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Hello, it's been about 11 years since I bought my comp from Alienware(bad experience) to play Half-Life on and now I have the budget to buy a new rig. This time around I want to try BF3 on my 24" 1900x1200 monitor( I actually have 2 of them). My budget is around $1000.

Here's a list of what I think would be good after reading TR's system guide and some research...

Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit.... $100

Mobo... Asus P8Z68-V LE .... $133 I wont be overclocking so I'm not sure if I should just stick with this one or if something cheaper will work the same.

Proc.... Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz ... $180 I think the mobo/proc combo at Microcenter will cost around $260 if I read it properly.

GPU .... 7850 or 560Ti $220-250 Not sure which is better and can I run my (2) 24" 1900x1200 monitors with one of these cards ?

Mem ..... Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 $40

Storage..... Crucial M4 128gb $100

PSU ...... not sure what I'll need yet

Case ...... looking for an aluminum case around $125 range

I'm going to find out more about Microcenters mobo/cpu combos, I just recently found out about them when researching this build...BTW.. this will be my first build from scratch, my current system has been completely overhauled several times but with all older components, the newest being the PSU which is about 5 years old. The only original part to this comp is the case(beige) itself and I hate it with a passion.

Any help would be appreciated...thanks

A couple of questions:
1. If your not overclocking , why a K proc
2. Why a Z68 board, why not go with Z77 ,if for nothing more than the latest and greatest

I, myself would be reluctant to get a 560, with Nvidia releasing their 600 series now

rogue426 wrote:

If your not overclocking , why a K proc

Even I had the same question.

tukkus wrote:

Mobo... Asus P8Z68-V LE

Have you looked at Z77 motherboards (links to Asus motherboards)?

tukkus wrote:

GPU .... 7850 or 560Ti

7850 will be quite better. TR didn't review these cards with a multi-monitor setup, but someone might provide more information.

tukkus wrote:

I think the mobo/proc combo at Microcenter will cost around $260 if I read it properly.

You get $50 off most of the Z77 motherboards (at least it was so when I got mine).

tukkus wrote:

PSU

Seasonic, Corsair, Antec, PC Power & Cooling - can't go wrong with any of them. There's a 15% off on Newegg for Antec power supplies (Coupon - EMCNEJN33).

tukkus wrote:

Case ...... looking for an aluminum case around $125 range

Don't have any specific recommendations. If you decide to go Lian-Li, Newegg has 20% off on few of their cases.

I was looking at the K proc because of the price $180 @ 3.4 Ghz. What would be a better proc ?

The Z68 board is what TR's sweet spot recommended in their write up. I wasn't aware of the Z77 board but I will read more about it.

Should I wait for the rest of Nvidia's 600 series to come out before I decide on a vid card ?

I'm not a big fan of Lian-li cases, they are too blah to look at.

The PSU, I'm not sure about what wattage to go with.

I'm basing my picks on the sweet spot's recommendations and adding/changing from that.

Intel's Panther Point (Z77, H77, etc.) chipsets and Ivy Bridge (Core i5-3570K, Core i7-3770, etc.) processors were not available when the last Tech Report system guide was published in February. We're overdue for a new guide.

tukkus wrote:

My budget is around $1000.
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit.... $100

Windows Home Premium supports up to 16 GiB of memory. That's plenty for your stated uses, but if you wanted to use 32 GiB, you would select the Professional edition.

tukkus wrote:

Mobo... Asus P8Z68-V LE .... $133 I wont be overclocking so I'm not sure if I should just stick with this one or if something cheaper will work the same.
Proc.... Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz ... $180

If you're not going to overclock, why get the K processor with its unlocked turbo multiplier? There are cheaper Z77 motherboard combination deals available at Micro Center.

tukkus wrote:

GPU ....

Radeon HD7850 is an excellent choice.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/22573

tukkus wrote:

PSU ...... not sure what I'll need yet
Case ...... looking for an aluminum case around $125 range

Why aluminum? Do you want something light and easily transportable?

Antec cases are well-built. The Antec Three Hundred Illusion for $60 -10MIR is a good ATX mid-tower case for a low price.

The SeaSonic M12II-520 (40 A @ +12 V) for $80 is a good power supply. The Antec EarthWatts Green EA-430 (32 A @ +12 V) for $45 -7 code "EMCNEJN33" is very inexpensive. The Antec EarthWatts Platinum EA-550 (43 A @ +12 V) for $116 -15 code "EMCNEJN33" is very efficient.

Since you're not overclocking, you could easily live by with a motherboard with a H67 or H77. That way, you can save some $$.

Case: A case from Corsair or Fractal Design should be a safe bet. But I don't know many aluminum cases.

Otherwise, the components look good.

I would stick with the K series CPU, honestly.

