Hi there. This is my first time putting together a pc and I haven't had a desktop since the 90's, so I'm starting entirely from scratch. I tried to keep it as cheap as possible while still maintaining quality and some upgrade-ability and this is what I've got: secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDet...hListNumber=15463714

Just the tower:
cpu - intel i5-2500k ($220) - www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
gpu - sapphire hd 6950 ($200) - www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102987
mobo - asrock extreme3 gen3 ($120) - www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
ram - 2x4gb gskill ripjaws ($50) - www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314
hdd - seagate 1tb 7200rpm ($100) - www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840
ssd - sandisk extreme ($100) - www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171567
od - asus cd/dvd burner ($20) - www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
psu - rosewill hive 550w ($70) - www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182133
case - rosewill thor v2 ($120) - www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147053
= ~$995($885 if I forego the HDD for now)


As you can see, the PSU I picked has sold out so I'd definitely appreciate some suggestions there. I'm also not sure if I should hold off on a HDD until prices come down more. Other than that, I'm looking for any kind of feedback at all, since this is my first time buying and putting together parts.

Some things that might help:
-not really looking to sli/cf (subject to change)
-will be overclocking cpu (to keep up with graphics card upgrades)
-don't mind spending a little more, if necessary
-i like to play anything from the worst quality mmo to the best quality shooter
-no video editing/encoding or anything like that

That's all I can think of for now. If there's anything else, ask away. I'll be checking back very regularly. Thanks in advance.

First off, welcome to GN! We love helping out with these kinds of builds and you have selected some very nice components! Thanks for the detailed post also, that helps the process a bunch.

As I said before, you selected quality components for sure. I would suggest that you combo up the parts. The I5 2500k can usually be in a combo with an ASRock Z69 or even a Z77 if you can afford it. Since you mentioned upgrading in the future and overclocking you might want to look into getting the Z77. Then I would def combo the Thor case (great case BTW) with a rosewill Hive PSU, probably the 650w since the 550w is sold out. This will save you a good bit. Then combo up the video card and RAM, saving more!

If you really are going to overclock, you really should get an aftermarket heatsink for your cpu. The I5 2500k is made to overclock, and the after market heatsink will keep them temps down allowing you to push it more. The Thor is a big case and should have no trouble housing the bigger heatsinks.

If you are looking for a true gaming mouse I wouldnt get the Xornet, I have it and the buttons cannot be programmed like a true gaming mouse. Maybe look into the Razor Naga, it costs more but is really worth it.

You are right on with the SSD, you could put the OS and a few games on it and wait out the HDD prices. Well done there.

No real complaints anywhere, you have a good rig set up there. If you could, I would use the combo savings to get the best GPU that you can afford. The 6950 is a good card, but this is a gaming rig, so throw the best GPU you can in it. The CPU will most likely hold you over a few years at the least, Sandy Bridge CPUs perform very well. So the spot I see for improvement if possible would have to be the video card and/or RAM to 16gb. I will post some combos below to give you an idea of how much more you would save to upgrade if you want. If not, the 6950 is a good card. You really can't lose out either way. Since you do not plan on crossfirex or sli, get the best GPU you can now.

Case/PSU combo Thor and Hive 650w

CPU/Mobo combo I5 2500k and ASRock Z68

GPU/Ram combo 6950 and Corsair 8GB (couldnt find the same RAM you linked, but very similar quality RAM)

Heatsink Tuniq Tower 120 This will help keep them temps down and provide you with a much better overclocking experience. It is good quality, and we have tested it and can vouch for it's performance. (so all you other companies send us your items to test lol)

I like the SSD you linked, but we love the Kingston HyperX 3k. We tested it in house and it really performed well.

Let me know what you think, and we can make any adjustments you might want. If the combos free up any room to upgrade anything or not.

Thanks for the warm welcome and your helpful reply! I've been lurking here for a week or two now, trying to find the right build for me. You guys seem to really know what you're doing around here.

Ok so, after using those first 2 combos and subbing in your mouse/SSD suggestions, I'm at about $1050 with everything but a video card, which I am quite happy with. It'll take me about a month to afford everything so until then I'll be keeping an eye out for good deals on these or very similar components(probably buying them as they go on sale/as I have the money).

