Around $1400 budget gaming rig

[rxbandit]

So I'm looking to build a desktop and the main purpose is to play games like Battlefield 3 on Ultra High settings 1920x1080 resolution with no lag! I put together a build and I am looking to get suggestions on where I should maybe invest alittle more and I'd be happy if you see areas where I can save alittle too!

I do not need a keyboard, monitor, or mouse.

The build I put together came out to $1250 (before shipping)

These are two things I must have:
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit $99
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K $219

Here are my other choices:

GPU: 2x running in crossfire - HIS H687F1G2M Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP $369 (this is where I'm having the most trouble finding something. I'm willing to spend alittle more here if needed. I want this to absolutely destroy any game right now and in near future)

Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-900 900W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE $149.99 (any other suggestions?)

Motherboard: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $159 (do you think I should choose a different one?)

Cooling fan: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel ... $49

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL $64

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $54 (I was looking into solid state drives, but are there any noticeable benefits when it comes to gaming?)

Case: Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $59.95
(I don't care what the case looks like, I just want everything to fit! I'm open to any other suggestions.)

Optical Drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM $20

Thank you for your time!

 

[attackllama]

Looks pretty good.
Just know that the hyper 212 is waaaay overpriced on newegg. Its suggested retail is $30
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308684178&sr=8-1

-Motherboard and PSU look good, but you dont quite need 900w for 2 6870s

-In gaming, SSDs will give you blazing fast load times if you want to invest in one.

-For gaming, you dont need 8gb of ram but you might as well get it at that price

Also look at this. https://twitter.com/#!/repi/status/43350154291589120
The videos of BF3 were run on a machine with one gtx 580. Why not get one more powerful card than 2 less powerful ones. It will run cooler and quieter than 2 cards. You will have space for another if needed and you will know it will run bf3 with no lag. But it will bring you up to your $1400 budget

 

[rxbandit]

Looks pretty good.
Just know that the hyper 212 is waaaay overpriced on newegg. Its suggested retail is $30
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308684178&sr=8-1

-Motherboard and PSU look good, but you dont quite need 900w for 2 6870s

-In gaming, SSDs will give you blazing fast load times if you want to invest in one.

-For gaming, you dont need 8gb of ram but you might as well get it at that price

Also look at this. https://twitter.com/#!/repi/status/43350154291589120
The videos of BF3 were run on a machine with one gtx 580. Why not get one more powerful card than 2 less powerful ones. It will run cooler and quieter than 2 cards. You will have space for another if needed and you will know it will run bf3 with no lag. But it will bring you up to your $1400 budget

thank you for the cooler fan suggestion! How many watts in the power supply would you think I would need for 1 GTX 580?

 

[genghiskron]

id be willing to bet that ram is going to sell out at that price. its 15% off with promo code DM15JN11US making it $55 for 8gb ddr3 1600. 650w will do it for the gtx580 (and also dual 6870s)

 

[rxbandit]

thank you for all your help!

 

[cobra5000]

I agree with attackllama about going with one, more powerful card but when the Radeon 6970 comes in about $100.00+ less than a 580, the choice is clear.

 

[attackllama]

The card the Radeon 6970 compares to is the GTX 570. The GTX 580 is in its own price/performance category. AMD does not have a card in the same range as the 580.
gtx 560 ti <--> radeon 6950 ($250)
gtx 570 <----> radeon 6970 ($350)
gtx 580 ----> ($500)
gtx 590 <----> radeon 6990 ($750)

 

[Why_Me]

The Antec 300 is a great case, but it's a tight fit for dual vid cards and a decent size after market h/s. Try this build down below. It includes dual factory over clocked gtx 560's in SLI. Use the free proggy... MSI Afterburner to bump them up even more if you ever feel the need.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233 $59.99 - $49.99 after mail-in rebate FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Computer-Cooling-R4-LUS-07AR-GP/dp/B002LE8BJA/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1308701175&sr=1-4 $14.76 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master Computer Case Cooling R4-LUS-07AR-GP

