The Ultimate 'Build-A-PC' Thread. Complete With Pricings & Recommendations (06/06/10)

[quote name='The Crotch']Aye, sorry, my eyes slid over the preamble.[/QUOTE]

Haha, no problem. I tend to type too much.
 
Hey again guys, sorry to constantly post here but I had a few more questions. I am building my first gaming a PC and need to grab a GPU, CPU, and MOBO still. I'm looking to spend about $500 total on the 3 of them total and would like suggestions. I've been looking at graphics cards on Newegg and TigerDirect but there's so many and the prices are so similar, along with lots of positive reviews for a lot of products, which makes it hard to seperate them. Id like to be able to play current and newer upcoming games at the highest or very close to it resolution if possible as well. So far the components I have are (please also tell me if you see something that wont work, and I also know I need a DVD drive, and another HD):

Cooler Master elite 430 mid gaming case
Corsair Vengence 8gb ddr3 low profile memory
Corsair GS700 psu
Sandisk 120gb SSD

Thanks in advance for any help
 
You have a monitor already? If so, what resolution? Are you in to overclocking?

Also, your PSU is probably going to be overkill.

EDIT: What about an OS? Is this just for gaming?
 
Thanks for the reply.

The monitor I'd like to use is the Sony 24"3D monitor. I've read it will not work with 3D on the PC but that's ok.

If you think the psu is overkill can you suggest something that would be a better fit? I got it for $90 in BB credit but I can return it for Amazon credit if there's something better for my needs and would free up funds.

For OS ill probably get Windows 7 64 bit, if I already have a registered version on my laptop can I just transfer my license or do I need to plan on repurchasing?

I've never built or had any experience with gaming computers so I can't say for sure if ill try to OC. If its pretty simple and seems worth it I would be interested in trying.

yes, this is going to used just about exclusively for gaming. I may put a Blu ray drive instead of a DVD drive to use to watch movies on as well, but that would be the only other use.

Again, thanks for your time and help
 
This thing? I'm assuming you're buying it/have bought it mainly to use with your PS3 and the fact that it doubles as a monitor is just a bonus, yes? Because there are better monitors out there wait 240hz refresh rate what the fuck?

As for the OS question... yes, technically you can clone it over, but it's a hell of a lot easier to... not... do that...

Either way, I'm assuming that both the monitor and the OS are not part of your $500 limit for GPU+CPU+MOBO, yes?

Overclocking isn't complicated, but you'll spend slightly more on the processor and another however much on an aftermarket fan.

Assuming you're not overclocking, though, and assuming you're American...

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($102.55 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Video Card ($187.55 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 450W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($48.18 @ NCIX US)
Total: $548.26

With the mail-in-rebate and without the PSU, that comes out to almost $500 exactly.

This setup is better for CPU-intensive games (think Civilization) than GPU-intensive games (Metro 2033). However, at the resolution you're (presumably) looking at, any modern game will be playable, though you probably won't be able to max out the settings if you want consistently high frame-rates (you do).
 
Yup, thats it. I have the monitor already (got it a while ago with credit from BB), so that's paid for, and I'm sure there are definitely better options out there but as of right now I'm gonna be using that.

I think I would like to overclock, so I understand ill have to grab an aftermarket fan, but I wont consider the fan, OS, PSU or Monitor in this part of my budget.

I think I may have to contact you via pm about the OS when it is time for that step

And yup, I am in America, and actually have access to a Microcenter store as well which I've heard are somewhat rare but have amazing deals. As for games I intend to play, I do lean more towards fps and tps shooters (reaaaaally wanna try the DayZ mod for ArmaII) but I do also plan on playing games like Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2
 
Well if you want to overclock, you'll want a k-suffix processor rather than the one I picked out for you. It's only, like, ten or twenty dollars more.

I don't know much about the demands of Arma 2, but Blizzard's games are famously easy on graphics cards. SC2 especially hits your CPU far heavier than your GPU.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']Well if you want to overclock, you'll want a k-suffix processor rather than the one I picked out for you. It's only, like, ten or twenty dollars more.

