Looking for input - 1st gaming build

[Luay79]

1) I would try to get a GTX 680 in there! So I second a lower spec motherborad and smaller PSU. Z77 boards are out so you could grab a $150 ASUS P8Z77-V LK (SLI) (again might be overkill) or even a $110 GIGABYTE GA-Z77-DS3H (might need a sound card with this one), pair it with the i5-3570K which will be out in two weeks. The computing gains are not as impressive when it come to games, but the savings on power are. Your PSU requirements won't Exceed 300W total so get a 550W, or a 650W for overclocking, 750W for SLI, 850W for SLI and overclocking.

2) Your system will barely tap 8GB of RAM so 16GB is overkill. LGA 1155 is dual channel not quad. Check out the review of this kit and join the club, be warned that other kits will look like kids play:
Samsung 30 nm Green PC3-12800 Low Profile 1.35 V DDR3 Review - Page 8/8 | techPowerUp

That's more than $130 worth of saving and a reason to go for the GTX 680. Next investment should be SSD, then better input (Keyboard, Mouse, gamepads) and output (3D monitor, headset, speakers) and so on.

3) for cooling and case: it's all relative (as is all parts of your build). If you go for a large case, then you will need a large heatsink. The CM Hyper 212 Evo will create nice and quite airflow in amid-tower case, but won't be as efficient in a larger case. HAF's are all great and probably the best to build with and last a long time, but as Funguseater said two fans are not enough for a rig with a video card. I prefer the quietness and airflow of Rosewill cases, especially the mid-tower Blackhawk becasue it has quite fans in the right places. 2 at the front, one at the side, rear and top, and the size is right. 140mm.

[Merrix]

Hey,

Sorry for the delayed reply. Uni finished and I was moving back home.

1) I would try to get a GTX 680 in there! So I second a lower spec motherborad and smaller PSU. Z77 boards are out so you could grab a $150 ASUS P8Z77-V LK (SLI) (again might be overkill) or even a $110 GIGABYTE GA-Z77-DS3H (might need a sound card with this one), pair it with the i5-3570K which will be out in two weeks. The computing gains are not as impressive when it come to games, but the savings on power are. Your PSU requirements won't Exceed 300W total so get a 550W, or a 650W for overclocking, 750W for SLI, 850W for SLI and overclocking.

I'm definitely interested in getting a GTX 680, but I was wondering if you'd be able to clarify a few things.

I'd be going with a lower spec motherboard to free up money for the additional cost of the GTX 680, but this would mean computing gains that are not as impressive when it comes to games(though savings on power are). One of the lower spec motherboards + a GTX 680 would still be superior for gaming than a higher spec motherboard with a GTX 580, right?

Also, I was wondering if you could explain how my PSU requirements won't exceed 300W. I think I'm misunderstanding power requirements since info on the GTX 680 says it requires, at a minimum, a 550W PSU.

Thank you to everybody for the suggestions, by the way. Very much appreciate it.

[Luay79]

I did recommend a 550W PSU for a 300W consuming build. 650 if you want to overclock, 750 for SLI and 850 for SLI and overclocking. A PSU performs best and quietest when under 50% load.

A misunderstanding, a new architecture is coming out this month, Z77 to replace Z68. The i5 2550k will be replaced by the i5 3570k. The move from Z68 to Z77 isn't a big one in performance but consumes much less power.

As for fitting the GTX 680 in the budget, whether building a Z77 or Z68, a cheaper motherboard that has all the basics, and 8GB of RAM instead of 16GB, and a smaller PSU will make the 680 affordable and yes, it is a far superior build no doubt.

[Luay79]

i5 3570K $230 Estimated price (could be cheaper)
CM Hyper 212 EVO $30
ASUS P8Z77-V LK $153 (SLI ready)
SAMSUNG 8GB $48
GIGABYTE GTX 680 2GB $533
1TB HDD $100
DVD Writer $28
Seasonic Platinum-860 $220
Rosewill Blackhawk $95

Total: $1437 for a near silent build that can handle another 680 in SLI and all the overclocking you could possibly do.

You can get a much smaller and cheaper PSU (silver rated at least) and add some money to fit in a 120GB SSD such as the Mushkin Chronos Deluxe or just save money to add it later.

[Merrix]

A big thanks, Luay. I appreciate all the help and advice you've given me. Others as well.