Building a New Gaming PC

[Buccaneer]

It's been four years and it is time for me to build another custom PC. Here was what I built 4 years ago and have made it last perfectly since that time:

Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - New Computer Thread

The intent, as last time (and the time before that), is build a good enough gaming PC to where I can meet minimum requirements on new games 3-4 years from now (if they still will be making PC games then). My budget is around $1200 because I have to get Windows 7 and an Office 2010 upgrade. I have been getting the parts in one at time, knowing that it will take a month to get everything built and configured, esp. since there's a lot of new stuff for me to learn. Here are my components:

Antec Twelve Hundred case ($150 from newegg) Newegg.com - Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Probably the best gaming case for a good price. Lots of fans, including a huge one on top.

Silencer Mk II 750W power supply ($117 from newegg) Newegg.com - PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II PPCMK2S750 750W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Motherboard/CPU/RAM Combo from www.sysbuilder.com
This will be third or fourth time I have gotten a MB combo from sysbuilder and not only do they have fantastic parts to chose from, but they are very quick on delivery (ordered on Monday, getting it today).

Asus M4A78T-E motherboard ($128) - normally I would go cheaper on the motherboard and bump up the CPU but I needed a good mb with on-board graphics since I need to start working on building and configuring over Thanksgiving but I will not be able to get the new graphics card until next month.

AMD Phenom II X4 Processor 945 3.0GHz AM3 CPU ($149) - always have gone with AMD and with the Phenom II, they are now very competitive with Intel. Had originally speced out a 640 but Tom's Hardware charts Performance Charts - Tom's Hardware convinced me to pay a little more for increase in performance.

Kingston 8GB DDR3-1600 RAM ($116) - I can go up to 16GB on the board

EVGA GeForce GTX 465 1GB SLI video card ($219)
Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-1467-AR GeForce GTX 465 (Fermi) Superclocked 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Not the latest and greatest but if I can make the 7900 GTS last 4 years, I can make this last 4 as well. I had thought I would pay a lot more for the graphics card but I think the performance (according Tom's Hardware) is good.

Windows 7 Professional and Office 2010

I'll probably need a new cheap Windows 7-compatible sound card. I also want an Asus VH242H 23.6-inch monitor but that might have to wait.

What do you think? What build issues should I expect?

[Tasan]

With all the high end pieces there, make sure you get a speedy hard drive to go along with all of it. A older, slow hard drive can drag down the performance of other components.

[Tasan]

Also, you won't need a sound card really. The days of not using the onboard sound from the motherboard are pretty much over.

[Buccaneer]

Thanks Tasan, I knew I forgot to list something. Here's my desired hard drive:

Western Digital WD10000LSRTL 1TB 7200RPM SATA 3.0gb/s ($105)

I want to use the on-board sound card but I have read that the VIA chipsets are quite inferior, hearing static and such.

[Tasan]

I don't know, your mileage may vary, but out of the 4 Vias I have in the house, I don't get static. My TV computer has one of the Via Realtek chipsets in it and I get great audio. As for the hard drive, that one looks good, the only caution I give there is watch out for newegg.com-purchased hard drives. I'm down to about a %50 failure rate across various brands due to newegg packing on hard drives. I've stopped ordering drives from them for this reason, and I've ordered quite a few.

[RedHawk00]

i used to love building my own pc, but with cyberpowerpc i was able to choose all my components and get the PC built for what the components basically cost on newegg.com. i would say check it out at least before you buy... unless you have already ordered some of those parts.

[Buccaneer]

Red, I have used CyberPower before with good results. I do love building my own, esp. when I can take the time and learn about everything. I guess it's a hobby of mine even though I only do it once every 3-4 years.

[the_meanstrosity]

I would skip the 465 video card. The 460 (1 GB RAM) is actually the newer card and runs a lot cooler and thus a better overclocker. The 460 1 GB can also be had for around $150 after MIR.

What resolution will you be running? If you're doing anything over 1680x1050 then I would go with a video card with a minimum of 1 GB RAM.