I don't know much about the demands of Arma 2, but Blizzard's games are famously easy on graphics cards. SC2 especially hits your CPU far heavier than your GPU.[/QUOTE]


So is the i5-2500k for $160 a good deal at Microcenter? People seem to rave about it when I read the reviews, and that seems like a great price. They also seem to bundle them with a MOBO at a discounted rate so I will be looking at MOBO you suggested ($95 at MC) and see if I can bundle them together to make them cheaper.
 
[quote name='MrshllJcb']So is the i5-2500k for $160 a good deal at Microcenter? People seem to rave about it when I read the reviews, and that seems like a great price. They also seem to bundle them with a MOBO at a discounted rate so I will be looking at MOBO you suggested ($95 at MC) and see if I can bundle them together to make them cheaper.[/QUOTE]

Very. It's maybe 10% slower than the new Ivy Bridge non-overclocked at half the price.
 
[quote name='MrshllJcb']Yup, thats it. I have the monitor already (got it a while ago with credit from BB), so that's paid for, and I'm sure there are definitely better options out there but as of right now I'm gonna be using that.

I think I would like to overclock, so I understand ill have to grab an aftermarket fan, but I wont consider the fan, OS, PSU or Monitor in this part of my budget.

I think I may have to contact you via pm about the OS when it is time for that step

And yup, I am in America, and actually have access to a Microcenter store as well which I've heard are somewhat rare but have amazing deals. As for games I intend to play, I do lean more towards fps and tps shooters (reaaaaally wanna try the DayZ mod for ArmaII) but I do also plan on playing games like Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2[/QUOTE]
I'd like to point out that if you plan on doing 3D PC gaming, that monitor won't work for it. I checked into it myself a while back and thought that it'd be the cheapest option to get into 3D PC gaming, but alas, it doesn't work that way.
 
Aye, he knows. And with $500 for a motherboard, CPU, and GPU, he wasn't gonna be doing much 3D, anyway.

And... I'm not sure what elessar is talking about; Ivy Bridge is not twice the price of Sandy. Ivy Bridge (which includes the 3570 I mentioned earlier) and Sandy Bridge (which includes the 2500k) are nigh-identical in both function and price. That said, $160 for a 2500k - the most popular Sandy Bridge CPU - is a good deal. Go for it.
 
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[quote name='The Crotch']Aye, he knows. And with $500 for a motherboard, CPU, and GPU, he wasn't gonna be doing much 3D, anyway.

And... I'm not sure what elessar is talking about; Ivy Bridge is not twice the price of Sandy. Ivy Bridge (which includes the 3570 I mentioned earlier) and Sandy Bridge (which includes the 2500k) are nigh-identical in both function and price. That said, $160 for a 2500k - the most popular Sandy Bridge CPU - is a good deal. Go for it.[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure either. Posting on CAG too early in the morning = brain fart. Not sure why I was thinking it was $300, especially since I just bought one.
 
What motherboard you want depends on your other parts.

I mean, odds are, that's a good board. But just in case, what else have you got goin' on?
 
Here's my current build so far. Feel free to critique at will.

Memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428
Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504
Video (Already own, so no changing this): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604
Power: Will be based off final build's power needs
Mouse/Keyboard/Monitor: Nothing too fancy here. Mostly stuff I already have
Case: Likely http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160
OS: Windows 7 64 bit
Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533 as well as one I currently have acting as storage for my current machine
 
Memory: Good
CPU: It has a k-suffix. Are you overclocking? If so, you may want to get a fan for it. Ivy Bridge CPUs especially have heat issues when overclocking. If you're not bothering with that, you could shave a couple bucks off here, albeit not much.
Video: Okay.
Case: Is there a specific reason for that one? I'm not big on spending money on cases...
Hard Drive: Fine. Have you considered throwing in an SSD?
Optical Drive: ?

That motherboard will be fine.
 
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CPU:Wanted to leave OC'ing as an option. Figure it's worth the extra couple bucks. Know I'd need a fan for it, but it's not something I'll be actively persuing immediately.
Video:Current one tops out at 1600x900. Planning on getting a new one a month or two down the line. Getting a bunch of new PC parts and a new monitor would put quite the strain on my finances.
Case:Not particularly. Not completely sold on that one. Cutting back there is definitely an option
Hard Drive: Considered it, decided against it. It's something I can add later if I need to.
Optical Drive: Scavanged from another machine. This if you're curious
 
MarshallJacob: If you're looking for a better GPU than the 560, this is a good deal for a 7870, which is a pretty substantial improvement. And it's not a crappy XFX 7870 or anything.

