1. #1

    Help with last few parts for custom built PC!

    Hello I'm basically trying to build a high end computer from scratch basically (think I can salvage from my old optical DVD drives/mouse/keyboard/headset and I have an awesome monitor already!!).

    Background/Needs: I'm a hardcore gamer, but I also like to run on a longer upgrade cycle than most(my computer needs to last 5yr at least). I will play my computer at bare minimums in it's later years for as long as possible until the games I want to play just don't run period (below minimum specs)...I've done this successfully in the past and I'm just barely short or too close to be comfortable for diablo 3 and I also have my eye on some upcoming FPShooters.


    Reservations:
    -I DON'T OVERCLOCK anything...but I might do it in the 4th/5th year if I am forced to do so. (However I think I'm going to use 1600MHz RAM rather than the listed "Memory Specifications of 1333/1060 for i7/i5 processors...I've read it's not actually 'overclocking' per se, just have to change the speed to the correct 1600MHz in BIOS, because the Motherboard&RAM I'm buying supports the 1600MHz.)
    -I want Intel, not AMD.
    -I like ASUS Motherboards and EVGA GeForce video cards...those have been home runs for me in the past!
    -I'm waiting awhile before I worry about getting a Solid State Drive and Hard Drives are easy to replace/upgrade later...compared to other parts

    CURRENTLY PLAN TO BUY:

    MOBO- $200 ASUS Sabertooth P67 (5yr warranty, super durable/quality) [Better than ASUS P8Z68-V Pro??? same price]
    CPU- $315 Intel Core i7-2600K (hoping it has more longevity in terms of gaming down the road than the i5-2500K)
    GPU- $330 EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280mb
    RAM- $110 G.SKill Ripjaw Series 16GB(4x4gb) 1600MHz (PC3 12800) CL: 9, 1.5v, 9-9-9-24-2N timing
    HDD- $55 Western Digital Caviar Black 750GB, 7200rpm, 64mb cache, SATA 6.0gb/s -Bare Drive
    OS- $100 Windows 7 Home Premium

    Current Total: $1110 +shipping/tax(California)...(plus a few instant savings/rebates that I didn't include)

    Others I considered, non-Front runners:
    -ASUS P8Z68-V Pro $200 (3yr warranty; doesn't seem like I was actually missing out on anything important)
    -Intel Core i7-2500K $220 ($95 cheaper, but hoping the extra money for the i7 gives another 6+ months longevity for gaming)
    -EVGA GeForce GTX 560-Ti FPB 1GB $250 (again hoping the extra $80 translates into longer before being obsolete)

    Are any of my assumptions incorrect? Or do you guys think some of these would actually be better for my build? Taking into account my Needs/Reservations... Thanks!

    I NEED HELP deciding on the following!!:

    -CPU Fan/Heatsink!!! (need my stuff to run at safe temperatures at all times!)

    -CASE!!! (old/big Antec tower is like 10yr(?) old or something, as standard/basic looking as you can get I think...was like $130 I think.)
    *Basically I want a big/spacious tower that I can use for the next 10+ years...most important feature is keeping all the components inside SAFE and running COOL...dislike filmsy plastic, and water cooling...hoping for good airflow/fan action if possible. Let me know what is best/possible, prefferably under $200, but something worthy of the components I'm putting inside basically. Open to suggestions! Coolmaster, Antec, etc..??

    -MISC Cooling??? What additional fans do you suggest for the case? External Cooling Devices? Anything?

    -Power Supply...how many Watts are needed for all this stuff and how many watts should I actually purchase? Brands etc?

    -MISC Stuff that I'm forgetting? (Planning on using onboard sound/internet)

    -Or if you had something completely different in mind on any component that you think fits my Needs/Reservations and I didn't mention

    THANK You all to anybody who responds and offers insight!! If you actually read all this stuff and try to help me out I will be GREATFUL!

  2. #2
    Deleted
    If a computer will last 5 years depends entirely on the industry/market and how patient you are. Just wanted to point that out; there are no guarantees that your computer will last this long.

    The i5 2500k and the i7 2600k has just about the same total processing power, but the 2600k can better utilize this power for multi-threaded applications due to HT. There is no real point picking the 2600k over the 2500k, even keeping future development in mind. Games supporting HT are very rare. Also to note, if you don't plan to overclock the i5 2500 is recommended, although I would personally opt for the k-version as overclocking Sandy Bridge is very easy (at least to a moderate overclock, say 4.4Ghz).

    Use the money saved on the CPU to upgrade that 570 to a 580. It will make your computer last a bit longer.

    16Gb is complete overkill for gaming as 4Gb is enough for any current generation game. Go with 2x4Gb. If future games will require more you can always upgrade this later.

    As for your questions:
    - If you don't plan to overclock the stock heatsink is sufficient. Otherwise the Noctua NH-D14 is to recommend (high end) or the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ (budget, good price/performance).
    - Any modern full tower case will be sufficient. Pick out a few that you like the looks and features on and we can give you pointers. The Fractal Design Define R3 is an example of a good and well-used case.
    - A decent full tower case comes with a sufficient fan setup most of the time. You can always add more later if you find that it's needed.
    - Given a single GTX580 a proper 600W PSU will do just fine, for example the Corsair CX600: http://www.corsair.com/power-supply-...ies-cx600.html. If you plan to SLI later on a 750W+ is to recommend.
    - A DVD reader/writer perhaps. A fan controller (unless included with the case) might also be a nice addition.
    Last edited by mmoc7c6c75675f; 2011-09-25 at 03:17 PM.

  3. #3
    The Lightbringer Uggorthaholy's Avatar
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    If you refuse to overclock, don't get a k processor. They are literally designed to be overclocked, even if slightly. Refusing to do so is literally refusing to get the most you can out of your hardware.

