$4000 Gaming Build

[DarkDwarf]

Hey guys. I'm going to college soon, and I've been told I can spend what is an exorbitant amount of money on a new computer. Although I'm not sure I want to even waste the money on it at this point, since I don't know what my usage in college will be like, I'm going to detail what I threw together in the past couple days. Tell me if something doesn't fit - I briefly checked it all for compatibility. I think I can spend about 4000 dollars, but this needs to include monitors.

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 314.99
Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0)219.99
Graphics Cards: 2x EVGA GTX 590 CLASSIFIED Limited Edition 1,459.98
Powersupply: SILVERSTONE ST1500 1500W 379.99
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic 189.99
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 160099.99
Storage: 2x Corsair Performance 3 Series CSSD-P364GB2-BRKT 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive 349.98 and 2x Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 159.98
Opticals: 2x LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner 41.98 and HP BD Combo SATA Model BD240I-h01 LightScribe Support 84.99
Monitiors: 3x AOC 2330V Piano-black Glossy 23" 5ms Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor 524.97

Total Cost: 3,826.83

Explaining a couple things: I have three optical drives because I tend to do a lot of stuff that typically is easier with lots of optical drives. I have three on my current computer. Obviously they aren't all required, but they're dirt cheap these days anyway.

I'm also considering getting a speaker system and perhaps deviating from the onboard soundcard. Is this necessary? I'd just like a nice 5.1 speaker system for playing music in the dorm. I'm happy with my current onboard and I feel like I won't have a problem with the one on the motherboard. Is this likely to be true?

I'll use this system for some media work, but mostly heavy gaming.

Suggestions, comments? I don't do this often, so feel free to point out glaring errors.

 

[vibhas]

Hey guys. I'm going to college soon, and I've been told I can spend what is an exorbitant amount of money on a new computer. Although I'm not sure I want to even waste the money on it at this point, since I don't know what my usage in college will be like, I'm going to detail what I threw together in the past couple days. Tell me if something doesn't fit - I briefly checked it all for compatibility. I think I can spend about 4000 dollars, but this needs to include monitors.

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 314.99
Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0)219.99
Graphics Cards: 2x EVGA GTX 590 CLASSIFIED Limited Edition 1,459.98
Powersupply: SILVERSTONE ST1500 1500W 379.99
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic 189.99
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 160099.99
Storage: 2x Corsair Performance 3 Series CSSD-P364GB2-BRKT 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive 349.98 and 2x Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 159.98
Opticals: 2x LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner 41.98 and HP BD Combo SATA Model BD240I-h01 LightScribe Support 84.99
Monitiors: 3x AOC 2330V Piano-black Glossy 23" 5ms Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor 524.97

Total Cost: 3,826.83

Explaining a couple things: I have three optical drives because I tend to do a lot of stuff that typically is easier with lots of optical drives. I have three on my current computer. Obviously they aren't all required, but they're dirt cheap these days anyway.

I'm also considering getting a speaker system and perhaps deviating from the onboard soundcard. Is this necessary? I'd just like a nice 5.1 speaker system for playing music in the dorm. I'm happy with my current onboard and I feel like I won't have a problem with the one on the motherboard. Is this likely to be true?

I'll use this system for some media work, but mostly heavy gaming.

Suggestions, comments? I don't do this often, so feel free to point out glaring errors.

Get samsung spinpoint HDDs (1tb) x 2 of these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&cm_re=samsung_spinpoint-_-22-152-185-_-Product
and invest in a $400+ SSD rather than 2 small 64GB ones. SSDs get FASTER and CHEAPER per gigabyte as you go up the size
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227552&cm_re=OCZ_Vertex_2-_-20-227-552-_-Product 240GB $360AR. $10 more and double the storaeg, and its much fASTER.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-ssd-price-per-gb-ssd-performance,2880-6.html
This 240GB SSD is the same series as the 200GB for $400~ ssd recommended, but $40 cheaper and 40 more Gb. The $420 256GB C300 is not $420, but $500~ now..

You really need cooling in that system, buy some extra fans and get some Hyper 212+ from newegg (CPU coolant). Plus, are you planning to overclock etc?
Onboard sound is perfect- you won't hear the difference.

 

[redgarl]

Here some recommendations for you...

If you are buying a 4000$ PC, you should get a way better case than that.

I would go with a SilverStone Fortress FT02. Easily the best case IMO on the market right now and no need for buying fans since everything is included in the package. The best airflow of anything on the market.

ALso, get a BR and DVD burner in one. I got both separated and it's a waste of space, cables and air flow in your PC.

