Advice on building a Gaming Computer (Max Budget: $3500)

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duneguy

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Jul 13, 2013
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Hi Fellow Computer Enthusiasts!

I am looking to build my own high-end gaming computer that can run pretty much every game on the max settings. I have been putting together a build that I think is good, but would love to see what you guys think about it.

My budget is kinda flexible, but I would definitely like to keep the cost low without losing whole lot of performance.

Here's my Build so far: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gfWf

Any advice or feedback on my build would be very appreciated!
 
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duneguy

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Jul 13, 2013
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No, I am kinda putting off the discussion of peripherals for now.. But I think I'll probably buy a 27" monitor with 1920 x 1080 resolution.

As for overclocking, I am planning on doing some limited overclocking.
 
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duneguy

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Jul 13, 2013
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i don't, but I know someone who does. So i am going to ask them to buy it for me!
 
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realchaos

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / 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 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($403.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($105.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($139.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1335.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-13 15:04 EDT-0400)

-Overclockable.
-Cpu/motherboard combo at Newegg. Close to microcenter price, so you don't have to ask your friend if its too much of a bother.
-8gb of RAM and i5 is enough for gaming. You won't notice any difference from i7 and 16gb.
-A GTX 770 can max anything at 1080p. Honestly, unless you go triple monitor/1440p, a single 770 should be enough.
-Better case, IMHO. However, case is up to you and if you really like the HAF X then its still a good case.
-Cheaper psu, still high quality.

All under $1500.
 
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bryonhowley

bryonhowley

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Oct 24, 2011
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^Much better and agree a i5 for gaming is all that is needed. It is not really about the price difference either because all a i7 really has different is Hyperthreading and it is not used in games anyway. On top of that Hyperthreading in some games can cause stuttering so it need to be turned off in the BIOS turning it into a i5 anyway.

On a single 1080p monitor a GTX 690 is way overkill. If you want to SLI go for two GTX 770 which will give you great performance and still not cost $999!. Even running games at 5760x1080 on my i5 rig I find my SLI GTX 670 setup to work great so if you need it a SLI GTX 770 would be great. The other thing to think about if one card goes back you would still have another GTX 770. If the GTX 690 goes out you are out of luck until you replace it. That alone is the main reason I do not get dual GPU's on a single card.

As for the ram well that is really up to you on that if you feel you will have a use for 16gig go for it. I only went with 16gig in my i5 rig because the 16gig kit was on sale at the time for like $5.00 more the a 8gig stick so it was a good price. Did I need 16gig not really but could not pass up the price.
 
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duneguy

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Jul 13, 2013
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I am very tempted by this setup, it seems to be fairly good and at the same time it's also easy on the pocket.

But I am wandering how gtx 770 would perform if I decide to use dual monitor (1080p) down the road. And whether two GTX 770s would perform significantly better for a single or dual monitor system.

As for 16 gb ram, I think I can live with 8 gb ram... I think 16 gig might be a bit overkill.

One concern that i do have with that setup is that I am not too sure about the motherboard. Would it be better to replace that motherboard with Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard?
 
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duneguy

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Jul 13, 2013
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Oh that makes sense.. But like I said, most likely I will just stick to a single monitor, I was just wondering how it would perform with multiple monitors.

Would GTX 770 be able to support max settings for games on a 1440p display? Would it have to be in SLI config?
 
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opponentmule2

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Jun 7, 2013
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PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gl2Q
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gl2Q/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gl2Q/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme9 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($299.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($92.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (3-Way SLI) ($403.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (3-Way SLI) ($403.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (3-Way SLI) ($403.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Rosewill 1000W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2062.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-13 18:43 EDT-0400)

Super gaming PC. Try 3-way 770 for speed and FPS!!!!

And yes you can get 4670k for 30$ more. But for a 3 way SLI MOBO on a z87, it'll be 200$ more
 
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Marcopolo123

Marcopolo123

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Jan 31, 2013
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You would need to turn some settings down, but well there will be nearly no visual differences anyway...

Gtx 770 => 1080p-->1440p
Gtx 780 => 1440p

Gtx 770/780 sli => 3x 1080p
 
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realchaos

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@opponentmule: Why would you even go three way SLI? Not only is it overkill for a single monitor, but I'm pretty sure 3-way SLI doesn't scale very well compared to 2-way.

@OP: Well, it can support some games at max settings on 1440p. However, if you do plan to get a 1440p monitor this is what I would do.
Stick with a single card and play games. If you feel like a single 770 isn't cutting it for your needs, then you can order a second one.
 
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opponentmule2

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While it's true that it's overkill for a single monitor.

But if you want the most computing power + FPS, it'll do better than a dual SLI. And i'm sure in the future, if you want 144+ FPS, you'll need all of that 3 SLI

I only did it because his budget is so sky high
 
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duneguy

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Jul 13, 2013
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This seems to make good sense to me. My main intention is to build a gaming rig that's not gonna fall too far behind in less than a year. Hence my big budget. My only hiccup with the build that you suggested has been the motherboard. I have read some very bad reviews about it.

 
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duneguy

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Jul 13, 2013
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I was referring to its reviews on newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157371&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
 
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realchaos

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So the only negative reviews are see are the bios freezing and getting DoA motherboards.
I'm pretty sure ASRock has already released a fix for the bios problem.
Every product, no matter how high quality it is, has a small chance to come DoA.

However, if you still feel a bit uneasy on the ASRock board, you can always get a gigabyte board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=13-128-617
Newegg also has the $80 off combo with that board.
 
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