I also like this bundle deal although we'll be cutting corners in places, but watch this for $537:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1097441
- You get a case with 3 free fans
- You get a modular PSU with 46A on 12V rail
- We still get the awesome Core i5-2500K CPU
- We get a decent motherboard here MSI P67A-GD80 (B3) (don't worry that it's not PCIe 3.0x, this doesn't matter since 2500K doesn't support PCIe 3.0; you need i5-3000 series for that and the performance difference is very small for modern graphics with PCIe 2.0 vs. 3.0)
- You get 1.5TB hard drive but it's 5900rpm one (not ideal for system drive). This would be OK if you save some $ for an SSD for the main system drive in say the next 12 months. Then this drive can be moved to your storage/games/music/video. Just make sure to create 2 partitions for OS and Data when you install Windows
- You get 1 stick of DDR3 8GB but it's only 1333mhz. It's not the end of the world and later you can always ditch this and get more modern RAM
Total is about $537 but there is a $30 Rebate that expires end of the month = $507.
All you'd need now is a DVD-Drive which we found for $10-20. That gives you enough $ for a GTX660Ti or HD7950 with 3 free games bundle. Either of those cards can be found for about $280 (slightly less for GTX660Ti).
We end up with a strong CPU and GPU going this route but obviously the RAM, Case and PSU are not as nice as the separate units I linked earlier in the thread.
Put together the price for the stand-alone components from this thread and compare it to this bundle above + HD7950/GTX660Ti + DVD Drive and see how they compare in terms of prices. Let me know what you think.
----
I am biased of course as I liked picking parts since it gives way more flexibility so there I came up with an alternative around your parts and my recommendations:
1) Drop the CPU from i5-3570K to i5-3450 NCIX deal (That's a reduction from $220 to $180 or $40 savings)
2) Switch out the Ultra $75 PSU for the $50 Rosewill on Newegg I linked ($25 savings)
3) Switch out Patriot ram for G.Skill or Samsung DDR3 for $35 (that's $5 savings)
4) Keep your original motherboard
5) I think I found that hard drive for $10 less at NCIX (that's $10 savings)
6) Switch out the case to Cooler Master 690 II for $50 (that's $10 savings)
7) That should be enough to get you closer to GTX660Ti/HD7950 and still come out under $850. That's a nice bump in GPU speed without any adverse downsides in the build quality other than a slightlys lower CPU and no chance for huge overclocks on a non-K series CPU. However, stepping up from GTX570 to GTX660Ti/HD7950 means a more powerful GPU. Keep in mind the original motherboard you picked is not SLI ready. Of course for Cross-fire or SLI, you'd want the much higher quality Corsair 650W I linked that costs $70 instead of the $50 PSU I linked. However, the Asrock Z77 Extreme3 does pack a lot of extra features over the $100 board you selected for $10 more, as well as being better for overclocking. Of course if you go with a non-K CPU and don't plan on going SLI, then the original board you pick is just fine.
