Will be attempting first [Gaming] PC build [~$1.5K]

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brahnsolo

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May 23, 2013
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So I am very new to the whole PC building concept. I am trying to keep my cost as close to $1,500 as possible. Any comments or recommendations will be taken constructively so please feel free to tell me where I could improve.

I am not familiar with OC'ing but am leaving that as a possibility down the road once I become more knowledgeable.

A few areas of concern are PSU and GPU. I considering a GTX670 over the Radeon 7970 but they seem to be close in regards to performance. The perk of the game bundle from AMD seems to make it the better deal.

Also, I am in need a of a mouse and keyboard but still trying to decide on models. This isn't too important at the moment, but I'll consider any recommendations here.

Newegg deal ASRock Motherboard's come with a free Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB, so I will have 2x8GB (which may be overkill?)

I am really fond of the Corsair 500R design, and don't mind spending a few extra on it. (I have also looked into the Fractal Design R4.)

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/103Jw
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/103Jw/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/103Jw/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Cooler ($46.17 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($443.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Gaming 700W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($104.98 @ Outlet PC)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VE247H 23.6" Monitor ($152.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1519.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-26 18:23 EDT-0400)
 
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brahnsolo

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May 23, 2013
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I don't plan on building for another 3 weeks or so this is an option. Other than CPU any other thoughts?
 
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MJSBLUES

MJSBLUES

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May 7, 2013
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Ok, good. Otherwise the build looks great, but I'd recommend you get 2 x 4 gb ram rather than just 1 8gb stick. Dual channeling works a bit better.
 
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brahnsolo

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May 23, 2013
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Right. The motherboard comes with a freebie and I am purchasing a second, so there will be 2 x 8gb. 16g in total.
 
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MJSBLUES

MJSBLUES

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May 7, 2013
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That will be more than enough ram, sounds good!
 
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brahnsolo

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May 23, 2013
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So other than the CPU it's safe to start pulling the trigger on parts?

What are the thoughts on GPU, should I jump on the 7970 or go the Nvidia route with 670.. Or Possibly the new 7 series at the end of the month depending on price?

Should I go with the EVO over the Zalman cooler to save a few bucks?

Sorry for all the questions. Just want to make sure I don't regret any decisions after the fact.
 
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MJSBLUES

MJSBLUES

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May 7, 2013
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It's fine, better asking questions then getting something wrong :p
Go with the 7970, it's a beast. And will outperform the 670. The 7970 is more comparable to the 680.
The 212 Evo will be a good choice for your build (great bang for buck). For the EVO it's is best to overclock around 4.4 ghz as well which should be enough for the 3570k or whatever CPU you are going to get.
I'd wait till the haswell comes out before you start pulling the trigger, and make sure everything is compatible with it.
You can't do much with parts without a cpu anyway :p
 
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sharkbyte5150

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Mar 22, 2012
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Your build is great as it is (except for low voltage RAM), but if you are going to wait for Haswell you need a Z87 mobo, not Z77, different socket.

I have that Zalman cooler in my build and love it, but the 212EVO is a fave for OC'ers. For RAM, 1.5V is the sweet spot and the one you picked is low voltage @ 1.35V.

Here's my build: http://pcpartpicker.com/b/AJe
 
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opponentmule2

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Jun 7, 2013
333
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10,810
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/17HUD
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/17HUD/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/17HUD/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($127.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($57.60 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.58 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($395.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($266.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1477.05
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-18 18:21 EDT-0400)

This is the exact build i'll be doing mate. Trust me, it's a much better deal over all due to all the sales atm.

You get a better GPU, CPU, a MUCH better monitor for gaming and it's around 30$ under budget.

Also for a gaming mouse + keyboard. I would look into

Microsoft sidewinder x4 for the keyboard

Also. The new 2013 Razar Deathadder or the Anker 8000 DPI precision mouse
 
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sharkbyte5150

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Mar 22, 2012
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That's one hell of a build for that amount!!
Best Haswell list I've seen so far, I'd say go for it brahnsolo.
 
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brahnsolo

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May 23, 2013
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10,510
I appreciate the responses! I ended up waiting a bit and then got impatient and went bigger than I really wanted to. But all in all I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I'm installing Windows as we speak because my HD and SSD just came in.

This was my parts list. I ended up getting $80 in rebates for most of the Corsair items which I spent on new SP120's for the H100i and a AF120 for the exhaust. Spent the leftover on a Corsair mousepad to match my Corsair theme.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/vitiatR/saved/1Kb7
 
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