I'm thinking of starting my first build and this is the current spec sheet so far. Any ideas where I can cut some cost or upgrades/downgrades and general advice is greatly appreciated.

LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM$20.99

COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case$59.99

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive$59.99

EVGA SuperClocked+ 015-P3-1485-RX GeForce GTX 480 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ...$224.99

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power ...$109.99

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B$89.99

GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard$129.99

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K$224.99

total; $920.92

$10 cheaper and basically a GTX570 with its huge OC.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121445

Look at the Samsung spinpoint F3, may be a better performing HDD than the Barracuda... and also I dont think 8Gb of RAM is necessary, but the heatsinks on that RAM look AWESOME :) I'm doing an AMD build atm and it's hard not to include them for the aesthetics they offer, but you could save half the money youre spending on ram and maybe kick your GPU up a notch

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233173you can get this 4gb set of $42 less so then you can get this.....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125369:D

Thanks guys, is there any way to bring down the price to around the $750 price point while maintaining decent performance. I'm looking to running Skyrim as my main game for this build, but I'm mainly going to be using it for photo editing (Photoshop) while potentially running a dual monitor set up when not playing a game. I can probably scrape away with 4gb of ram and upgrade that later when I need more and when the price of the ram goes down a tad. Is there anywhere else I can cut the cost of the rig? I have an old keyboard and a wireless mouse lying around as well as old speakers from our old desktop. Would those be sufficient? I'll have to buy a new monitor, but I'm keeping the price of the monitor separate from the twoer budget.

Cheaper Case maybe?

The PSU is probably a bit overpriced, anything with "enthusiast" on it is overpriced...

Yeah go for the non OC 15 which is is a bit cheaper like $15... and the mobo you have chosen has onboard graphic support so you can change that too to something a little cheaper aim for about $90...

The PSU is probably a bit overpriced, anything with "enthusiast" on it is overpriced...

Richard_The_Gr8

that baby will chew up anythign you throw at it and ask for more :D

750W for a GTX 570? That rig will use 600W max so yes you can cut the PSU down a little just get a decent 650W and that will give you tonnes of headroom for capacitor degradation and possibly future upgrades(not SLI). Or you could keep it and you would be able to SLI with it fairly easily.

Just did a Power Calc and came up with your rig using 555W that includes 3x 120mm fans and 3x USB devices with a PCI soundcard and 20% Capacitor aging... So there you go 750W will probably handle SLI easily or a 650W will be plenty enough power for a long time.

750W for a GTX 570? That rig will use 600W max so yes you can cut the PSU down a little just get a decent 650W and that will give you tonnes of headroom for capacitor degradation and possibly future upgrades(not SLI). Or you could keep it and you would be able to SLI with it fairly easily.JohnF111

[QUOTE="JohnF111"]750W for a GTX 570? That rig will use 600W max so yes you can cut the PSU down a little just get a decent 650W and that will give you tonnes of headroom for capacitor degradation and possibly future upgrades(not SLI). Or you could keep it and you would be able to SLI with it fairly easily.FreakyDeacky2

[QUOTE="FreakyDeacky2"]

[QUOTE="JohnF111"]750W for a GTX 570? That rig will use 600W max so yes you can cut the PSU down a little just get a decent 650W and that will give you tonnes of headroom for capacitor degradation and possibly future upgrades(not SLI). Or you could keep it and you would be able to SLI with it fairly easily.JohnF111

750 watt modular http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CMPSU-750HX-Professional-Certified-compatible/dp/B0029F21LK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1307547911&sr=1-1


650 http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CMPSU-650HX-Bronze-Certified-Supply/dp/B002LVUPZQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1307548183&sr=1-1

After looking around and after the current feedback here's my updated spec sheet

LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM$20.99

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case$99.99

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive$59.99

GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GV-N560SO-1GI-950 GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready ...$259.99

COOLMAX CUL-750B 750W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI/Crossfire ready Modular and Compatible with Core i3/i5/i7 Power Supply$71.99

CORSAIR Vengeance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ4GX3M2A1600C9B$47.99

GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard$129.99

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K$224.99

total; $915.91

Dropping the ram to 4Gb was a tough change for me but my rationale is its easier to go from 2x2GB to 4x2GB with a gtx 560 than it is to go from 2x4GB and go from a gtx 480 to a gtx 560. Found a decent psu at a decent price (with good reviews I believe). I'm going to get the HAF 922 for size and the fans. I'm considering getting the Rosewill Destroyer casefor a cheaper option. Does anybody have any further advice on ways to bump down the prices or potentially better parts?