Now about the GPU, I've really been struggling with whether I should just go ahead and spring for this GTX670 or not. The only reason I was looking at that 6950 is because it seemed like a great card for the price + BF3 for free. I don't really have a set budget, I just want to get my money's worth(not very helpful, I'm sure).

I don't plan on overclocking right away so I'm probably going to hold off on an aftermarket heatsink for now.

No problem man, at GN we give every build the highest priority. I am glad you like it around here, and thanks for the kind words, it means a lot.

This is what it all boils down to, getting the best system you can afford. While the HD 6950 is a great GPU for sure, the 670 does outperform it by a considerable amount as you can see HERE. While you would indeed get good performance out of the HD 6950 and also get a great game also, you pay almost twice as much for the 670 and get the performance increase. If you can somehow fit it into your build I would strongly suggest picking up the 670, but the HD 6950 is not a "bad" card by no means. It really performs beautifully at it's price range. So what you have here is a question of which one is best for you and your budget. This is a hard choice, but I doubt you will be left with any buyers regret either way. I can easily sleep at night knowing I got the best Rig for my budget, and a great game for free also if I was to go with the HD6950. You seem to have done your homework in this area and I am sure you will know which card is best for you. When you do start the build please feel free to post some pics here, we love seeing new builds come together.

A 6950 + BF3 is a pretty good deal, so I can see your struggle.

"I want my money's worth" is actually decently helpful -- some builders refuse to buy one brand or another, so that at least tells us you're willing to explore both major options for the best system

Mik linked a great site ^ up there, so that should give you a great idea of performance. If BF3 is *the* game you're playing and you don't care much about sustainability for the next several years, the 6950 holds tremendous value (cost-to-performance wise).

That said, the 670 will give you much more security and sustainability going forward; for someone who goes through lots of games a year - potentially some of next year's proposed blockbusters and anything running on the new CryEngine or UnrealEngine, if it ever comes out - it's hard to beat. The X70 series has always been a solid compromise between the X80 and X60 (similar to AMD's 6950 vs. its other cards).

I like both cards and can comfortably recommend both.

Depending on the rest of your purchases, we should be able to figure it out for you... if you're loading up with a reliable and speedy SSD (probably a Kingston HyperX 3K, Corsair FORCE SSD, or Mushkin SSD), an i5-2500k, and the other components you listed (or components similar/the ones Mik speaks of), then a 670 fits in nicely. It is quite a bit more expensive, but again, it comes down to these questions -- let me phrase them in a way that will help you answer them:

- "How avid of a gamer am I?"
- "Do I want to be a part of the 'enthusiast' club?"
- "Do I care about having the best (or close to) graphics output in the games coming out in the next two years - including CryEngine 3 and other new engines?"
- "Am I comfortable with spending $400 on a GPU when a $300 option will likely provide similar immediate output?" (Note: The 670 has great staying power, but $300 options will be almost unnoticeably similar in terms of this year's graphics output for modern games.

If you're saying 'yes' to either 2 or 3, the 670 sounds like the way to go. I hope this helps

Thanks guys! That was exactly what I needed to hear to push me over the 670 ledge, so to speak. I guess with that my build is complete. All that's left now is to earn the other half of the money and actually order the stuff, assuming nothing changes within the next few weeks. I'll be posting some build pics in the appropriate section once I have everything in front of me.

Thanks again for the help, dudes. I'm really excited to build this baby but waiting another month is going to be torture.

Indeed, waiting is the hardest part. You know what's even more torturous? Ordering it and waiting 3 days to receive it. Even worse than that? Ordering it on Thursday and receiving it on Monday o.o

Good luck Let us know if you need help!

Just ordered theThor/HIVE combo, 8gb of Gskill Ripjaws X ram and this wireless adapter for a cool $206 by using the email-exclusive promo codes. Just the kind of deal I've been waiting for.

Not bad at all. That's a crazy good deal! You should be getting the parts on what - Wednesday or Tuesday? Don't forget to take photos of your build process so we can share them on our facebook page!

Yeah, I basically got the RAM and adapter for free. I'm expecting it any day now, unfortunately the case was shipped a day later than the rest of it. So that sucks.

On an unrelated note, how do you guys feel about the G500 and G110 mouse/keyboard by Logitech? I can get them for about $50 each.