New Build Guidance

**rock_lobster** · 02-04-13, 04:26 PM

Hmm, no micro center close, but that looks like a good deal. I may have to look around and see what sales I can find.

**DJ Ms. White** · 02-04-13, 04:26 PM

Maybe.

Qty.	Product Description	Savings	Total Price
	Western Digital Red WD10EFRX 1TB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare DriveItem #: N82E16822236342Return Policy: Standard Return PolicyProtect Your Investment (expand for options) Recover Your Data(expand for options)	-$15.00 Instant	$109.99$94.99
	SAPPHIRE 100355-1GOCL Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card OC VersionItem #: N82E16814202004Return Policy: VGA Standard Return PolicyProtect Your Investment (expand for options)	-$10.00 Instant $15.00 Mail-in Rebate Card	$189.99$179.99
1	AMD Gift coupon: Bioshock Inf. + Tomb RaiderItem #: N82E16800995146Return Policy: Standard Return Policy	-$149.99 Saving	$149.99$0.00
	CORSAIR Professional Series HX650 650W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power ...Item #: N82E16817139012Return Policy: Standard Return Policy	-$30.00 Instant $10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card	$139.99$109.99
	Mushkin Enhanced Radioactive 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 997006Item #: N82E16820226221Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy	-$5.00 Instant	$74.99$69.99
	ASRock Z77 Extreme6 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel MotherboardItem #: N82E16813157295Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return PolicyProtect Your Investment (expand for options)	-$20.00 Instant	$159.99$139.99
	Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570KItem #: N82E16819116504Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return PolicyProtect Your Investment (expand for options)		$229.99
	CORSAIR Hydro Series H60 (CW-9060007-WW) Water CoolerItem #: N82E16835181030Return Policy: Standard Return Policy	-$7.00 Instant $10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card	$81.99$74.99
	Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW120A3K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)Item #: N82E16820167093Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy

**rock_lobster** · 02-04-13, 06:58 PM

What's the stipulation for that credit?

Also, I can do without the SSD and HD. Would probably pass on the watercooling for now also. Other than, those all look like good choices.

What's the deal with ATI and Nvidia these days? Back when I built my rig, Nvidia was the top dog. Has ATI overtaken them?

**DJ Ms. White** · 02-04-13, 07:28 PM

Not sure what you mean by credit.

Nvidia vs. AMD (formerly ATI) depends upon your price range. Nvidia has the best cards at the high end. It gets more murky when the price range drops.

For CPUs, Intel is king. AMD's latest outing wasn't impressive. That CPU is also begging to be overclocked. The reason for the corsair cooler is that it will be quiet, and let you overclock.

The SSD will significantly lower boot and load times.

**a weakling spaz** · 02-04-13, 07:48 PM

You don't need an SSD until you have one. Skip that if you must but drop some cash on a GPU.

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**Kanati** · 02-05-13, 09:18 AM

Why are you looking at a WD Red?? Those are made for NAS and raid arrays. It's basically a green with a fixed spindle speed I think. You can get a spinpoint f3 for like 40 bux cheaper if you want or a 2TB barracuda for about the same price as you are paying for that 1TB.

**HeavyG** · 02-05-13, 09:23 AM

Rock,

I just purchased a GTX 660 (regular version, not the ti) for my livingroom PC, and I am VERY impressed with it's performance for below $200 after rebate, especially on my aging Core i5-760 that I have in that box. I recommend either the nVidia GTX 660 or the AMD 7850 if your budget is somewhere between $150-200 on a new GPU.

As for the CPU, for $200 budget, you should go with the i5-3470 Ivy Bridge (If you are not going to overclock, anyways). If you plan to overclock, go with one of the K CPUs, such as the 3570k or the 3770k.

Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-3470 Ivy Bridge 3.2GHz (3.6GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i53470

Or even better, the 3470 is only $150 at Micro Center:

Intel Core i5 3470 3.2GHz LGA 1155 Boxed Processor BX80637I53470 - Micro Center

You can adjust the BCLK (base clock) on this chip to overclock to 3.6GHz, but I think that is about as far as it will go. Here is the review of the CPU from PC Perspective, summarizing it as

Saving $115 on your processor will often mean you can upgrade your graphics card, get a slightly larger SSD or even get groceries for another week or two; who can decide?!? Honestly though the Core i5-3470 makes a great processor for users that want to build a new PC with some cost reductions without losing a ton of performance.

Still, the Core i5-3470 would make a solid low cost processor for users looking to build a reasonable cost machine for some mainstream gaming and general enthusiast computing.

Intel Core i5-3470 Ivy Bridge Processor and HD 2500 Graphics Review | PC Perspective

Put MORE money into your GPU as that is where you will get the most bang for your buck. If the lower cost of the CPU will help offset the additional cost of a beefy GPU or an SSD, then I think the overall performance boost will be well worth it.

**HeavyG** · 02-05-13, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by DJ Mr. White

Maybe.

Qty.	Product Description	Savings	Total Price
	Western Digital Red WD10EFRX 1TB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare DriveItem #: N82E16822236342Return Policy: Standard Return PolicyProtect Your Investment (expand for options) Recover Your Data(expand for options)	-$15.00 Instant	$109.99$94.99
	SAPPHIRE 100355-1GOCL Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card OC VersionItem #: N82E16814202004Return Policy: VGA Standard Return PolicyProtect Your Investment (expand for options)	-$10.00 Instant $15.00 Mail-in Rebate Card	$189.99$179.99
1	AMD Gift coupon: Bioshock Inf. + Tomb RaiderItem #: N82E16800995146Return Policy: Standard Return Policy	-$149.99 Saving	$149.99$0.00
	CORSAIR Professional Series HX650 650W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power ...Item #: N82E16817139012Return Policy: Standard Return Policy	-$30.00 Instant $10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card	$139.99$109.99
	Mushkin Enhanced Radioactive 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 997006Item #: N82E16820226221Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy	-$5.00 Instant	$74.99$69.99
	ASRock Z77 Extreme6 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel MotherboardItem #: N82E16813157295Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return PolicyProtect Your Investment (expand for options)	-$20.00 Instant	$159.99$139.99
	Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570KItem #: N82E16819116504Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return PolicyProtect Your Investment (expand for options)		$229.99
	CORSAIR Hydro Series H60 (CW-9060007-WW) Water CoolerItem #: N82E16835181030Return Policy: Standard Return Policy	-$7.00 Instant $10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card	$81.99$74.99
	Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW120A3K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)Item #: N82E16820167093Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy

I like everything EXCEPT the WD Red drive... Red drives are only good if you are in a RAID configuration. Otherwise a black drive would be better for a single storage drive solution. I think he should find someone that can help him with the Microcenter deal on the i5-3470 and he should look at the GTX 660 or even the GTX 660ti if he is willing to spend a bit more. The 660 is simply a better performer than the 7850, but either way, they will destroy his current 250.

**HeavyG** · 02-05-13, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by Kanati8869

Why are you looking at a WD Red?? Those are made for NAS and raid arrays. It's basically a green with a fixed spindle speed I think. You can get a spinpoint f3 for like 40 bux cheaper if you want or a 2TB barracuda for about the same price as you are paying for that 1TB.

Ha! I just said the same thing, but didn't see your reply.

**CivilWars** · 02-05-13, 09:36 AM

I said it earlier, but it may have been missed. I am willing to go to MC and buy anything for you, and mail it to you if it helps. Just let me know.

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