Newb building a gaming PC!

[pooyip]

Hello, tom's hardware community. This is my first time ever visiting and posting on this site, so please forgive me if I am doing anything wrong.


Alright, fellows. I know how to put all the parts together, but I have no idea what parts to get!

My budget would be around $1000-$1800

I want it to be able to handle just about anything I throw at it within ( or a little over) that price range.

I have no preference of parts or stores.

Thanks guys!!



EDIT: Ah, found this guide



Approximate Purchase Date: (this week (the closer the better))


Budget Range: 1000-1800


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Internet, Movies


Parts Not Required: N/A


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: None


Country of Origin: USA


Parts Preferences: None


Overclocking: Maybe


SLI or Crossfire: Maybe


Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050


Additional Comments: Nothing really.

 

[ncc74656]

*** man for 1800 you can get a kick ass comp. do you have a monitor already? will this budget be for hte computer itself or do you need a keyboard and mouse?

CPU 2600k: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070

MB GD80: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130610

ram 16gb: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233143

video 580: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127567

PSU 1KW: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182239

case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133056

cooling: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186039

SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233206

you can drop the i7 to an i5 and get a second 580 for under 1800. having said all this keep in mind there are 2 new platforms coming out very very soon. AMD bulldozer and intels competition. i would strongly suggest waiting until they are out before buying top of the line current gen tech.

you get 2 free games and all this for a total of 1680.00 before shipping.

 

[pooyip]

*** man for 1800 you can get a kick ass comp. do you have a monitor already? will this budget be for hte computer itself or do you need a keyboard and mouse?

CPU 2600k: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070

MB GD80: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130610

ram 16gb: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233143

video 580: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127567

PSU 1KW: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182239

case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133056

cooling: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186039

SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233206

you can drop the i7 to an i5 and get a second 580 for under 1800. having said all this keep in mind there are 2 new platforms coming out very very soon. AMD bulldozer and intels competition. i would strongly suggest waiting until they are out before buying top of the line current gen tech.

you get 2 free games and all this for a total of 1680.00 before shipping.

Thank you very much for responding! I will be getting a new monitor, keyboard, and mouse, but I don't want that included in the budget really.

 

[ncc74656]

well there ya have it then. i am a MSI MB fanboy and dont care much for there video cards but pick out what brands you like. i would wait a few weeks to see how the new bulldozer handles against a i7. maybe you will need to switch to amd.

 

[kajabla]

^2500K for sure. In gaming it performs almost identically to the 2600K, and you can't get enough graphics hardware on this budget to push into the rare situations where a 2600K would be justified.
With a single 580, you only need around 650W. This Corsair is nice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020
However, if you're going to work in another 580, as ncc mentions as possible above, you'll need 850W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139022).
Read the latest Tom's mobo article before you get the MSI board to make sure you aren't going to end up disabling half of its ports. Just don't touch the bottom PCIe x16 slot.
Kinda expensive case.
Why wait for Bulldozer when current chips won't bottleneck your graphics hardware?

 

[ncc74656]

i realize its an expensive case but as a place holder its better to go to high than to low for a build suggestion. also i have used thermaltake armor cases for hundreds of comp builds and i LOVE them!. i use this one right now, modified to fit a high end rad of course but still a 3X120 in the front door. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133024

thermaltake offers referbed items on a separate website, i got this case for 150 off due to a large dent on the back of the case. i used a crowbar and hammer and now you cant tell it was ever dented. i just love the steel of the case, the great wire management, the lights and side panel... im very hard on my stuff so having a thick steel case is great for durability.

 

[kajabla]

Well, cases are preference anyway. Most will do. OP, look around and see what catches your eye.

 

[ncc74656]

yes, internal components first then use a milk crate and zip ties if you must... (ive done this before, makes comps stack quite well)

 

[kajabla]

lol
I vote breadboarding onto the bottom of your table/desk, actually. You can put the drives wherever you want.

 

[kajabla]

30 gig SSD? nah.
Have you read through? We're talking dual 580s here.

 

[kajabla]

580s won't max some games at 1920x1080, and certainly won't max many in a couple of years.
I agree that a new monitor should enter the build.
30 gigs will do as a boot drive, but the more SSD the better. Load times, launch times for other apps, etc.
Also, 1000W is overkill.

 

[kajabla]

Crysis 2. Well, 580s kinda max it, but they're all that do.

 

[kajabla]

40 fps is not maxing. 60fps is maxing. I can get 30 fps with my 460, but that doesn't mean I can "max Crysis".

 

[kajabla]

Semantics aside (the definition of maxing), only SLI 580s can max Crysis with 60fps, which I, along with some (not all) people, consider practically a necessity.
We're talking Crysis 2, not Warhead.

 

[kajabla]

This would seem to contradict, no?
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crysis-2-directx-11-performance,2983-6.html

 

[kajabla]

Yes, it's playable. The point of my benchmark was the 580s getting a minimum of 40.
Anyway, to get back to the OP (sorry about the discussion), it depends how much money you want to spend. 580s will be good a little longer, but you may think that's worth the extra cash, which is significant ($350-$400).

 

[kajabla]

Huh. So it does. I wonder (not rhetorical at all; I'm being serious) why Tom's came up with such different results.

 

[kajabla]

1000W PSU for what? More than 2x580? That doesn't need more than 850.

 

[ncc74656]

850 to 1KW psu is only like 15 bucks difference, it really does not matter.

my uncrossfired 5870 can max out crysis 2 at 1920X1080 on a 46" screen maxed out dx11... a 580 defiantly can.

a 30gb SSD is a joke... no one should buy that for an os drive... i had to raid-0 3 80GB ssd's just to make a reasonable sized C drive. i would never recommend any less than a 120GB C drive. also i have many clients who have had issues and failures with OCZ drives. as fast as they are in my experience they are just not reliable.

 

[kajabla]

@ncc what, with 35 fps?

 

[ncc74656]

there were a few select areas that fps droped to about 37,38 but most of the time i was well over 55

regardless i think that 40+fps is enough for a fps to play smooth

 

[kajabla]

^I'm very surprised they went 2600K on such a relatively low budget ($1500). Seems pretty newby