best video card for my money?

[Sharky.]

Motherboard: I don't know how to match this up, or what is good/bad. I would like at least one USB 3.0, HDMI (I thought that was GPU?), 4x RAM slot, and have it fit in nicely with the rest, without being overkill as stated.

Pretty much any P67/Z68/Z77 board would fulfil your needs, and as long as you stick to brands like ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte and MSI you shouldn't have any problems on the reliability/support front.

(let me know if this is a no-no, its a 3.5" and 2 years old)

Nothing wrong with that, my hard drives are about one and a half years old themselves

Power Supply: I want to make sure that there's enough juice running to the goodies. I don't know what's enough, and if there can be too much? Someone mentioned Amperage is important? (This part I am worried about the most, don't want to ruin anything)

Modular Corsair 650w. Boom, done. Much like the motherboard, anything 600w or better and 80 PLUS certified (at least bronze) would do the job. Modular units recommended though, or you'll end up with a jungle of unused cables sitting in the bottom of your case...

RAM - I hate slow computers, which influenced my decision to go i5 3570, and 8GB. But there are 30 different kinds of Kingston 8GB RAM, do I have the right one?

Excellent choice for processor! The 3570K is very very fast. Any DDR3-1333/1600 RAM would work if the motherboard isn't some no-name random jobbie, no problems there.

GPU - I picked the 560Ti, because it had a LOT of 5 star reviews, as well as several endorsements on here What's the main reason to pick that over the 7850?

560Ti *should* be cheaper, although the 7850 is theoretically a slightly stronger card

And the difference between Diamond and Sapphire?

Generally nothing except for warranty duration and post-purchase support etc, although some people swear that certain brands are terrible and should be avoided and vice versa (EVGA seems to be considered the best brand for nvidia cards)

EDIT EDIT- Cooling - Do I need to consider a case fan as well? there is no option on PCPartsPicker, am I to assume that it comes with the case or PSU?

Cases always come with one rear-mounted exhaust fan, some of the more expensive cases come with more fans installed. A single rear exhaust ought to suffice if the case gets good airflow - so don't do anything obviously dumb like covering up the side grill by facing it into a wall or the front intakes etc. More fans is never a bad thing though

(Warning, the following may sound dumb..) Do I need to consider a 'liquid cooling system' or is that for the overclockers of the world?

Water cooling is all about e-peen and getting big GHz numbers. The Hyper 212 is a very capable air cooler; I use a 212+ myself and it sees my CPU with a 1GHz/33% overclock idle at a very reasonable 30C, topping out at 55-60 under load. You could get 4.2-4.5GHz out of a 3570K on air relatively comfortably as it is, who needs H2O?

 

[gordie44]

Thanks Sharky and Bevo!

 

[sesselpupser]

If it helps at all, I have a P8Z68 mobo with two G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB RAM cards, they're DDR3 1600MHz and it works fine; you should be able to find the manual for the motherboard you want online and it'll have a list of the RAM that will work with the board. Also I'd personally recommend a bigger PSU than 650W, but that's only for future proofing; 850W would probably run a high end system with two GTX 680s (I went with 850W in case I wanted two 580s, and the 680 uses less power). My PSU is a Corsair AX 850 Pro 80+ Gold, but that might be overkill for your system.

You will have to consider your cooling, I found the supplied case fans were totally useless and ended up with two Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120mm fans and one Yate Loon 140mm, at the moment I have one Scythe and one default fan in the front, the other default at the top, the other Scythe at the back and the Yate Loon on the side which draws air in directly to my 580. The supplied CPU cooler will be fine if you're not over clocking, and I really doubt you'd need a liquid cooler for 4GHz, the 2500K was reputed to be able to go that high on air and up to 5GHz on liquid. In fact someone even said the 2500K could hit 4GHz on the stock cooler... The Ivy Bridge equivalent uses less power so I'd assume it runs cooler, too.

The PSU, though, is one component you really can't skimp on. You must make sure it will power your system with sufficient headroom and if you buy a cheap one you might find that the regulation isn't good enough and causes problems or the caps won't survive a year and you'll need a new one. Some peoples' PSUs can last them through three or four PC builds, so it's wise to get a good one.

