Gaming PC / $2000 budget

[MysticalBagel]

I've been using the cyberpower configurator for about a month now, looking at different builds for a possible gaming system (around the $2000 mark) and frankly I find myself confused with too many options, so I'll turn to the community for help!

This is a computer I am building with GAMING in mind first, Web Surfing secondly. Games such as Mass Effect 3 , Star Wars The Old Republic, Skyrim, and Battlefield 3.

I already have the monitor, the speakers, and the best internet in the universe.

I have absolutely no concern for noise reduction, though I won't mind if the case shoots lazers out of its bum.

My primary concern is maximum graphics with minimal stutter / fps problems. My preferred resolution is 1680x1050.

Do any of you have any possible builds that fit this model ?

 

[hillmanant]

Hello Bagel

I'm going to start by saying 1680x1050 is so small for what we can do with 2k!

I get the impression that you want BEAST, FLASH, and some more BEAST so I Begin

MIR= Mail in Rebate

Case- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129091 --$109.99 with $30 MIR--Antec Lanboy

MoBo- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128523 -$104.99--Gigabyte GA-Z68M-D2H

CPU- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070 -----------$319.99 Intels i7 Flagship

CPU Cooler- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118223 ---$47.99--Zalman

Heatsink Paste- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007 -----$12.98

RAM- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233143 -$84.99-Corsair Vengeance 16Gb

HDD- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697 --$139.99--Seagate Barracuda 1Tb

SSD- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227726 --$149.99 with $20 MIR--OCZ 120Gb

PSU- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371032 ---$219.99---ANTEC TPQ1200

Total with out video card you can now choose AMD or NVIDIA----------------$1190.90

AMD- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127574 --$699.99--AMD Total--$1890.89

NVIDIA- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130693 --$749.99NVIDIATotal-$1940.89

This thing will be BEAST and COMPLETELY futureproof no matter what video card you choose.

Just my 2 cents do with it what you will.

 

[Swolern]

^ second the resolution. With that type of build you can get a much clearer pic quality at 1920x1080 or even 2560x1600. I prefer the GTX 590. It is an amazing card!

 

[Emelth]

Hello Bagel

I'm going to start by saying 1680x1050 is so small for what we can do with 2k!

I get the impression that you want BEAST, FLASH, and some more BEAST so I Begin

MIR= Mail in Rebate

Case- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129091 --$109.99 with $30 MIR--Antec Lanboy

MoBo- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128523 -$104.99--Gigabyte GA-Z68M-D2H

CPU- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070 -----------$319.99 Intels i7 Flagship

CPU Cooler- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118223 ---$47.99--Zalman

Heatsink Paste- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007 -----$12.98

RAM- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233143 -$84.99-Corsair Vengeance 16Gb

HDD- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697 --$139.99--Seagate Barracuda 1Tb

SSD- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227726 --$149.99 with $20 MIR--OCZ 120Gb

PSU- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371032 ---$219.99---ANTEC TPQ1200

Total with out video card you can now choose AMD or NVIDIA----------------$1190.90

AMD- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127574 --$699.99--AMD Total--$1890.89

NVIDIA- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130693 --$749.99NVIDIATotal-$1940.89

This thing will be BEAST and COMPLETELY futureproof no matter what video card you choose.

Just my 2 cents do with it what you will.

1) 16GB is deffinetly not needed for gaming, drop it down to 8GB (2x4GB) Dual Channel, 1600mhz, 1.5V

Again this build is for gaming if you want to save some more money the i5 2500k is currently the best bang for your buck CPU and is only beaten by the i7 by a little. IMO, not worth the extra $100.

Not trying to pick you build apart or anything its really good.

