My three year old, 220W slimline Gateway only has an Intel Quad Core and 4GB RAM with a 1GB DRR3 video card. I think its time to upgrade and I'd like to make my own PC. General requirements:

Mainly play Flight Sim, might play some more newer games
Intel processor
nVidia Video
Air cooled
64-bit
8GB RAM min
1TB HDD/ 120GB SDD mix
~$800

For the expensive stuff: I was thinking the 3rd gen Intel I5/I7 with a GDDR5 nVidia 6xx, unless someone can recommend something else. Anyone want to chime in on the main difference between the 5 and 7? Here is what I have so far:

Samsung 840 SSD kit @ 120GB - $110 ( )
Western Digital Black Series HDD kit, 6GB/s 7200RPM @ 1TB - $95 ( )
nVidia GeForce GDDR5 2GB GTX660Ti - $240 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814133466)
Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge 3.8GHz Turbo- $215 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116504)

 

Core i5 is a quad core without hyperthreading. Core i7's generally are quad core or higher with hyperthreading. The i5 3570k is a great chip. The GTX 660ti is a nice choice as well. Another option that is close to performance and costs less is an HD7870. Your hard drive and SSD choices are not bad either. I prefer Seagate over WD but WD has supposedly gotten much better than when I previously used them. Here is what I am running currently:

Cooler Master HAF 922 case
Corsair TX750 Power Supply
Asrock Z77 Extreme4 Motherboard
Core i5 3570k @ 4.0ghz
Cooler Master Hyper 212 cpu cooler
8gb of Gskill ddr3 2133 ram
2x Sapphire HD5850 graphics cards in CF (Really want to upgrade those. lol)
2x 500gb Seagate in Raid 0
1x 750gb Samsung for storage
DVD burner. (cannot remember if Samsung or Sony)

My system does all I have ever needed it to do. I really only want to change the graphics cards because they are 2 generations old now. It is a shame you don't have a Microcenter nearby. They have awesome specials where you buy a 3570k, you get a $40 or so discount on the motherboard.

 

I like the ASUS motherboards - you can get a good one in the $200-250 range I think. I have the ASUS Sabertooth P67

I have a ZalmanCNPS9900MAX-B CPU cooler on my I7-2600K CPU and like the way it works a lot. (Variable speed, according to CPU load - generally VERY quiet). About $60-70 I think.

I have an Antec Nine Hundred case and like it a lot for its included fan setup as well as its layout. If I were buying one now, I'd get an Antec Nine Hundred Two V3

Power supply? I have a Corsair AX 850 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Gold unit. Very quiet, 140mm variable speed fan and plenty of power. I'm seeing it for $161 at Amazon.

I use Corsair memory too.

As far as the difference between I5 and I7, here's one 4-month old article: http://www.pugetsystems.com/blog/201...right-for-you/ There are many more.

Have fun with your build - I certainly did!

Edit: I've seen better reviews for Nvidia graphics cards than those I've seen for Radeon products. I have a GTX 570 from ASUS that I like a lot. I've only had Radeon cards in a couple of computers, and didn't have any trouble with them either.

- Jack

 

I'm a hardcore nVidia fanboy.

Is your i5 overclocked to get that 4.0GHz?

As far as power supplies go, I'd like to keep it under $100 and get 750W if able. I haven't built a new computer in years so I'm sure the sockets are different. If I get the LGA 1155, would there be a standard pin-out for power supplies (such as the 20+4?)

How do you like that case? I am having a hard time deciding to go mid-tower or full tower. I have a Small Form Factor PC right now and it was the worst decision I ever made, so right now I have bigger=better stuck in my head.

 

Update: How does this motherboard look?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131821

I like the fact it has 4x SATA 6.0Gb/s, 2x PCI-e 3.0, 4x USB 3.0, and SATA and SLI cables included.

 

I love my case. Has proper cable management and great airflow. The pinout for power supplies have changed little. Corsair, PC Power and Cooling, Seasonic, and OCZ make good PSU's. http://www.jonnyguru.com/ is a good place to see how well a particular PSU or PSU line is. My i5 is overclocked. Just changed the multiplier and left everything else alone. Ram had to run @ 1866 instead of 2133. Not really a big deal. It was still cheaper than any 8gb 1600 kit at the time I bought it.