Change the PSU to a better brand, Corsair, Antec, Thermaltech

I'm thinking of starting my first build and this is the current spec sheet so far. Any ideas where I can cut some cost or upgrades/downgrades and general advice is greatly appreciated.

LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM$20.99

COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case$59.99

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive$59.99

EVGA SuperClocked+ 015-P3-1485-RX GeForce GTX 480 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ...$224.99

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power ...$109.99

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B$89.99

GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard$129.99

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K$224.99

total; $920.92

Serial-No_3404

Change the PSU to a better brand, Corsair, Antec, Thermaltech

GTR12

[QUOTE="GTR12"]

Change the PSU to a better brand, Corsair, Antec, Thermaltech

dhruv990

No its not, read the whole thread.

COOLMAX CUL-750B 750W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI/Crossfire ready Modular and Compatible with Core i3/i5/i7 Power Supply$71.99

After looking around and after the current feedback here's my updated spec sheet

LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM$20.99

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case$99.99

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive$59.99

GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GV-N560SO-1GI-950 GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready ...$259.99

COOLMAX CUL-750B 750W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI/Crossfire ready Modular and Compatible with Core i3/i5/i7 Power Supply$71.99

CORSAIR Vengeance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ4GX3M2A1600C9B$47.99

GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard$129.99

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K$224.99

total; $915.91

Dropping the ram to 4Gb was a tough change for me but my rationale is its easier to go from 2x2GB to 4x2GB with a gtx 560 than it is to go from 2x4GB and go from a gtx 480 to a gtx 560. Found a decent psu at a decent price (with good reviews I believe). I'm going to get the HAF 922 for size and the fans. I'm considering getting the Rosewill Destroyer casefor a cheaper option. Does anybody have any further advice on ways to bump down the prices or potentially better parts?

Serial-No_3404

[QUOTE="dhruv990"][QUOTE="GTR12"]

Change the PSU to a better brand, Corsair, Antec, Thermaltech

GTR12

No its not, read the whole thread.

COOLMAX CUL-750B 750W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI/Crossfire ready Modular and Compatible with Core i3/i5/i7 Power Supply$71.99

Change the PSU to a better brand, Corsair, Antec, Thermaltech

GTR12

you skimped majorly on the PSU pick the one i linked you that one you have is not gonna handle your rig its rebadged 450 PSU, you will have random power offs possible graphical glitches and jsut plain instability heres a review on it http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Coolmax-CUL-750B-750-W-Power-Supply-Review/977/1they had 2 units burn out at 500 watts and never got to its rated power of 750 watts they couldnt get them to turn back on after they powered down either

FreakyDeacky2

Would this be appropriate?

Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V version 2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

I'm trying to cut costs where I can, so I already brought the ram down to 4gb and I'm hoping to keep the psu sub 100. Please bear with me; I know basically nothing about PSU related things so this is where I'm weakest in regards to this (my first) build. I don't plan on OCing anytime soon so I think I can get away with 650 watts but I would like the overhead of a 750 :P

Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate the time :)

[QUOTE="GTR12"]

Change the PSU to a better brand, Corsair, Antec, Thermaltech

Serial-No_3404

you skimped majorly on the PSU pick the one i linked you that one you have is not gonna handle your rig its rebadged 450 PSU, you will have random power offs possible graphical glitches and jsut plain instability heres a review on it http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Coolmax-CUL-750B-750-W-Power-Supply-Review/977/1they had 2 units burn out at 500 watts and never got to its rated power of 750 watts they couldnt get them to turn back on after they powered down either

FreakyDeacky2

Would this be appropriate?

Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V version 2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

I'm trying to cut costs where I can, so I already brought the ram down to 4gb and I'm hoping to keep the psu sub 100. Please bear with me; I know basically nothing about PSU related things so this is where I'm weakest in regards to this (my first) build. I don't plan on OCing anytime soon so I think I can get away with 650 watts but I would like the overhead of a 750 :P

Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate the time :)

Would this be appropriate?

Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V version 2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

I'm trying to cut costs where I can, so I already brought the ram down to 4gb and I'm hoping to keep the psu sub 100. Please bear with me; I know basically nothing about PSU related things so this is where I'm weakest in regards to this (my first) build. I don't plan on OCing anytime soon so I think I can get away with 650 watts but I would like the overhead of a 750 :P

Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate the time :)

Serial-No_3404

Thats awesome, even though a bit overkill.

Another question about upgrading. In the future when I want to upgrade, would I be able to sli with any 560 or would it have to be the exact same one that I would currently have and would my build (cpu and mobo) be good with that set up? Serial-No_3404

you're saying you're not a gamer but you're talking about skyrim, you do photo editing and stuff like that , you will benefit a lot more with a stronger graphics card and the phenom II x4 955 is already a beast of a cpuevildead6789

For RAM, you should get this instead. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233147

It is the same price and type you have, but with a lower latency.

For RAM, you should get this instead. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233147

It is the same price and type you have, but with a lower latency.

lettuceman44

[QUOTE="Serial-No_3404"]Another question about upgrading. In the future when I want to upgrade, would I be able to sli with any 560 or would it have to be the exact same one that I would currently have and would my build (cpu and mobo) be good with that set up? GTR12

you're saying you're not a gamer but you're talking about skyrim, you do photo editing and stuff like that , you will benefit a lot more with a stronger graphics card and the phenom II x4 955 is already a beast of a cpuevildead6789

if you can go to $250 maybe look into a 2gb 6950?

who told you that photo editing works faster on an intel, the diiference won't be noticeable. With video editing maybe and the 2500k isn't that much faster than a phenom x4 955. Skyrim will be a monster of a game and having a better videocard will make the difference not the i5-2500k.evildead6789

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/15

Anandtech told me

[QUOTE="evildead6789"] who told you that photo editing works faster on an intel, the diiference won't be noticeable. With video editing maybe and the 2500k isn't that much faster than a phenom x4 955. Skyrim will be a monster of a game and having a better videocard will make the difference not the i5-2500k.GTR12

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/15

Anandtech told me

I have an Antec earthwatts 650 W PSU. A gigabyte 560 SOC @950MHz and a phenom II x4 955 BE and they all work great together. I have no problems maxing any game at playable framerates. Crysis maxed at 40-55 fps and the witcher 2 V-synced at 58 fps to stop screen tearing. With V-sync off i get about 55-65 fps

I have an Antec earthwatts 650 W PSU. A gigabyte 560 SOC @950MHz and a phenom II x4 955 BE and they all work great together. I have no problems maxing any game at playable framerates. Crysis maxed at 40-55 fps and the witcher 2 V-synced at 58 fps to stop screen tearing. With V-sync off i get about 55-65 fps

seanmcloughlin

[QUOTE="seanmcloughlin"]

I have an Antec earthwatts 650 W PSU. A gigabyte 560 SOC @950MHz and a phenom II x4 955 BE and they all work great together. I have no problems maxing any game at playable framerates. Crysis maxed at 40-55 fps and the witcher 2 V-synced at 58 fps to stop screen tearing. With V-sync off i get about 55-65 fps

evildead6789

1920 x 1080

[QUOTE="evildead6789"][QUOTE="seanmcloughlin"]

I have an Antec earthwatts 650 W PSU. A gigabyte 560 SOC @950MHz and a phenom II x4 955 BE and they all work great together. I have no problems maxing any game at playable framerates. Crysis maxed at 40-55 fps and the witcher 2 V-synced at 58 fps to stop screen tearing. With V-sync off i get about 55-65 fps

seanmcloughlin

1920 x 1080

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_560_Twin_Frozr_II/12.html

You get hardly 30 fps on 1080p and this benchmark is made with an i7 cpu running @ 3.8 ghz Seems like far away from your 40-55 fps.

Not to mention the witcher 2 gets only 30 fps on max settings with a gtx 590 which is 3-4 times as strong as the gtx 560.