    The 2600k gives 0 benefit over a 2500k in gaming, except REPORTEDLY in BF3, but it hasn't been confirmed yet.

    Get the 570 over the 560ti. Because it's that much better.

    Get a spinpoint F3 instead of a caviar black. better drive, better price.

    If you don't overclock, the intel heatsinks perform extremely well.

    caseNZXT Phantom White Full Tower – $139.99
    or
    caseCooler Master HAF 932 Full Tower – $159.99

    psuCorsair 80+ 650w – $84.99
    or, if you plan to eventually SLi the 570 for performance purposes
    psuCorsair 80+ 850w – $134.99

    Bottom line - if you get a Sandy Bridge chip, it should be overclocked. No reason not to. Most people have reported going from 3.3 to 4.2 without an aftermarket cooler and still being well within temp guidelines. I highly suggest looking into it, as it's very easy, and these chips are made for it. If you want the best available in cooling get

    sinkNoctua NH-D14 – $85.87

    if not, my personal favorite is

    sinkCorsair A70 – $41.42

    I would replace the ram with ramCorsar 1600 MHz Vengeance Low-Profile 4X4GB – $99.99

    or even only 8gb

    ramCorsar 1600 MHz Vengeance Low-Profile 2X4GB – $57.99

    The big heat spreaders on the g.skill ram do nothing but get in the way of your heatsink for your processor. the low profile ram eliminates that (just make sure you seat the ram before installing the sink)

    And I agree with Marest - drop down to the 2500k and get yourself a 580. Hadn't even thought of that.
    Last edited by Uggorthaholy; 2011-09-25 at 03:20 PM.

  4. #4
    thanks for the advice! speedy reply Do you have any Cases/power supplies/fans or external cooling systems you think are really good? That seems to be the hardest part! and possibly most important. (Also I like the 2600K over 2600 because it's only like 10-15$ and maybe after a few years I will overclock if forced to..just not from day 1, seems excessive to me)

  5. #5
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Kn3wB View Post
    thanks for the advice! speedy reply Do you have any Cases/power supplies/fans or external cooling systems you think are really good? That seems to be the hardest part! and possibly most important. (Also I like the 2600K over 2600 because it's only like 10-15$ and maybe after a few years I will overclock if forced to..just not from day 1, seems excessive to me)
    I suggested the Fractal Design Define R3 and the Corsair CX600. Sorry for the slow edit in my reply, accidentally posted it before I was done.

  6. #6
    The Lightbringer Uggorthaholy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marest View Post
    I suggested the Fractal Design Define R3 and the Corsair CX600. Sorry for the slow edit in my reply, accidentally posted it before I was done.
    And I gave 2 completely different case style suggestions (as they are all personal preference), so there's 3 separate ideas for you on cases. ^_^

  7. #7
    Yep thank you both for your replies...I just re-read your edited post and then your post popped up while I was typing my first reply uggorthaholy I quickly editted in my reply about the 2600 vs 2600K, and hadn't got a chance to comment on them! Thank you both! I'm going to check out a few reviews for some of the products you guys are mentioned and look at reviews. I'll check back later!

  8. #8
    I decided to finally go ahead and submit my purchase today(the 4-day marathon hunt is finally done!)! I ended putting together and building the following machine, after considering insight/advice I received from you guys here and from a few other sources I ended up with this machine:

    I have one last really important question!!!:
    Do I need to buy/replace any/all the fans in the Cool Master HAF 932 Advanced in your guys opinion? or are all the stock fans capable for my situation?? Thanks

    -I wont be overclocking anything for at least 3 years...due to having to use stock cpu fan during that time.
    -I wont be changing the i5-2500K stock CPU fan...it voids 3yr warranty, but was told it's sufficient for non-OC's anyways...

    (not going fully into detail here, but if your curious about a specific item I bought these all from newegg at these prices.)

    Case- $160 Cool Master HAF 932 Advanced
    PSU- $135 Corsair Enthusiast Series 850W
    MOBO- $200 ASUS Sabertooth P67
    CPU- $220 Intel Core i5-2500K
    GPU- $330 EVGA GeForce GTX 570
    HDD- $55 Western Digital Caviar Black[750gb, SATA 6.0gb/s, 7200rpm, 64mb cache] (I know I could have gone to 1TB or higher at a fair price, but it's plenty for me)
    RAM- $140 G. Skill Ripjaw Series 16GB (4gbx4) [Dual Channel 1600MHz (PC3 12800), 1.5v, CL:8, 8-8-8-24 Timings] (bought two 4gbx2 packs at $70 each, might be overkill but if a pair goes bad I still have 8gb to continue gaming while waiting for RMA)
    OS- Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM $100

    I also got a $7 mouse!! heh

    GRAND TOTAL: $1445 (after California tax + 3day UPS shipping + rush processing)

    I also have like another $50 off in mail-in rebates/promo code instant savings(which I didn't include, because it's easier for you to find it with the prices I listed)...also a free batman game and 2 free memory cards or something(didn't influence the purchase...)

    FUTURE PLANNED UPGRADES: After 3 years have passed and the 3yr warranty is gone from the i5-2500K I will get an after-market CPU Fan/Heatsink if I end up having to overclock it to keep myself playing games in years to come. Also I can potential add a 2nd GTX 570 if needed. Doubt I will need a bigger storage HDD, but a SSD when they are better/cheaper is a possibility.

    THANK YOU ALL who contributed to my efforts and added your insight! I looked and compared and researched all the parts mentioned and even if I didn't go with what was suggestioned it still ultimately helped me decide on this configuration!!!

    Let me know what you think of how I did overall...be honest, I can take it!!

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