As a general rule, I have never spent more than $150 on a motherboard. My Z77 Extreme4 is SLI or CF. The pci-e's are 3.0. They run @ 8x in dual card mode but there isn't a card out there I am aware of that can fully saturate the bandwidth of them. The more expensive boards have bells and whistles most people flat out don't need. Asus isn't bad. Their customer support is reportedly lousy. I have an Asus laptop and it has been good for me so far. Asrock is actually an offshoot of Asus. I am on my second Asrock board. The other one is a p67 extreme4 that now resides in my file server with an i5 2400. They have really stepped up their game the last couple of chipsets.
Might want to read this. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...mark,3254.html

 

dewalt, how many SATA 6GB/s or USB 3.0 ports does it have? I have four gaming controllers and from the likes of it, when I SLI my card, I might get another WD Black and go RAID 0/5 as well.

Onto RAM- 8GB seems enough, with 12GB being on my upper end. Any particular brands? I love Corsair's Vengence series, but I don't want to be fooled by eye candy like the above motherboard.

 

Wait for glc to chime before you pull the trigger .....he'll know what's what and how it will all work together.....he's pretty good at it...imo

 

I'll beat glc to the punch.

I like the Sabertooth series of motherboards. They have numerous temperature sensors mounted that you can monitor easily during use and I've read a couple of independent tests that show the thermal armor with an inexpensive (about $5) aux fan really helps keep things cool.

- Jack

 

everyone has recommended great options

good choice on nvidia + intel combo, can't go wrong with them. I bought myself a new 560ti card to upgrade my old 7600gt

 

I think after 5+ hours of shopping, I did alright on my pricing. The GTX660Ti I have for $239 on NewEgg was at BestBuy today for $349.

I found a Corsair GS800 power supply for $98 online, might go with that. It has a 140mm fan and up to 65A on the 12v rail. Plus the cool box and marketing trickery on the back leads me to believe it runs cooler and quieter than others

I'm thinking 2x 4GB Corsair Vengence RAM sticks for 8GB now, then get another set of 2x 4GB sticks in the future for 16GB when I go for SLI.

As for OS, I have an extra license for Win 7 Pro that I will use. I also will be using the DVD-/+RW LightScribe from my current computer for an optical drive.

Question: Can someone help me with CPU heatsink shopping? Should I get something with these heatpipes? (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835106150)

I absolutely L-O-V-E this case. It matches my truck and airplane (white), plus it has 2x 200mm fans, a 120mm fan, and space for 6 more 80mm fans. It also has holes for water cooling and great cable management from the reviews I'm reading. I just can't get over the $180 price tag.

 

Final shopping list if anyone cares to take a look at:

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811139005 ($180)
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131821 ($240)
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116504 ($215)
CPU Cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=nsoshe221q73 ($60)
Video: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814133466 ($270)
Power: http://www.compextreme.com/4619_page_942151.htm ($100)
Primary Memory: ($100)
Secondary Memory: ($110)
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-pla-_-NA-_-NA ($45)
Drives: Current DVD+/-RW LightScribe ($0)
OS: Windows 7 Professional ($0)
Keyboard: Logitech G15 ($0)
Monitor: Gateway DVI FX2300 23" Widescreen ($0)

Grand Total: ~$1,300 + tax & shipping

 

take advantage of the rebates and promo codes to save $20 here and there

 

For cooler, I would go with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103099. It is really the best cooler for the $$$ right now. I am using a slightly older version of that same cooler on my i5. I a fan of G-skill for ram. Great customer support. All 4 of my desktops have them and I have only had one stick fail in the past 5yrs or so. Corsair ram is still good though too. Would be worried about clearance issues with aftermarket coolers though. My Gskill ripjaws just barely fit under my cooler. As cheap as ram is, I would go with 16gb in a new rig if you can swing it. Your motherboard is nice, but still too pricey, imo. In response to your earlier question, my board is listed in that tomshardware article. It is the very first board in the review.

 

dewalt, I might go with the Corsair W80 water cooling system for CPU cooling. I'm just worried about how long the lines are and where the radiator gets mounted to