1700 dollar budget which build looks best

kingblood69

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Jan 2, 2012
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I have come up with two builds, I am planning on ordering parts next week. I will post the two builds below, which looks to be more gamer friendly? I am interested in using it mainly for gaming with some occasional you tube video editing, 16gb overkill or not? Crossfire 7950 worth it over a solo 7970?

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($95.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($106.25 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($219.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.61 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($402.38 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair C70 Military Green (Green) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition 63.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition 63.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.95 @ Amazon)
Other: NZXT Sentry Mesh Fan Controller w/ Five 30 watts Channels ($24.99)
Total: $1629.08



or




CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($95.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($106.25 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.67 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.61 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair C70 Military Green (Green) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition 63.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition 63.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.95 @ Amazon)
Other: NZXT Sentry Mesh Fan Controller w/ Five 30 watts Channels ($24.99)
Total: $1666.36
 

Transmaniacon

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I would probably stick with the single HD7970, crossfire leads to compatibilty/stuttering/driver issues, and it will also be nosier and hotter. If you ever want to do crossfire with the 7970s in the future, keep that 850watt PSU, otherwise you could drop down to a 650 and be set.

A HD7970 will have no problems gaming at 1080P.
 
Both builds look quite reasonable. The 7950 CrossFire will have more power, but also comes with all the potential headaches of CrossFire. Nonetheless, it is overall a superior option to my mind. I do have a question, however: are you actually able to access a Microcenter, or has PC Part Picker simply defaulted to that choice? If the latter is the case, your system will cost more, although I'm unsure of how much more.
 

kingblood69

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Jan 2, 2012
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I do have access to a microcenter its about a 3 hr drive...debating said drive lol

 




I'd say it's worth it, if you can find a good bundle or discount.
 


It's a reasonable choice. The question I always ask myself when I design is "1, how much can I can this? 2, do I need to cut this?". If you can, shaving off some cost is good, but not if it will cause you problems down the line, such as downgrading a PSU and then needing to get a new one when you set up a CrossFire.
 

g-unit1111

Titan
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Both builds look pretty decent but here's what I would suggest:

1. Drop the gimmick liquid cooler - the H100i isn't ready for prime time and the iLink software doesn't really do what it's supposed to do. Get a Noctua D14 instead.

2. Drop the case fans - you don't need them. Same with the fan controller.

3. Get the Seasonic X750 or the PC Power & Cooling Silencer MKIII.

4. Don't settle for two weaker cards. Get a single 7970 GHz edition or go for dual GTX 670s. That would be a better GPU setup.

5. You also don't need 16GB of RAM.