First Time Builder, looking for advice

[Matador]

Hello all, thanks for looking at my thread.

I have been wanting to build a computer now for a long time, as I have always heard about the many benefits. I have been working for a while now researching, and trying to find some parts that will fit my uses. None the less I feel as though I could use a lot of help.

I am an avid gamer, and that will be the top priority for this computer. The main game I play is Starcraft 2, but also want it to perform well on Skyrim, and the modern first person shooters. I would also like it for basic schoolwork functions, excel, word, etc. I also watch streams frequently so I would like for them to run smoothly on 1080p. My budget for this project is around $800.

Here is a list of what my research has brought me to so far. Please feel free to change anything as long as in the end, I end up with a rig around $800.

CPU:

Intel® Core™ i5-2500K Processor

GPU:

ASUS ENGTX550 TI DC/DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 550 Ti
GV-R687OC-1GD AMD Radeon HD 6870 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe 2.1 x16 Video Card
PowerColor AX6870 1GBD5-2DH Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Galaxy 55NPH8HX4LXZ GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Motherboard:

P67A-GD55-B3 LGA 1155 P67 Intel ATX Motherboard
Z68 Pro3-M Socket 1155 Z68 mATX Intel Motherboard
ASUS P8P67 (REV 3.1) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

PSU

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-730SS 730W ATX12V V2.2/ EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Modular LED Power Supply

Harddrive

HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.D HDS721075DLE630 (0F13179) 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Case

Thermaltake Armor A90 Gaming Mid-Tower Chassis With Cable Management Water Cooling SSD Support And Tool-Less Installation VL90001W2Z
Thermaltake V9 BlacX Edition with Docking Station (NewEgg Exclusive) SECC / Mesh ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Antec Nine Hundred Two V3 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case

Optical

ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM

RAM

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9



Also I found this pretty interesting package, if you feel this would be more worth it for me, let me know.

GIGABYTE GA-Z68AP-D3 V3 Black Barebones Kit - GIGABYTE GA-Z68AP-D3 Board, Intel Core i5-2500K, 8GB (2x 4GB) DDR3 RAM, Radeon HD 6870 1GB, 1TB HDD, 24x DVDRW, Thermaltake V3 Black Mid Tower, 600W PSU


Thanks for looking over this, and I hope you all could give me some advice!

[RickyTick]

The Antec 902 is currently on sale at Newegg for $99.99 plus a $10 mail-in-rebate takes it down to $89.99 and has free shipping.
Otherwise, your build looks good. However, as an avid gamer, you're going to want a lot more than a GTX550 Ti.

[Matador]

Thanks for the response! I realize that the 550 isn't exactly top of the line. I was leaning towards the 6870, as I heard that this is much better. I am planning on not getting something too nice right away, as I will likely get a few upgrades once the summer comes around, but if you have any suggestions for better cards at a reasonable price I am very open to suggestions.

[ARchamps]

Since your main purpose is gaming, I would suggest investing more in the GPU. It's better to get a good one now versus getting a moderate one now and having to re-sell and buy another one later on (unless you want to crossfire or SLI). A good card is the 560 Ti. It will handle Starcraft 2 well and handle newer games such as Battlefield 3 and Skyrim. You can get the 560 Ti for around $230. If you really want performance, take a look at the new GTX 560 Ti 448 cores. It closely matches the 570 on a budget. It sells for $289 (I know, over your budget).

Everything else looks good. I would get the P67 motherboard to keep you within budget. The Z68 board you referenced is micro ATX, smaller and less slots. Do you plan to SLI or Crossfire down the line? The P8P67 supports Crossfire, but not SLI. I have the same board. If you don't plan on multi-GPUs, its great. Take a look at the Corsair 400R for the same price. Pretty nice for the features it offers. If you plan to overclock your CPU (since you chose the K version), you should add a CPU cooler. You can throw this in after as you mentioned. Cooler Master Hyper 212+ or Corsair A50 are good budget options.

Good luck!

[Matador]

Thanks a lot for the response! I have updated my build slightly. Here is my current new build:

CPU:
Intel® Core™ i5-2500K Processor

GPU:
6870

Motherboard:
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Powersupply:
OCZ ZS Series 650W 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom

Harddrive:
HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.D HDS721075DLE630 (0F13179) 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Case:
Antec Nine Hundred Two V3 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case

Optical:
ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM

RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL



If you think I was better before with another part please let me know! Do you think that I should have kept with my old mother board? I recieved many suggestions saying that this motherboard would be a better choice. I don't plan on overclocking my CPU right off the bat, maybe eventually down the road.

Currently with everything besides the GPU my total comes to $647. I would be willing to go up to $850 maybe if I could get a significantly better GPU. However I am open to upgrading in the future. I plan on upgrading my computer next year again probably. I am not very familiar with Crossfire/SLI but if what I have heard about improved performance is correct, I would likely plan on doing it. Maybe you could fill me in on that a bit? I am really stuck on what GPU to get.

Thanks in advance!

[RickyTick]

If you're willing to go up to $850, then you could definitely step up to a Radeon 6950. It's only about $100 more than a 6870.

[Matador]

Okay, thanks. I started looking at the 560i. How does this one compare?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162074

Also, are these two the same i5 2500k?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589

I'm not sure why one would be so much cheaper so I don't want to buy a worse one.

[RickyTick]

Excellent choice for a video card.

Yes, they are the same processor. Microcenter has always had the best price for cpu's, but if I remember correctly, this is an "In-store Pickup" price. I don't think they'll ship it at that price. I could be wrong.

[Matador]

Thanks a ton for the help! Ordering now :)