Also, free game, albeit not one I'd be too interested in.
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']CPU:Wanted to leave OC'ing as an option. Figure it's worth the extra couple bucks. Know I'd need a fan for it, but it's not something I'll be actively persuing immediately.
Video:Current one tops out at 1600x900. Planning on getting a new one a month or two down the line. Getting a bunch of new PC parts and a new monitor would put quite the strain on my finances.
Case:Not particularly. Not completely sold on that one. Cutting back there is definitely an option
Hard Drive: Considered it, decided against it. It's something I can add later if I need to.
Optical Drive: Scavanged from another machine. This if you're curious[/QUOTE]

I have the exact board+CPU. It's nice. Only downside for me is that it doesn't have WiFi built in. And it only has 4 fan connectors, so you might want to buy an extra fan power cable if you get a case with more fans, like I did.
Browsing and watching Hulu with a stock fan, and the CPU is at 37C. So I wouldn't worry about a 3rd party fan yet.
I did buy an SSD, but I have buyer's remorse on the size of it. I wish I got a 128GB instead of a 256GB, since I don't have enough installs to fill it, thus wasting money.
 
[quote name='elessar123']I have the exact board+CPU. It's nice. Only downside for me is that it doesn't have WiFi built in. And it only has 4 fan connectors, so you might want to buy an extra fan power cable if you get a case with more fans, like I did.
Browsing and watching Hulu with a stock fan, and the CPU is at 37C. So I wouldn't worry about a 3rd party fan yet.
I did buy an SSD, but I have buyer's remorse on the size of it. I wish I got a 128GB instead of a 256GB, since I don't have enough installs to fill it, thus wasting money.[/QUOTE]
Call me crazy, but theres no such thing as having too much hard drive space lol

I'm on the opposite end...I bought a 64gb SSD and wish I had gone bigger. But then again, Its mostly only for the OS and certain small programs. Everything else goes on my 2TB hdd
 
[quote name='The Crotch']MarshallJacob: If you're looking for a better GPU than the 560, this is a good deal for a 7870, which is a pretty substantial improvement. And it's not a crappy XFX 7870 or anything.

Also, free game, albeit not one I'd be too interested in.[/QUOTE]


Thanks for the heads up Crotch (wow that feels wrong saying), but by the time i had a chance to look at that it was all snatched up, (im gonna look for it elsewhere, but thanks for the heads up on XFX, they seem cheaper, but I guess theres a reason for it). I did look at the 7870 cards, but all the graphics cards in the world seem to have good reviews. I honestly saw a video for the 660ti and became enamored (plus it comes with B2), but if its a graphics card that is likely to die before it gets to actually really utilize its power I dont want to waste the extra money. Sorry for clogging up this thread with all my noobness, but I really appreciate the help.

Edit. Was completely torn between this 660ti w/ a Borderlands game code @ Amazon for $309, and this Asus HD7870 for $260 plus a $20 MIR on Amazon (kinda bummed they dont have Sleeping Dogs codes, but about to beat it on 360 so no biggie) From what I've read (which could be false) the 7870 is on par with the 660ti, and in some ways its superior, and cheaper. I ended up going with the 7870 and it should be here within a week or so, which should give me time to get the MOBO and CPU so I can finish this thing.
 
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[quote name='HumanSnatcher']I'm on the opposite end...I bought a 64gb SSD and wish I had gone bigger. But then again, Its mostly only for the OS and certain small programs. Everything else goes on my 2TB hdd[/QUOTE]

Exactly. For installs, 256 GB is too much for me. And it's too little for storage.
 
First time posting in this forum, but I figure I'll see what others think of this configuration as I haven't built a PC for a few years and damn has the technology changed. (I used to be Store Manager of a local PC and repair shop specializing in custom builds, so I've got experience.)

I'm looking to replace my 6 year old computer (built at shop I managed) that now is finally starting to show it's age.