As for the drives, once again, buy a single 2TB unit since you got 2 SSD and you will mostly use your HDD for file storage. Go for a Western Digital caviar green. Seriously, you don't need anything else and they retail for 80$.

As for the graphic cards... I would go with 2 9850 in crossfire... you will never need more at 1080p... (still your money, but it is really a waste of money beyond 2 9850 imo)

Also, if you go with ATI, you can lower your power needs and get a 850W power supply which will once again save you a couple hundreds bucks.

Also, don't spend more than 30$ on a cpu cooler. Any more expensive solution would be better spent on a stronger cpu unless you got the best of the line. The Cooler Master Hyper 212+ is the way to go easily.

As for sound card (yeah, it is a great investment if you listen to a lot of music), I got an old omega striker that I love a lot. I would stay away from creative now. You can check Auzentech to and pay attention to what you want... PCIe card or PCI. Their Claro+, if you can afford it, seems pretty good.

Honestly, if you are putting more than 2500$ for a whole system, you are overkilling it. Just check Toms reviews, sometime the 1000$ build easily approach or outperfom the more expensive solution.

By the way, having the top of the line machine is cool for the whole 3 months it last, but it doesn't. The money you are going to spend on it, the hole it is leaving in your wallet is staying for a good while.

 

[Proximon]

3 monitors and all that GPU power in a college dorm? I hope not.

I think your instincts are correct here. You are spending too much for too little gain.

Here is a build, with everything

■2x ASUS 24X Burner Black SATA Model DRW-24B3LT LightScribe Support - OEM
I have had good luck with these. They are fast and error free.

■COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
There is nothing that matches the cooling of these cases. They may be ugly and Silverstone or Lian Li are prettier, but this is the coolest.

■2x Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
These have reviewed well and will do Raid 0. If you just want 2TB of space, then get a 2TB WD drive as mentioned.

■3x LG E2381VR Glossy Black 23" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor
Quality monitors, reputable company. Would not buy from AOC.

■2x GIGABYTE GV-N570OC-13I GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
These will meet all your needs. Do this or get a single 590. Two GTX 590s are overkill.

■CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
■MASSCOOL G751 Shin-Etsu Thermal Interface Material
The best thermal material for your cooler.
■Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
■Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Full
This is deliberate. If you get an OEM version it's tied to the one MB. A full retail version is a better value in the long run and you can afford it.

■COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel ...
■SAMSUNG Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model SH-B123L/RSBP LightScribe Support (Retail)
These are quite good.

■Corsair Performance 3 Series CSSD-P3128GB2-BRKT 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
■ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
■G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBRM
TOTAL: $3,285.25

Note: You may need some extra SATA cables.

 

[Why_Me]

Hey guys. I'm going to college soon, and I've been told I can spend what is an exorbitant amount of money on a new computer. Although I'm not sure I want to even waste the money on it at this point, since I don't know what my usage in college will be like, I'm going to detail what I threw together in the past couple days. Tell me if something doesn't fit - I briefly checked it all for compatibility. I think I can spend about 4000 dollars, but this needs to include monitors.

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 314.99
Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0)219.99
Graphics Cards: 2x EVGA GTX 590 CLASSIFIED Limited Edition 1,459.98
Powersupply: SILVERSTONE ST1500 1500W 379.99
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic 189.99
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 160099.99
Storage: 2x Corsair Performance 3 Series CSSD-P364GB2-BRKT 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive 349.98 and 2x Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 159.98
Opticals: 2x LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner 41.98 and HP BD Combo SATA Model BD240I-h01 LightScribe Support 84.99
Monitiors: 3x AOC 2330V Piano-black Glossy 23" 5ms Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor 524.97

Total Cost: 3,826.83

Explaining a couple things: I have three optical drives because I tend to do a lot of stuff that typically is easier with lots of optical drives. I have three on my current computer. Obviously they aren't all required, but they're dirt cheap these days anyway.

I'm also considering getting a speaker system and perhaps deviating from the onboard soundcard. Is this necessary? I'd just like a nice 5.1 speaker system for playing music in the dorm. I'm happy with my current onboard and I feel like I won't have a problem with the one on the motherboard. Is this likely to be true?

I'll use this system for some media work, but mostly heavy gaming.

Suggestions, comments? I don't do this often, so feel free to point out glaring errors.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.632434 $419.98
GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD7-B3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBSR

 

[Proximon]

Interesting. I have to admit I'm not thrilled with UEFI so far. Still, PCI-E spacing is better on the Asus and ASRock boards.

Edit because my sig had vanished.