First Build

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1

Hi. This is my first post here, so please tell me if I'm doing anything wrong. (I did read the rules)

I've been making a list for some time for building a cheapish gaming machine. Since this is my first build, I wanted to comfirm the compatibility of the parts. Perhaps you could also recommend better parts?

Please note, I already have an HDD and operating system, as well as the needed sata cables and an adapter to change the front panel USB 3.0 to an internal header.

The names below are as listed on the product pages:

  • Intel 3rd Generation Core i5-3570K
  • Noctua - Heatsink + Fan CPU Cooling Kit - 2x 92mm Fans - NH-U9B SE2
  • Asus P8Z77-V LK S1155 Intel Z77 DDR3 ATX
  • Corsair CML8GX3M2A1600C9 LP Vengeance (8GB 2x4GB)      (Low profile due to the large cooler)
  • Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 915MHz 2GB PCI-Express 3.0 HDMI DirectCU II
  • Zalman Z11 Plus Midi Tower Case
  • Corsair AX750 Professional Series 750W AX ATX/EPS Fully Modular 80 PLUS Gold PSU
  • Samsung 24x SH-224BB DVD-RW SATA OEM      (It was cheap)
  • Asus Xonar DGX 5.1
  • Asus 24-inch VH242H Wide Gaming LCD TFT Monitor

 

My primary concerns are with the graphics card, sound card, and monitor.

The graphics card seems a bit expensive. Is there a better value AMD card with the same or better performance?

As for the audio card, I don't want to spend alot on it, but at the same time I don't want to use onboard audio. I'm also a headphones user, and intend to use the front panel headphone jack. So I need an audio card with a front panel header, though I assume most cards will have one. Is there a better card for use with headphones, or is the Asus Xonar DGX a good choice?

For the monitor, I'm not really sure where to start with it. I wanted a minimum refresh rate of 60, and a minimum resolution of 1920x1080. The monitor I have chosen here seems good to me.

Some more infomation I forgot initially: I live in the UK, and I didn't want to spend too much more then £1000. I'll probably be getting the parts from Amazon and Dabs. The current price of the above components, including some extras, is £925.27.

Thanks!

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For the Graphics card the 660ti is much like the 670 and if you plan to overclock you very well might be able to get preformance of the 670 out of the 660Ti card but thats also assuming that you get a card with a good cooler which the Asus is. 

As for the sound card It is atiquate for what you would like, and i'm guessing that you would like to have some speakers on the desk and when you would like to you can plug in your headphones to disable your speakers. If so that card can do that but using the front jack can sometimes sacrifise quality for convience, that mostly depends on the case. 

My last thoughts are what to add to your inital post and that is where you live and what your final budget is because your final budget is very important to our reccomendations and where you live can affect the final price of items, Another thing that might be nice is where you might be picking the items up if you are from somewhere like Australia. Otherwise it looks like a solid system and good luck to you with your build!

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Thanks for your post, it's been quite helpful. I have added the infomation above, sorry for forgetting it. I didn't actually intend on using desktop speakers but that's a nice feature to have. So I guess I'll stick with the nvidia option over the AMD one? I'm happy with that, really.

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Dabs and Amazon are great but http://www.ebuyer.com/ is cheaper on some items and a good/safe site.