I'd be upgrading from the following:
- AMD Athlon X2 6400+ 3.2GHz
- 4GB DDR3-800 Memory
- Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe
- EVGA Superclocked 8800GT 512MB

I'm looking to build something that will smash anything I throw at it, so here is what I have so far (Pricing from newegg.com)

AMD FX-8150 3.6 GHz Socket AM3+
Asus Sabertooth 990FX
Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600 (2x4GB) (2 sets for 16GB of memory)
HIS IceQ Radeon HD 7870 2GB (2 cards to set in CrossfireX mode)
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB Hard Drive
Crucial M4 128GB SSD (2 drives to mirror in case of drive failure)
Samsung SATA DVD Writer Black
Antec DF85 Case
Antec CP-1000 Power Supply
Logisys Dual Red Cold Cathode
Rosewill 120mm Red LED Fan

Total for all of this came out to $1,510.86.

I was also considering getting two Asus VE248H 24" Monitors to go with the setup which would be $359.98.

Total for Tower + Monitor = $1,870.84

I'd be loading it with a Win 7 64-bit copy I have. My only concern is with the SSD drives as I've never used them before. I know they are super fast but reliability was a concern when they were coming out (the last time I looked at them) I figure mirroring them will be beneficial to ease my worry in case one fails.

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciative. I'm looking to get another 5-6 years of use out of this guy.
 
[quote name='Monoxide1986']I'm looking to build something that will smash anything I throw at it, so here is what I have so far (Pricing from newegg.com)

AMD FX-8150 3.6 GHz Socket AM3+
Asus Sabertooth 990FX
Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600 (2x4GB) (2 sets for 16GB of memory)
HIS IceQ Radeon HD 7870 2GB (2 cards to set in CrossfireX mode)
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB Hard Drive
Crucial M4 128GB SSD (2 drives to mirror in case of drive failure)
Samsung SATA DVD Writer Black
Antec DF85 Case
Antec CP-1000 Power Supply
Logisys Dual Red Cold Cathode
Rosewill 120mm Red LED Fan

Total for all of this came out to $1,510.86.

I was also considering getting two Asus VE248H 24" Monitors to go with the setup which would be $359.98.

Total for Tower + Monitor = $1,870.84

I'd be loading it with a Win 7 64-bit copy I have. My only concern is with the SSD drives as I've never used them before. I know they are super fast but reliability was a concern when they were coming out (the last time I looked at them) I figure mirroring them will be beneficial to ease my worry in case one fails.

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciative. I'm looking to get another 5-6 years of use out of this guy.[/QUOTE]

Here's my opinion.

Personally, I don't like AMD, but I won't go into that.

Don't buy two sets of RAM. Buy a kit of 4x 4GB or 2x 8GBs, matched.

Get a single gfx card over the XF, such as the GTX 680/670 or 7970. Higher compatibility with everything, and less heat/power. I personally would (and did) go with a 670. You're also looking at only 2x 1080p.

Samsung platter drives are horrible.

Mirroring an SSD can lower it's performance. What you should do is get a single Samsung 830 or Intel, and run a backup program to backup onto a platter drive.
 
[quote name='elessar123']Here's my opinion.

Personally, I don't like AMD, but I won't go into that.

Don't buy two sets of RAM. Buy a kit of 4x 4GB or 2x 8GBs, matched.

Get a single gfx card over the XF, such as the GTX 680/670 or 7970. Higher compatibility with everything, and less heat/power. I personally would (and did) go with a 670. You're also looking at only 2x 1080p.

Samsung platter drives are horrible.

Mirroring an SSD can lower it's performance. What you should do is get a single Samsung 830 or Intel, and run a backup program to backup onto a platter drive.[/QUOTE]

I've always been a fan of AMD (and only built gaming rigs with them for myself) so I've always stuck with them. No rhyme or reason other than the products I got from them performed well and lasted a long time at a cheaper price than intel. I'd be interested in hearing arguments for either or.

I'll take note on that RAM and get one pair of two 8GB. Makes sense now that it's been pointed out to me.

On the video card I've always stuck by nVidia, but have heard that AMD (ATI still to me) has gotten significantly better. I wouldn't mind sticking with nVidia, but figured I'd give AMD/ATI a shot. The two cards was mostly just to say I had a setup like that. I'll probably end up switching out to a higher end single card. Any big difference between the GTX 680/670 or 7970?


