New Gaming Rig, I need help!

Hi guys

If you're part of the AVSIM forums, I also posted this there, but I'm only putting it here because I want to get a larger audience of opinions.

OK, it's December, so I must now choose parts for my computer. (This will be a entire new system, not an upgrade)

I'm doing most of my shopping on Newegg, and this is what I have so far:



To run up on that, I will have a Cooler Master HAF912 (which, IMO, is big enough; I'm worried about case sizes because I don't want to return a GFX because it didn't fit like I did with my current Dell. Also, how will I know if it will fit my pwoer supply, below? I saw the newegg review of it and it doesnt seem like a big space for a power supply.)

a Seagate Barracuda (Just FYI, it must be a 1TB so if you find a cheaper one or a Western Digital Blue or Black cheap please tell me) hard drive

Intellinet Network Solutions PCI Wireless Card (Must be 802.11 N/G/B, again, if you find a cheaper one with those 3 802.11s please tell me)

a CoolMax 750 Watt power supply (Must have 2 or more 6-pin PCI-E connectors, I don't care if they are 6+2 pins and again, if you find a cheaper one please tell me)

CORSAIR Venegeance 4GB DDR3 memory (I will buy 2, in order to make 8 GB, also, is DDR3 compatible with my motherboard? Below?)

MSI P67A-G45 LGA1155 ATX Intel Motherboard (Great for the price, no?)

Intel Core i7-2600k (I'm a little skeptical about buying the "k" version. I don't think I will ever overclock, anyway. What do you think? Also, if I buy the 2600 do I have to apply thermal paste or does it already come with it? And 1 more question, do you recommend the 2500 or 2700 also or are they bad?)

Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bits OEM (I decided to go for the OEM instead of full version)




Here is the DVD drive I forgot to put in the picture: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827106276



Thanks for your help!


PS, do you recommend any graphics card? I'm going Nvidia this time and I want to spend less than $120. Also, is the DVD drive I put above just a good 'ol DVD drive that reads and writes or does it just read? I got confused there. Also, it's an OEM so I have to get my own SATA cable? (I bvelieve the MOBO I chose comes with a bunch of SATA cables, I'm not sure.)

Sounds like you'll have fun!

First of all, it feels as if you want US to make your decisions for you. We don't do that here. If you look at your motherboard's specs, you'll find out whether or not the RAM chosen will work or not. Also, nearly all motherboard manufacturers supply two SATA cables only. SATA cables are dirt cheap. I was able to get some very good quality, HD rounded SATA cables in various lengths from eBay for anywhere from $5 to $8 each with shipping. Rounded SATA cables give a nice look to the build and improve air flow just a teeny bit better than flat cables.

Windows 7 Home Premium OEM X64 is a FULL VERSION! It's just that you'll have to do your own troubleshooting rather than relying on MS to help you with it.

The Intel Core i5 2500K is just as capable as the i7 2600K. Read the reviews at Tom's Hardware, Benchmark Reviews, Hardware Canucks and others. They'll all tell you that UNLESS you're doing really heavy heavy gaming or video/graphics processing that the i5 2500K is more than adequate and you'll save about $110 too! I would use that money saved to buy an SSD boot drive if it were me or get a better video card... then you will see very decent performance boost worth the $110 difference!

Your DVD drive link is bad... getting "error 404" message. If its a DVD burner it will state the following on the faceplate: DVD MultiRecorder or DVD-R RW. Which means the unit is one that writes and reads DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+R DL, etc.
Get either a Samsung, ASUS, LG or Lite-On burner. All four brands are top-rated and get very good reviews. I use the Samsung because (you'll think this is silly) I like the round tray button versus the rectangular one, plus my Samsung has been rock solid for almost 3 years with hardly any coasters at all. The LG and Samsung come with free shipping at Newegg too.

Regardless, all sell for less than $20.00 and are OEM (yes, you'll have to supply a SATA cable). I remember when Dual-Layer DVD burners sold for over $120 back in 2004.

