$1000-$1200 Gaming PC

wjsprowler · Sep 6, 2011

Hello community. With all of the sweet games coming out (diablo 3, crysis 2), it's that time to upgrade my rig. This is my first time building my own computer so some expert advice from ya'll would be awesome. My goal is to make a computer that can run the latest games on med/hi settings with a high resolution monitor. I need everything for the computer except the mouse, because I have been using laptops pretty much my whole life until now. I suppose I could go a little bit over my budget but would prefer to stick within that price range if at all possible. Any recommendations from you guys would be awesome.

Approximate Purchase Date: Sometime this week

Budget Range: $1000-$1200 After Rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming / Movies / College Work

Parts Not Required: Mouse

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Country of Origin: United States - Utah

Parts Preferences: Would prefer a cool mid tower case, and Intel CPU (i5-2500k?)

Overclocking: Maybe (can anyone sell me on the idea? is there really that much boost in performance?)

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe, would like to have one nice GPU so I can have the option of adding another one in the future

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200

Additional Comments: Would prefer a cool PC because of the small room I'm in, and given that I live with other people close to me - a quiet PC would also be ideal. But functionality is most important.

ScrewySqrl · Sep 7, 2011

wjsprowler · Sep 7, 2011

That setup looks really good. Is that motherboard SLI/Xfire compatible? Also, would I be able to notice much of a difference with my OS on the SSD? For the $100 I'd almost rather get a nicer monitor or maybe aim a little higher on the PSU for adding another GPU later if there isn't a big difference in performance with the SSD.

What are your thoughts on the importance of an SSD?

cuecuemore · Sep 7, 2011

An SSD isn't important, but it can be convenient. It will give you faster boot times if you have your OS on it and faster game load times if you have them installed on it.

wjsprowler · Sep 7, 2011

Yeah I think I will scratch the SSD just because it won't make too much of a difference. Also, looks like the motherboard has only 1x PCI express 2.0 slot so I wouldn't mind spending a little extra on a better motherboard that can support SLI/Xfire.

Any recommendations on a nice MOBO compatible with this setup?

cuecuemore · Sep 7, 2011

This is the newest version of the go-to budget SLI/CF Z68 board:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

Asrock is ASUS with a different logo and $100 knocked of the price tag.

wjsprowler · Sep 7, 2011

Great. Thanks for the input everyone. Looks pretty good so far. Can any of you experts find anything wrong with this setup, or make any further changes/recommendations? Will I need more power with this SLI/Xfire Mobo?

----I'll probably order it really soon like tonight if everything looks good and I can get a couple expert vouches

----

Intel i5-2500K + windows 7: $304.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.723046

2x 4GB 240 Pin: $39.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148346

Asrock Intel Motherboard: $124.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157271

Seagate 1TB + Samsung DVD player: $73.48
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.696166

Coolermaster Hyper 212+: $27.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835103065

Seasonic 520W PSU: $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817151094

PNY GTX 560: $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814133397

Rosewill Challenger U3: $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811147060

2x Rosewill Blue 120MM fans: $15.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835200049

Rosewill PS2 Gaming keyboard: $14.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823201038

Rosewill 6-button gaming mouse: $9.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6826193058

Acer 23" Monitor: $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824009266

Logiteck 17W 2.1 speakers: $23.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6836121014

EDIT: Whoops links don't work, just use the ones above

ScrewySqrl · Sep 7, 2011

should work find for you

wjsprowler · Sep 7, 2011

Would this be a better GPU? And if so, how much more Wattage would my computer need than the previous one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133377

It's about the same price.

cuecuemore · Sep 7, 2011

For SLI 560 (ti) you'll want more than 520w if you plan on doing any overclocking, it might work if everything is stock to the bone, but where's the fun in that?

ScrewySqrl · Sep 7, 2011

that 520W should be plenty, even for overclocking., the stock 560ti needs 24 amps on the 12 rail(s) for the system. The 520W I listed has a whopping 40 amps on the 12v rail. should handle a single 560ti just fine

addversity · Sep 7, 2011

ScrewySqrl :

Looks pretty good. With a tad bit more, you could go for a RAID 0 with 2*1TB hard drives, or maybe SLI. Also, a better CUP cooler...coolermaster doesn't look too great.

wjsprowler · Sep 7, 2011

I ended up browsing through some other builds and using the information last night I ordered everything. I can't wait. I ordered:

Intel i5-2500K + windows 7: $304.98

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 MOBO SLI/XFIRE Ready: $124.99 + $7.87 shipping

Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W Continuous Power PSU: $68.49

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3: $54.99

Seagate 1TB + Samsung DVD player: $73.48

Coolermaster Hyper 212+: $27.99

EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) GPU: $249.99 + $7.56 shipping

Rosewill Challenger U3 Mid ATX Tower: $59.99

2x Rosewill Blue 120MM fans: $15.98

Rosewill PS2 Gaming keyboard: $14.99

Rosewill 6-button gaming mouse: $9.99

Acer 23" Monitor: $139.99

Logiteck 17W 2.1 speakers: $23.99

I tried to get a little extra wattage in there for overclocking and such. Does anyone know if that would be enough for 2xGTX 560 Ti's? Probably not, but that single GPU has great performance and should last me a good while.

ScrewySqrl · Sep 7, 2011

the 620W has plenty of amps for your second 560ti.

Your ssytem requirements for the EVGA superclocked 560ti is "with a minimum 12V current rating of 30A"

the antec 620 layout:
+3.3V@24A, +5V@24A, +12V@48A, -12V@0.8A, +5VSB@2.5A

with 48 amps, you have plenty to add a second 560ti.

Here's the power consumption in Furmark, higher than any game will ever stress your card, with the more power-hungry 980X processor:

Note the reference 560ti at 304W, and the various overclocks are 320, 357, and 385W

Here's a system with an overclocked 2500K and 2 560tis: note the 425W draw.

Even the 2600K and 560SLIs is in your power budget at 554W

wjsprowler · Sep 7, 2011

So with 620W I can SLI using 2x 560ti's and overclock my 2500k and only be at 425W? Is that taking into account all of my other build? That seems unusually low for those specs but you're the expert not me!

I'm waiting on the parts right now so hopefully i can make this computer 10x sweeter in the future by adding another 560ti and maybe even another 1TB HDD for RAID 0

.

ScrewySqrl · Sep 7, 2011

that is the consumption of that prebuilt machine, yes. Its a reference only, but yes, system use less power than you think.

wjsprowler · Sep 7, 2011

Best answer selected by wjsprowler.

$1000-$1200 Gaming PC

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