I was skeptical of Samsung drives until I put two mirrored 2TB one's in my media center PC and they've been running great for over a year and a half now. I'm a die-hard WD fan so I'll most like end up switching it over to one of those. Seagate is trash to me (saw too many failed ones at the shop I ran and I won't even consider it).

On the SSD, it's still new ground to me. All of my tech buddies are urging me to switch over to one as my primary drive, but I've read too many reviews stating that they failed with in the first 6 months or so. My wife tends to store a lot of kids pictures and whatnot on the desktop so in the chance that it fails and I don't have proper fail-safes in place.. I'm dead. My same tech buddies also mentioned some software that does backups to another drive in the system automatically. How long does a backup typically take with that and are there any specific products that are good. I used to use Acronis True Image a bunch for imaging drives. The short life before failure still worries the hell out of me though.

Thanks for the feedback. I look forward to more.
 
[quote name='elessar123']Exactly. For installs, 256 GB is too much for me. And it's too little for storage.[/QUOTE]
Considering how much real estate most programs use, whether they be games or plain applications, 256gb is a lil on the low side. Maybe if you wanted to put a couple games on it. I'm waiting for prices to drop more on ones larger than 256.

The onlything other than Win7Ultimate on mine are a few productivity apps. Such as video converting software and dvd copy software (thankfully TigerDirect sells licenses and downloads). And a few games that I can only run using the built in VM of XP (I'm looking you You Don't Know Jack series....). Generally if its under 250mb, I'll allow it to install to the SSD.

Word of advice to the builders with SSD...you might want to disable the hibernation file. That took up 12gbs on my system, on a 64gb, thats very valuable real estate. Its not like your running an ultrabook, the system will still boot up quick as hell. I also disable the paging file. That was 16gb. Then again, I have 16gb of RAM. Unless a game requires the paging file will I go in and create a small one. Of course that all goes for if you go with anything under 64gb SSD
 
[quote name='Monoxide1986']I've always been a fan of AMD (and only built gaming rigs with them for myself) so I've always stuck with them. No rhyme or reason other than the products I got from them performed well and lasted a long time at a cheaper price than intel. I'd be interested in hearing arguments for either or.[/QUOTE]

I've always liked Intel better. I never had great experiences with AMD. It's like everything is made using Intel and Nvidia, so there's usually a tiny bit of compatibility issues with AMD and ATI (which is obviously now both the same company).

[quote name='Monoxide1986']On the video card I've always stuck by nVidia, but have heard that AMD (ATI still to me) has gotten significantly better. I wouldn't mind sticking with nVidia, but figured I'd give AMD/ATI a shot. The two cards was mostly just to say I had a setup like that. I'll probably end up switching out to a higher end single card. Any big difference between the GTX 680/670 or 7970?[/QUOTE]

Depends on what you want to do with the graphics cards. Most games run slightly better on the 670/680. Some run better on the 7970. Three monitor setup on AMD is better. The 670 is about $100 cheaper than the 680, and can be overclocked to perform like a 680. I think the 7970 does calculations significantly faster though.

[quote name='Monoxide1986']On the SSD, it's still new ground to me. All of my tech buddies are urging me to switch over to one as my primary drive, but I've read too many reviews stating that they failed with in the first 6 months or so. My wife tends to store a lot of kids pictures and whatnot on the desktop so in the chance that it fails and I don't have proper fail-safes in place.. I'm dead. My same tech buddies also mentioned some software that does backups to another drive in the system automatically. How long does a backup typically take with that and are there any specific products that are good. I used to use Acronis True Image a bunch for imaging drives. The short life before failure still worries the hell out of me though.[/QUOTE]

If you're putting photos on your SSD, you're doing it wrong. That's what a platter drive is for. And I think SSDs have a decent warranty period. I'm new to using it at home, so I'm not sure. We use tons of Intel drives at work, and they're fairly reliable. But they're 2x the price of other brands.
 
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131835
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115091
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231424
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339
SDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139950
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247
Graphic Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121642
Case/PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1046194

Could someone tell me if all the parts I have listed will work together and if anything is missing. This is the 1st time I will be building my own PC so I am a little lost on the parts and everything, but I have put them together before.

