New $2000 Summer Gaming Build

Molite · May 20, 2011

Hey I am trying to build a gaming computer for the summer. I want to be able to play at max settings and get good eye candy. I also want to be able to play BF3 near max setting when it comes out. Can you help me get a build ready for it?

Approximate Purchase Date: In two weeks.

Budget Range: $2000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Mostly gaming, all gaming and internet and movies. I have a BOSE speaker system set up just need the big controlling box to get good sound.

Parts Not Required: Speakers, mouse, headset, I need a desk though.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: From any place that's cheaper I also live near a microcenter

Country of Origin:
USA

Parts Preferences:
Nothing really preferred.

Overclocking: Yes
I want to get 4.5 GHz at least

SLI or Crossfire:
Yes, depending on if I buy a single powerful card and add one later please suggest. I am lost here.

Monitor Resolution:
1920x1080

Additional Comments:
How do I make it look cool.

Liquid cooling is a possibility if I need it when overclocking.

Thanks Guys!

striker410 · May 20, 2011

Hey molite, welcome to the forums! Thank you for filling out the form by the way, makes it easier on you because we'd ask you to fill it out anyway

Here's what I came up with. I left room for some monitors and a desk in the budget

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz $180
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589

Mobo: ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 $185
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131703

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922 $99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W $105
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428&cm_re=g.skill-_-20-231-428-_-Product

HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM (x2) $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

DVD drive: LG Black blah blah blah DVD burner $20 (or grab a blu-ray if you want)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136238

CPU fan: ZALMAN CNPS9900ALED 120mm 2 Ball Low-noise Blue LED CPU Cooler (for that 4.5GHz) $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118046

GPU: HIS H695FT2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit (if comfortable with flashing to 6970) $480 for 2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161359&cm_re=6950-_-14-161-359-_-Product

OR

MSI R6950 Twin Frozr II Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit (if not comfortable with flashing) $480 for 2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127588&cm_re=6950-_-14-127-588-_-Product

Win 7: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986&cm_re=win7_oem-_-32-116-986-_-Product $99

OPTIONAL

Mouse: Logitech MX 518 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 1800 dpi Gaming Mouse $38
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104178

Keyboard: Saitek Cyborg V5 CCB44026N002/06/1 Black USB Wired Gaming Keyboard $47
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823175012

The total is $1,532 with mouse/keyboard included and before rebates

This should leave you plenty of room for a desk and monitor. (or maybe 3 monitors?

)

brpeden82 · May 20, 2011

bulldozer will be

190 for 4 core FX-4110
240 for 6 core FX-6110
290 for 8 core FX-8110
320 for 8 core FX-8130P

striker410 · May 20, 2011

brpeden82 :

Just curious, but how is that statement relevant?

brpeden82 · May 20, 2011

not sure just sseen it on techreport not sure if it relevant otherwise it looks like a good build to me

boiler1990 · May 20, 2011

Since the OP can afford it, I'd say skip the 6950s and just go for the 6970s. You'll get better performance out of them as opposed to flashing, and IMHO it would be silly not to get them if there's such a big cushion. One 6970 will be way more than you'd need for 1920x1080; two would just be obscene. Think about getting more monitors at that point

I'd also get a big SSD for holding your OS and several games. Go for a 120 or 240GB Intel 510/320 or OCZ Vertex 3. W7 will take up about 30GB after updates and such.

For your sound system, I'd recommend looking into a decent sound card. The onboard chipset is usually *ok*, but you can tell a huge difference in the amplification of the signals from an onboard and a dedicated sound card. I have the HT Omega Striker, which is a pretty moderately priced card at $90, but it works really well. I've noticed a huge difference between that and my onboard chipset using my Roccat Kave 5.1 headphones. The bass is now loud enough that the headphones will literally jump off of my head.

If you're interested in liquid cooling, let me advise you now to get a full tower case that can really support a good set up. Most of the ones out there (HAF 932, HAF X, NZXT Phantom, etc) will only support one triple radiator (3x120mm fans), which is plenty (depending on brand) for a CPU + GPU, but not CPU + 2 GPUs. In a way I'm constricted by my case, but I also wanted to do an i7-930 + 2 GTX 470 loop internally, which needed 2 rads. MountainMods makes custom cases, but expect to spend no less than $270 for something you need and $300 for what you want.

Molite · May 21, 2011

striker410 · May 21, 2011

If you are going 6970 Xfire, you pretty much HAVE to get 3 screens to take advantage of it. Here's some inspiration

EDIT: Youtube not allowed?