I actually like the TR system guide setups. They aren't for everybody, but I feel like it gives me a good starting point when I want to build a pc. Then I can visit a site like Hardforum.com or xtremesystems.org to see if this product is really recommended by system builders or if there is a better alternative.

http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/19868

[Buccaneer]

Yeah, I'll definitely go with the 460 1gb; hopefully on sale.

I also decided to go with two 320gb HDD instead of one 1tb. I had always gone with a backup HDD of some sort and can't imagine not having one. Still plenty of space. I'll keep software and games on C: and system image, music, videos and photos on the other.

I have started the build and there are lots and lots of cables. Going to have to think of some clever way of managing them. The Silencer 750w power supply thankfully comes with 7 fan power connectors and 8 SATAs. Should be good there.

Oh, got an OEM version of Windows 7 Professional for a little over $100 from newegg. They were running a bundled special that knocked $30 off of Windows. Knew I couldn't do an upgrade so I was glad to have thought of that (since that what I did with my current XP version).

[Atocep]

Looks like a good system. A friend of mine just bought a GTX 460 to run Blacks Ops with and he's loving it.

I have the Antec 1200 and it's easily the best case I've ever owned. Yes, it's huge, but I'd still recommend it to anyone building a gaming rig.

I just ordered an AMD X6 1090 to upgrade to. My processor was starting to become my bottleneck on games (I'm running an overclocked intel dual core rightt now). I sort of lucked on on the last video card I bought. I picked up a GTX 280 when it first came out and it went bad about 6 months later. EVGA ended up just shipping me a new GTX 285 so after 2 years my video card has only dropped about $100 in value so no need to upgrade there.

[Buccaneer]

Finally got the last component added - EVGA GTX 460 768mb (Fermi) video card. Very highly rated, great performance numbers and found one locally at a mom/pop PC store. Here are my current Windows Experience Index:

(on a scale of 1.0 - 7.9)

CPU = 7.3
RAM = 7.5
2D = 7.4
3D = 7.4
HDD = 5.9

[tyketime]

I just configured a gaming PC at CyberPower, and I had a simple question about the uninterruptible power supply. So I clicked on their feature. "Danny" was the lucky person I chatted with. He could not answer the question. He pointed me towards a link that didn't provide the answer. I asked again and he said he didn't know the answer. He told me to go to the manufacturer's website.

Doesn't make me feel comfortable about dropping $1100-$1200 on them. I was ready to order today, but I think I may want to check out a couple other vendors first.

[fantom1979]

I sold computers for 6 years (1996-2002) and I know next to nothing about UPS. Maybe its more common now, but I didn't have much customer interest in them then.

My knowledge of them is that I know how they basically work and how long the battery lasts.

[tyketime]

Originally Posted by fantom1979

I sold computers for 6 years (1996-2002) and I know next to nothing about UPS. Maybe its more common now, but I didn't have much customer interest in them then.

My knowledge of them is that I know how they basically work and how long the battery lasts.

I just wanted to know how many outlets in total there were, and how many of those were protected. I have one on my work computer, and it was 3x the price. So I wanted to make sure there were enough protected outlets to cover the CPU, Monitor, Speakers (just the basics). Unfortunately, that exact model number doesn't appear on the manufacturer's website. It seemed like a fairly simple question...

[fantom1979]

Originally Posted by tyketime

It seemed like a fairly simple question...

Yes, yes it does. I would have been able to answer that, but I also worked in a brick and mortar store, so I would have been able to look at the box/check the interwebs. The guy that you were talking to is probably not in the same building as the product. To me, it is totally inexcusable for any retailer not to have manufactures model numbers on their website. It drives me freaking crazy.

[Scoobz0202]

I'll just tag along to this instead of creating a new thread. Initially, I was going to get a laptop for gaming but the more I thought about I figured, fuck, how portable will it be and I hardly ever sit in the recliner anyways so what do I need that for. Add in the rig I can build for the same price as a laptop and there ya go..

