[_Ic3Man_]

So I've searched for a few weeks for some of the best medium priced products for building my new computer. I even checked out the thread here about the best bang for your buck. I think I have a pretty good system that I'm about to order but was thinking that I should ask a very helpful forum first. Here goes:

CPU:
Intel i7 2600k

Motherboard:
ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe/Gen 3 intel motherboard

GPU:
Sapphire 100311-3SR radeon hd 6970 2gb

Optical drive:
LITE-ON black 12x Blu ray burner with 3d feature

PSU:
COOLER MASTER Silent pro series 1000w ATX

Memory:
G.SKILLS ripjaws x series 8gb(2x4gb)

Hard Drive:
Seagate barracuda 1tb 7200rpm 32mb cache

Case:
It's a draw between a Cooler master haf 922 blue/black atx mid tower
Or
Cooler master haf 932 advanced blue edition black steel full tower atx
Let me know why you guys think please. Thanks

 

[Laxer]

What are you building this for?

If its for gaming I would save a few bucks and drop to the i5.

I would also go with a corsair/xfx/seasonic 80+ certified PSU.

I like the original haf932 w/ blue LEDs

 

[_Ic3Man_]

Okay so full tower case it is. I am going to use this computer everything from writing an essay in min rising word to playing some BF3 and some video editing/photoshop It looked like the i7 was more push but if I should save a hundred bucks and go to the i5 if the i7 isn't much better, I'll jump on that. And is the psu not good? The reviews on newegg showed it to be pretty good. Guess not

 

[_Ic3Man_]

*EDIT*
*Microsoft Word

 

[Laxer]

Went and looked at the PSU(newegg was down when I first posted)... should be fine... little strong for your system but it leaves a lot of headroom.

If you are not focusing a lot on video editing I would go with the i5...

aside from that looks great.

 

[_Ic3Man_]

I video edit here and there do it might be smart to drop to the i5. Will I see a difference that is noticeable? What are the differences? I it's just a few MHz then what's the big deal?

 

[Laxer]

You would see a small difference but it would not be worth the extra cash IMO.

 

[_Ic3Man_]

Okay. So I've got a pretty solid build. Might get a few more opinions before I commit to the i5 or i7. But overall I guess I've got myself a decent system for 1500 bucks. Pretty good I guess.

 

[Laxer]

Give it a day or two here at TSF.

Our hardware staff has lots of experience and should be able to provide a better answer...

 

[_Ic3Man_]

Thanks for the help and input.

 

[_Ic3Man_]

Sorry to double post but which website do you think would be the best to order this stuff from? I set up the shopping cart on new egg but it's about 100 dollars in shipping. Would amazon be a better place for cheaper shipping? What would you recommend?

 

[Laxer]

I buy my main parts from newegg because there return policy is excellent..

there are some alternatives like tigerdirect...

 

[Tyree]

I stay with Newegg even if the prices are a but higher because of their no hassle return policy and excellent service.

 

[galbrecht71]

What ripjaw memory are you looking at (speed and price point). There are
several options for G.Skill in the 2 @ 4Gb settup.

 

[_Ic3Man_]

It's DDR3 1600 PC3 12800. Staying with newegg is the way to go I guess. Any other opinions/statistics on the i7 2600k vs i5 2500k

 

[Laxer]

If you got the cash I would just bite the bullet and upgrade to the i7...

A second look at your system shows all high level parts, not many upgrades will be available (aside from xfire).

Both the i5 and i7 will last you many years... might as well pay now instead of possibly upgrading in a few years if you change your demands.

 

[_Ic3Man_]

Okay thanks or the info. Is the ram I mentioned good or should I pay a little more for the gskill sniper series 2x4gb?

 

[Laxer]

Sniper series is same clock+timing just less voltage...

I will look for a better set to link you to if you are curious...

I think the X series will do just fine...

sniper might be a little more overclock friendly but that's about it.

If you wanted a little faster timing I would go with these: Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8

Have you seen our builds here?: http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...evised-2011-and-updated-regularly-448272.html

 

[Rich-M]

Just to add another voice, the i5 is really the work horse for Intel and really better value.
As for where to buy, I much prefer Tiger because they have equally good return policy but they ship better i.e. Newegg ships pc case in mfgr's box and Tiger puts the mfgr box inside another box and there is less damage that way. I also find with motherboards, Newegg looks at or examines nothing and Tiger boards are always sealed where Newegg's seldom are and I never get damages from Tiger Direct and a lot from Newegg. Right now Tiger has free shipping over $50. I try not to buy boards and cases from Newegg for the mentioned reasons, even if I have to pay more. The rest I can buy with confidence from Newegg but sometimes its easier on a build to buy all from one guy so then I must go with Tiger who has safer shipping for all components.
I also have good luck with Amazon though their shipping is sloppier where they often don't fill the box so things can move around and end up damaged!

 

[_Ic3Man_]

Okay thanks Laxer. I viewed the ram and it looked very good. Might switch to that. I looked around on tigerdirect but they did not have my graphics card that i want. Wondering if they were late to the party on picking up the radeon hd 9670's? I also had another question. Is the sapphire a better buy than the XFX? If so, why? I looked at the specs and they were almost exactly the same and only a $20 dollar difference.