This was quite a poorly written post but I have only just woken up, so I think I'm excused.

 

[Grayfox]

Try looking at this mainboard.
http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/part/asus-motherboard-sabertoothz77

It is an Asus so it is a winner to start with.
It has 5 year warranty.
It comes with a dust guard for unused PCIe slots
Latest chipset
HDMI and Display port for HD4000 iGPU video option.
Very good reviews.
Good Overclocking options.
no PCI
4 rear USB 3.0, 2 Front.
SATA 6gbps(2 ports).
SATA 3gbps(4ports + 2 ASmedia ports).
2 35mm fans cool the motherboard(under TUF heatcover).
Holes on motherboard(not mounting holes) help remove more heat behind motherboard.
I have one so its Grayfox recommended.

For a Harddrive, get the Corsair Force 3 20GB for windows and basic programs, things like steam should be installed on another HDD like a Western Digital 1 or 2TB Black.

You could get 4.2-4.5GHz out of a 3570K on air relatively comfortably as it is, who needs H2O?

I would not push more than 4Ghz with air, Ivy bridges get really hot when you start to overclock and you do not want to go higher than 70C on CPUs as this can fry the transistors.

 

[gordie44]

An updated Build List (added MOBO, PSU, changed RAM from 8GB to 4GB)

So after going through PCPartPicker and figuring out what I want to get, seeing the total made me realize I have to limit myself more to what I need.

I am thinking of changing my planned CPU from the i5 3570k back to a i5 2500k, not only to save $20+, but because after reading this article (initiating the search after what Grayfox said ^above^) it seems to be easier to overclock the 2500k. I have never overclocked anything, but the CPU has been out long enough to have enough tutorials around, it's probably not too hard?

Also, with the older CPU, I should be able to select a lesser motherboard (not having to account for the Gen3 CPU), which will save me a further $30-$50.

Will there be much (if any) performance loss with an overclocked Sandy Bridge v. a stock Ivy Bridge (taking into account a cheaper MOBO as well)? I don't trust myself to overclock the Ivy Bridge with the massive temperature increases that I read about in the above article. Especially considering I have no experience, am using a budget-ish case, and don't want to drop another $100 on fans!

I have also opted to go with a cheaper 4GB of G.Skill RAM ($18). It's still a DDR3-1600, and I can always increase later.

Assuming I make all of these changes, I will still be over-budget by the time I add Windows 7 to the mix. Any other suggestions? I don't want to skimp on the important stuff, but need to keep my costs down

Also, is it possible to install Windows using an external (USB 2.0) Optical Drive? I am not sure about any issues concerning installing drivers without an OS.

@Neema - I picked out a 750W Corsair, to split the difference between the 850W you proposed, and the 650W that others have On second thought, it's probably not a good idea to just 'split the difference' on anything that I need to be sure about

@ Grayfox - That ASUS Mobo looks awesome! unfortunately, not possible (right now) with my budget. I will absolutely keep it in mind for a future upgrade 💡 or build Thanks!


EDIT: I have put together a separate build page with:

-a (more) budget case
-i5 2500k
-cheaper MOBO
-cheaper GPU
-650W PSU

I was very excited to get the excellent GPU, CPU, MOBO, and the case that I wanted, but my wallet can't handle those right now. Is there one of those parts that I can splurge on that will make a very noticeable difference?

I just want to run iRacing (properly), maybe Diablo III eventually. No rendering, photoshop, or other memory/CPU heavy programs. I want to be able to display on a 720p Plasma TV, but having the ability to connect to a 1080 would be nice (but not necessary)

I feel like I'm kinda circling my target here, but at least I feel I'm getting closer to my goal and learning a lot as I go along The circles are getting smaller!

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I was very excited to get the excellent GPU, CPU, MOBO, and the case that I wanted, but my wallet can't handle those right now. Is there one of those parts that I can splurge on that will make a very noticeable difference?

Definitely the GPU for gaming. Most CPUs should be fast enough to be happy with their performance plus the hard drive will be the limiting factor in many cases.

