First time Builder (Gaming Rig)

[ArioR]

Hello everyone, I'm interested in getting some feedback for a potential build. Nothing has been purchased yet as I am obsessing over price, value, taxes and shipping costs. This will be my first build and I am pretty much as green as they come. I've been doing small research for the past maybe two or three months, so please don't hesitate to provide info that may seem obvious.

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V Lk ATX LGA1155 Z77 DDR3 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI SATA3 SLI DVI HDMI DP USB3.0

CPU: Intel Core i5 3570K Unlocked Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.4GHZ Ivy Bridge 6MB Retail

PSU: XFX 650W PRO650W Core Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 53A 24PIN ATX Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze

RAM: Kingston KHX1600C10D3B1/8G 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL10 DIMM HyperX Blu

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6GB/S 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5in Hard Drive OEM

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 Black Mid Tower ATX Case 4X5.25 1X3.5 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB Sound

Biggest holdup seems to be the GPU as of now, more of an Intel/nVidia supporter but the HD7950 seems to be too good to ignore against my current sway:

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 Ti OC 1032MHZ 2GB 6.0GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Video Card

So far, from Directcanada,
Sub Total: $867.70



Hoping not to cross $1100 after taxes/shipping. Thanks in advance!

[great_big_abyss]

Looks like a pretty solid build to me. If you like the Green Team, the 660Ti is pretty hard to beat compared to a 7950, especially since AMD's gaming bundle is expired.

I would add an SSD to your rig, preferably a 128GB Crucial M4 or Samsung 840 series.

[Bond007]

Looks good. I would swap the hard drive to a WD black, and if its in the budget add a 120-128gb SSD. Otherwise its solid.

As for the video card its your call on the 7950 or 660Ti. If you are gaming at 1920x1080 I would drop it down to a gtx 660 (non-Ti) and put the savings to my hard drive recommendations above.

[ArioR]

Thanks for the info. I've been looking for SSD's to add in, but I feel like I can't yet justify dropping another Hundred plus dollars into a faster boot/load time. However considering the note about the ti vs. the non-ti it becomes a bit more viable. What would I really be losing by opting for the former?

[great_big_abyss]

Originally Posted by ArioR

Thanks for the info. I've been looking for SSD's to add in, but I feel like I can't yet justify dropping another Hundred plus dollars into a faster boot/load time.

It's worth it, 100%. Going SSD was probably the single greatest upgrade I've sunk into my rig in the last year or so.

[IRQ Conflict]

You would recommend those over Intel?

[great_big_abyss]

I recommend Intel, as well. Intel is a little more expensive, which is why I recommended slightly cheaper SSD's.

[Luay79]

Hi There

The LK is the cheapest 2xPCI-E 3.0 SLI/CF Asus motherboard, has the best Bios layout and overclocks better than any in this price range. The audio chip ACL892 isn't any good. A soundcard such as the $80 Asus Xonar 7.1 (AV100 audio chip) will improve your gaming experience. If you don't want to add a sound card then the Asrock Extreme4 (ACL898 audio chip) is better for gaming. Bios isn't as refined and overclocks a little less but a solid budget choice.

You should get a better PSU. Seasonic's most affordable Gold 650W, The SSR-650RM is $30 more expensive than your choice but is a great value and your rig will thank you for it. If you might add another video card (because your motherboard can) then 750W would be enough.

Try to fit a CPu cooler in your budget. $30~35, Arctic i3 is my first choice, then CM hyper 212 Evo.

The only RAM I use is the Samsung 30nm. Kingston used to be my favorite but not since these babies came along.

For HDs, WD Blacks are fast, loud, power hungry and expensive, while Greens are slower, efficient, and cheaper. Blue is a mix of both. Your choice should depend on whether you want an SSD or not. I would grab an SSD and go for Green as it is a perfect storage media for all non-application files. If you can manage to play no more than 5 to 6 games a season, and transfer your games to your HD once you're done, then 128GB SSd should be sufficient. If you're buying now then the Samsung 840 (non-pro) is the best bang for $100 bucks. Wait a bit longer and Crucial M5 will be out.

Don't buy the old WD HDs! Websites have the old and new models mixed up all over the place. Make sure the last 4 digits of the model number reads "_NRSN". Those are the new WD HDs.

For your case, don't forget to add two more fans for total of four. you already have 1 front intake so add a side intake fan, and already a rear exhaust so add a top exhaust fan. Other choices that I prefer in that price range are the rosewill R5, or the Antec 300.

Now for your GPU all I can say is sell your kidney and get the Gigabyte HD 7970 3GB. This $400 card used to be $600 8 months ago. Overclocks like a champ and as quite as the best. It's $100 more than the HD 7950 but with Hitman Absolution and Far Cry 3, and Crysis 3 in the future, the %10 increase in performance vs the %25 increase in price is worth it imo.

Good luck with your build and please do read reviews as much as you can for the parts mentioned by me and others. We're not taking any risks as you are.

[great_big_abyss]

While you're at it, you should just throw any semblance of a budget out the window...

[concinnity]

AMD's new Tahiti LE 7870 is a wolf in sheep's clothing. It smokes the 7950 by a quite substantial margin. Could only find one on newegg, for about $30 less than a 660Ti. Not sure how it compares to a 660Ti, though.