Like i said before , it will only get worse in the future and for games they won't be any difference if you have an i5-2500k or an phenom II x4 955. So if your a gamer it's very wise to invest in a better gpu than a better cpu.

[QUOTE="seanmcloughlin"]

[QUOTE="evildead6789"] That's all very nice but at what resolution do you play?evildead6789

1920 x 1080

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_560_Twin_Frozr_II/12.html

You get hardly 30 fps on 1080p and this benchmark is made with an i7 cpu running @ 3.8 ghz Seems like far away from your 40-55 fps.

Not to mention the witcher 2 gets only 30 fps on max settings with a gtx 590 which is 3-4 times as strong as the gtx 560.

Like i said before , it will only get worse in the future and for games they won't be any difference if you have an i5-2500k or an phenom II x4 955. So if your a gamer it's very wise to invest in a better gpu than a better cpu.

Well I know what I see. With Fraps on and V-sync on I get 58 fps. I turn ubersampling off. and all depth of field effects are off. AA and blur is on. LOD distance is set to far and memory size is set to very large. I have everything else enabled and set to their highest settings. I am going by what I see first hand not by what becnhmarks tell me

[QUOTE="evildead6789"]

[QUOTE="seanmcloughlin"]

1920 x 1080

seanmcloughlin

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_560_Twin_Frozr_II/12.html

You get hardly 30 fps on 1080p and this benchmark is made with an i7 cpu running @ 3.8 ghz Seems like far away from your 40-55 fps.

Not to mention the witcher 2 gets only 30 fps on max settings with a gtx 590 which is 3-4 times as strong as the gtx 560.

Like i said before , it will only get worse in the future and for games they won't be any difference if you have an i5-2500k or an phenom II x4 955. So if your a gamer it's very wise to invest in a better gpu than a better cpu.

Well I know what I see. With Fraps on and V-sync on I get 58 fps. I turn ubersampling off. and all depth of field effects are off. AA and blur is on. LOD distance is set to far and memory size is set to very large. I have everything else enabled and set to their highest settings. I am going by what I see first hand not by what becnhmarks tell me

[QUOTE="seanmcloughlin"]

[QUOTE="evildead6789"] Sorry but this review (and others too) says otherwise

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_560_Twin_Frozr_II/12.html

You get hardly 30 fps on 1080p and this benchmark is made with an i7 cpu running @ 3.8 ghz Seems like far away from your 40-55 fps.

Not to mention the witcher 2 gets only 30 fps on max settings with a gtx 590 which is 3-4 times as strong as the gtx 560.

Like i said before , it will only get worse in the future and for games they won't be any difference if you have an i5-2500k or an phenom II x4 955. So if your a gamer it's very wise to invest in a better gpu than a better cpu.

evildead6789

Well I know what I see. With Fraps on and V-sync on I get 58 fps. I turn ubersampling off. and all depth of field effects are off. AA and blur is on. LOD distance is set to far and memory size is set to very large. I have everything else enabled and set to their highest settings. I am going by what I see first hand not by what becnhmarks tell me

This is a bad mentality and one that console gamers always use in arguements against PC gamers (not saying you now). My 560 clocks to near 570 stock speeds so no it will not be dated soon. A lot of people have 460's and are perfectly happy to keep them for a while without upgrading. And when the time comes that I can't make a game look pretty good then I will just buy another 560 or upgrade.

These are my in game settings

saying your overclocked 560 is nearly as fast as a gtx 570 doesn't matter because you can overclock a gtx 570 to nearly as fast as a gtx 580. Off course people keep their cards when they buy those things costs heaps of money, that's why i suggest to invest more in the gpu because it matters the most when it comes to gaming. Games are also cpu dependent but the fastest cpu's are hardly challenged, the bottleneck is with the vidoecard. If you replace your phenom with a i 2500 k you maybe will get a couple of frames more but with a gtx 570 for instance (oc'ed in this) will give you a lot more performance when it comes to games.evildead6789

Yeah obviously you can say that. But a 560 costs a lot less and you get the best "bang for your buck" over a 570. The 560 to me is the step up from the 460. They are both some of the best overclockers from their stock speeds. And I just happened to have the money in my budget for a 560, before that I had every intention to get a 460.