Just want to get anybodies opinion. Think I will be set for awhile, anything I need to upgrade/should consider dropping because it's a waste of money. Any input appreciated. I'd like to use this for Skyrim, BF3, other new games. Will this be good for those to run on high? (Last pc I built was 5-6 years ago and since then I've kind of been out of the loop)


I will be getting a 24 in monitor to run 1920x1080. Going from 20 inch monitor so this will be a huge leap. Almost wondering if too big of a leap, but there she be.

Case - COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Motherboard - MSI P67A-G45 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Video Card - MSI R6950 Twin Frozr II Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Memory - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL
Hard Drive - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
SSD - Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
PSU - XFX P1-650X-CAH9 650W ATX12V v2.2 / ESP12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Burner - LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

[Buccaneer]

Scoobz, you have a lot of components I am not familiar with. I have found the user reviews at newegg and tom's hardware to be invaluable.

It has now been 6 months since I've put my new build into production and everything has been running perfectly. One of the concerns I had going in was keeping the rig cool while doing high CPU/GPU gaming and stuff. I got a dashboard that goes into the 5 1/4 slot that has a LED of the CPU temperature. Glancing at it while gaming shows that it had never gotten much above 46-49 C. Having 7 fans and a large case with great circulation have kept everything cool, much to my relief.

The only issue has to do with resolution. I am running native at 1920x1080 but having to set it at 125% display. Works great for most things except for some older software that spills out text. Also with older games and stuff, I'm having to change the resolution and/or display.

[cartman]

Scoobz, a couple of recommendations I have would be to look at the Z68 chipset motherboards that have recently been released, and also think about bumping up to an i7 CPU.

As for worrying about the size leap in monitors, it is bigger, but probably not as big a difference as you'd expect. You get used to the extra size pretty quickly.

[Scarecrow]

Scoobz (and anyone else):

NewEgg's Daily Deal: XFX HD-685X-ZNDC Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity for $139.99

[MizzouRah]

I would go SSD HD and an Intel processor, but that's me.

[Scoobz0202]

I ended up ordering as is.

1. I read over quite a bit about what Cartman recommended I consider, about the Z68 board and the i7 cpu. Budget wise, I was already starting to exceed what I wanted. The monitor and having to order Windows really kind of sucked. But the i7 I was understood was much better for things I wouldn't be using it much for. I am sure that it improves gaming, yes, but I felt value wise the Sandy Bridge 2500K i5 would suffice. I am still kind of unsure on the Z68 board. Even reading some things I am still a little unfamiliar with motherboards and what not. I went solely off another forum telling me that it wouldn't be necessary for my needs. Only thing I saw was maybe my SSD won't reach its full potential? Not sure.

2.) Motherboard. I didn't get a top of the line motherboard, kind of like mentioned in point one. Hope that works out alright.

3.) GPU. The 6950 should be nice, I'm sure. But I didn't realize until after the fact that the one I specifically ordered can not be flashed to the 6970 bios like I had planned on doing. That kind of sucks. I can overclock, still. I am even thinking about just returning it right away and ordering one that can. But at the same time, I think with OC'ing it that it should be fine.

@ MizzouRah. I did order a 64 GB SSD. It will be for the OS and some applications. I would have liked to have gone bigger for some games and what not but the budget was just not there.



Even with my reservations about certain areas, I hope and expect it to be a pretty nice machine for my usage (Gaming). I am not real sure about its upgrade capabilities, but we'll see.

EDIT: I did finally join the world of the prepared pc people and ordered a nice size external hard drive for backups. I've been a dumbass for too long.

[Buccaneer]

Congrats on your order. I never worry about upgrading, preferring to re-build instead. Years ago I ran into lots of problems trying to upgrade a CPU and RAM and ended up ordering a new MB/CPU/RAM combo just to have something I knew that would work.

[Scoobz0202]

Thanks, Bucc. Now that the order is placed I feel like a little kid again. Been a couple years since I've been into computer gaming due to my computer kind of taking a dump and then just stuck with a laptop for general purpose. But now that I decided kind of spur of the moment to build one I can't wait. I love my PS3, Xbox360, but I've always been a PC gamer at heart. I can't decide which game to jump into first ha.

