mobo and the 212 Plus comes REALLY close to covering it but it doesn't. As a precaution I installed my RAM before installing the cooler so I wouldn't have to put it at a weird angle or anything.

Thanks, I passed on the ASUS Z68 too since it looked like a tight squeeze.

Originally Posted by Corvix Hey man hopefully I can borrow some of your time and run some questions by you. Im looking at a build similar to your $1200 build but I don't know if I should hold on for another month and have enough to get your exact build or something along those lines or stick to what I was going to begin with. Your build seems close to what I was shooting for anyway. So here are the questions. Is the 570 that much better than the 560ti or should I save that little bit extra for the 570? (shooting for something that will max everything) I was actually considering skipping a hdd altogether and spend alittle more and get a 128g ssd, keep in mind I will only play a couple of games. (bfbc2,sc2,d3,b3) So I dont need that much room its for like OS + Handful of games. Do you recommend that? Might be able to hold off and save and get a bigger one if needed. More questions. How do you like that case? I was looking at that exact same combo. Not too crazy about it not having any side windows but I can live with it. I was originally looking at the ones recommended in the falcon grid. When it comes to mobos I'm completely lost. Do you think sli/crossfire would be simple to do for a "noob?" I was kind of hoping of it keeping it simple and stick to 1 video card and no overclocking whatsoever unless its manufactured that way. Also what IS better 6gb triple channel or dual channel 8gb RAM? I know it depends on the mobo, so in this case the ones you recommend. Last set of questions. Also I see in your build you have an aftermarket HSF. Is that absolutely necessary or just recommended? I was just going with stock until I saw you recommend that. And a last few questions regarding the other stuff involved. What should I be looking for in a monitor? I'm looking in the 22"-24" range. I understand I want the highest resolution 1920x1200. It's also for strictly gaming/movie watching. So I know lower ms the better and preferably 120hz? Keep in mind I've been doing and still am a mind numbing amount of research but it's still alot to intake hence I'm asking for your help. Thank you for your help in advance.

1. 560ti vs 570
No, for many people a 570 is not worth it over a 560ti or even a 560 especially if you're planning to xfire them down the road, xfired 570s are very close in performance to xfired 560s. I went with the 570 because for me some things are all or nothing. ie. I want a minimum frame rate in a certain game. If the card, even if its a very good card, cannot achieve that minimum frame rate its worthless to me. This was the case with the 570 vs the 560 for me. The 560 is a much better price per performance card but it simply wouldn't suit my needs.

2. SSD's
You know its really hard to recommend SSDs right now. They lose their benefit as soon as things are done settling in your RAM and they're just so dang expensive to get one of any reasonable size. I think you could get away with a 128gb, but it doesn't leave a lot of room to expand. You'd definitely want a larger drive to store your media on.

3. The NZXT Phantom
This case... its ing huge. I had forgotten how big full size towers are. Its a beast thats for sure. For my build its overkill and I could have easily saved money here. It does have really nice cable management, maybe I'll take a picture to show you just how much room this thing has. There is one fairly minor complaint that I didn't take the time to research about this case though. There are no 3.5' front panel bays, aka no floppy drive, and also no USB 3.0 (That motherboard I got comes with a nice 3.5' bay front port panel for usb 3.0 plugs right into the mobo but you can't use it with this case since theres no slots in the front for it.) Its pretty quite especially if you turn the fan sliders down, but really 120$ for this thing I'd say is worth it if you wanted a full size tower, but not to me because its just way too much case. Also, side windows are ricer as and I hate them.

4. SLI/Crossfire
Yes its pretty easy. Plug in your 2 video cards into a mobo that accepts them, if you get the asrock extreme 4 like me theres actually 3 pci-e slots for 3 way crossfire so make sure you plug it into the appropriate slots (tells you which in the manual). Then slap on your bridge (comes with mobo).

5. Dual vs Triple Channel Memory
I have no idea I've never looked at triple channel.

6. Replacement HSF
No need if you're not overclocking. The intel fans are good enough, they're made to perform at stock speeds and they do it well enough. In the case of the i5-2500k though, you're going to want to overclock it. Otherwise, you might as well just buy a 2500. (k= unlocked multiplier= no one cares except overclockers)

7. Monitor
I only know enough to know what I want and that it doesn't exist.
IPS 120hz with a true 5ms response time in a 16:10 resolution with displayport and an infinite contrast

Advertisement

Register for free to remove this ad

Originally Posted by reddjoey Thanks, I passed on the ASUS Z68 too since it looked like a tight squeeze.

