Thinking about getting new CPU

[gabesn]

I have been thinking about getting a new gaming computer as mine is very out of date and i have been told that building your own is cheaper and tend to run better. I went to this site ple.com .au/Systems.aspx were they have an option to build your own and customize pre-build models. I went to gaming and chose the cheapest one then made some modifications.

Processor: INTEL CORE i5 3570K IVY BRIDGE 3.4GHz 6MB RETAIL BOX
Aftermarket Cooler: COOLERMASTER HYPER 212 EVO CPU COOLER
Motherboard: ASROCK Z77 EXTREME4 DESKTOP MOTHERBOARD
Memory 1: G.SKILL 8GB KIT DDR3 RIPJAWS X C9 1600MHZ
Memory 2: NONE
Hard Drive 1: SEAGATE BARRACUDA 3.5" 500GB 16MB 7200RPM
Hard Drive 2: NONE
Graphics Card 1: AFOX GTX550 TI 850M/1333M 1024MB/DVI/HDMI/VGA
Graphics Card 2: NONE
Optical Drive: SAMSUNG SH-222BB 22x SATA DVD-R/RW/DL BLACK OEM
Sound Card: INTEGRATED / INCLUDED
Case ANTEC: THREE HUNDRED GAMING CASE
Power Supply: XFX CORE EDITION 550W 80PLUS PSU
Wireless Networking: NONE
Operating System: MICROSOFT WINDOWS 7 HOME PREMIUM OEM/64BIT
Office Suite: MICROSOFT OFFICE 2010 STARTER EDITION (Free)
Antivirus: MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS ANTIVIRUS (Free)
Keyboard: NONE
Monitor: NONE
Mouse: NONE
Speakers: NONE
Power Protection: POWER SHIELD ZAPGUARD 6 WAY SURGE BOARD BLACK
Warranty: 12 MONTH RETURN TO BASE WARRANTY
Assembly & Testing: PLE PROFESSIONAL ASSEMBLY AND TESTING
Build Time: STANDARD BUILD 5 WORKING DAYS

This is what i came up with and its priced at 996$ which is a little more that i would like to pay. Anyway I am looking for advice on if this is a good deal, what i could lose or downgrade, and what i should upgrade. THANKS!

[chaud]

2500K CPU if it is cheaper. Avoid Seagate. Get a better GPU.

[Enhshamanlol]

ew for 996 dollar that's horrible. you can build one for the same price and be way better than that.
Hell. If need an OS
MoBo: MSI Z68A-G43 (B3) – $99.99
CPU: Intel i5 2500k – $219.99
RAM: G.Skill 1600MHz 2x4GB – $39.99
GPU: Sapphire Radeon 7850 – $239.99
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB – $79.99
PSU: XFX ProSeries 450W – $62.99 Review
Case: NZXT Tempest 210 – $54.99
900 bucks with windows 7
If you don't
MoBo: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 – $119.99
CPU: Intel i5 2500k – $219.99
RAM: G.Skill 1600MHz Ripjaws 2x4GB – $41.99
GPU: Gigabyte 7870 – $329.99
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB – $79.99
PSU: Seasonic S12II 520W – $69.99
Case: Cooler Master CM690 II – $89.99
952.
Both of those would be way better

[n0cturnal]

GTX550Ti isn't what I would consider a gaming GPU it is more like a glorified HTPC card.
Lowest entry level card for gaming is in my opinion GTX 460, and that card is 2 generations old.

[Flaim]

graphics card is too low for such a kinda high cpu, but it depends on what you wanna play if you need an upgrade there.

[gabesn]

Well i play all kinds of games but lm looking to be able to play games like diablo 3, battlefield 3, Crysis, without running on the lowest settings.

[n0cturnal]

Well i play all kinds of games but lm looking to be able to play games like diablo 3, battlefield 3, Crysis, without running on the lowest settings.

All you really need to change is the GPU to something like a GTX 560Ti or a Radeon 6870 and all those game should run at "High" settings.

[chazus]

I run a 460 with 3gb of ram and get 60+ fps on wow and D3 (not sure about BF3 or Crysis since I dont have them)(

[lockblock]

It's only cheaper to build your own if you actually put the components together and install the operating system. Ordering a custom rig from X company don't = build your own in any way shape or form.

[Xuvial]

I run a 460 with 3gb of ram and get 60+ fps on wow and D3 (not sure about BF3 or Crysis since I dont have them)(

WoW and D3 can run on laptops and can easily be maxed out with $500-$650 budget builds.

But BF3 and Crysis 2 are completely different beasts that will literally shit your GPU out if it's not up to the task...unless you enjoy the lowest possible settings. They require vastly more powerful graphics (HD6870/GTX560 Ti minimum, preferably HD7870 or GTX670) and a solid gaming CPU (i3 2100 minimum, preferably an i5 Sandy Bridge or i5 Ivy Bridge)