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Planning a Gaming Rig; Part List Incomplete, need help suggestions app


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#46
Roentijen

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Hi.
Before addressing the wireless question.

It's a long way back to your original parts list and there has been some alterations. So we know were we are with parts and cost, please post the link to your updated list.


Hello again everybody! It's time for another update.

I apologize for re-quoting, but I thought it necessary given iammykyl's message fits in with this new update quite well.

To make things a bit easier for us all and less cluttered on this topic's page, I'll simply be posting links to either PC Part Picker or an X Marks shared folder when I reference my parts list. Secondly since you all have been so helpful and nice I thought I'd return the favor and ask if it would be helpful for me to do an assembly topic when I finally get the parts. If so I'd be more than happy to take pictures and discuss my thoughts and experiences as a first-time PC builder in the hopes that it will help those who are like me and building their PC for the first time.

Without further ado THE LIST! O_O

Some notes about this most recent parts list:

*While there are many niceties of the new Ivy Bridge i5-3570K (PCIe 3.0 :D) it would appear that it doesn't accept 1866 clocked RAM. If I am wrong in this assumption please correct me; if not then I will most likely revise the list to include the Sandy Bridge cousin to the 3570, the i5-2500K.

*The current motherboard on the list would necessitate purchasing a wireless network adapter (most likely of the USB variety) for wireless internet capabilities. Otherwise there is a slightly more expensive version of the same mobo that has built-in wireless functionality and at this point I am wondering whether or not it would be more fiscally wise to get that instead of purchasing a separate product to gain wireless internet connectivity.

*The case present in this list is the "windowed" version of the case I intend to purchase. The windowless version is slightly cheaper, but in either case case (pun intended) I will need to purchase after-market fans/filters which are not included in the list here as PCPP has no option to do so. I would imagine another $30 or so for the additional fans and filters. Again, if I'm wrong in that assumption don't hesitate to call me stupid and correct me. :P

*I am uncertain as to whether the wattage on the PSU I selected is sufficient to power this build or not. After reviewing the links provided I looked for PSUs by Corsair, Antec, and Sea Sonic and finally settled on the one in the list above. It is certainly subject to change if a better option is suggested and any and all advice in that regard is greatly appreciated.

*I've said before that I intend to get a Mionix NAOS 3200 for my mouse and as such the above listed G500 is simply a placeholder based on the fact that it shares a similar price tag to the Mionix unit.

I'm fairly certain everything else is in order and I'm trying to keep my posts from turning into novel-length ramblings so to that end I'll leave it here and look forward to what you have to say about this most recent revision.

Thanks again and I look forward to continuing this most enlightening discussion.

Edited by Roentijen, 29 April 2012 - 10:53 PM.

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#47
iammykyl

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http://www.gamersnex...-specs-compared
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#48
iammykyl

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it would appear that it doesn't accept 1866 clocked RAM.

The supported RAM speed on Sandy bridge was up to DDR3- 1333. The supported speed on Ivy Bridge is up to DDR3-1600. Which means that the specified RAM when installed will automatic run at that speed. You can install higher speed memory but then you have to tweak it, altering voltage timing etc. For what you gain and the trouble involved getting a stable system, in my opinion, just not worth it. Putting the money, for gaming, into the GPU, or for a workstion, more RAM, gets you heaps more performance for the $. http://en.wikipedia....el_architecture

Providing you have not set your heart on the selected case? and rather than spending extra, ($30, about right but may have trouble locating a suitable filter) consider one from this page. http://www.newegg.co...^11-147-107-34#

PSU, the selected is very good, gets good professorial reviews, leaves you some wiggle room should you decide later to add more hardware.

Your build is looking great. When do you think you will be purchasing?
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#49
iammykyl

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Forgot the wireless card. I would go for the add on, gives you the option to use it elsewhere in the future.
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#50
Roentijen

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Your build is looking great. When do you think you will be purchasing?

Forgot the wireless card. I would go for the add on, gives you the option to use it elsewhere in the future.


I was hoping to purchase the parts and have the unit up and running sometime this summer, but realistically I may not be able to procure the funds necessary until the fall.

I'm sorry I just want to make sure I'm understanding correctly. You mean that I should go with the mobo that doesn't have built in wireless capabilities and get a USB wireless adapter right?

I'll also take a look at those links, I really like the BitFenix cases, but I'd be willing to switch if there's a more functional case that looks as good as they do; and most of all thank you for clarifying about the CPU vs. RAM inquiry, that makes sense and is a bit of a relief as I was looking forward to going Ivy Bridge.
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#51
iammykyl

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You mean that I should go with the mobo that doesn't have built in wireless capabilities and get a USB wireless adapter right?

Yes.

Your topic will not be closed, so when you are ready to start your chasing, post or give me a heads up with a PM.

Best of luck.
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#52
Roentijen

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You mean that I should go with the mobo that doesn't have built in wireless capabilities and get a USB wireless adapter right?

Yes.

Your topic will not be closed, so when you are ready to start your chasing, post or give me a heads up with a PM.

Best of luck.


Thank you for clarifying.

I'm glad to hear that the topic will not be closed as I'm sure there are still a few questions floating around in my head that will come to me before I finally get around to hunting for parts.

Speaking of which I was having some second thoughts about the specific GTX 680 to go with (I was tempted to go with the 690 but just could not justify the pricetag). So I used the convenience of Newegg's comparison system to drum up a handy list of my favorites here.

