$1200 Rig - How does it look?

T

Turmoil

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Mar 5, 2012
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A few things I need to get out of the way first:
- I am making a new thread because I would like to make sure that everyone is on the same page which can be difficult with pages of replies during the early building phase. There were also some questions about budget that created much confusion.

- I am purchasing this computer from iBuyPower. I have decided to do so because I have found that it is not much more expensive than building it on my own and besides I would not have to put together my first computer with the risk of damaging anything.

Foreword: As I first tossed around the idea of purchasing a new computer, I had no idea what I would be getting into. I had very little knowledge of the components of a desktop. I would like to give a big thanks to the individuals who answered my "newbie-level" questions and really helped me to gain an understanding of what hardware I was purchasing and why. I spent days, even weeks researching the components I have selected and building up my knowledge to try and gain the best build for my buck. Without further adieu, I present: the rig.

The Rig
Price: $1226
(This Includes Shipping and Handling)

Case: CoolerMaster HAF 922 Gaming Case

CPU: Intel? Core™ i5-2550K Processor (4x 3.40GHz/6MB L3 Cache)

Memory: 8 GB [4 GB X2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module (G.Skill Ripjaws X)

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 1GB - EVGA Superclocked - Core: 900MHz

Motherboard: [SLI] Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 -- 3x PCI-E 2.0 x16, Lucid Virtu Technology

Power Supply: 750 Watt - Corsair CMPSU-750TXV2

Primary Hard Drive: 120 GB ADATA S510 SSD

Second Hard Drive: 500 GB HARD DRIVE -- 16M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s

Optical Drive: 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD?R/?RW + CD-R/RW Drive

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium + Office Starter 2010
​

As always, please provide constructive criticism before I place my order in the next couple of days!
 
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*Applause*

I like it Turmoil. For $1200, all those parts will make a great gaming rig for you, especially having the SSD+HDD combo there. The only thing that could of made this rig even better is if you somehow squeezed in a blu ray drive, and that's just optional. The ONLY thing that I do not like is the case. I honestly HATE plastic doors in front of the case, especially if it's supposed to make it look "cool." But that's more of an aesthetic issue; looking at the inside it's not much of a tool-less setup. You're not building it yourself, so that's really not an issue (more of something to look at in the future if you were to upgrade parts yourself).
 
Snipeye said:
*Applause*

I like it Turmoil. For $1200, all those parts will make a great gaming rig for you, especially having the SSD+HDD combo there. The only thing that could of made this rig even better is if you somehow squeezed in a blu ray drive, and that's just optional. The ONLY thing that I do not like is the case. I honestly HATE plastic doors in front of the case, especially if it's supposed to make it look "cool." But that's more of an aesthetic issue; looking at the inside it's not much of a tool-less setup. You're not building it yourself, so that's really not an issue (more of something to look at in the future if you were to upgrade parts yourself).
Click to expand...

I too considered the blu-ray player as well, but I then considered the fact that I will probably never purchase a blu-ray movie, let alone watch one. I watch all of my movies on Netflix or on the internet in general.

I chose the case because it is extremely inexpensive yet it seems to get the job done. It has decent airflow and a decent look as well. I'm not a huge fan of the plastic cover either, but it doesn't look too bad in my opinion. If you notice any other cases on there in a similar price range please let me know. I'm still not completely decided so I may end up spending an extra $20 on a better case anyways.
 
I have changed the case to a NZXT Tempest 410 Elite Gaming Case Black. I have heard good reviews and I realized that it is actually not too much more expensive than the Lexa-S.
 
You planning SLI down the road? If not, 750W is seriously overkill. Even with SLI you could save some change and move down to the 600-650W range. For a single 560Ti+2550k look in the 450W range.

Everything else looks excellent, though I think that Tempest is horrendous. Personal taste, I suppose.
 
a pet rock said:
You planning SLI down the road? If not, 750W is seriously overkill. Even with SLI you could save some change and move down to the 600-650W range. For a single 560Ti+2550k look in the 450W range.

Everything else looks excellent, though I think that Tempest is horrendous. Personal taste, I suppose.
Click to expand...

Not only do I plan to SLI in the future, but the 750w is a free upgrade when you purchase the 650w.
------------
Case - CoolerMaster HAF 922 Gaming Case
I guess I can extend my budget a bit. Now that I think about it, I really shouldn't be cutting corners on the case. I'll drop an extra $12 to get this bad boy.
 
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Never heard a better reason for a PSU.

Also, you can get the Tempest. There's certainly nothing wrong with it, as far as I know. I just think cases like that and the HAF are ugly. I'd rather buy a case that looks more like this. Personal taste on looks.
 
Drop the 560 and get a 460, but then again I'm not sure about the prices on ibuypower. Anyway everything else on the build looks very nice.
 
Muffinz said:
Drop the 560 and get a 460, but then again I'm not sure about the prices on ibuypower. Anyway everything else on the build looks very nice.
Click to expand...

What's the reasoning behind that suggestion? The 560 Ti is a great card for his build.

Also, I got the HAF case; love it.
 
Muffinz said:
Drop the 560 and get a 460, but then again I'm not sure about the prices on ibuypower. Anyway everything else on the build looks very nice.
Click to expand...

It's not a 560, it's a 560Ti which is a marked improvement over the 460.
 
a pet rock said:
Never heard a better reason for a PSU.

Also, you can get the Tempest. There's certainly nothing wrong with it, as far as I know. I just think cases like that and the HAF are ugly. I'd rather buy a case that looks more like this. Personal taste on looks.
Click to expand...

Yeah I hope this deal is still around when I order it in a few days!

As far as the case goes, I am more worried about functionality than looks and the HAF seems to be the perfect mix in my opinion. I like the over-the-top look and the LEDs look great! But once again, more worried about functionality and functionality wise - A+. I don't really think I could go wrong either way though, so I'll just get the HAF and make sure I am getting what I want. I may be changing the case yet again in the coming day(s) depending upon further research.
 
Looks great.

UPGRADE:

$13 for a 7850

2gb vram vs 1gb as well as added performance, 28nm manufacturing so it should have more overclock headroom so it runs cool and uses a lot less power doing it. Definitely worth the upgrade in my opinion.
 
I'm your huckleberry said:
Looks great.

UPGRADE:

$13 for a 7850

2gb vram vs 1gb as well as added performance, 28nm manufacturing so it should have more overclock headroom so it runs cool and uses a lot less power doing it. Definitely worth the upgrade in my opinion.
Click to expand...

When I saw that you were the last reply I knew you would have some valuable advice for me. I'll look into the 7850, thanks!
 
Breaking news: I will be purchasing the machine in about 4 hours. I have a softball game to go to so please submit any last information you can provide! Thanks!

What do you guys think about the Tuniq TX-2 High Performance Thermal Compound?

Does the CPU already come with thermal compound? Is it worth it to upgrade to this kind?
 
The CPU will have thermal compound. The difference between different thermal compounds is negligible.
 
Just ordered the rig right now! I got the 7850 2gb with it!

Thank you all for all the help in the process. Total came out to $1249 because I bought the pro-wiring and high performance thermal compound for a combined extra $30.
 
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