Unless something has changed since Sandy Bridge, the K series CPUs come with better integrated graphics which might be good when the time comes to retire the CPU later. On top of that, if you do want to overclock later down the road you maybe pay some extra on the CPU for the privilege (less since you're buying the CPU & motherboard at Microcenter). If you ever decide to overclock to squeeze the last bit of performance out of your build, you'll be glad you did.

I second getting the Z77 though.

$190 Intel Core i5-3570K + $60 ASRock Z77 Pro4-M
$250+tax seems like a bargain for motherboard + CPU. I paid a net of $377½ for mine.

JustAnEngineer wrote:

$190 Intel Core i5-3570K + $60 ASRock Z77 Pro4-M
$250+tax seems like a bargain for motherboard + CPU. I paid a net of $377½ for mine.

That's some good priced kit there. Also, you will not be gaming on 2 screens; either one, or three, or more because even numbers of monitors put vertical bezels in the center of your FOV.

Ryhadar wrote:

I would stick with the K series CPU, honestly.

Unless something has changed since Sandy Bridge, the K series CPUs come with better integrated graphics which might be good when the time comes to retire the CPU later. On top of that, if you do want to overclock later down the road you maybe pay some extra on the CPU for the privilege (less since you're buying the CPU & motherboard at Microcenter). If you ever decide to overclock to squeeze the last bit of performance out of your build, you'll be glad you did.

I disagree. $1000 is not that much budget to worth getting the K's for the future. I don't understand the bit about "good when the time comes to retire the CPU later". If you are moving the CPU to secondary, presumably HTPC-type duties, the non-K integrated graphics should be enough. The OP already has a discrete GPU penciled in meaning the integrated graphics is not going to be used at all.

If not Lian Li, then the other aluminum case brands to look at are Silverstone and Corsair. Not sure how much Al Fractal Design uses.

I just mean that the OP will get a better iGPU with the K series CPU versus a non K. Maybe that makes the difference between having to buy a lowend discrete card in the future and maybe it doesn't.

I still stand by the K series CPU. This is the OPs first build from scratch. There's a very strong possibility that he'll want to OC later down the road. On top of that, I bet the 3570K will be alot easier to sell than a 3570 later. Again, just thinking about the future.

Personally, i dont understand how a K series setup is that much more expensive when the budget is $1k. Again, IMO the extra cost is a good investment. Also, i can't find a non-K 3570 on MCs website, so isn't the point moot?

If Microcenter's website represents all that they carry, there's the 3570k @ $190, the i5-3450 @ $150 and the i7-3770 @ $260. The 3450 is 3.1/3.5 base/turbo, so you're losing about 10% performance. With those choices, I'd probably pick the 3570 too, unless I could get a very good combo on the 3450 or a very, very good combo on the 3770.

At any rate, I'd consider a higher end video card since your budget can swing it, but a penny saved is a penny earned, as they say.

JustAnEngineer wrote:

$190 Intel Core i5-3570K + $60 ASRock Z77 Pro4-M
$250+tax seems like a bargain for motherboard + CPU. I paid a net of $377½ for mine.

That seems like a great deal to me, I'm just wondering what it lacks vs. the Asus boards ?

In the future I might get brave and overclock(if my mobo will allow) when this starts to show its' age but for now I'm guessing it wont be needed. When I bought this comp from Alienware I had a lot of problems with it(bad mobo and HD) and the people from Alienware were anything but helpful so at that time messing around with OCing scared the crap out of me but in the future I might be game.

I cant find anything cheaper than $180 @ 3.4Ghz so maybe the 3570k is the way to go for now?

With the combination discounts available at Microcenter, it's a very good deal.

If I decide to buy the ASrock board will I be able to OC it? It's not something I would do now but maybe in a few years when the warranty expires.

tukkus wrote:

If I decide to buy the ASrock board will I be able to OC it? It's not something I would do now but maybe in a few years when the warranty expires.

Absolutely. All Z-series chipsets support multiplier-based overclocking.

OK, I think I have what I'm looking for. I made a few changes like the vid card/mobo and case and found what I think will be good for the PSU.

I just wanted to run this by and see if it looks good to the pros....

Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit.... $100

Mobo...Asrock Z77 Pro4-M 1155 mATX...$60

Proc.... Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz ... $180

GPU .... 7870 ....$360

Mem ..... Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 $40

Storage..... Crucial M4 128gb $100

PSU ......OCZ Technology
750 Watt Fatal1ty Series Modular ATX Power Supply..... $55 after MIR

Case ...... Antec P280

I'd push for a Corsair, Antec, or Seasonic PSU, but I'm sure that OCZ is fine and the price looks hard to beat.

Might want to add a Hyper 212 Evo in for the CPU cooler though, if you want to overclock right off the bat. Should be good for ~4.8GHz if your CPU can handle it.