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049 $99.99 - $84.99 after mail-in rebate FREE SHIPPING
Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-P67X4B3&title=ASRock-P67-EXTREME4-B3-LGA1155-Intel-P67-B3-DDR3-Quad-SLI-Quad-CrossFireX-SATA3-USB3-0-A-GbE-ATX-Motherboard $154.99 Free Shipping
ASRock P67 EXTREME4 B3 LGA1155/ Intel P67 B3/ DDR3/ Quad SLI & Quad CrossFireX/ SATA3&USB3.0/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=I5-2500KBX&title=Intel-Core-i5-Processor-i5-2500K-3-3GHz-6MB-LGA1155-CPU-Retail $214.99 FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i5 Processor i5-2500K 3.3GHz 6MB LGA1155 CPU, Retail - BX80623I52500K

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1308689647&sr=1-1 $33.28 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314&cm_sp=Cat_Memory-_-Daily_Deal-_-20-231-314 $64.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1308689606&sr=1-1 $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Samsung Desktop Class Spinpoint F3 1 TB SATA 3.0 Gb-s 32 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare-OEM Drives, HD103SJ

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289&cm_sp=Cat_CD_%26%2347%3b_DVD_Burners_%26%2338%3b_Media-_-Hot_Deals-_-27-106-289 $18.99 FREE SHIPPING
LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MSI-560TWN&title=MSI-nVidia-GeForce-GTX560-Ti-Twin-Frozr-II-OC-1GB-DDR5-2DVI-Mini-HDMI-PCI-Express-Video-Card $241.99
MSI nVidia GeForce GTX560 Ti Twin Frozr II OC 1GB DDR5 2DVI/Mini HDMI PCI-Express Video Card - N560GTX TI TWIN FROZR II OC

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MSI-560TWN&title=MSI-nVidia-GeForce-GTX560-Ti-Twin-Frozr-II-OC-1GB-DDR5-2DVI-Mini-HDMI-PCI-Express-Video-Card $241.99
MSI nVidia GeForce GTX560 Ti Twin Frozr II OC 1GB DDR5 2DVI/Mini HDMI PCI-Express Video Card - N560GTX TI TWIN FROZR II OC

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 $99.99 - FREE SHIPPING
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit

Total: $1,305.94 *not including shipping, mail in rebates, etc...

 

[rxbandit]

Thank you for your suggestion, it looks like I will go with this build that you have suggested. A few questions:

So for sure two GTX560 Ti Twin Frozr II OC in SLi is better than one EVGA GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB GDDR5?

I decided to go with a solid state hard drive of 120-128 GB. Which do you suggest?

Also for a monitor what would you suggest? Im looking to spend around $200 dollars, 22-24 inch, and it has to have HDMI and an audio out so I can use my Xbox 360 on it also!

 

[vibhas]

Thank you for your suggestion, it looks like I will go with this build that you have suggested. A few questions:

So for sure two GTX560 Ti Twin Frozr II OC in SLi is better than one EVGA GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB GDDR5?

I decided to go with a solid state hard drive of 120-128 GB. Which do you suggest?

Also for a monitor what would you suggest? Im looking to spend around $200 dollars, 22-24 inch, and it has to have HDMI and an audio out so I can use my Xbox 360 on it also!

2 x GTX 560Ti's destroy the gtx 580; but honestly, on your screen size, it may be better to get a gtx 580.
Why?

Because for the next 3¬ years at the very least, the gtx 580 will absolutely destory ANY game on 1920x1080p, or 1920x1200 at maximum settings. By destroy, i mean that the minimum fps you will EVER get in any game at the maximum settings on that resolution (1920x1200 or lower), is 40. Crysis 2, metro 2033 will give it the most trouble, and it will be above 40 fps on both.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/305
The GTX 580 is meant to bigger things than a 1920x1200 resolution; it'll be fine. But the 560ti WILL perform better, but it is an sli setup, and should not be taken lightly; it may have issues - single card systems are a lot less 'messy'

 

[zerobeast]

Heya RxBandit!
I have a similiar build post as well and it's getting me ready for BF3 as well.

I'm going to include my link so you can see what I have and what others have suggested. My updated list is near the bottom of my post. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/313805-31-gaming-decide-1100-1400

Also, this isn't my gaming name, but do you play COD4 on Fusiongamers?

