I need help building a computer

[B Zerker]

So I need a new computer and I would like to build one. The problem is that I have no clue what to look at or what is good or not. So I would really appreciate your help. my budget is around $1350 and I would like the computer to have at least a quad core that clocks around 3.0ghz or faster, and a pretty good graphics card. it would be nice if the graphics card could play BF3 on ultra :biggrin: but I would settle for high or medium. I really don't care about aesthetics so I wouldn't mind a cheap case.

Thank you for your help!

 

[a pet rock]

i5 2500k - $200
P8Z68-v Pro - $200
8GB 1600MHz Ripjaws - $50
Samsung F3 1TB = $60
2GB Radeon 6950 - $250
SS M12II 520W - $100
Lian-Li PC-K7B - $90
Crucial M4 64GB SSD - $100

Comes in at ~$1050 which leaves room for OS, monitor, speakers, keyboard mouse, if necessary. For my reasoning:

I went with the 2500k since it's basically the best choice right now. Bulldozer is rumored to be releasing next week, and AMD has finally started hyping purchases for it again which gives it more credence. If you want to wait, I think it will only be beneficial to negligible. If Bulldozer performs well it could drop prices on the 2500k or be the better purchase, if it doesn't then you can just get the 2500k for the same price as now.

For the mobo, I honestly just picked a random Z68 mobo, someone else should give you better ideas.

8GB of RAM is more than you need right now, but it's so cheap there's no reason not to.

Samsung F3 is quick enough to be a main drive. If you need more storage, feel free to add more storage.

I went with the 6950 over the 560Ti only because of the VRAM. It's becoming more of a bottleneck now as new games like BF3 are straining that more and more. If you don't need the extras I didn't price out, feel free to upgrade to 1.5GB 570 or 2GB 6970.

I picked that PSU because it was the only decent modular unit close to the rig's power draw. If you're ever considering to upgrade to SLI/CF you would need a larger unit at around 650-750W. Easily attainable if you don't need OS etc.

I picked the PC-K7B because it's an aluminum case under $100 with cable management. Nothing will ever be as good.

The 64GB SSD is for your OS and a few extra games. It is not going to increase your FPS but it is the single most noticeable upgrade anybody can put into a modern rig right now.

 

[Link.]

Well, to play BF3 on Ultra you're going to need 2 580's, thats way out of your price range. In this case 6950 is the way to go, just because the 6950 serie has a better price/performance level. I don't think your budget gives you the oppurtunity to run crossfire 6950.
What you can do is buy a good power supply and a motherboard that supports Crossfire, buy 1 card now and add another one in 6 months or so.

Just one question before I can advise u which CPU to buy, are u ever planning to overclock ur cpu? If so: buy 2500K, if not: buy normal 2500. Performance is pretty much the same but 2500k is easier to overclock.

If you are overclocking you should buy a custom CPU cooler. The Coolermaster hyper 212 is a great option: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
I would advise you to buy the cpu cooler even if your not going to overclock. The stock intel coolers make a lot more noise

Going for a cpu cooler means you'll have to get RAM memory without a heatsink.
corsair vengeance 8gb

I would advise this case though: Coolermaster CM 690II advanced
It has a 2.5 inch bracket for easy SSD install and a better airflow I would buy an additional fan though for even better airflow

You could go for a Sapphire 6950, comes at same price but with dual fan and a free copy of Dirt 3. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102945

The motherboard pet rock gave you is a great choice when going crossfire. If your not going crossfire you could save money buy choosing a motherboard without crossfire support.


Ooh, and if your going for the crossfire option. Your power supply will have to be 650W or higher. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207014

 

[reflex99]

+1 to APR

unless you are a serious overclocker trying to get the fabled 5GHz, you could probably save a bit of monies, and go with a cheaper motherboard like the ASRock Extreme3 Gen3. Still probably take you to 4.5-4.8, but 5 might be a bit thougher. To me, it seems like a fair trade off considering you save $75

 

[CrushedDiamond]

i5 2500k - $200
P8Z68-v Pro - $200
8GB 1600MHz Ripjaws - $50
Samsung F3 1TB = $60
2GB Radeon 6950 - $250
SS M12II 520W - $100
Lian-Li PC-K7B - $90
Crucial M4 64GB SSD - $100

Comes in at ~$1050 which leaves room for OS, monitor, speakers, keyboard mouse, if necessary. For my reasoning:

I went with the 2500k since it's basically the best choice right now. Bulldozer is rumored to be releasing next week, and AMD has finally started hyping purchases for it again which gives it more credence. If you want to wait, I think it will only be beneficial to negligible. If Bulldozer performs well it could drop prices on the 2500k or be the better purchase, if it doesn't then you can just get the 2500k for the same price as now.

For the mobo, I honestly just picked a random Z68 mobo, someone else should give you better ideas.

8GB of RAM is more than you need right now, but it's so cheap there's no reason not to.

Samsung F3 is quick enough to be a main drive. If you need more storage, feel free to add more storage.

I went with the 6950 over the 560Ti only because of the VRAM. It's becoming more of a bottleneck now as new games like BF3 are straining that more and more. If you don't need the extras I didn't price out, feel free to upgrade to 1.5GB 570 or 2GB 6970.

I picked that PSU because it was the only decent modular unit close to the rig's power draw. If you're ever considering to upgrade to SLI/CF you would need a larger unit at around 650-750W. Easily attainable if you don't need OS etc.

I picked the PC-K7B because it's an aluminum case under $100 with cable management. Nothing will ever be as good.

The 64GB SSD is for your OS and a few extra games. It is not going to increase your FPS but it is the single most noticeable upgrade anybody can put into a modern rig right now.

I agree with all this mostly with waiting 4 days to see how Bulldozer performs because it'll make a big difference in the price of it all.

 

[a pet rock]

unless you are a serious overclocker trying to get the fabled 5GHz, you could probably save a bit of monies, and go with a cheaper motherboard like the ASRock Extreme3 Gen3. Still probably take you to 4.5-4.8, but 5 might be a bit thougher. To me, it seems like a fair trade off considering you save $75

Nice mobo, very shmexy.

Forgot to mention, that's just an outline. If you check out the combo deals you should be able to save some money. I just didn't go to the trouble since I don't know when you'll be buying.

Also, the Oct 12 release date is still technically a rumor. The only official thing we've heard from AMD was mid-October, beyond that is speculation.