You can take one of these 3 PSUs:
http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/part/ocz-power-supply-ocz600mxsp
http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/part/ocz-power-supply-oczzt650w
http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/part/antec-power-supply-hcg620m

The latter two should be a bit better. A 600W PSU is more than enough for system with a single graphics card.

edit: There's also some bad news. The canadacomputers business seems to be pretty terrible
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Canada_Computer_and_Electronics

 

[gordie44]

Definitely the GPU for gaming. Most CPUs should be fast enough to be happy with their performance plus the hard drive will be the limiting factor in many cases.

http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/part/ocz-power-supply-oczzt650w

A 600W PSU is more than enough for system with a single graphics card.

edit: There's also some bad news. The canadacomputers business seems to be pretty terrible
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Canada_Computer_and_Electronics

Thanks for the PSU suggestion, a great way to save $40 that can be spent elsewhere

and thanks as well for the warning about canada computers, I didn't know! I was planning on buying as much as possible in person at one of their locations (and not at all if I can get the parts elsewhere at competitive prices), which will cut down on the long processing time everyone is talking about. Also, I'm not gonna buy any sort of warranties through them . I'm hoping that Tiger Direct (also has a tore 5 mins from me) will be willing to price match. They have a much better reputation.

You know what they say, if you have a good experience you'll tell 2 people, if you have a bad experience you'll tell 10.

EDIT- As long as Canada Computers outlet in Burlington has the product in stock, Tiger Direct will match the price

 

[CMvan46]

Do you have a memory express near you? You could save on shipping if you bought in store from them plus they have an incredible price match policy so it doesn't matter if everything is cheaper elsewhere. NCIX has a good price match policy as well so you could go there and I'm pretty sure they are across Canada so you should have one not too far. You could save on shipping again by buying in store from them.

I think NCIX just matches but I re read your post and Tiger Direct should be fine I didn't realize they had retail stores. I know the Memory Express beats the competitor's price by a percentage and sometimes when they have a product at a much higher price than the sale/clearance price of another place it makes a huge difference. They even match clearance prices.


Check out:

www.redflagdeals.com

All Canadian deals and coupons. Browse around the hot deals and computers sections and you'll find some wicked deals now and then. Computer stuff comes up a lot. I take no responsibility if you spend money due to the site though because they've cost me a fair bit...


Edit: from Red Flag Deals: http://f.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=1179785

Sapphire 7770 OC edition. Now it's for sale at hookbag which I've never heard of but as you can see in the thread people are priced matching with Memory Express to get the 25% of the difference taken off. Comes to $99 for a decent card which is a very good deal.

 

[Grayfox]

stick with 8gb, windows these days uses 1.5gb with things like anti virus and other programs and with new games using 2gb to run you will have nothing left.
These dominatora are good and you get 4 2Gb sticks.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_218_1125&products_id=15088

 

[gordie44]

Edit: from Red Flag Deals: http://f.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=1179785

Sapphire 7770 OC edition. Now it's for sale at hookbag which I've never heard of but as you can see in the thread people are priced matching with Memory Express to get the 25% of the difference taken off. Comes to $99 for a decent card which is a very good deal.

Just took you up on your offer, $118 with tax + shipping (supposed to be free, i think they'll match?) from memory express.

Thanks again

 

[CMvan46]

Just took you up on your offer, $118 with tax + shipping (supposed to be free, i think they'll match?) from memory express.

Thanks again

I'm not sure exactly how their price match policy works now as they just changed it, although it's supposed to be better now. Glad you got a good deal on one and that's a fantastic site for deals on anything but a lot of computer stuff comes up there too. There is a dedicated thread to hard drive deals, video card deals and computer builds.

 

[gordie44]

So far I have bought online:

G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory - $ 57
Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 OC 1GB Video Card - $118

Tomorrow I will pick up in stores:

Thermaltake V3 Black Case - $ 35
OCZ ZT-series 650W 80+ Bronze Fully Modular PSU - $ 75
Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 Motherboard -$124
i5 2500k -$247
Windows 7 64-bit -$113
Coolermaster 212 Plus PCU Cooler -$ 37

prices are rounded but include tax.

for a total of: () $806

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Do you have a hard drive and dvd drive sorted out?

 

[CMvan46]

Great build and in my opinion worth it but when I get a sec let me see if I can get you a better deal on the i5. My cheapness really helps in some situations

And yes as was just posted you need a hard drive and dvd/cd drive.

