Some questions [First computer build]

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Rinale

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Resiting going "Oh my god, I want it all!!shift+1 *grabby hands*." while searching for parts for my first computer build has been difficult, to say the least. My HP Pavilion laptop has been good for me for the past few years, but with gaming becoming a much larger portion of my life than it was 2 years ago, I figured it is time to move out of the laptop business if I actually want any decent performance, and building my own rig has always been appealing to me.

Using the computer building guide, I somewhat guessed that the build would be more in the regular gaming category. I probably won't overclock my new system often, if but once just for the sake of having the experience. Ideally I would like to have the luxury of playing a somewhat graphics intensive game like Crysis (just throwing out an example) on high setting.

As for budget, I'm honestly somewhat open. Ultimately though, the $500-$900 range is optimal for me. I have not purchased anything yet (with the exception of what I've marked as already purchased) to save myself and everyone involved the frustration of mismatched parts that do not perform well together.

CPU Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz
Motherboard ASUS P8P67 (REV 3.0)
RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB
Video Card PNY GTX 460 1gb
Hard Drive Western Digital Caviar Black 1 tb
Optical DriveASUS 24X DVD Burner
Power Supply XFX Core Edition PRO650W
Case ZALMAN Z9 Plus
SpeakersAltec Lansing BXR1221
Monitor Unknown/undecided right now. I have a 17" LCD donated to me by a friend and may use that until I make a decision.
Mouse
Microsoft wireless mobile mouse 4000 (already purchased).
Keyboard
I have a keyboard already that I can use. Not necessarily a gaming-level brand, but that would most likely be a future upgrade down the road.
Operating System
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit(already purchased).
Heatsink COOLER MASTER Hyper 212
Wifi cardUnknown yet.

I will probably be doing the majority of my shopping through Fry's, but thankfully Dallas is anywhere but short on electronics stores.

Thanks in advance for putting up with me.
 
RX-850AE - over priced. not worth th money.

The facts.
Raidmax took an Andyson K series unit, a high-end 80PLUS Gold design, called it the RX-850AE, and sent it to Ecos Consulting for the 80PLUS certification. Ecos tested it, and gave the RX-850AE the 80PLUS Gold certification. Raidmax said, "Thanks!", then took 10,000 Andyson E series units (mid-range 80PLUS standard design) and slapped RX-850AE stickers on it, claiming that their product was an 80PLUS Gold certified PSU. When in fact the design is physically incapable of achieving more than 80PLUS Bronze, and they didn't even spring the extra cash for the Bronze version.

In short, they've committed fraud.


Is it a bad power supply? No. Electrical performance is about on par with the TX750, or slightly worse. It won't blow up, and it will do its rated wattage. But if it's an 80PLUS Gold power supply, I'm a ten foot talking penis. And that's only partly true.
-Phaedrus2129
RAIDMAX RX-850AE vs CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750


Ok... Just found out it's not a K-Series based unit. It's E-Series. That means the production unit isn't really 80 Plus Gold. Looks like someone needs to pick one of these up and expose the truth.
-confirmed by the guru himself.
jonnyGURU Forums - View Single Post

same unit, different wrapper.
Ultra X4 850 W Power Supply Review \


what does all that mean in non-tech talk?
guy takes a top quality diamond ring to get it certified, and appraised. get that piece of paper, swap out the diamond with lesser quality diamond. still touting top quality diamond with the certification. cool story huh?


dvd burner/reader has come a long long way, and have matured for a while now, any dvd burner is just as good as another.
 
CPU - For gaming the i5 2500k will give you better performance, go-go gadget grabby hands.
MB - Check out the Asus P8P67 line, the standard one should suit your needs, I'd avoid the LE version.
RAM - What you've picked will work with the above suggestions. Also, check out this g.skill kit, same speed/voltage just cheaper (possibly better heat spreaders?).
GPU - Under stress every video card is going to get a little toasty, not much you can do other than to make sure it has a good cooler on it and good air flow in your case. While the GTX460 is still a beast of a card (in rec specs for BF3), nothing wrong with going bigger if you can afford it.
HD - Good choice.
Optical - Might want to snag a 24x, not a huge difference but why not have a little more speed. Also you should be fine grabbing an OEM drive, they don't come with cables but motherboards usually come with a few sata cables.
PSU -
Is it a bad power supply? No. Electrical performance is about on par with the TX750, or slightly worse. It won't blow up, and it will do its rated wattage. But if it's an 80PLUS Gold power supply, I'm a ten foot talking penis. And that's only partly true.
If you're looking for a legit 80+ Gold PSU I'd get the SeaSonic X 650w (139.99), 850 is overkill for these specs, so is 650 but reasonable headroom for upgrades.
Case - All personal preference. Personally would rather have cable routing behind the MB tray than a removable motherboard tray since cables will always be in the case, but the motherboard only has to be removed occasionally (if ever after install).

*Edit - F.C I love that we found the same quote
 
Thanks for the helpful replies!

CPU - Will definitely be going for the i5 2500k then. If the (somewhat) minor difference in price results in better performance, then it looks like the best path. Go go grabby hands.

MB - Decided for the Asus P8P67 standard model, thanks for pointing me to that one Roark.

PSU - I'm a bit disappointed in what is basically an elaborate money trap when it comes to Raidmax's PSU. I'm most likely going for the SeaSonic X 650w at this point. More than I need for what I have, but it is nice to have the ability to upgrade more in the future. Depends on what I find when I do the actual parts shopping.
e: Would the SeaSonic S12II 620w be a wise choice at all for my build? I'm not particularly too picky about having that shiny 80 Plus Gold standard and the 620 watts the S12II provides is fairly close to the other PSU I'm looking at.

GPU - I certainly could afford bigger, but with the ever expanding price tag of the rig, I'll probably stay with the GTX 460 until some form of upgrade down the road. It provides what I basically want right now in performance terms.


Case - Looking at what you said, you're most likely going to be right with my situation. The MB might be removed once or twice over a long period of time, if that. The current case I chose provides convenience in the short run, while I'm looking for convenience in the long run of things. Any particular cases you'd recommend? Ultimately it is personal preference, but it is helpful to see what other (and certainly more experienced) people recommend.
 
That SeaSonic 620w will work fine for this build, may I make another PSU suggestion though.
Corsair HX650, its modular (removable cables) and it has 4x PCIe connectors (if you want to double up on GTX460s in the future).

Cases are so complicated since I don't know what you're going to want to look at perched on your desk, but my personal favorites:
Lian Li Lancool PC-K56W.
Zalman Z9 Plus.
Azza Helios 910.
Cooler Master HAF 912.
Cooler Master Elite 430.
Sentey Optimus Extreme.
Sentey Black Box Series, its a standard base case but you get to mix/match what side panel and front bezel you want, they run about 50-60$.
 
Random speaker suggestion. I use a really cheap setup, Altec Lansing BX1221. Just 2.1 they're nothing fancy, 2 desk speakers and a small subwoofer under the desk, but they're inexpensive and give me plenty of bass on dubstep tracks.
 
I'm not sure, but this looks like a good PSU, and it's $65 right now. Any second opinions on it? It's 750W and 80+ Bronze Certified. (Antec)
 
Thanks for that speaker suggestion, Roark. Might buy that set just for something cheap that has quality in it.

I have a quick question. With the Cooler Master Hyper 212, should it fit fine in my Z9 Plus case without touching the side panel? I've read a review on Newegg about the heatsink almost touching the side panel of his mid-tower case (he did not specify). If it wouldn't, I'd probably change to a bigger case since I have my heart set on that CM Hyper 212.
 
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