building new GAMING computer (need serious help)

Alright guys I need "professional" help here. I don't know jack shit about computers. Here's what I came up with.

I've got $1300 to spend. All this shit adds up to more than $1300, I really need help minimizing the money because I honestly do not know how to save up money and make a good gaming computer. Don't flame me for being a complete dumbass, I just chose the stuff that had the best rating. :embar:

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

Graphics Card:
Should I get this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423

Or this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131736

Sound card:
Do I even need one?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006

Power supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018

Processor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Hard drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148844

CPU cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118074
This even necessary?

SSD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227791

Optical Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247

RAM:
Don't even know what to get.

I need help :'(

 

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

Looks fine.

Graphics Card:
Should I get this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423

Or this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

The 550 ti is a pretty decent card, especially for the price. But the 670 is going all out. The more you spend, the better card you get.

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131736

The motherboard must be the same socket type as the processor, in this case you're trying to hook up a lga 1155 processor with a AM3+ socket motherboard. Pick up this motherboard instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293.

Sound card:
Do I even need one?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006

Not really, save some cash.

Power supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018

Looks good, and is modular too so there's less clutter in the case.

Processor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Fine choice.

Hard drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148844


Looks good, has a SSD built in, so no need for the other one.

CPU cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118074
This even necessary?

If you plan on overclocking, an aftermarket cooler is a must. The processor you buy comes with a stock cooler, it's not very good but it gets the job done.

SSD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227791

No need.

Optical Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247


Looks alright. There's one for $20 for sale, without the blu-ray functionality if you're looking to save cash.

 

Thank you very much for the help. But do you think I should buy the processor I chose? Or are there better ones for gaming? I saw some Eight Core one that's AMD is that better?

 

Sorry to double post, I decided to change from I5 to I7 for the processor so I'm getting Sabertooth 990FX as my motherboard. Or should I stick with I5 because it's cheaper?

 

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231429

 

Stick with the i5 2500k.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Get this motherboard instead, it comes with a free 60gb ocz ssd:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157298

This graphics card has almost the same performance as a gtx 670 but for $100 cheaper:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127696

I would recommend getting 8-16 gb ram. 8gb is good enough for gaming I hear, but I recommend getting 16gb for futureproofing. It's up to you:
16gb ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231429
8gb ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

If you get rid of the sound card (Which isn't necessary at all) it'll total to $1300.

 

Okay so if I stick with the Intel Core i5-2500K I save a bunch of cash and I can get a cheap motherboard that comes with free ram. And the MSI is cheaper that Gigabyte that saves cash, and comes with free borderlands 2. Thanks for your help guys!

One question, what difference is it between I5 and I7.

 

i7 has hyper threading while the i5 doesn't, it helps with stuff like photo editing/video encoding but doesn't give a noticeable performance gain in games.

edit: The motherboard I suggested comes with a 60gb ssd which you can use to replace the 120gb one, which would make the end cost $1300 if you where to buy ram separately. If you don't want that one make sure you get a z68 or z77 intel motherboard.. not a 990fx/amd one since it wont be compatible with the intel i5 2500k

 

Corsair RAM is best RAM, don't get over 8GB unless you're doing something like video rendering or using programs taking up loads of memory. For just gaming, stick at 8GB.

 

You might want to reconsider that power supply. I was looking into it too, but then I found out that OCZ ModXStream powersupplys have short cables. Go to the reviews and just look around, there are a lot of comments saying the same.

I don't really recommend a gtx 550 ti in a $1300 gaming PC. I think the gtx 660 ti would be a great option.

 

I have put together a final draft for you, using all of our suggestions.

Mobo/Motherboard + SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157298 140

GPU/Graphics Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127696 310

RAM/Memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428 44

CPU/Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 220

HDD/Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 120

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021 96

PSU/Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010 145

CPU Cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118074 76

Optical Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247 50

Total comes out to $1,200. You can skimp out a little on the PSU, CPU cooler, optical drive, and graphics card if required. This is truly a beast build, and will handle any game on max settings.

 

There you go, OP.

 

what if i get this motherboard?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
comes with free ram

 

The RAM is worth $42, and a 60GB SSD is worth $60. Not really much of a difference here.

 

oh so ill need an ssd right?

 

SSD is more of a luxury actually, it significantly increases the boot speed of your computer. It is the same as a hard drive, but faster in simpler terms. It's up to you.

 

I chose this as hard drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148844

 

...Do you really need 3TB of space?

 

Like I said, I'm not too good with computer parts. What would you suggest I should get as my hard-drive? And would I need an SDD, if so which one?

edit: oh shit i didn't notice the 3 TB holy crap that's a lot ahaha

 

Don't get a 3TB.. get 1 or 1.5/2 I bet you won't need more than 200GB.
That saves some money also get a 60 GB SSD not a 128 since you got a HDD
As suggested get the 660 ti nor 670/550 ti. Saves 100 bucks and gives almost the same performance as the GTX670.
And don't get a sound card..
Get an i7 2600k(not necessary)? If you wanna get a gaming build it's highly overclockable and also you need a good cooler..
Get a 16GB RAM with 1600Mhz it's around 100 bucks.
Also, be happy! If you buy the 660 Ti or the 670, you'll get a free Borderlands 2 coupon which is worth 60 bucks..
Note: Since you're gaming, get a good GPU, don't go with a 550 Ti...