Edit:

First up if your going OCZ for power supply their best rated one (last time I checked) is on sale through mail in rebate. 750w and $30 off your price there.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index....0MXSP&manufacture=OCZ Technology&promoid=1019

You might want to see if this thread applies to you. It's for a deal on the 3930k which is an amazing CPU which would make it cheaper than the 2500k although you'd need an x79 motherboard so that may boost price way too high. However I don't know what price applies to you so if you save money over the 2500k you could put the extra money on the motherboard and you'd have a much much more powerful CPU.

http://f.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=1180174


And dang the 2500k deal Memory Express had last week is gone.

 

[gordie44]

You might want to see if this thread applies to you. It's for a deal on the 3930k which is an amazing CPU which would make it cheaper than the 2500k although you'd need an x79 motherboard so that may boost price way too high. However I don't know what price applies to you so if you save money over the 2500k you could put the extra money on the motherboard and you'd have a much much more powerful CPU.

http://f.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=1180174

I signed up for the Intel website, I need to complete a bunch of quizzes before im eligible to buy the processor. Only can guess at what they'll charge for shipping. sounds good though, but how much would a x79 Mobo be? I can't find any on PCPartPicker. an extra $50 or something would be fine, but i cant drop $240 on a Mobo.

EDIT - the only one I see is about $320, it looks like I'm sticking with the i5 2500k

And yes as was just posted you need a hard drive and dvd/cd drive.

I have a 1TB external drive that I will be converting to internal use. and I have an external optical drive, am I able to use a drive like this to install Windows?

 

[CMvan46]

Yeah cheapest x79 with good reviews on Newegg.ca is $236 after shipping. You could almost buy that processor and sell it as new for a profit... bit risky though.

Anyway I'd assume using the external optical drive should work but I've never used one to install an OS or anything else for that matter so maybe somebody else could tell you for sure.

 

[gordie44]

Yeah cheapest x79 with good reviews on Newegg.ca is $236 after shipping. You could almost buy that processor and sell it as new for a profit... bit risky though.

not a bad idea, theyre listed on kijiji for 525, $550 new. from intel $195 + shipping and possibly import tax.

would pay for the mobo, but id have to find a buyer first.

also a 120gb SSD for $195, but i dont think im gonna go for it.

 

[cresentfresh]

I'm running a 560ti in my computer and it runs everything great. Granted im running an i7-2600k and 8gigs of ram with a corsair 650w PS. Got that computer off craigslist for $450 dollars. Ended up selling my Q6600 a week later to a friend for 250. Theres definitely some good deals out there if ya look around.

 

[gordie44]

so ive almost gotten everything up and running 👍

just waiting on my 64 gb Crucial SSD ($88) so i can install windows and get things going.

i went with:

Thermaltake Commander (Snow edition) case - $62
Gigabyte Z77-UD3H motherboard - $115
G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB RAM 1600mhz (1.5v, 9-9-9-24) - $45
Sapphire 7770 Overclock Edition video card - $118
Intel i5 2500k processor 3.5Ghz (will OC to 4.5 Ghz) - $249
OCZ 700w modular power supply $ 57
6 x 120mm fans (3 exhaust, 3 intake) - $20
Coolermaster 212+ CPU cooler with 2 x 120mm fans (1 in, 1 out so air flows through the cooler radiator) - $28 +$4 for extra fan
1 TB Western Digital HDD (my old external, 300mb/s, for extra stuff) - free
Windows 7 64-bit - $113
Miscellaneous - (3-pin fan splitters, fan dust guard) - $25


all prices include taxes and shipping where applicable.

total price of my build -- $914 CAD

for just hardware it ended up $801, which was just over my max budget in my head (i said $750 earlier to allow for a bit of wiggle room). Also, i didnt originally intend to buy a SSD, but i wanted to get the most speed out of the money i spent on the other parts.

Overall im satisfied! cant wait to get it running

thanks again guys for all your help! ill post some pics soon!

 

[CMvan46]

Nice build. Should have a lot of fun with that and it leaves you room to upgrade in the coming years if you feel the need. The overage on the budget might seems huge now but the performance your going to see with that compared to what a $70
50 build including windows would have given is night and day difference.