I re-read your original post just now just to see what kind of system you built 8 months ago. Did you ever end up going with the Asus 23? I actually ordered their 24 inch, or one of them, last night. Already have the speakers spread a few more inches apart to make room

[Buccaneer]

No, I couldn't find one locally. Like HDD, I'm not wild about getting monitors via shipment. I ended up going cheaper on the monitor since I went high on the CPU and graphics and got an Acer 24. Been very happy with it, brilliant high-definition that was a dramatic upgrade from my old Sony 19.

Let us know if you have any questions or issues.

[Scoobz0202]

I just realized as I sit here tapping my fingers waiting for UPS. I've never used anything but a single hard drive. Is there probably some easy ass guide that I could follow for setting up the SSD as the boot drive for Windows and using the 1TB for the rest? Or is it going to be pretty self-explanatory once I get going? Does this have to do with RAID that I always read about that I have no idea about?

[dzilla77]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

I just realized as I sit here tapping my fingers waiting for UPS. I've never used anything but a single hard drive. Is there probably some easy ass guide that I could follow for setting up the SSD as the boot drive for Windows and using the 1TB for the rest? Or is it going to be pretty self-explanatory once I get going? Does this have to do with RAID that I always read about that I have no idea about?

No its easier than that - you go into your BIOS and set your drive boot order. Different BIOS have different methods for doing this but its usually pretty obvious when you get into your BIOS what menu selections to make.

[Scoobz0202]

Well, that was interesting.

Technology has come a long way in those five years I'll tell you that much. I went in confident as hell, but halfway into it I about gave up and was going to find somebody else. It started from the get go with the aftermarket cooler for the CPU being a pain in the ass.

Windows is being installed right now, then it's drivers. I'm still not completely confident I did everything right. Are there some programs I should install to test stuff? Like cpu temp and what not? Are there any things I can post on here results wise that you guys could look at and say, "Looks good from here!" Cause, GOD DAMN that was stressful. I was half expecting the damn thing to just blow up when I turned it on, or do nothing at all.

[Atocep]

Core Temp is a nice, lightweight program to check clock speeds on the CPU and temps. Other than that I'd just run DxDiag in windows to see if everything shows up then test a couple of games to see if they run ok.

If something isn't installed properly you'd know by then.

[Scoobz0202]

Yet to try a game yet. Copying Steam over to the new PC from the external. DxDiag looks good. Not sure how accurate it is but the Windows PC tester thing scores me at a 7.5 CPU, 7.6 RAM, 7.8 Graphics, 7.8 Gaming Graphics, and 7.8 HDD.


One major thing that I am seeing that I am hoping is me just missing something. When I go to Windows Explorer and then to Computer. It only shows my SDD. The 1TB drive is nowhere in sight.

[Scoobz0202]

dola -

Nm. Found it in disc management when at first I didn't see it. Now, I believe this system is complete. Now the fun begins.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

Yet to try a game yet. Copying Steam over to the new PC from the external. DxDiag looks good. Not sure how accurate it is but the Windows PC tester thing scores me at a 7.5 CPU, 7.6 RAM, 7.8 Graphics, 7.8 Gaming Graphics, and 7.8 HDD.


One major thing that I am seeing that I am hoping is me just missing something. When I go to Windows Explorer and then to Computer. It only shows my SDD. The 1TB drive is nowhere in sight.

Very nice scores!

[Arles]

Trying to build my own PC. Here are the components I've gotten fairly cheap:

power supply ($65):
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

8 GB RAM ($59):
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM
Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM

Motherboard ($159):
GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD4-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD4-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard


Here are the next components I'm considering and would like your guys' thoughts. It doesn't have to be the "best of the best" for gaming, but I'd like it to be pretty solid:

Processor:
(219.99) Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

Case:
(99.99) Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Hard Drive:
(149.98) 2 RAID 0 - Western Digital RE4 WD5003ABYX 500GB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Newegg.com - Western Digital RE4 WD5003ABYX 500GB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
(5.99) OKGEAR 18" Straight To Right Angle W/ Metal Latch SATA 3.0 Cable Model OK18A3RUB12
Newegg.com - OKGEAR 18" Straight To Right Angle W/ Metal Latch SATA 3.0 Cable Model OK18A3RUB12