Also feel free to give me better recommendations for parts. I am trying to keep it below $1000 and the total of all the parts I listed is $798
 
[quote name='clonesniper666']Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131835
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115091
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231424
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339
SDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139950
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247
Graphic Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121642
Case/PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1046194

Could someone tell me if all the parts I have listed will work together and if anything is missing. This is the 1st time I will be building my own PC so I am a little lost on the parts and everything, but I have put them together before.

Also feel free to give me better recommendations for parts. I am trying to keep it below $1000 and the total of all the parts I listed is $798[/QUOTE]


Your graphics card is a tier lower than everything else that you have listed. General rule is to spend the same amount on your cpu and your graphics card. You PC spec is by no means a slouch, but in terms of gaming PC, you always want your graphics card to be the stand out component of your PC.

Look for a 560Ti/560 Ti448 core for a better card at the same comparable price.
 
[quote name='j-cart']Your graphics card is a tier lower than everything else that you have listed. General rule is to spend the same amount on your cpu and your graphics card. You PC spec is by no means a slouch, but in terms of gaming PC, you always want your graphics card to be the stand out component of your PC.

Look for a 560Ti/560 Ti448 core for a better card at the same comparable price.[/QUOTE]

Most of the 560ti cards I just looked at were around $200-$250 and only offered 1Gb. Not sure how much a difference a 2Gb would offer but would this be a better replacement: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130810. It is only about $50-60 more than most 560ti I looked at.

this brings my total to $938 or $863 if I drop the SDD and use an old 80Gb Hdd for the OS
 
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This is where you have to make the decision that I cannot make for you.

Price vs Performance.

Go ahead and look here:

http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd-radeon-hd-7750-and-7770-review/21

My old GTX 470 is still out performing the 7770 that you plan on purchasing (my card is now three generations old compared to the radeon 7700 series and I only paid $180). Now that difference is only 10 FPS, but it is the difference of 30 fps vs 20 fps, which is a huge difference in terms of gameplay. I push the 560 ti because it is a solid card at a decent price now.

I don't have any personal experience with the 660, but the numbers on it look great. Understand that it is new generation card of the 560ti, so the prices will be a lot higher just because it is new.

Honestly, if you can find a 560 ti 448 core for around $200, get it. Best damn price pointed card on the market. It is a limited run, but its basically a 570 but better.
 
Hell no. Check slickdeals for flash sales SSDs.

Make sure you also get a regular HDD aswell. Run the OS on the SSD (get steammover if you are steam users) as you collect and complete games you can transfer them back and forth from the SSD to HDD.

SSD is worth it.

Also, hell yah on the 560 ti 448 core :D You are gonna love your rig.

/edit: just looked at slickdeals

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/793...rnal-solid-state-drive-ssd-vtxplr225sat2120gb

My brother uses OCZ SSDs and he says they run well. Price is extremely cheap.

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/792...lc-internal-solid-state-drive-ssd-sh103s3120g

I have a kingston similar to this and it is awesome. For the price it is worth it, kingston knows how to package their products and their support to consumers with customer service.

Either one would be a solid pick up.
 
To clonesniper: Why would you pay $240 for the 560ti when you can get a 660ti or 7850 for just a bit more? That's a buy you would really regret if you go through with it. Here's a quality 7850 that outperforms the 560ti for less money.

I had forgotten about this thread...I'm also very ready for a new card. I don't care if I wind up with ATI or Nvidia, I just want it to be a beast for the price. The 7950 and 670 are both flirting with $300 for the off-brands, and I'm holding out until I can get a good brand (MSI, Giga, ASUS) with good cooling at that price. It's going to happen soon.

And if I play my cards right, maybe I'll get a free copy of a game I'll never play. I just hope they keep fighting on the MSRP. I like that ATI responded with the drop on the 7950 and below, my hope is Nvidia decides to nudge things further. And I'm not talking game promos, I'm talking cash money, yo.
 
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131835
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115091
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231424
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151256
Graphic Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130738
Case/PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1046194
Wireless Adapter: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166046
And 3 SATA cables

Yes I dropped the SDD for the moment but will buy one next payday, plus the extra 80GB HDD is only for the OS. Also I decided to get a normal DVD drive over a bluray drive. Total is $870.41 via Newegg, is that a good price for the part listed?

