New build time - Your opinion needed.

[Cyper]

First off I'd really like to try to get all the parts from one site, specifically Newegg. Unless I could save a good amount buying elsewhere, I'd like to try to buy all the parts from one place.

1) What will you be doing with this PC?
Gaming, and some Photoshop. Mostly gaming, Photoshop is just a hobby, nothing too extensive.
2) What's your budget?
With the help from you guys, I'd really like to keep it at $700, 800 at the most, tax and shipping included.
3) Which country do you live in?
U.S , Alton, IL.
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget?
GPU, CPU, Mobo, Ram and possibly an aftermarket cooler. I can always get an aftermarket cooler later to help stay in my budget range for now. As I probably don't plan on overclocking right away.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing.
I hopefully plan on re-using my current PSU, Case and Harddrives. My current PSU is a Mushkin ATX12V / EPS12V 580W. Do you guys think this is enough to power a 7850? As that's what I plan on getting. Also my current case is a Lian Li PC-61, I think that'll be fine for now, as long as my GPU of choice fits in it (7850) which I have not bothered to look yet. My HDDs are 2x Seagate 320gb sata drives which is plenty for me right now also.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes, eventually. GPU and CPU.
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it
1680x1050, 22".
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Hopefully the GPU next week, then the rest within the next one or two weeks.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard?
Honestly, bare minimum. Onboard audio, Sata 6Gb/s, USB 3.0. Crossfire would be nice however not really needed. Just in case I plan on buying another 7850 in the future or something, but again, not needed. Specially if it hits my budget too hard.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Will be reusing Win 7 Pro 64bit.

After doing some quick browsing this is what I've come up with so far:

GPU: XFX Radeon HD 7850 - In my price range, really don't want to spend more than $300 on a GPU right now. A 7850 sounds good for me, 1680x1050, 22" don't need much more. The 7950 3GB sounds nice, but a bit out of my price range. Coming from Nvidia, Never used an XFX product before, tell me which brand is good.

Memory: SAMSUNG 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - Didn't do much research on ram, read the memory forums and saw someone link these and apparently they're pretty decent, and cheap. If you guys suggest something else I am open to ideas.

Mobo: ASRock Z77 Pro4 - In my price range. Seems to have good ratings, cheap and has the features I need. Never used an ASRock product, but apparently they're currently competing with Asus And Gigabyte. I'm currently using a Gigabyte LGA 775 board and love it. If this one isn't all that great I'd like to go back to Gigabyte however open to ideas.

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Not much needed to explain here. It's in my price range and obviously a decent choice. However if you guys suggest something different let me know.

Aftermarket cooler (if I decide to get one right away): XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283 120mm - Don't know much about this, I just remember reading about XIGMATEK awhile back and they seemed pretty good.

$684.59 total with shipping, $664.59 If the GPU MIR goes through.

Being so close to $700 if I need to spend a bit more on something for better bang for buck that shouldn't be a huge problem. What's your thoughts?

 

[azeem40]

At that res, I'd just get a Radeon 6870.

 

[Ultima99]

You looked at the new Nvidia 660 cards?

 

[Dangman]

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing.
I hopefully plan on re-using my current PSU, Case and Harddrives. My current PSU is a Mushkin ATX12V / EPS12V 580W. Do you guys think this is enough to power a 7850? As that's what I plan on getting. Also my current case is a Lian Li PC-61, I think that'll be fine for now, as long as my GPU of choice fits in it (7850) which I have not bothered to look yet. My HDDs are 2x Seagate 320gb sata drives which is plenty for me right now also.

You're definitely looking at a new case and PSU.

New PSU because that's an older Topower design so its quality isn't all that great to begin with. Then there's the fact that it doesn't say on the PSU label whether or not it was rated at peak or load, what temperatures it was rated at, and that the 38A on the +12V rail is a tad low for a 580W PSU considering that 500W to 520W PSUs tends to have 40A to 42A on the +12V rail. In other words, nothing showing that the PSU is actually capable of providing its rated power.

New case because that Lian Li case only has 80mm fans which don't provide that much cooling unless at full blast (which means it's loud as hell) and the fact that it doesn't a placement for a side fan further exacerabates the cooling issue. Then there's the limited cable management which further decreases the cooling capability of that case.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Hopefully the GPU next week, then the rest within the next one or two weeks.

What's the likelihood of you being able to buy everything before September 1st?

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it
1680x1050, 22".

You have a low resolution. Unless you're planning on upgrading to a larger monitor within the next two months, that HD 6870 should meet your needs just fine. The GTX 660 TI and HD 7850 are really overkill for that low resolution.

 

[Cyper]

At that res, I'd just get a Radeon 6870.

Hmm. I actually run two 22" monitors, so 3360x1050 total. However I don't really game on both, just one. I guess I have the option to though.

You looked at the new Nvidia 660 cards?

I haven't, I'll do some research. Though I'm kind of fed up with Nvidia for right now, would like to go back to ATi for awhile.

