Build Help :D

[Rendia]

Here is my current build that I am planning. I am not too great with the hardware of PCs, so please be gentle if I made a few blunders.

MOBO: ASUS M5A99X EVO AM3+ AMD 990X SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
GPU: EVGA 02G-P3-1559-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (this is not currently available at newegg, so I am hoping that it will either become available or that i can find an equivalent of around the same price, any suggestions would be great)
Case: Rosewill ARMOR Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT55TFBGRBOX
HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST250DM000 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9R
PSU: Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W Continuous @40°C,80 PLUS Certified, Single 12V Rail, Active PFC "Compatible with Core i7,i5" Power Supply
CPU Heat Sink: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7

Let me know what you guys think, and again, thanks in advance and please be gentle if I fecked up somewhere.

EDIT: My budget is close to $800 USD. A little more would be alright, but not much.

[chaud]

Spending a little more on a 2500k build with a better PSU and GPU would be a wise choice. The m59 is a cheaper but still very nice case if you want to save a little there.

[Charvie]

Spending a little more on a 2500k build with a better PSU and GPU would be a wise choice. The m59 is a cheaper but still very nice case if you want to save a little there.

I find in practicality my Phenom II x6 runs better than my friends 2500k, but on paper the 2500k performs better (being that its Overclocked moderately).

OP: I would stick with x6 IMHO

[Fuzzykins]

I find in practicality my Phenom II x6 runs better than my friends 2500k, but on paper the 2500k performs better (being that its Overclocked moderately).

OP: I would stick with x6 IMHO

Sorry, but disregarding factually based charts is the exact mindset that breeds ignorant fanboyism.

OP: Disregard this. He has no idea what he's talking about.

[Deleted]

I find in practicality my Phenom II x6 runs better than my friends 2500k, but on paper the 2500k performs better (being that its Overclocked moderately).

OP: I would stick with x6 IMHO

There is little reason to go for a Phenom II X6 1055T over a i5 2500k if your primary use will be gaming. The 2500k is faster per core than the 1055T, which means better performance in games. The extra 2 cores on the 1055T will do absolutely no good in the majority of games (>99%). If however the OP was looking at buying a computer to be used for (e.g.) video editing and rendering, then the 1055T becomes a potent choice at that price range (arguably at least).

See more here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/t...2100-tested/17

[Rendia]

Well, a 2500k build is about $70 USD more than what I had there, and I am already at about $840 USD. Having a tough enough time already convincing my wife that the amount is far from a lot, and necessary.

This Intel is the same price, but only a dual core, but would you recommend it over the AMD I picked?

Intel Core i3-560 Clarkdale 3.33GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics

EDIT: Also, really only gaming with it, and all I really NEED is to hit 40 FPS on about medium settings, that's barest for me, not too picky, tbh, just looking to upgrade over my 6-7 year old system.

[Deleted]

Let's see...

Newegg lists the ASUS M5A99X EVO for $149:99 and the 1055T for $149:99, which is roughly $300.

The i5 2500k is $219:99, which leaves around $80 for a motherboard. You won't find a good P67 or Z68 board for $80 unless you find a nice deal, but here are some examples at different price points (of course, landing you above $300):

MoBo: MSI P67S-C43 – $99.99
MoBo: Gigabyte GA-P67A-D3 – $104.99
MoBo: MSI P67A-G43 – $114.99 Review
MoBo: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 – $124.99

My vote's on the ASRock Z68 Extreme3, but either of the boards above would be just fine. If you aren't into overclocking, you might want to consider this:
i5 2400: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115074
ASRock H67M (B3): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157233
(Total: $270)

You can also shave some money off your planned build:
- The PSU is slight overkill; a good 450-500W is enough. For example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151094
- I'd upgrade the GPU to either a 6850 or a 6870. If you want to stick with nVidia, I'd probably recommend trying to upgrade the 550 Ti to a 560; the 550 Ti is a fairly weak gaming GPU. I believe the GTX 460 is a better choice as well.
- You don't have to pick up fancy RAM or an aftermarket heatsink (unless you plan to overclock).

Take a peak here for some further examples on builds: http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...-Sample-Builds
As you can see, at $700 and $800+ a 2500k build is very possible. E.g.:

Budget Gaming 700

MoBo: MSI P67S-C43 – $99.99 CPU: Intel i5 2500k – $219.99 RAM: G.Skill 1600MHz Ripjaws 2x2GB – $29.99 GPU: Sapphire Radeon 6870 – $164.99 HDD: WD Caviar Blue 500GB – $99.99 PSU: XFX ProSeries 450W – $58.99 Review Case: Xigmatek Asgard II – $39.99 Review -------------------------------------------------- Estimated Total Price – $714

Recommended for: Strong budget gaming build that can tackle most newer games. Has a fairly nice upgrade path as well.

[Rendia]

Let's see...

Newegg lists the ASUS M5A99X EVO for $149:99 and the 1055T for $149:99, which is roughly $300.

The i5 2500k is $219:99, which leaves around $80 for a motherboard. You won't find a good P67 or Z68 board for $80 unless you find a nice deal, but here are some examples at different price points (of course, landing you above $300):

MoBo: MSI P67S-C43 – $99.99
MoBo: Gigabyte GA-P67A-D3 – $104.99
MoBo: MSI P67A-G43 – $114.99 Review
MoBo: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 – $124.99

My vote's on the ASRock Z68 Extreme3, but either of the boards above would be just fine. If you aren't into overclocking, you might want to consider this:
i5 2400: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115074
ASRock H67M (B3): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157233
(Total: $270)

You can also shave some money off your planned build:
- The PSU is slight overkill; a good 450-500W is enough. For example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151094
- I'd upgrade the GPU to either a 6850 or a 6870. If you want to stick with nVidia, I'd probably recommend trying to upgrade the 550 Ti to a 560; the 550 Ti is a fairly weak gaming GPU. I believe the GTX 460 is a better choice as well.
- You don't have to pick up fancy RAM or an aftermarket heatsink (unless you plan to overclock).

Take a peak here for some further examples on builds: http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...-Sample-Builds
As you can see, at $700 and $800+ a 2500k build is very possible. E.g.:

Wow! Thanks a ton, I am definitely going to look into this!