Would I need any other cables besides the SATA ones since I only recall the HDD/CD drive needing a cable besides the one from the PSU. A 650W PSU should be enough for this build , corret or do I need more?
 
Got my board and cpu to go with my 7870, for the cpu I got the amd fx8120 8 core 3.1ghz and for the board I got a GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard. Turns out when I got the gpu I did get the sleeping dogs game code but about to finish it on the 360 so will probably look to trade that.
 
Nvidia drivers > ATI drivers

well, that's just my opinion :)

Should be able to find the 560 ti 448 core for around $200 (the newegg link includes a rebate) but there have been a few deals awhile ago for $200+ Batman:AC.
 
[quote name='Monoxide1986']If I went with an i7 over an i5, would I see a lot of difference?

And on the i7's I'm debating between these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115229

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070[/QUOTE]
I myself have the first one, the i7-3820 and love it. I wanted to go higher end as I wanted to future proof for a while. Not to mention always wanted a top of the line gaming rig, so I splurged more for this and the board below

I paired it with this mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157289
 
So this is my first time I plan on upgrading my rig.
I plan on upgrading my old 5670HD with the 660 Ti to be able play Borderlands 2 and Skyrim in High settings maybe even Ultra. So do you guys think my mobo can handle the 660 ti?

I also plan on buying more RAM to bring my rig from 4GB to 8GB. Du you recommend I just buy another set of 2x2 or just get a 2x4?
 
[quote name='glemtvapen']So this is my first time I plan on upgrading my rig.
I plan on upgrading my old 5670HD with the 660 Ti to be able play Borderlands 2 and Skyrim in High settings maybe even Ultra. So do you guys think my mobo can handle the 660 ti?

I also plan on buying more RAM to bring my rig from 4GB to 8GB. Du you recommend I just buy another set of 2x2 or just get a 2x4?[/QUOTE]

What's your motherboard? And yes, get 2x4GB if you can.
 
[quote name='Nekopanchi2012']i'm looking for a 1tb hard drive that won't die after 1.5 years use for a good price. Anyone have any suggestions?[/QUOTE]

I just grabbed a 2tb seagate HDD for $115 at BestBuy, my buddy who builds computers says its good, but I cant confirm its gonna last over 1.5 years.
 
I am looking to enhance the performance of my computer with gaming in mind. I don't need to be maxing out video settings but would like to play with a decent frame rate for sc2 and possibly a newer shooter like borderlands 2. Or, perhaps building a new rig entirely would be more ideal?

CPU Type DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo E6750
Motherboard Name Asus P5K-E (3 PCI, 2 PCI-E x1, 2 PCI-E x16, 4 DDR2 DIMM, Audio, Gigabit LAN, IEEE-1394)
Motherboard Chipset Intel Bearlake P35

DIMM1: A-Data DQVE1A16 1 GB DDR2-800 DDR2 SDRAM (5-5-5-18 @ 400 MHz) (4-4-4-12 @ 266 MHz) (3-3-3-9 @ 200 MHz)
DIMM2: A-Data 1 GB DDR2-800 DDR2 SDRAM (5-5-5-18 @ 400 MHz) (4-4-4-12 @ 266 MHz) (3-3-3-9 @ 200 MHz)
DIMM3: A-Data DQVE1A16 1 GB DDR2-800 DDR2 SDRAM (5-5-5-18 @ 400 MHz) (4-4-4-12 @ 266 MHz) (3-3-3-9 @ 200 MHz)
DIMM4: A-Data 1 GB DDR2-800 DDR2 SDRAM (5-5-5-18 @ 400 MHz) (4-4-4-12 @ 266 MHz) (3-3-3-9 @ 200 MHz)
Video Adapter ATI Radeon HD 5500 Series (1024 MB)
Monitor Asus VH236H [23" LCD] (ACLMTF129651)
Audio Adapter Creative SB X-Fi Audio Controller
 
[quote name='elessar123']I'm not sure on that one.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for trying to help.
Looking around the web, a PCIE 3.0 GPU should work on a PCIE 2.0 slot so I guess I'm good then.
 
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