You're definitely looking at a new case and PSU.

Ah dang, I was hoping I could avoid this. Which ones do you suggest? I love my Lian-Li case, the build quality is amazing. However after doing some research about a year ago you can buy decently cheap cases that have amazing cooling/air-flow so I'm on board with that option right now. When it comes to cases I'm a pretty boring guy, flat black, basic squared off look, no side panel windows or glowing lights.

New PSU because that's an older Topower design so its quality isn't all that great to begin with. Then there's the fact that it doesn't say on the PSU label whether or not it was rated at peak or load, what temperatures it was rated at, and that the 38A on the +12V rail is a tad low for a 580W PSU considering that 500W to 520W PSUs tends to have 40A to 42A on the +12V rail. In other words, nothing showing that the PSU is actually capable of providing its rated power.

New case because that Lian Li case only has 80mm fans which don't provide that much cooling unless at full blast (which means it's loud as hell) and the fact that it doesn't a placement for a side fan further exacerabates the cooling issue. Then there's the limited cable management which further decreases the cooling capability of that case.

Alright, I'll look into updating those two as well then. Although I don't see my case being that big of an issue, as long as the GPU fits. My current system runs pretty cool, minus the GPU. To anyone that has owned or read about the 8800 GT cards, they run hot as all hell being a single solution card (which was a terrible idea mind you). However still my system runs pretty decent temps. I pretty much do have the fans at full speed, the noise doesn't bother me. Also there's a grill on the side panel that fits a 120mm fan that I currently have mounted there.

What's the likelihood of you being able to buy everything before September 1st?

It's a possibility, why do you ask?

You have a low resolution. Unless you're planning on upgrading to a larger monitor within the next two months, that HD 6870 should meet your needs just fine. The GTX 660 TI and HD 7850 are really overkill for that low resolution.

Eh, I understand this but it just feels like I'm buying outdated technology to update my current outdated technology. I mean, I understand there's really no such thing as non-outdated technology as it updates so fast, but you know what I mean. Like I said to the fellow above, I actually run two 22" monitors, 3360x1050 total. However I don't really game on both of them. Though I do have the option I guess. Does this factor in to which GPU I should buy at all?

 

[Dangman]

To anyone that has owned or read about the 8800 GT cards, they run hot as all hell being a single solution card (which was a terrible idea mind you). However still my system runs pretty decent temps. I pretty much do have the fans at full speed, the noise doesn't bother me. Also there's a grill on the side panel that fits a 120mm fan that I currently have mounted there.

I do own a few 8800GTs. All dead now though. In any case, I still highly recommend a new case for better cable management and significantly better cooling. You say the noise doesn't bother you now but once you actually get your hands on a relatively quiet case, you'll quickly change your tune. I've seen it happen before.

It's a possibility, why do you ask?

Because if you can't buy before September 1st, I can't recommend Newegg's August combo deals to you since you can't take advantage of them which means that you won't be able to save money.

Eh, I understand this but it just feels like I'm buying outdated technology to update my current outdated technology. I mean, I understand there's really no such thing as non-outdated technology as it updates so fast, but you know what I mean. Like I said to the fellow above, I actually run two 22" monitors, 3360x1050 total. However I don't really game on both of them. Though I do have the option I guess. Does this factor in to which GPU I should buy at all?

Not at all unless you're planning on going for Eyefinity/Surround gaming(which means you're buying a third 22") or running multiple MMORPG clients at the same time. Since you're effectively gaming on a one monitor with a second monitor attached, you'll still be fine with the HD 6870.

Ok here's what I recommend:
$355 - Intel Core i5 3570K + Asus P8Z77-V LK Motherboard Combo
$40 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$175 - XFX HD-687A-ZHFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$64 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite Black ATX Case
$25 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
---
Total: $709 shipped.

Some notes:
- That combo deal does cost you $17 more than your planned CPU and mobo seutp but you get a far better quality motherboard for overclocking, faster onbaord video in case your main GPU dies, and slightly faster performance at stock.
- You're saving $15 and getting a far better value for your money with the case and HSF being from Amazon.com. Newegg doesn't offer really competitive pricing (i.e free shipping) on cases between $50 and $80. Newegg does offer that NZXT case but without free shipping. As such, at $60 shipped, it's not that good of a deal. At $50 it's fine. The next bang for the buck case that I can recommend from Newegg is the $80 Corsair 300R. But dunno if you want to spend the extra $35 for that route (that extra $5 is if you're buying the HSF from Newegg instead of Amazon.com).
- You have a low resolution. Unless you're planning on upgrading to a larger monitor within the next two months, that HD 6870 should meet your needs just fine. The GTX 660 TI and HD 7850 are really overkill for that low resolution.

 

[Cyper]

Sorry for the late response. Thanks man, I appreciate you taking the time to set that up for me. Everything looks pretty good, I think I'll be getting those then.

Thanks again!