If you are considering the ASRock Extreme4 and want to run any questions by me, shoot me a PM and I'll help where I can.

Originally Posted by ZForce915 If you are considering the ASRock Extreme4 and want to run any questions by me, shoot me a PM and I'll help where I can.

I'm good, but thanks.

Damnit.... yesterday morning I ordered my new pc components (from Newegg and Amazon) and now today I get an email from Newegg.....they're having a huge Summer sale!!! ARGH what terrible timing on my part! If I just would've waiting 1 more lousy day I could've saved and extra $50 or so. Newegg doesn't have any price change policy like Amazon do they? If this was Amazon I could email them and get the new cheaper prices without any trouble at all.

@crystalklear64

I changed alot of my initial list before I read your reply and alot of it coincides with your reply.

1. Ya I think I will settle for the 560ti and when battlefield 3 hits, I'll get another one and sli.

2. i scrapped the ssd and got a 450g raptor.

3. what do you think of the case? I'm not going to lie the thing that attracted me was aesthetics and cable management.what are the differences between mid towers and full towers besides size? What would make someone choose one over the other?Dont think those negatives you posted affect me

4. Ya i plan on sli.

5. Our mobos only use dual

6. ill probably add a hsf down the road

7. I have a monitor picked out but I dont know :/

I'll post my set up after work/school so I can see what you guys think. I was forced to order the case and my ram last night before deal ended.didn't want to decide I wanted them and lose out on the sale.thanks again

Originally Posted by Corvix 3. what do you think of the case? I'm not going to lie the thing that attracted me was aesthetics and cable management.what are the differences between mid towers and full towers besides size? What would make someone choose one over the other?Dont think those negatives you posted affect me 4. Ya i plan on sli.

If you plan to SLI, then do it in a full size case. Mid-size would become too cramped. Also most mid-size cases to do not accept the larger graphic cards.

cgarb84: Try emailing them, or seeing if you can cancel your order before it is shipper out. Newegg is pretty well known for their customer service.

i think you could get away with sli 570s in a mid sized case. they are actually quite small, especially compared to my 4870 and i could probably have squeezed one of those in my cheapo mid-sized case. if the 560 ti is the same-ish size of a 570 i'd say you could do a mid sized tower. And in name alone, mid vs full, size is the only difference. cooling might become an issue if you picked like a solid steel case with no fans or something but even then since you said you're not overclocking it'd still probably be good.

what you'd have to look out for though is your eventual HSF's height since you'd have a better chance of that not fitting than your video cards.

ok heres the phantom will all my shit in it. notice the retarded amount of empty space? good airflow or not, no way did i need a full size. my video card is pretty much the same size as the mobo with only the wires from the power connectors sticking out. if the 560 is the same size i'd say mid size would be no problem.


and heres a size comparison to a smaller mid size case i have. couldn't fit it where my old case went so now i get to slam my knees on it every time i get up >.>

Originally Posted by j-cart cgarb84: Try emailing them, or seeing if you can cancel your order before it is shipper out. Newegg is pretty well known for their customer service.

The order shipped yesterday so that's not an option. I do however think I will shoot them an email and see what happens, there's no harm in trying.

Also about the mid vs. full tower debate, I would personally recommend a full tower if you are going to have multiple GPU's. I just can't imagine a small case with 2 GPU's running and a whole wad of cables and various other components in there could keep a system adequately cooled. That's just my recommendation though, do what you think is best.

Phew just go back from school. Heres my list. Please, please feel free to suggest something. I know ahead of time I'm going to be flamed for the P67 over the Z68 I don't know whats the difference :P And the P67 has the advantage over being available longer while Z68 is new technology? I guess? But yea please feel free to help me out.

NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Steel / Plastic Enthusiast ATX Full Tower Computer Case 139.99 - 20 (promo) = 119.99

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD4500HLHX 450GB 10000 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive 199.99

ASUS VH236H Black 23" Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ Speakers 199.99 - 30 (promo) = 169.99 - 20 (rebate) = 149.99

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active ... 159.99 - 25 (promo) = 134.99 - 15 (rebate) = 119.99

Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX 84.99 - 10 (promo) = 74.99 - 25 (rebate) = 49.99

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard 159.99

EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1563-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ...

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

489.98 - 20 (promo) - 15 (combo) = 454.98 - 25 (rebate) = 429.98

Total = 1,344.92 + 23.05 shipping = 1,367.97 - 85 (rebates) = 1,282.97

I know I'm missing a optical drive. Still havn't decided between blu ray or just reg dvd. And as far as peripherals mouse,keyboard and headset I'm looking at like another 150-200 for gaming peripherals. Oh and I get windows 7 for 30 since I'm a student. Guess paying a shit ton of tuition pays off huh? :} And I think thats it. Again please let me know if you think theres something better remember Im not restricted by a budget (well I kind of am but I can save alittle more to reach said budget)

Thanks guys in advance ! Much love no homo!

P.S sorry for the weird links? dont know why they came in those funky colors

Last post before I hit the hay. I will check the thread before work tomorrow to see some goodies. Im beat =/ 8-5 work 6-9 class, tomorrow 8-5 work. Hopefully you guys show me some love. I'd like to have the trigger pulled by friday so they can ship the stuff to me.

Uhh some reconsiderations : 2 midtower cases went on sale Antec 300 and Thermaltake V9 don't know much about those but they are cheap (are they any good?, keep in my my phantom is on its way but i can always return it), seems to be a nice combo on g skill 8gb and z68 mobo dont know which one exactly(my kingston ram is also on the way but I can return it)

might get that logitech g9x mouse they have rather then the razer i was looking at, the prices between blu ray players and dvd is stupid deff getting a dvd player :P i have a blu ray in the living room anyway, for the price of my gtx 560ti i could get 2 460s right off the bat cause of the price reductions so thats something to think about, thats about all that caught my eye really.

thanks again guys, take it easy and be safe!

Originally Posted by Corvix Uhh some reconsiderations : 2 midtower cases went on sale Antec 300 and Thermaltake V9 don't know much about those but they are cheap (are they any good?, keep in my my phantom is on its way but i can always return it), seems to be a nice combo on g skill 8gb and z68 mobo dont know which one exactly(my kingston ram is also on the way but I can return it)

I have the Antec 300 and it's a good case, but it might not be for everyone. It is tight on space especially if you are going to do SLI/Crossfire and max out the HDD bays. My second complaint would be that it is not optimized for cable management. You can make it tidy, but not nearly as much as pricier cases.

I noticed you were going for a 2500K. If you are overclocking it, you can do decent amount on the stock cooler, but I really suggest you get a decent aftermarket one.

Tom's Hardware just released this in time for you Corvix.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...a-pc,2969.html

I don't know if this is the best place for this since I'm not looking to build from scratch. I want to start from a prebuilt but am willing to do a few upgrades. I am looking for a computer for general use and light gaming. Sims 3 is probably the most intensive game I will play on it.

What I am looking at right now is this:

From Dell:

Inspiron 620 MT Inspiron 620 Minitower w/ Black Bezel
Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English
Processors Intel® Core™ i3-2120 processor(3MB Cache, 3.30GHz)
Memory 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 2 DIMMs
Keyboard Dell USB Entry Keyboard
Video Card Intel® HD Graphics
Hard Drive 500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
Floppy Drive Integrated 8 in 1 Media Card Reader
Optical Drives 16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Sound Integrated 5.1
$499.99

Monitor Dell 21.5-inch Wide ST2220MB Flat Panel Monitor
$139.99

Speaker Dell AX510PA Entry Flat Panel Stereo Sound Bar with Power Adapter
$34.99

Upgrade
From Newegg:
VIDEO CARD SAPPHIRE 100287VGAL Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) 512MB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card $69.99+ 5.99 shipping

I also have a fairly new 500gb hard drive from my current computer that I will probably drop it to increase my hard drive space.


This totals about $750.95 before tax. I'd like to keep my total including tax under $800 but I could go as high as $900 if I'd get a good performance boost. Does anyone see any good changes to make to this setup.