So in the market for a new pc, few things that I'm really unsure of. Things I'll be keeping: Case Hard-drive CD drive Monitor Peripherals Monitor is 1920 x 1200. The system is mostly for gaming / daily use. Already have a student copy of win 7 pro 64 bit. Games I'm playing include: Skyrim, bf3, diablo 3 when it comes out. Most of the other games I play are older / less demanding. Things that need to be replaced: CPU Mobo Cooler Ram GPU PSU Plans i5 2500k mobo I'm unsure of but I'd really like to have e-sata though all the boards with e-sata built in are a lot more expensive, so may just get a e-sata add-in card to save money? Not sure on chipset though I really don't need crossfire or SLI, I'd like to have usb3 and sata 6gb and some bells and whistles. I don't really OC but I'd like to learn / mildly oc the 2500k Ram 8gb of ddr3 that works with the mobo cpu cooler gonna grab an h80 as a h100 wont fit in my r3 without modding. I'm going more for quiet. Also getting it as a gift so thats extra money I have to put towards the build. GPU I'm also lost, I'm stuck in the 560 TI vs 6950 2gb debate. Would a pre-overclocked 2gb 560 TI be the better choice? I know you can flash the 6950's but I really don't oc or want to start messing around with that, so I'd imagine a 2gb pre-overclocked 560 TI would be the better choice? PSU would 600-650 watts be enough or should I go for a 700 watt one? I have enough sense to spend some money for a good unit, something like a corsair or coolermaster, depending whats on sale when I plan to do my purchases. Also I may be interested in a SSD, probably stick with a 64gb one as the 128gb models are too pricy. I'd also like to avoid the SF models as I've heard nothing but bad about them. Probably stick to a crucial or corsair model. Plan on ordering from ncix if it makes any difference. Not too sure on the budget, I'd like to be under 900 before taxes and I still don't know if I really need the SSD or not.
I'm using the parts in this screenshot minus those extra fans plus a gigabyte pre OC 560TI 1gb (would have got the 2gb had I known about it) and a Samsung F3 from my old PC and the damn thing is nearly silent. Several times I have had to check that the fans were still spinning because I couldn't hear anything Although I am a little deaf so you will hear something. When there is HDD activity it makes a grinding sound but I think I have just got a dodgy HDD http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t310/russ555/basket.jpg Also scan do a great deal on mobo/cpu/ram/cooler combos. The one I had comes overclocked to 4.4ghz (says 4.5 on the site but the small print says it may only be 4.4) and it is already assembled. Here is a link to the page. http://www.scan.co.uk/3xs-overclocked-bundles Also since you have got 2 thousand posts you probably already know this but just in case. If you link your forum account to your scan account you get free next day delivery
You failed to notice the location, I'm in Canada so will be ordering / picking up from either NCIX, Newegg or tigerdirect depending on prices and such. I've already got the fractal r3 and love how quiet it is. More interested in psu, graphics card and motherboard. All the motherboards with 2x e-sata ports are around 170-180 bucks, which is a bit much. Think I'd be better off getting a cheaper motherboard for 130-140 and spending 10-20 for a e-sata add-in card in which case does the add-in card brand really matter? Happy with the stock fans on the fractal so not sure if I want to replace them, though if I do the new ones have to be 3 pin so they can work with the fractals fan contoller.
but will the 7xxx series be in my budget? the 560 ti's and 6950's are both around the 250-280ish range, originally I was thinking a 570 gtx but they were just too expensive.
