Advice on High-End Gaming Build (approximately 1600€)

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Tupper

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Jan 23, 2013
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The past 3 months I've been waiting intensively to receive the money I was going to spend on a new computer for 1600€ (more or less).
Gaming is by far my number one occupation, which means I'm willing to spend a little bit extra to have the best possible experience.
During this time I've been coming up with my own build and would like your help and guidance when it comes to compatibility, bottle-necking/overkill and possibly other components.
Can skip the passage above

Following features are of great importance:
- I need the computer for high-end gaming (max settings), streaming, multi-tasking (homework, streaming, videos etc.).
- I would most likely be running at 1920x1200 but would like the option to go for a tri-monitor setup
- The possibility to upgrade to Crossfire/SLI, longevity

I have composed a build of the following parts:

CPU - Intel Core i5-3570k

Cooler - Noctua NH-D14

GPU - Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 Vapor-X GHz-Edition

MoBo - ASRock Z77 Extreme4 Intel Z77 So.1155

RAM - 16GB G.Skill Sniper DDR3-1866 DIMM CL9 Dual Kit

PSU - 860 Watt Corsair AX Series Modular 80+ Platin

Case - Corsair Obsidian 650D Midi Tower

HDD - 3TB Seagate Barracuda

SSD - 256GB Samsung 840 Pro

Optical Disc Drive - LiteOn IHAS124-04

I realise that 3TB is a lot, however I own over 200 games on Steam and watch a lot of anime.

16GB of ram is probably too much, but afaik it's better for multi-tasking as I do that a lot. Also 1866Mhz had the same price as 1600Mhz.

860W is too much, but should be required if I go for a cross-fire later on (?). I don't know if it makes a difference when going for a single or triple monitor setup (?).
Also I figured that platinum is cheaper in the long run.

I have no preferences when it comes to brand.

I live in Denmark, which is why I've chosen a German site, as it's close and cheaper. Furthermore, I expect to buy the computer within two weeks.

In advance, thank you very much for your help & guidance!

- Tupper
 
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g-unit1111
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BadBull78

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May 15, 2013
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Hi, I'd suggest you to lean more towards an Asus or EVGA GTX 670 as they are the best gaming graphics cards you can now get on the market. On top of that, the 7970 will be a very power hungry card so I wouldn't doubt that for a crossfire with that card, you might need 1000W. I suggest you the 670 as if it was my choice because I think this card makes difference only able for you to see at 1080p, which is your setup, and makes graphics extremely good looking. Good luck to you! Cheers.
 
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Tupper

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Jan 23, 2013
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Thanks for your reply!
I appreciate the in-put, but the 7970 Ghz edition cards seem on par if not superior to the nvidia 680 cards, please correct me if I'm wrong.
If going for a single GPU setup with the 7970, how high a wattage is required with my current build?
 
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J_E_D_70

J_E_D_70

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Mar 21, 2012
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Uh, no. The 7970 GHz is a nicer card than the 670 and your PSU would indeed let you SLI them. But, AMD is currently having more problems with CF than nVidia is having with SLI - if you are planning to wait a while anyway AMD may address it before you get the second card.

I'd recommend keeping your slowest loading games on the SSD. Also, just because you have 200 games it doesn't mean you need them installed, thus the beauty of Steam.
 
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l0v3rboi

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Mar 30, 2012
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You can just get the non GHZ edition 7970. The GHz edition is basically an overclocked 7970 so if you overclock the non-GHz one, it should perform similar.

Your system approximately uses 350W or so at the current configuration. No need to to upgrade your PSU even with Crossfire.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Jul 27, 2011
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I appreciate the in-put, but the 7970 Ghz edition cards seem on par if not superior to the nvidia 680 cards, please correct me if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...

That's definitely true - a single 7970 GHz edition pretty much smashes the 680 and comes close to toppling even the 690.

Keep in mind that when you buy internationally you will be subjected to customs fees and import taxes, in addition to higher than normal shipping costs. You can save a lot of money by buying locally.

The original build looks really good. But the Corsair i-Link that comes with the 860i is a huge gimmick. You don't really need 16GB of RAM or 1866, that's not really the place to spend tons of money on a build.

I'd also suggest a less expensive case like:
- http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p815394_Nanoxia-Deep-Silence-1-Midi-Tower-ohne-Netzteil-silber.html
- http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p823466_Fractal-FRACTAL-DESIGN-ATX-Midi-DEFINE-R4-o-N-Tit-Grey--Window.html
- http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p778729_NZXT-Phantom-410-Window-Midi-Tower-ohne-Netzteil-weiss.html
 
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ismaeljrp

ismaeljrp

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Feb 8, 2012
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The PSU is fine, I'm all about efficiency, so I like your choice of Platinum, but really, Gold rated is almost as good. Your current build, requires at least a 550w PSU, if it's Gold rated, why? because the higher efficiency means there is More amperage available. That PSU is more than enough for Crossfire 7970's . I have a 7870 XT overclocked, it uses more than a 7950, and run it perfectly on my 550w gold rated PSU.

I think the RAM is ok, because, I'm big on multitasking with, like 20 tabs in web browsers some loaded with video, then I like to ALT-Tab in and out of games a lot, and my system gets upto 7 gb use. And I disable my pagefile, so that my system doesn't bog down, I'm starting to get warnings of low memory again, so I'm going to be adding more RAM soon.

From a multitaskers point of view , 16gb is justified. From just a gamer, 8gb is perfect.
 
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bryonhowley

bryonhowley

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Oct 24, 2011
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The 7970 is a very nice card and should work very good for you. I am not sure what the problems are with Crossfire that some seem to be having. I have a Crossfire HD 7950 and a Crossfire HD 7970 based rig and have not had any problems with ether of them on any game I have played so for me the drivers work great.
 
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Marcopolo123

Marcopolo123

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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Why would you choose FX-8320 over an i5-3570K? I wouldn't. I'd stick with the i5.
 
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Tupper

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Jan 23, 2013
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I really appreciate your input, which PSU would you go with then (I'm really not adept in that subject)?
And also, I prefer the aesthetiques of the Corsair Cases, would you suggest that I buy this one instead? Corsair Carbide 500R
 
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T

Tupper

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Jan 23, 2013
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Thanks a lot! Any PSU suggestions then?
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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I have the Carbide 500 for one of my systems, it's an amazing case for the price and you don't really need a full tower anymore. As far as PSU goes I would suggest something like this: http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p633077_750-Watt-Seasonic-X-Series-Modular-80--Gold.html


https://www.mindfactory.de/shopping_cart.php/basket_act...

W8 for haswell
Click to expand...

So you're saying wait for Haswell, but then you're suggesting that the FX-8350 is the way to go. I'd suggest finding a message and sticking with it, rather than giving mixed signals. That will only further confuse people.
 
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T

Tupper

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Jan 23, 2013
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Thanks mate, I actually had that PSU selected on my wishlist after much thinking, but I was in doubt whether it's suitable for OC CF, however, I might never need to CF anyway, just a nice option.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Jul 27, 2011
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Yeah I have that same supply in my work rig and it works great.
 
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