Advice for first gaming rig...

Davi123470

Honorable
Jul 11, 2013
2
0
10,510
Hey, I've been lurking around the forums and finding interesting stuff/help for about a year now but I've never actually gotten around to creating an account. I finally got around to creating one as I figured that I'd poke around for some advice before I actually got around to building my first gaming rig. Sorry if I cross any of you as being ignorant on the subject matter because... well... I am. I'm going to post a random build that I've conjured up in order to give you guys an idea of my price range and I would really appreciate it if you could tell me ways to improve (and possibly save money?) on my build. The only parts I'm set on getting are the case and CPU. Everything else is up for grabs. I would, however, like to maintain a similar or lower price total to the current build I have (I already have a keyboard/mouse and a decent SATA DVD/CD Reader/Writer):

Prices are approximated and I do want to overclock my CPU.

  • ■ I5-3570k Intel Processor - $220.00
    ■ Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Cooler (RR-212E-20PK-R2) - $35.00
    ■ Nvidia GTX 670 FTW Graphics Card - $360.00
    ■ G Skill Sniper 2x4gb DDR3 RAM kit - $70.00
    ■ Samsung 840 Pro 128 GB SSD - $140.00
    ■ Antec EarthWatts Green 650w ATX12v PSU -$70.00
    ■ ASRock Z77 Extreme6 Motherboard - $160.00
    ■ Asus UX238H Black 23" Monitor - $155.00
    ■ NZXT Phantom Black (PHAN-001BK) Case - $120.00
    ■ WD Black (WD1002FAEX) 1 TB Hard Drive @ 7200 RPM - $90.00
Total: $1420.00
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($137.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($186.82 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($63.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($403.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE248Q 24.0" Monitor ($178.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1416.67
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-11 22:33 EDT-0400)

I manged to get you a stronger video card, doubled SSD, larger monitor, and a power cable!
 
Solution

endeavour37a

Honorable
The ASRock Z77 Extreme 4 should be just fine and would save you money. $119.99
If your not OCing the CPU why not a i5-3350P. $179.99
Perhaps a GTX-770 for $40 more. $399.99
Perhaps a XFX, Corsair, or SeaSonic PSU in the 650W range for around $100.

Not much difference between E4 & E6, 3350P is a good price on a gaming non-OC CPU, 770 is a faster card. Never hurts to get good power for just a few bucks more. Just something to consider..
 

Davi123470

Honorable
Jul 11, 2013
2
0
10,510


I really like the specs you posted. I'm most likely going to go with this exact build. Thanks for the assistance.



You're probably right about the ASRock Extreme4 and your other suggestions seem to remain consistent with those of the first answer (which is good since I have two separate sources saying the same thing). I'm going to pick the first solution since it's a full listing and because it was posted first but I really appreciate your input and insight into the construction of my first rig.
 

endeavour37a

Honorable




I would also, that is a nice set up, I would have advised staying with 3570k if I knew you could get one that cheap too. It should rock !!!!!