Project LiL Bro

[Cyanide89]

Hello again,

I'm trying to build my brother a new gaming PC for playing Skyrim, RAGE, and Diablo 3.

I have picked out the parts and listed them below, please let me know if I should swap anything.

Intel Core i5 2500K Quad Core Unlocked Processor LGA1155 3.3GHZ Sandy Bridge 6MB

$209.00

ASUS P8Z68-V LE Z68 LGA1155 ATX DDR3 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI SATA3 Audio Video Motherboard

$128.00

Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Dual Channel Memory Kit

$47.99

Coolermaster Haf 912 Black Mid Tower ATX Case 4X5.25 1X3.5 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB Sound

$54.45



Corsair Builder Series CMPSU-500CXV2 500W ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan

$53.82

EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti Superclocked 1024MB GDDR5 2xDVI Mini-HDMI PCI-E Video Card

$114.94

 

[Lauralarry]

why cant my build be this cheap

and seems like a nice 700$ pc, I would wait for ivybridge or after ivy.. the 2500k will drop

 

[Cyanide89]

The price is Canadian, and if you live in the Vancouver region... you could get the same price.

But I'm not into waiting for Ivy, this is going to be his first PC and money isn't an issue.

I think the price for the 2500K is still pretty good.

 

[PetrolHead247]

I'd say ditch the GTX 550TI and opt for a GTX460 (or 560 if you can stretch that far) or an AMD 6850. Also, the Asus LE boards are not good overclockers, an Asus Z68-V, Gigabyte UD4 or ASRock Extreme3 are more OC friendly boards around the price of the Asus Z68 LE

 

[yassarikhan786]

Are you using the stock cooler? Maybe grab a CM Hyper 212+. They are pretty cheap and are very good as I've owned one and can vouch for them. They won't cause any problems with the RAM and it will mean that your brother can OC in the future if he decides he wants to

 

[Cyanide89]

I'd say ditch the GTX 550TI and opt for a GTX460 (or 560 if you can stretch that far) or an AMD 6850. Also, the Asus LE boards are not good overclockers, an Asus Z68-V, Gigabyte UD4 or ASRock Extreme3 are more OC friendly boards around the price of the Asus Z68 LE

I will look into the 560, and get the P8Z68-V, thanks!

Are you using the stock cooler? Maybe grab a CM Hyper 212+. They are pretty cheap and are very good as I've owned one and can vouch for them. They won't cause any problems with the RAM and it will mean that your brother can OC in the future if he decides he wants to

I'm going to be using an EVGA Superclock CPU cooler... just because I won it and don't want to buy something else.

 

[Cyanide89]

What if I were to stick with the P8Z68-V LE, and get an i5 2500 instead? Or just stick with the 2500K at a small OC since it's cheaper than the 2500 where I'm buying.

 

[I Hunta x]

If its cheaper you should grab the K version regardless tbh, better resale value + a saving at time of purchase + it gives a chance for overclocking in the future if your bro wants the give it a go.

 

[Cyanide89]

Thanks Hunta.

 

[DAN131]

the build will be great but my concern is the graphics card. maybe if you upgrade to a gtx 560 for a bit extra then i know that will run skyrim on ultra no problem but the 550ti might struggle a bit from them blockbuster games.

 

[Cyanide89]

I'll see if he will spend the extra cash for a higher card.

 

[Cyanide89]

What are the differences between all the GTX 560's listed here?!

They range from $150 to $300... what's the difference?

 

[Ru5ty_t00l]

I would take the

ASUS GeForce GTX 560 Ti DirectCU II Fermi 830MHZ 1GB

 

[seumasbeathan]

If you can you should really try and get a 560ti, Its quite a bit superior to the 550ti and would sell for more if he wanted to upgrade in the future

 

[Cyanide89]

What about the GTX480 over the GTX560Ti?

HWCompare.

 

[Cyanide89]

Is it true that the GTX 480 is hot and loud?

 

[hmmblah]

Yes. If you can tame the heat it's a great card though.

 

[killablade]

However, to do that you'll need to invest a couple of tenners in a nice aftermarket cooler.. ;')

 

[Cyanide89]

Yes. If you can tame the heat it's a great card though.

So it's better than the 560 or 570 performance wise, but is louder, hotter, and consumes more power?

However, to do that you'll need to invest a couple of tenners in a nice aftermarket cooler.. ;')

Would this cut it?

 

[Cyanide89]

I'm hoping to make the purchase within the next hour, so any additional comments or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Will a TX650W PSU be enough to run the GTX 480 and does it have the correct cables?