DVD:
(109.99) Pioneer Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 8X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner BDR-206DBKS
Newegg.com - Pioneer Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 8X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner BDR-206DBKS

Video Card (not sure - prefer the first):
(299) EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1572-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Newegg.com - EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1572-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

(459.99) EVGA SuperClocked 015-P3-1582-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Newegg.com - EVGA SuperClocked 015-P3-1582-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

($234)EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

[FF]

whered you find such a deal on that psu? i shopped around for forever for my build and the best i did was $79 or something like that

[Buccaneer]

Sometimes it's just a matter of timing on specials, like when I got Windows 7 OEm from newegg.

Arles, here are is Gamer's Index performance chart with the 5XX:

Charts, benchmarks 2011 Gaming Graphics Charts, Gamer Index

[Arles]

Yeah, there was $20 off instant special and a mail in rebate for the power supply.

[Arles]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Sometimes it's just a matter of timing on specials, like when I got Windows 7 OEm from newegg.

Arles, here are is Gamer's Index performance chart with the 5XX:

Charts, benchmarks 2011 Gaming Graphics Charts, Gamer Index

Thanks, looks like the 570 is the best value.

[gstelmack]

The motherboard didn't come with SATA cables?

The Nine Hundred is a good case, I've got one at home, but I prefer the Nine Hundred Two that is used for my wife's machine. Just some minor improvements that make it easier to use these days.

[Arles]

Good question, I will check on it and see (motherboard should be here shortly). The 900 is on sale for $99, with the 902 at $119. Is there a big enough difference for the price?

Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Two V3 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Arles

Good question, I will check on it and see (motherboard should be here shortly). The 900 is on sale for $99, with the 902 at $119. Is there a big enough difference for the price?

Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Two V3 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case

I think so, just more convenience with cable routing and access. For example, the 900 does not have a cutout behind the CPU, so you have to remove the whole motherboard if you want to change heatsinks. Other little things like that. Depends on how important the $20 is to you.

[Arles]

I think you sold me on the upgrade

[Vince, Pt. II]

It's my turn to hop in and post the specs I'm looking at. My buddy and I have specced out this rig, and I'm looking for advice on places I can improve. Budget isn't a huge concern, but I'm not at all against saving a few bucks.

Processor: Intel i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4 GHz LGA 1155 Quad Core ($319.99)
Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 EVO (Rev 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6.0 Gb/Sec USB 3.0 ($194.99) - I've also been recommended EVGA instead of ASUS because of their warranty.
RAM: 8 Gb (2 x 4) DDR3 - not sure what brand to go with here, I just know this is what I want.
Video Card: EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1572-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280 Mb 320-bit GDDR5 ($359.99)
Power Supply: Corsair HX750 750W SLI ready ($158.00) - I know next to nothing about power supplies other than what Wattage I need.
SSD: OCZ 120 Gb SATA III SSD ($189.99)
HD: 1 TB Western Digital Caviar Black HD

I already have a case, monitor, hard drive, DVD and peripherals. I also haven't shopped for prices, those are all simply off NewEgg (though the SSD in particular looks like a pretty good deal).

Thoughts? Opinions? I think the rig looks good, but I'm not really sure what I should be looking for in a Motherboard or a Power Supply.

[bigdawg2003]

I'm also getting the itch to build a new system, but the crazy prices on HDs due to the supply chain issues in Asia have convinced me to sit on the sidelines. Can't justify paying ~$250 for a HD that would normally cost ~$100 tops. Don't really play a ton of graphic-intensive PC games anymore, so the main thing I'm looking for is raw speed.

[Buccaneer]

Vince, those are great specs. Nice work. One of my best friends just upgraded to a GTX 570 (from a 260) over the weekend and it clearly made a difference for him playing Old Republic. Also the RAM, shop around. I've some brands twice as much as others. Too bad about the HDD; that's usually one of the cheapest components.