 

[rxbandit]

2 x GTX 560Ti's destroy the gtx 580; but honestly, on your screen size, it may be better to get a gtx 580.
Why?

Because for the next 3¬ years at the very least, the gtx 580 will absolutely destory ANY game on 1920x1080p, or 1920x1200 at maximum settings. By destroy, i mean that the minimum fps you will EVER get in any game at the maximum settings on that resolution (1920x1200 or lower), is 40. Crysis 2, metro 2033 will give it the most trouble, and it will be above 40 fps on both.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/305
The GTX 580 is meant to bigger things than a 1920x1200 resolution; it'll be fine. But the 560ti WILL perform better, but it is an sli setup, and should not be taken lightly; it may have issues - single card systems are a lot less 'messy'

it seems it may be better just to get the single card so I wont have the SLi issues. Just because 2 GTX560ti's destroy one gtx 580, doesnt mean one GTX 580 will perform poorly lol. I could always get a second gtx 580 in the future although I will probably be getting a new desktop when that time comes. I looked into 2560x1600 monitors and I think, "damn can these games really look that much better than on a 1080p monitor?" Either way it is way out of my price range.

 

[rxbandit]

Heya RxBandit!
I have a similiar build post as well and it's getting me ready for BF3 as well.

I'm going to include my link so you can see what I have and what others have suggested. My updated list is near the bottom of my post. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/313805-31-gaming-decide-1100-1400

Also, this isn't my gaming name, but do you play COD4 on Fusiongamers?

Thank you for the info on your build, it will definitely help me with my decision! I haven't played COD4 in a long long time, in fact I didn't play it on my PC.

 

[zerobeast]

Thank you for the info on your build, it will definitely help me with my decision! I haven't played COD4 in a long long time, in fact I didn't play it on my PC.

No problem man!

ok, that was the same gamertag as someone that is always on that server. figured I'd ask!
Hope to see you on the battlefield come October

 

[rxbandit]

No problem man!

ok, that was the same gamertag as someone that is always on that server. figured I'd ask!
Hope to see you on the battlefield come October

For sure bro can't wait to play some battlefield 3!!!

 

[flong]

Your build looks very well thought out. There are a couple of options to consider:

1. The Antec 900 has not reviewed well in some professional reviews. While it is stable (so it won't hurt your components) it fails in some reviews to put out its rated 900 W and it is not very efficient (it gets hot). You may want to consider the Corsair HX 850 which is about the same price, it is modular, it has a 7-year warranty and it has put out over 1000 W in several professional reviews. The HX 850 is more stable, quiet, efficient, powerful and will run cooler than the Antec 900 and if you look for sales you can get it for $120 - $150 after rebates

2. I know your budget may not allow this but you might want to look at the ATI 6950 1 GB cards which you can get after rebates around the $200 mark. Two of them in crossfire will blow the doors off of a 6870 CF system. Two 6950s in CF will outperform the GTX 580 and they cost less (even the 1 GB cards)

3. If you are an Nvidia fan, then either a single 570 or 580 is a great choice - SLI is out of your budget

4. There is a benefit of going to 1866 RAM (2 x 4GB) and if you look for sales you can find sets for $80 - $90

Hope that helps

 

[flong]

The card the Radeon 6970 compares to is the GTX 570. The GTX 580 is in its own price/performance category. AMD does not have a card in the same range as the 580.
gtx 560 ti <--> radeon 6950 ($250)
gtx 570 <----> radeon 6970 ($350)
gtx 580 ----> ($500)
gtx 590 <----> radeon 6990 ($750)

I don't want to get into the endless Nvidia Vs ATI discussion but the 560 Ti is not equal to the ATI 6950, especially at high resolutions. At high resolutions the 570 and the 6950 are approximately equal (within 10 fps of each other). Toms Hardware has a review of the 6950 back in Dec. 2010.

Also the ATI cards scale better in CF than the Nivida in SLI.

Don't get me wrong, the 560 Ti is a great card but it isn't as good overall as the 6950 and it has had some problems. A lot of people like it though.