Molite · May 21, 2011

any more advice on liquid cooling/mods or some monitor suggestions?

striker410 · May 21, 2011

I can't help with water cooling, but I can help with monitors. I suggest 3 full HD screens, with LED back lighting (more prettier IMO) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009255 3 of those = super epic rig. The other option is to go NVidia and get 3D.....

pcgamer31 · May 21, 2011

liquid cooling isnt worth it with the 2500/2600 k's. You can get pretty good temps with the option above.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009261
Pretty good monitor right there. Good price and you can get three with your budget

Molite · May 21, 2011

Thinking of going with 2 GTX 570's instead of 6970's.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121432&cm_re=gtx_570-_-14-121-432-_-Product

What do you think?

striker410 · May 21, 2011

I believe 6970's perform better than 570's. If you do any rendering or anything, definately get the 570's as adobe can use them for hardware acceleration. But, the 570's have 3D.... I personally would go Eyefinity (amd) instead of 3D (Nvidia) just because they would both cost the same, and I think Eyefinity is more awesome =p

Molite · May 21, 2011

I don't really want Eyefinity. The thing is I want to be able to run Metro 2033 and BF3 at near 60 FPS. 60-45 fps at average. Will I get them from the 6950's? Will it last for BF3 if I OC? I just want to be safe and have enough power to run these games at max settings, at at least 1920 x 1080 res.

striker410 · May 21, 2011

With dual 6970's on one screen... You won't even use them all the way and you will MAX out those games at 60FPS minimum most likely. I would highly suggest either dropping one of the 6970's, or grabbing something that will actually take advantage of them. (ie triple screens)

raptorjesus · May 21, 2011

For reference I was benching Crysis:Warhead today with my 570s at 800/1750 and they were running it at 1920x1080 with Enthusiast settings at a minimum of around 65-70 fps. Two 570s is an absolutely brutally fast combo, and they overclock well under 1.1V. When I run them at 850/1900 I can get up tp 87fps on Unigine Heaven Benchmark. On the other hand the VRAM of the 6970s is very tempting if you ever feel of running multiple monitors or a 2560x1600 monitor. I don't think you can really go wrong, but I'll tell you that it is relatively easy to find 570s around 300-320 after MIR.

Molite · May 21, 2011

If I go for a single GPU right now, and for one screen only which GPU would you recommend? I might play a bit higher than 1920x1080 depending on the monitor. I want this GPU to take Metro 2033, Crysis 2, SCII, and hopefully BF3 on max settings when Over Clocked (I want near 50-60fps). Sorry, this is my first build so I want to be very careful in what I buy.

3D Guru says a single GPU like the 6970 and GTX 570 will get around an average of 33 fps in Metro 2033 near the same Resolution. Should I value these benchmarks very highly?

raptorjesus · May 21, 2011

Yeah its a well tested site, if you look at the results you can see that the 6970s pull ahead when the resolution goes up, or you go to multiple screens. The vram is needed when you get to that level. On the other hand, the 570s can run PhysX graphics which add a bit of eye candy.

If you are going to stick with one card for now, step up to a 580 and then you have the potential to get another when they become cheaper, and trust me 580s will run anything you want to playable levels even on max settings. An overclocked 580 is not to be messed with, and two of them can demolish any graphics now or in the next few years.

JackNaylorPE · May 21, 2011

Case / PSU - I have built with both and would recommend the Antec DF-85 over the HAF-X. The TX-750 is a 2nd tier unit (AX and HX series are 1st tier) and in a $2k box, I'd do 1st tier. it's $305 for the HAF-X / TX750 .... $275 for the DF-85 / CP-850. If ya stuck on the HAF, move up to a HX or AX series.

MoBo / CPU - Ya spending $405 for your combo. At a $2k budget though, I'd want x16 x16 GFX and that means NF200 chip. Read why here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/p67-gaming-3-way-sli-three-card-crossfire,2910.html

The WS Revolution will cost ya $60 more

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.642533

Cooler - Liquid Cooling is so outta place on andy Bridge. read this comment on the better air coolers:

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=674&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=5

I think the Silver Arrow represents the ultimate air cooler than can be built and still fit within the constraints of an ATX motherboard and a standard computer case......It's almost ironic that coolers like this are becoming available just as processors transition to designs that may ultimately render them unnecessary; even overclocked to 5GHz, an Intel Sandy Bridge 2600K doesn't need anywhere near this level of cooling. Still, it wouldn't hurt, and as I noted earlier, there are still CPUs out there that can benefit from it.