The wireless card you've chosen is a decent one, it uses the Ralink chipset which are rock solid wireless chipsets. Basically, I won't use any other brand which doesn't have a Ralink chipset. First because they perform very well, drivers are updated about twice a year and downloadable from the Ralink website. I have NEVER had any problems with Ralink. That cannot be said about Atheros, Broadcom, Intel and some others. Plus Windows 7 will automatically install the Ralink drivers, maybe not the most up-to-date driver but close.

For the same money you're spending on the Intellinet card with one antenna you could get a TRENDnet TEW-623PI Wireless N Adapter card with three antennas and the Ralink chipset. Much better wireless card and excellent quality! With my Netgear N wireless router I show a consistent 300 Mbps connection.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833156054

I hope some of this helps you out. Oh crap... I helped you out! LOL!

lol! I just want some opinions, that's all.

I know W7 OEM is a full version, but I was referring to the full version as in it is not locked into the Motherboard. (Say you want to upgrade, you have to buy W7 again.)

I think the i7 2600k is the one I will go with. I have looked at many reviews and videos and I think it's really good. I don't want an SSD. Too expensive for a... what, 5 second difference? My current 1 1/2 year old Dell boots up W7 in about 30 seconds...

Here's the DVD drive again: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106276

I think the wireless card you showed me, for a couple of bucks extra, is worth it. So, thanks for that. 300MBPS is sweet compared to 150.

However, here are some extra questions for you.

• Do you recommend me to go the extra bucks for W7 Full Version and not OEM?
• How can I know if my graphics card I choose (see below for my selections) will fit in nicely with the TRENDnet adapter?
• These are the video cards I have come down to, see if they're good:
• http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121435 (Has the medium clock of all 3, but the cheapest price)
• http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127592 (Has the lowest clock of all 3, but the highest processor cores for CUDA I guess)
• http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130625 (Seems to be the best value; highest clock, good price, and positive reviews. However, it has the same amount of processor cores as the Asus.)

Thanks for your help!

Nibs has you fixed up

I would like to mention I purchased a 2600K for a specific reason. If it wasn't for that reason I would have purchased a i5-2500. As it turns out my 2600K no longer qualifies for the reason I purchased it for. Either one you choose, I think you will be very happy with the performance.

I have been very happy with my MSI P67A-G45 motherboard.

2500k imho if you don't need the extra threads. I have both 2500k and 2600k and and 2500k rocks for gaming and everyday computing. Take the $ you save from that and get a better vid card or retail version of w7.

UGHHHH, I think I'm going with the 2600k, Yodap. What will be the point in upgrading from a 2.93 to a 3.30?

Do you guys know any cheaper RAM? Also, you havn't told me which GFX you would get out of those 3. I'm thinking of going with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130625 because it seems like the best deal. Do CUDA cores matter?


Also, can you anwser my DVD drive question?

Well, more speed would be the point, about 10% more. But I don't understand where this ? is coming from. The 4 processors we're talking about are the 2500 and the 2500k and the 2600 and the 2600k. The former are both 3.3 and auto turbo to 3.7 and the latter are both 3.4 and auto turbo to 3.8. If you don't want to OC then you don't need the k series chips. If you do want to OC into the 4.0 plus area then you need the k series chips and also budget for an after-market cpu cooler, either air or water. My 2500k is OC'd to 4.5 with a $40 Zalman air cooler and I idle in the 30'sC, game in the 40's, crunch Boinc in the low 50's and Fold@Home in the upper 50's.

I have no experience with the GTX 550, but I'm sure it's good. I have the GTX 560ti and I love it! Did I say love it? I mean LOVE IT!

I believe Sir nibs answered the ? on the cd/dvd. If not please rephrase it for us.

Thanks Yodap. I'm making my decision today, hopefully.

One more thing, and I don't want to confuse you further or muddle the situation. but consider a Z68 chipset motherboard and you can hold off on the video card for a while. That board allows you to utilize the graphics built in to the processor and you can set the system up and give yourself more time to make a decision on the vid card.

Good luck!