# First time building gaming PC and would like input



## zujwa (Nov 15, 2009)

Hi,
I am trying to put together my first gaming pc and was hoping for a glance over from people who know a lot more than I do. What started my interest was wanting to be able to play Shogun 2 (hopefully on high settings), though of course I would like to be able to play new games in the future also. Shogun 2's recommended specs are:

- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™i5 processor (or greater), or AMD equivalent
- 2GB RAM (XP), 4GB RAM (Vista / Windows7)
- AMD Radeon HD 5000 and 6000 series graphics cards or equivalent DirectX 11 compatible graphics card
- 1280x1024 minimum screen resolution
- 20GB free hard disk space

Approximate Purchase Date: This month (March)

Budget Range: ~850 Before Rebates (though I'd really like to keep it lower)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming and watching movies

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, OS, and disc drive (see below)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com and microcenter.com (I live right next to a Micro Center)

Country of Origin: US

Parts Preferences: I'm open to suggestions if anything should be changed.

Overclocking: Maybe (I don't really know how, but would be open to trying in the future).

SLI or Crossfire: Not anytime soon.

Monitor Resolution: 1600x900 (see monitor below)



What I've come up with so far:


Core i5 2500K LGA 1155 Boxed Processor
Micro Center - Intel Core i5 2500K LGA 1155 Boxed Processor 179648

MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Newegg.com - MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card


ASUS P8P67 LE B3 Intel P67 Motherboard - ATX, Socket H2 (LGA 1155), Intel P67 Express, 2200MHz DDR3 (O.C.), Gigabit LAN, 8-Channel Audio, SATA 6.0 Gb/s, SuperSpeed USB 3.0, AMD CrossFireX Support
ASUS P8P67 LE B3 Intel P67 Motherboard - ATX, Socket H2 (LGA 1155), Intel P67 Express, 2200MHz DDR3 (O.C.), Gigabit LAN, 8-Channel Audio, SATA 6.0 Gb/s, SuperSpeed USB 3.0, AMD CrossFireX Support at TigerDirect.com

COMBO: LOGISYS Computer CS1200BK ATX Mid Tower Optimus All Black Gaming Case and
Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ...
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!

4GB DDR3-1333 (PC-10666) CL9 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit (Two 2GB Memory Modules)
Micro Center - Crucial 4GB DDR3-1333 (PC-10666) CL9 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit (Two 2GB Memory Modules) 649528742667

Hewlett-Packard
S2031 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor
Micro Center - Hewlett-Packard S2031 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor WJ676AA#ABA

7K1000.C 500GB HDS721050CLA362 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -OEM
Micro Center - Hitachi 7K1000.C 500GB HDS721050CLA362 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -OEM 193276

LG WH10LS30 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support - Bulk - OEM (I already own this, but want to make sure it is compatible-it seems to be from what I can tell)Newegg.com - LG WH10LS30 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support - Bulk - Blu-Ray Burners


My main questions:
I don't have any cooling system, but do I need one(if I do, what would be a good one)?
Are all of these parts compatible (is the tower the right size)?
Are there parts whose power/performance is being wasted because of another part that isn't as good?
Is the motherboard one of the fixed ones that have been sent out after the recall? It says B3 so I thought it was ok.

Thanks for any help and let me know if any more info is needed. Thanks! I'd be open to any suggestions on how to make this cheaper without losing too much performance.


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

Looks good. Should be a solid system. 

For cooling do you mean for the CPU? That's included with the processor.


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## zujwa (Nov 15, 2009)

I see a lot of people with something like this:
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7

Do I only need that if I plan to overclock?

So everything else looks good? The motherboard is not one of the recalled ones correct?
Thanks for your help!


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

I would suggest looking at our suggested build list. Choose what you want and get the parts from the source you prefer.
http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...evised-2011-and-updated-regularly-448272.html

Do you really need a Blu-Ray Burner and Lightscribe?


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

zujwa said:


> I see a lot of people with something like this:
> COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1
> 
> Do I only need that if I plan to overclock?
> ...


You don't need an aftermarket cooler unless you're planning to overclock, I overclock with the stock cooler and I've never had an issue.

You can also get the non "K" version processor if you're not into overclocking. All of the motherboards on Newegg's site will be the new fixed versions. I believe anything with B3 is the fixed version.


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## zujwa (Nov 15, 2009)

Thanks for your help. Good to know everything seems to be ok. 

I have one more question. I have also been considering the MSI 6950 2gb card, since it is almost the same price (cheaper after rebate and gift card).
Newegg.com - MSI R6950-2PM2D2GD5 Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

Would that be better than the MSI twin frozr 560 ti I originally linked to? 
Would I need to get a cooling fan if I got that, since I've read they run a bit hotter and is not twin frozr? 
And would it still fit in my case (it will from what I've read)?
I see a lot of 6950 2gb cards on newegg, and this is the cheapest one. Is it not as good as the others, or is it just a name brand thing?
Thanks for any help. It's really appreciated!


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