 

[mjmjpfaff]

try this gtx 560 ti- oc'd at 900mhz (twin frozr II is at 880), very good cooling and at a very good price 220$ after m.i.r.- http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B004XUCCRM/ref=dp_olp_new_map?ie=UTF8&qid=1308891441&sr=1-7&condition=new

 

[mjmjpfaff]

The Antec 300 is a great case, but it's a tight fit for dual vid cards and a decent size after market h/s. Try this build down below. It includes dual factory over clocked gtx 560's in SLI. Use the free proggy... MSI Afterburner to bump them up even more if you ever feel the need.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233 $59.99 - $49.99 after mail-in rebate FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Computer-Cooling-R4-LUS-07AR-GP/dp/B002LE8BJA/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1308701175&sr=1-4 $14.76 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master Computer Case Cooling R4-LUS-07AR-GP

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049 $99.99 - $84.99 after mail-in rebate FREE SHIPPING
Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-P67X4B3&title=ASRock-P67-EXTREME4-B3-LGA1155-Intel-P67-B3-DDR3-Quad-SLI-Quad-CrossFireX-SATA3-USB3-0-A-GbE-ATX-Motherboard $154.99 Free Shipping
ASRock P67 EXTREME4 B3 LGA1155/ Intel P67 B3/ DDR3/ Quad SLI & Quad CrossFireX/ SATA3&USB3.0/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=I5-2500KBX&title=Intel-Core-i5-Processor-i5-2500K-3-3GHz-6MB-LGA1155-CPU-Retail $214.99 FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i5 Processor i5-2500K 3.3GHz 6MB LGA1155 CPU, Retail - BX80623I52500K

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1308689647&sr=1-1 $33.28 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314&cm_sp=Cat_Memory-_-Daily_Deal-_-20-231-314 $64.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1308689606&sr=1-1 $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Samsung Desktop Class Spinpoint F3 1 TB SATA 3.0 Gb-s 32 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare-OEM Drives, HD103SJ

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289&cm_sp=Cat_CD_%26%2347%3b_DVD_Burners_%26%2338%3b_Media-_-Hot_Deals-_-27-106-289 $18.99 FREE SHIPPING
LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MSI-560TWN&title=MSI-nVidia-GeForce-GTX560-Ti-Twin-Frozr-II-OC-1GB-DDR5-2DVI-Mini-HDMI-PCI-Express-Video-Card $241.99
MSI nVidia GeForce GTX560 Ti Twin Frozr II OC 1GB DDR5 2DVI/Mini HDMI PCI-Express Video Card - N560GTX TI TWIN FROZR II OC

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MSI-560TWN&title=MSI-nVidia-GeForce-GTX560-Ti-Twin-Frozr-II-OC-1GB-DDR5-2DVI-Mini-HDMI-PCI-Express-Video-Card $241.99
MSI nVidia GeForce GTX560 Ti Twin Frozr II OC 1GB DDR5 2DVI/Mini HDMI PCI-Express Video Card - N560GTX TI TWIN FROZR II OC

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 $99.99 - FREE SHIPPING
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit

Total: $1,305.94 *not including shipping, mail in rebates, etc...

just click buy new from and you can get the hyper 212 plus for 30$ shipped: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B002G1YPH0/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1308689647&sr=1-1&condition=new

 

[attackllama]

I don't want to get into the endless Nvidia Vs ATI discussion but the 560 Ti is not equal to the ATI 6950, especially at high resolutions. At high resolutions the 570 and the 6950 are approximately equal (within 10 fps of each other). Toms Hardware has a review of the 6950 back in Dec. 2010.

Also the ATI cards scale better in CF than the Nivida in SLI.

Don't get me wrong, the 560 Ti is a great card but it isn't as good overall as the 6950 and it has had some problems. A lot of people like it though.

That is true in most cases. But I was comparing the cards in terms of cost, not how the cards perform against one another.
Also the high resolutions that AMD cards do better in are at least 2560x1600, which is considerably higher than 1920x1080 which the OP plans to run BF3 at. If it is a question of multi-monitor gaming, then it is AMD hands down.