1st Gaming RIG

[XxH34dshotxX]

Hello,

I am fairly new to the gaming RIG market; for the past 9 months I've been lightly researching what PC components and their values mean, good brand names, what to look for in parts, etc... I've mainly done this in a Computer Tech course at my high school.

As of now I am a mild gamer and I play a game called Combat arms, however I would like to play other games such as Call of Duty. (My current PC cannot handle CoD, says "Can You Run It"). I also plan to FRAPS and I would like to do so with a smooth frame rate; I will edit clips in Sony Vegas/CS5. Overclocking is most likely a No as of now.

Right now my budget depends on how hard I work at my summer job (thus, it is flexible). Here is the RIG I designed so far - any advice/tips are appreciated!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Cost: $1502 with Shipping to CDN.
*BASE_PRICE: [+1299]

CAS: * Azza Solano 1000 Full-Tower Advance Cooling Case w/ Dual 230mm Fan + Extra 3 Fans [-17]

CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
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CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-960 3.20 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1366 <- Same price as 950

CS_FAN: Maximum 120MM Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+9]
FA_HDD: None <- Do I need one?

FAN: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) (Single Standard 120MM Fan)

FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)

HDD: 500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [-22] (500GB x 2 (1TB Capacity) Raid 0 Extreme Performance [+36]) <- Don't know much about these although I need dual for recording clips

MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module [-56] (Corsair or Major Brand)

MONITOR: None <- I don't like massive screens - I use a laptop to game as of now...

MOTHERBOARD: * (3-Way SLI Support) Asus P6X58D-E Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA-III RAID w/ 7.1Audio,GbLAN,IEEE1394a,USB3.0,SATA-III,RAID,3 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI [+11]

MULTIVIEW: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors <- What is this?

NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network


OS: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
OVERCLOCK: No Overclocking <- Undeciced (70% no 30% Maybe)

POWERSUPPLY: * 850 Watts - Corsair CMPSU-850TXV2 80 Plus Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready [+76]

SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports <- Wish it was USB 3.0 but no big difference... right?


VC_PHYSX: None <- What is this?

VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 1.2GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+165] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA) <- I know it's pricey however I want really smooth gameplay and HIGH FPS!

VIDEO2: None <- When my budget permits, possible addition

_PRICE: (+1501)
______________
Thanks a Lot!

 

[Proximon]

That's not quite the way to do it. You are using older hardware that has been superseded by Sandy Bridge.

Some notes first.
- You do want USB 3.0, a lot. You want front ports too. So you get the Asus Deluxe board that ships with that module. Make sure Cyberpower doesn't short you on it.

-6950 2GB will do just as well for you and the price was right.

-Instead of a RAID 0 you get a very fast SSD and a 1TB data drive.

- So what kind of monitor will you get? If you are not getting a large monitor spending so much on a GPU is a waste. You want 1680x1050 AT LEAST, and really you want 1920x1080. They are talking about multiple monitors as in Eyefinity (google it).

-You get an aftermarket cooler installed now. Later you can decide to OC. The liquid cooling you selected is no better than air cooling and doesn't even look good Real water cooling is very expensive.

Case: * Azza Solano 1000 Full-Tower Advance Cooling Case w/ Dual 230mm Fan + Extra 3 Fans [+43]
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-2500K 3.30 GHz 6M Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified)
Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: No Overclocking
Cooling Fan: CoolerMaster Hyper TX3 Gaming CPU Cooling Fan [-6]
Motherboard: [CrossFireX/SLI] Asus P8P67 Deluxe Intel P67 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ UEFI, DIGI+VRM, 7.1 HD Audio, BT GO! Dual GbLAN, USB3.0, 2x SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen2 PCIe, 2 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI [B3 Stepping] [+117]
Memory: 8GB (2GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module (Corsair or Major Brand)
Video Card: AMD Radeon HD 6950 2GB GDDR5 16X PCIe Video Card [+221] (Major Brand Powered by AMD)
Multiple Video Card Settings: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
Power Supply Upgrade: * 850 Watts - Corsair CMPSU-850TXV2 80 Plus Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready [+117]
Hard Drive: 120GB Corsair Force Series SATA III 550MB/s Read & 510MB/s Write [+181] (Single Hard Drive)
Data Hard Drive: 1TB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+59] (Single Hard Drive)
External Hard Drive (USB3.0/2.0/eSATA): None
Optical Drive: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
Keyboard: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
Mouse: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium [+104] (64-bit Edition)
Service: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Rush Service: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

$1545 before rebates etc.

 

[XxH34dshotxX]

-6950 2GB will do just as well for you and the price was right. <- I am still going with the 570 since I really want a smooth frame rate and the 3D capabilities and good recording however do you think dual 6950 > A single 570?

-Instead of a RAID 0 you get a very fast SSD and a 1TB data drive. <- Alright, I'm guessing it's worth the extra money.

- So what kind of monitor will you get? <- Max a 23' min 18' - I do want full HD 1920 x 1080

-You get an aftermarket cooler installed now. <- I think I'll just order one from Cyberpower with the PC it's self - can you recomend any good ones they have to offer from the site?


CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-2500K 3.30 GHz 6M Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified) <- I think I will go with the i7-2600 or 2600K because I want it to last me at least 3 years with good performance.


Hard Drive: 120GB Corsair Force Series SATA III 550MB/s Read & 510MB/s Write [+181] (Single Hard Drive) I take it that it's worth the extra $$

Data Hard Drive: 1TB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+59] (Single Hard Drive) So this is where I can store my clips/other files?

Thanks for the input!

 

[Proximon]

do you think dual 6950 > A single 570?

By quite a bit.

I think I'll just order one from Cyberpower with the PC it's self - can you recomend any good ones they have to offer from the site?

There was one included in the build I listed.

I think I will go with the i7-2600 or 2600K because I want it to last me at least 3 years with good performance.

The main difference between the 2500K and 2600K is hyperthreading. Which may or may not be used by any games in the next 3 years. It does make the 2600K more of a workhorse though, more robust in multi-tasking. I use one... just don't expect to see a $90 difference in performance in games today.

Yes, the SSD can have the OS and the games that have large load times, plus any programs. The platter drive can have your data and other games that don't need the speed of the SSD.

 

[XxH34dshotxX]

Alright that all sounds good. I am sticking with The 570 because of my budget/needs and I plan to get another one to sli later on in the year. Do you think that the 850W Crosair can handle 570's sli?
Also, can you recommend a good cooling system that will keep my pc nice and cool when I sli (or is the coolnaster you recommended ok for that too?
Thanks!

 

[Proximon]

Yes the Corsair will do nicely.

If you mean water cooling, there really are no "systems" to choose. You buy parts and assemble it. If you want to water cool 570s in the future with full cover blocks you'll need to have reference design cards... This is really just not a discussion a novice should be having. Just stick with the cooling that comes with the case.

 

[XxH34dshotxX]

Ok thanks!