[Atocep]

For strictly gaming I'd recommend the 2500 over the 2600. For gaming performance you're paying $110 for maybe 3% performance. The main difference between the 2 is hyperthreading and games don't really take advantage of it.

For motherboards I prefer MSI and ASUS. I've never really dealt with a EVGA motherboard, but I can tell you that their customer service is pretty solid.

[Buccaneer]

ASUS, which I have always bought, and eVGA motherboards would be my only two choices.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Yeah. My laptop just isn't cutting it anymore, and I'd like to convert it to a workstation as opposed to the primary rig it is for me right now.

So it seems that Atocep gives good advice (not that I doubted you ) - Tom's Hardware has a ton of threads discussing why the i7 isn't really worth the price increase over the i5 unless you're doing heavy video editing. I'm going to do a little more research before pulling the trigger, but it looks like that's where I'm going to end up.

Thinking about it though, my hard drive is a Western Digital 1 TB Caviar Black, but it's also like three years old. Should I replace that as well, or will it matter?

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Yeah. My laptop just isn't cutting it anymore, and I'd like to convert it to a workstation as opposed to the primary rig it is for me right now.

So it seems that Atocep gives good advice (not that I doubted you ) - Tom's Hardware has a ton of threads discussing why the i7 isn't really worth the price increase over the i5 unless you're doing heavy video editing. I'm going to do a little more research before pulling the trigger, but it looks like that's where I'm going to end up.

Thinking about it though, my hard drive is a Western Digital 1 TB Caviar Black, but it's also like three years old. Should I replace that as well, or will it matter?

I don't know how much of a hurry you're in to build, but Intel's next line of processors are due out in March. You'll see price cuts on the current i5 and i7 line along with what is being reported as up 30% performance increases from the new i5 and i7 line.

The processors were due out in Nov/Dec, but intel pushed them back to allow retailers to clear their current stock.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by Atocep

I don't know how much of a hurry you're in to build, but Intel's next line of processors are due out in March. You'll see price cuts on the current i5 and i7 line along with what is being reported as up 30% performance increases from the new i5 and i7 line.

The processors were due out in Nov/Dec, but intel pushed them back to allow retailers to clear their current stock.

Damn. I was going to order everything tonight, but that's kind of a big deal. Hrm...

[dacman]

Vince --

CPU -- I'll echo the drop to the 2500K and save $100

Memory -- The really expense memory is really geared for overclockers (higher bus speed ratings, and lower CAS latency) -- if none of that matters to you, just get the base speed you motherboard supports in the size you want. Keep in mind you need a 64-bit OS to take advantage of more than 4 GB.

Motherboard -- does the EVO board have any specific features you really wanted? The base ASUS P67 board is $40-50 cheaper and should work just as well. As an overclocker, I can only recommend ASUS and Gigabyte.

Video card -- personally not a fan of the overclock, superclock, etc. boards from EVGA, too many RMAs in the past. Maybe (hopefully?) that's changed lately. If you feel like you can spend a bit more on your setup, step up to the GTX 580.

Power supply -- wattage is deceptive these days (kind of like GHz CPU rating) as it only tells a part of the story. For modern video cards, you need to make sure the PS can support the voltage required by your video card on the +12V rail. I do know that particular PS is more than enough.

Harddrive --- just reuse the old one if you can. Won't matter at all (unless you run out of space). HDDs are silly overpriced right now, mostly out of market fear.

[dacman]

Ehh, it'll be mid-to-late April before Ivy Bridge is readily available retail. The cheapest desktop (locked) Ivy Bridge will be in the $300 ball park, so you're not likely to save money by waiting. It is a fairly serious performance boost, though. I'd expect the current LGA1155 motherboards will need a BIOS update to boot (and the MB makers will be sure to market new MBs that "support" Ivy Bridge and charge more for them).

Don't expect the older chips to drop in price much given Intel's recent track record on prices. One anecdote : the core i7-920 (Bloomfield) I bought in April 2009 cost me $289 -- they're still priced $249 retail today.