If ya want overkill, ya can do it w/ the Silver Arrow..... I have built several systems w/ the DF-85, CP-850, WS Revolution, 2600k/2500k and one of them has a Silver Arrow. Was easy fit though did have to rotate the thing 0 degress. Performance is phenomenal and is completely inaudible at 4.8 GHz. But ya can do more than ya need with the Scythe Mugen 2 at half the price.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=432&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=19

Scythe Mugen-2 SCMG-2000 29.00°C over ambient
Zalman CNPS10X-Performa 29.71°C over ambient
Titan FENRIR TTC-NK85TZ 29.80°C over ambient
Thermolab BARAM 29.84°C over ambient
Noctual NH-D14 (2x 140) 30.09°C over ambient

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

RAM - Save $20 for the same performance

$75 - (2 x 4GB) Corsair CAS 9 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145324

or spend $35 for lower latency CAS 7

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226178

Thinking of going with 2 GTX 570's instead of 6970's.

At 1920 x 1200, ya can beat the 6970's a lot cheaper .

At $310 each, twin 570's get 873 total fps in Guru3D's game test suite (COD-MW, Bad Company 2, Dirt 2, Far Cry 2, Metro 2033, Dawn of Discovery, Crysis Warhead)....

At $220, the twin 900Mhz versions of the 560 Ti get 862 fps.

At $315, the twin 6970's get 825 fps.

Two of those factory overclocked 560 Ti's will cost ya $440 and easily fit in the $2k budget

This is $1905 .... I have built 4 of these since March with just 1 or 2 items varying ... 3/4 has Win 7 pro 64 ... one had Silver Arrow Cooler (frozencpu.com), 2 had 2600k's, 3 had Plextor Blue Ray 320SA, all had Asus GFX cards. Takes me about an hour if I'm not sleeving cables.

Case - $155 - Antec DF-85 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129087
Case Fans - $15 - Antec Red 120 mm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209013
PSU - $120 - Antec CP-850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371024
MoBo - $465 - ASUS P8P67 WS Revolution http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.642533
CPU - incl - Intel Core i5-2500K include din above
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
RAM - $130 - (2 x 4GB) Mushkin CAS 7 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226178
GFX - $220 - EVGA GTX 560 (900MHz) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130651
GFX - $220 - Same
HD - $65 - Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 rpm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
SSD - $300 - OCZ Vertex 3 2.5" 120GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227706
BR / DVD Writer - $70 - Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247
OS - $100 - Win 7-64 Home OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

Corsair Force 3's (same performance as Vertex 3) introduction this week should knock quite a few bucks off the SSD price.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Corsair-Force-Series-SSD-sandforce,12762.html

Molite · May 21, 2011

boiler1990 · May 21, 2011

Are you using speakers or headphones? $180 is a ton to be spending on a sound card. I just purchased a HT Omega Striker ($90) and once you figure out the drivers (arguably the hardest part of setting up any sound card) it is phenomenal. However, I have a 5.1 set of headphones, the Roccat Kave. If you're just using regular headphones, the inboard sound chip will be just what you need.

Molite · May 21, 2011

I have a Bose Speaker System setup with out the system, just the speakers. It's a 5.1 setup. I have to buy a system for it though :/. I'm getting it because I might get another TV and use it also a Theatre System.

boiler1990 · May 21, 2011

Gotcha. Just wanted to make sure that you did indeed have a reason for a sound card. A lot of new builders think they need to spend over $100 to just use earbuds

Molite · May 21, 2011

Please help me narrow down my options.

boiler1990 · May 21, 2011

I would strongly consider the 6970, 570 and 580 for your build. The 2x560/6950 setups, while great (you'd probably be fine with one of either at the moment IMHO), are immediately limited in terms of their upgradeability. You'll still get amazing performance from the 6970, 570 or 580, and you'll still have room for an upgrade in the future for more demanding games.

If you go for these bigger cards, you'll need better than a 750TX. I think the 850HX should support two of those cards, and the 850HX is a great PSU.

As far as the RAM goes, the Mushkin set has better latency than the G.Skill kit (which I own ATM), but the voltage is a bit high for most users' tastes (generally look for around 1.5V as opposed to 1.6+).
That said, a speed drop to 1333 MHz (see below) or a higher latency (the G.Skill kit you linked) won't noticeably hurt you. Lower latencies allow for higher frequencies when OCing the RAM.
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231440)

New $2000 Summer Gaming Build

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