Building a do all PC, gaming ability required. Help, please and thanks!

[mattersport]

I built my last PC and overclocked it, I have been running it for 4 years and I feel like I want a new PC with new technology. Also my wife's laptop crapped out on her so shes getting my old PC for work and I need something new . I'm just a little out of the loop now when it comes to building. Once parts are chosen though I will be putting this thing together myself.


1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Mainly surfing, music, watching movies, etc. I'll be doing some photoshop work, and some gaming. That being said, when I do play games I'd like them to load quickly and run them on high settings. I don't game that much but I'd like to do it comfortably.

2. What YOUR budget is.

I'd like to be under $1100 all in. Try to get close, don't give me a $700 build and tell me its all I need.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

Located in Vancouver, BC, Canada and will be buying all parts from NCIX or Memory Express.

4. IF YOU have a brand preference.

Intel only, nVidia only. Everything else is open as long as its quality.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

I have a monitor (24", 1920x1200), mouse and keyboard. I need a case and everything that goes in it. I also have a 5.1 speaker setup, but I don't know if I need a soundcard.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

Starting to.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

I loved overclocking my current PC (e6400, 2.1ghz to 3.2ghz stable) but I think I will pass this time. Getting too old for this.

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?

This weekend (Saturday and Sunday). I know this is rushed but its a bit of an emergency.

9. What resolution and settings do you use?

I'll be running at 1920x1200, I'd like settings to be at max or close to it in games. I don't need 3D, eyefinity or any other gaming gimmicks really.

10. Are there any specific technologies you want?

I would LOVE to utilize an SSD for the op system. I'm a big fan of the technology and I want my computer to boot up in seconds. USB 3.0 would be nice. Must have WIFI. Must have BluRay. Case noise doesn't matter. I'd like to have the modern bells and whistles. Also I really like the HAF cases but I'm open to suggestions. My last case was an Antec 900 and I was happy with it.

Also I should mention I'll be using Windows 7 but I don't know which version to get.

Really big thanks in advance guys!

[Ed103194]

Can't go wrong with 2500k, you may consider the 3570k as well, but i prefer the 2500k for overclocking/heat and compatibility. this z77 board looks good for the price: AsRock Z77 Pro 3 w/ DDR3, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, CrossFireX / SLI at Memory Express. I just picked up a twin frozr gtx660 this morning, good performance with low heat and runs maxed out bf3 at 1080 with no problems but i would recommend 660ti or 670 if you can get a good deal on them. memex has refurb 120gb corsair force gt's for 79.99, good deal

[Dzzope]

Intel Core i5-3570K, MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti, Cooler Master HAF 912 - System Build - PCPartPicker Canada

Add either an ASrock or MSI mother board at around $100 - $130 depending on what you need..
Wifi won't come on cheaper boards, grab an add-on card / usb device to suit your need (that will work with your access point)


If you really need it at / under $1100 you could:

drop the Blu-ray unless your really need and will use it.
You could drop the GPU lower but will then have to turn down some settings on some games to get good fps (not much but don't expect to max all games)
You could also get a cheaper SSD but the Vertex 4 would be my pick.. though you could save 20 or so dollars without much issue.. I would not go under 120 / 128GB.. 64 fills way too fast
You could drop to an i3 to go cheaper but I think it's worth squeezing in the i5 as it will last quite a long time..
Overclocking has gotten much easier than it used to be.. Add a cooler when / if you want to do it (that chip should safely hit 4.5ghz without a problem.)
If you have a copy of windows 7 ( or even vista 64 bit) obviously you can drop that too..

I'm hoping that the xfx PSU I selected is one of the seasonic based ones.. Can some-one else advise?

If you can squeeze out some more budget for all the above and a lil more, you can get a MSI 670 PE for I think it was 370.. would be a nice bump too but not necessary.

[mattersport]

Thanks for your responses guys.

I wound up spending half the night and sat morning spec'ing a computer. Bought all my parts yesterday, built today. Running on the new computer now:

i5 3570k
Asus P8Z77-VLK
OCZ 700W Modular
Evga GeForce 660ti SC
Corsair Obsidian 550D case
OCZ SSD 120GB
WD 1TB HDD
Asus BD Player
Win7 Home Premium
Asus WIFI Card
Everything went well

Went a little over budget (1200) because I spec'd everything out and completely forgot Windows, at that point I wasn't turning back.

So far loving the SSD Bootup (restart takes 15 seconds max). Haven't played any games yet but I'm going to try Crysis 2 which is the most graphics demanding game I currently own.

[mattersport]

Originally Posted by Dzzope

Intel Core i5-3570K, MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti, Cooler Master HAF 912 - System Build - PCPartPicker Canada

Add either an ASrock or MSI mother board at around $100 - $130 depending on what you need..
Wifi won't come on cheaper boards, grab an add-on card / usb device to suit your need (that will work with your access point)


If you really need it at / under $1100 you could:

drop the Blu-ray unless your really need and will use it.
You could drop the GPU lower but will then have to turn down some settings on some games to get good fps (not much but don't expect to max all games)
You could also get a cheaper SSD but the Vertex 4 would be my pick.. though you could save 20 or so dollars without much issue.. I would not go under 120 / 128GB.. 64 fills way too fast
You could drop to an i3 to go cheaper but I think it's worth squeezing in the i5 as it will last quite a long time..
Overclocking has gotten much easier than it used to be.. Add a cooler when / if you want to do it (that chip should safely hit 4.5ghz without a problem.)
If you have a copy of windows 7 ( or even vista 64 bit) obviously you can drop that too..

I'm hoping that the xfx PSU I selected is one of the seasonic based ones.. Can some-one else advise?

If you can squeeze out some more budget for all the above and a lil more, you can get a MSI 670 PE for I think it was 370.. would be a nice bump too but not necessary.

Yeah now that I have gotten my hands dirty a bit, I've got the OC itch, so I might get a CPU cooler after some time and OC. I don't know if my MOBO is the best for it though, my last MOBO was a DFI and it was awesome.

[Bond007]

Looks good. I would have gone with a different PSU, but its still fine for that setup. Enjoy.

[mattersport]

Yeah I have heard OCZ PSUs aren't the best but I was trying to skim dollars and the one I got was on sale. I really wanted a modular one and this one seemed to be the best value.

On the topic of OC'ing, getting my hands dirty building this PC has kinda got the OC itch coming back. Maybe in a little while I'll get a CPU cooler and have at her. Don't know how great this MOBO is for OC'ing though.