First gaming/programming computer - $800 - 1100

[Alkajak]

Case

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

CPU

Newegg.ca - 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

Motherboard

Newegg.ca - GIGABYTE GA-H67M-D2-B3 LGA 1155 Intel H67 SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.ca - ASUS P8P67 (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Hard Drive

Newegg.ca - OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 2.5" 60GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
SSD
Newegg.ca - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
SATA

Optical Drive

Newegg.ca - ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

Video Card

Newegg.ca - EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1563-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Newegg.ca - EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Operating System

Newegg.ca - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - Operating Systems

Power Supply

Newegg.ca - SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Memory

Newegg.ca - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL11D-8GBXL


Any suggestions/substitutions/deductions/additions, please help me out.

If anything is not worth the cost, or if something better (and cheaper) is replaceable, please let me know.

I was told that programs and games on a SSD drive would run much faster (and more smoothly, I suppose), so a friend of mine suggested a 60GB SSD and a SATA HD on the side.

As for the power supply, i was told that modular would be better for an antec case, as the cases are normally huge and require longer wires. I do not know the recommended wattage for this build.

As for video card, if I can cut back on enough things, I may be able to upgrade to a 560 instead of a 550, if it's worth it.

I was told that the case has 4 fans already and I would not need to buy any extra fans for the components.

As you can tell, I'm a bit overwhelmed and I'm not too experienced. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Ric0h]

That is a nice build!
How much is the cost of it?
You are missing a cpu cooler

 

[flipp1234567]

you don't really need to buy a cpu cooler since the procesor comes with its own heatsink, unless you're going to overclock it to improve performance, i would advise against a cpu cooler to save some money.
The cpu won't actually melt down until about 100degrees Centigrade but the higher the temp the lesser its lifespan will be. unless you're overclocking you wont be needing a cpu cooler.

 

[flipp1234567]

and another thing, i'm thinking a 500W power supply is insufficient if you're going to Sli the 550 and 560. there may be a lack in overal power. can't risk your computer shutting down in the middle of a game or while programming. i would suggest a 650W or a 750W (may be excessive)

 

[Alkajak]

I don't think I will ever SLi for this build.

Any suggestions between the two motherboards, and anyone care to advise me towards or away from the SSD idea?

 

[Yerfdog]

I'd probably go with the micro ATX. (Though I'd wait for someone else to say something about it)

If you're not going to be doing a lot of multitasking, then I think 4GB of RAM should be enough.

Newegg.ca - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL9D-4GBXL

 

[Alkajak]

There will be a fair amount of multitasking. I need a minimum of 8GB.


Case

Buy the Cooler Master HAF 922M ATX Black Mid-Tower Case at TigerDirect.ca

CPU

Buy the Intel Core i5-2500 3.30 GHz Quad-Core Processor at TigerDirect.ca

Motherboard

Buy the ASUS P8P67 LE B3 Intel P67 Motherboard at TigerDirect.ca

Hard Drive

Buy the OCZ OCZSSD2-2VTXE60G Vertex 2 Solid State Drive at TigerDirect.ca
SSD
Buy the Seagate 1TB Barracuda SATA-6G Hard Drive at TigerDirect.ca
SATA

Optical Drive

Buy the Asus DRW-24B1ST 24X Internal DVD Burner at TigerDirect.ca

Video Card

Buy the EVGA GeForce GTX 460 Super SuperClocked+ 1GB GDDR5 at TigerDirect.ca

Operating System

Buy the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64BIT - OEM DVD at TigerDirect.ca

Power Supply

Buy the Corsair TX650W 650-Watt Power Supply at TigerDirect.ca

Memory

Newegg.ca - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL11D-8GBXL


Final draft. Possibly my last. Any comments/concerns?

 

[Alkajak]

Bump.

 

[Night Fox]

From experience, I would recommend getting at least a 90gb SSD...you will find it very frustrating trying to fit the OS and all your main programs on 60gb drive; windows takes up about 20gb and games + other programs take up quite a bit as well. 60gb will work, but, as in my case, I've had to sacrifice and make decisions about which games to put on there and which to put on my other drive. That also goes for programs that can only be installed on the C:, which can cause problems.

As for the gpu, I recommend you don't go to older technology (GTX the 4xx series), I'd get something in the GTX 5xx series, either the 550ti, 560, or 560ti. Much better power usage, graphics, and heat ratio.