Do any of those immediately jump out as a step or two ahead of the other models? I rather like the tri-fan system on the Gigabyte, and I've heard good things about the Twin Frozor systems from MSI. However the EVGA has the most reviews (the majority of which are positive) and it's also one of the cheapest. I'm not sure which one to go with at this point so I thought I'd put the topic up for discussion.
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#53
iammykyl

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Will get back to you on the Video cards.
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#54
iammykyl

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Had a quick look, can't really recommend one over the other, would need to do a lot more investigation but sorry I do not have the time at the moment. This is a good site for reviews. Look also at the bottom of a page for related articles. > http://www.guru3d.co...stream-review/1
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#55
Roentijen

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Had a quick look, can't really recommend one over the other, would need to do a lot more investigation but sorry I do not have the time at the moment. This is a good site for reviews. Look also at the bottom of a page for related articles. > http://www.guru3d.co...stream-review/1


I had a look at that and I have to say the Palit 680 looks very nice and I like the prospect of 4GB of dedicated ram. That would mean there's a total of 12GB at the GPU's disposal.

Though I'm still not sure which card to go with yet, which is fine because I'm still a while from being able to purchase anything. But at this point I'm not sure if I should even go with a 680. Now that the 670 is out and people are saying that it's only very slightly less powerful than the 680 at a fraction of the cost, I'm thinking that the 670 might be a better choice. Especially when people have been saying that they managed BF3 with ultra and 2xAA with an average 74fps. That's nothing to scoff at.

If I could find a 670 with 4GB of ram on board I'd probably shoot for that instead. Still, I'm going forward (at least for now) with the idea of using a 680.

EDIT: Scratch that, the 4GB 680 is looking really REALLY good. That's probably what I'm going to shoot for.

EDIT...AGAIN: Or perhaps not...it looks like the Palit GeForce GTX 680 (with 4GB RAM) is going to be ridiculously expensive compared to the reference models. :(

Edited by Roentijen, 11 May 2012 - 04:51 PM.

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#56
Roentijen

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Hello again!

Just a quick update on the parts list. I also wanted to try the "BBCode Markup" feature on PCPartPicker. I wanted to cover a few points though:

  • I found an Antec PSU that was cheaper than the Corsair 800W PSU that I selected before. The Antec PSU is 1000W which gives me even more leg room for upgrades etc.
  • I decided that the BitFenix Shinobi case was too risky airflow wise so I switched to the Antec 300 II. I'm not sure whether or not it will require additional fans, but it looks nice enough and has much MUCH better airflow than the Shinobi could ever hope to have.
  • I still have not decided whether to go with the GTX 680 or 670 so for now I'll just stick with the more expensive model.
  • Lastly the Logitech G500 is just a placeholder (albeit a nice one), as I intend to get a Mionix NAOS 3200 instead. They cost about the same and PCPP doesn't have a listing for the aforementioned peripheral. C'est la vie.

So questions I have would be thus:

Does Antec make good PSUs?

Will I need to get more fans for the Antec 300 II case, or just leave it as is?

Should I go with the GTX 670 to save $100 or should I stick with the GTX 680 to be sure that I can achieve my goal of graphics excellence?


Those are the only questions that are coming to mind at the moment so now I'll leave you with the parts list:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($128.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card ($507.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec 1000W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($122.36 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor ($186.13 @ B&H)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($44.28 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G500 Wired Laser Mouse ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1644.24
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-13 23:33 EDT-0400)


PS: If I'm updating or "bumping" this thread too much, I sincerely apologize and won't do it again until a major update occurs (such as starting the hunt for the parts). I just do these updates to make sure I'm making the right planning decisions.
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#57
phillpower2

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Antec make very good PSUs http://www.10stripe....d/psu/brand.php

The Antec 300 has very good cooling fans + room for more further down the line.

The video card choice is inevitably yours to make but use a benchmark to help you decide http://www.videocard...h_end_gpus.html
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#58
Roentijen

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Antec make very good PSUs http://www.10stripe....d/psu/brand.php

The Antec 300 has very good cooling fans + room for more further down the line.

The video card choice is inevitably yours to make but use a benchmark to help you decide http://www.videocard...h_end_gpus.html


Upon review of that PSU I selected vs. the Corsair model I had before, the corsair is cheaper, and a lot of people were saying to be cautious of the Antec because it doesn't fit in certain cases. However, the Antec 300 II case is a bit wider than most so that wouldn't be an issue and as such I'm still considering the 1000W Antec PSU simply because it has a higher power ceiling.

Since the 300 has good cooling, would it be necessary to purchase additional fans initially? The Antec 300 II featured above comes with one rear 120mm fan and one 140mm top fan, but it has room for two side fans, two front fans, and I think one can even be added to the bottom as well. Would it be worth while to purchase say, a couple fans for the front? Or will the stock system be good enough?

The benchmarks show that the 670 is a better deal, which makes sense to me. According to reviews, feedback, etc. there appears to only be an 8% performance difference between the 670 and the 680 while the 70 is significantly cheaper. If I can be sure that it will be able to do what I need/want it to, I'll be going with the 670...especially if they release a 4GB ram model before I purchase the parts for this build.
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#59
phillpower2

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The Antec PSU is a good price at the moment.
Personally I would add at least one front fan from the start.
I agree with your thoughts on the video card.
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#60
iammykyl

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2 cards on this site with 4GB of memory. > http://www.gpureview...0-card-669.html

I think more consideration should be given to the monitor,

> Vsync http://hardforum.com...ad.php?t=928593

> Adaptive Vsync http://www.hardocp.c...nology_review/3

I have found that side fans often disrupt the airflow in a case so prefere not to use them, this case, the Illusion, runs perfectly, as is. > http://www.newegg.co...5E11-129-066-TS


The Antec (CP) PSUs are a special design and do only fit in 4 Antec cases. ie,
> http://www.newegg.co...5E11-129-100-TS

Edited by iammykyl, 15 May 2012 - 03:38 PM.

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