$1200 Gaming Only rig AMD or Intel?

[dusty77]

Hey guys 1st post here! Long time lurker. Thanks for help in advance you guys are great!

Approximate Purchase Date: Between now and the end of June

Budget Range: $1200 USD

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (mostly MMORPG's really for SW:TOR) some storage of photos and videos as well (not that important)

Parts not needed: Case (Thermaltake SViking VA4000BWS) Monitor: Toshiba 32 LCD TV 1080p , keyboard, mouse

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com ( have $175 in giftcards) , where ever it is cheapest.

Country of Origin: US

Parts Preferences: This is where I need help I have always used AMD cpu's however I have read that the Intel i5 series is the best for just gaming. Also with motherboard as I really don't plan on overclocking but would like a board that is upgradeable in the future.

Overclocking: would rather not

SLI or Crossfire: I will if it is what offers the best performance for price. If there is a single card that works better would probably prefer to go that route.

Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Additional Comments:This computer is really being built for 1 thing and 1 thing only Gaming. I would like it to be upgradeable for the next few years as well.

 

[jasonw223]

Here's what I'd go for:

i5 2500k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072&cm_re=2500k-_-19-115-072-_-Product

Gigabyte Z68X-UD4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128494&cm_re=ud4-_-13-128-494-_-Product

4gb Mushkin Blackline 1600mhz (or 8gb)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226190&cm_re=4gb_1600-_-20-226-190-_-Product

MSI GTX 570
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127568&cm_re=gtx_570-_-14-127-568-_-Product

60gb Vertex 2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227550&cm_re=vertex_2-_-20-227-550-_-Product

Corsair AX750 PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139016&Tpk=ax%20750

Plus your choice of HDD, ODD, Windows etc.

Here are my thoughts:

1) Don't get a 2600k for gaming, 2500k will give you almost the same performance.
2) 4gb RAM is really all you need, but 8gb isn't much more $$.
3) A GTX 570 should be plenty at 1080p, and you could add another later if you ever wanted. Even a 560 Ti would be nice.
4) Don't spend too much on a bigger SSD unless you are getting the Vertex 3 / Agility 3 (new series with faster speeds)
5) OVERCLOCK! OC on Sandy Bridge is ridiculously easy and gives a huge boost to performance. Just add a CM Hyper 212+ or other cooler...

 

[JackNaylorPE]

PSU - $110 - XFX 750 WBlack Edition PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207003
MoBo / CPU Combo - $380 - ASUS P8P67 Pro http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.642515
CPU - incl above - Intel Core i5-2500K Inc in above
RAM - $75 - (2 x 4GB) Corsair CAS 9 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145324
GFX - $220 - EVGA GTX 560 Ti 900 Mhz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130651
GFX - Later - Same
HD - $65 - Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 rpm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
DVD Writer - $22 - Asus 24X DRW-24B3L w/ LS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135221
OS - $100 - Win 7-64 Home Pre http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

That's $972 .....

Now here comes the big choice :

1. Add a 2nd GFX card in SLI - of the two options this will by far have the biggest impact on performance.

2. Add a SSD for $220 - This won't nearly have as big of an impact but it's a lot easier adding a 2nd GFX card down the line than it is adding a SSD when ya have your OS already installed on ya HD.

Corsair Force 3 2.5" 120GB http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Corsair-Force-Series-SSD-sandforce,12762.html
The Vertex 3 is currently $300 but with the release of the Corsair Force 3 models at $220, the Vertex 3 prices should tank any day now. Corsair Force 3's not on the shelves just yet.

Either one brings ya total to $1192. I'd recommend that is ya think ya will have $200 - $220 to spend before XMas, I'd consider waiting for the Corsair to come out or prices to drop before starting ya build. If ya think it might be longer before ya have the cash, or ya just can't wait for the Corsair Force 3 or OCZ's prices to drop, then I'd get the two cards in SLI from the getgo.

.... add $45 is ya decide to OC

Cooler - $40 - Scythe SCMG 2100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142
TIM - $5 - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080

The 560 Ti (900MHz) is within a hair of the 570's performance and about $100 cheaper. With the increased cooling capacity OC'ing to 1000 MHz is pretty much a given.

Ya may have to hunt a bit for the XFX Black Editions....newegg is outta stock. But ya can get this Corsair HX series for just $20 more

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010