Here is what I would go with:

You can add a SSD if you want, I personnaly wouldnt. If you do want to add one you can go with OCZ or Crucial
Up the ROM to a Blu-Ray player if you want as well.
The PSU would be able to handle 1 GPU if you want to SLI bump it up to a 1000W (Antec, Seasonic, Corsair, XFX are some of the major brands I would stick to)
Change the case if it doesnt fit your "style"

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced Blue Edition - $170.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119213

Intel Core i5-2500K - $225.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

ASRock Z68 Extreme4 - $175.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157250

EVGA GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB - $500.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130587

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - $52.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233196

Hyper 212 EVO - $35.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 RPM - $150.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

ASUS 24X DVD Burner - $20.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

CORSAIR Professional Series HX850 (CMPSU-850HX) 850W - $165.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011

Total: $1492.00 (not including MIRs/Shipping/Taxes)

 

[jacknhut]

Case: Cooler Master Storm Trooper - $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119245

CPU: Core i5 2500k - $219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=19yy89k3trdxn

Mainboard: Asus P8Z68V-Pro/Gen 3 - $209.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 Mhz 1.35V Low Profile heatsink $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233199

CPU Cooler: Corsair A70 - $37.24 - $15 MIR = $22.24
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Air-Performance-Cooler-CAFA70/dp/B003IT6RE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323168579&sr=8-1

Video card: EVGA GTX 570 x2 $700.00 (Can drop to 1 card for now and decide to add 1 later on if needed to save $350)
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Mini-HDMI-Lifetime-Warranty-012-P3-1570-AR/dp/B004EHZD5W/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1323168712&sr=1-2

Power Supply: Corsair AX 850W Gold $179.99
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Professional-850-Watt-Certified-High-Performance/dp/B003PJ6QW4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1323168910&sr=1-1

SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 120 GB - 189.99 - 20 MIR = 169.99
http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-Vertex-2-5-Inch-Solid-VTX3-25SAT3-120G/dp/B004Q81CKY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1323169050&sr=1-1

Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB 7200 RPM - 150.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=11k7ajyy9ytfr

DVD Burner - ASUS 24x DVD Burner - 18.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=10yehhnd3xk0z

Total: 1920 + tax/shipping for 2 GTX 570 SLI config. (1570 + tax/shipping for single GTX 570 and add in a 2nd GTX 570 later on if needed)

Note: this config has a 120 GB SSD in addition to the GTX 570 SLI which will enable you to play BF3 at max settings 4xMSAA on.

 

[MysticalBagel]

I was hoping to escape from having to build my own (again), but after reading some of cyberpowers more recent reviews, I guess I'll have to go that route.

I'll go through all of your recommendations, probably do some of my own tweaking, then select best answer. I'll also call cyberpower directly just to see if they have some super amazing deal that will make me change my mind.

@Emelth - A question I have for you specifically is why wouldn't you do SSD ?Wouldn't they be good for the Operating System, and for frequently used games ? Is there a problem I should be aware of (aside from price).

 

[hillmanant]

IMO
The reason I chose the i7 instead of the i5 is simply because he has the money and I feel its a little more future proof, who knows maybe they will utilize hyperthreading in gaming in the near future. Same reason for the bigger RAM I think they will utilize more of that in the future too. $100 bucks more for the i7 and $35 bucks for the bigger RAM I think its a no brainer.

The reason I went with a monster 1200W power supply is because both the video cards suggest a 750W PSU, Reccomend a 1000w PSU, and for optimum a 1200W PSU and a little head room would b nice for the future, more HDD's, GPU's or whatever.

As far as the SSD I feel it's personal preference. I feel you have to be much more careful about where your data is going to be stored but they have an access speed about twice as fast as HDD. This website explain's HDD vs. SSD very well so you can make your own decision. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-upgrade-hdd-performance,3023.html

The reason I chose the Seagate Barricuda is because it's 6Gb/s SATA vs. the Samsung Spinpoint F3 that everyone has been spamming lately with only a 3Gb/s SATA connection, and they are about the same price.

I do like jacknhut's MoBo pick better than mine though ASUS is much more reliable IMO.

 

[MysticalBagel]

So here is where I am at so far. I'm actually doing the ordering tomorrow, so I'm ironing out the final details today. I welcome any suggestions, tweaks, or critiques you may have. I also including my reasoning behind each part.

---
[$150]Case: IN WIN DRAGON RIDER WHITE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108405
[$ 36]Fans: 6 More Fans to match case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103060
---
I liked the Antec Lanboy, but I'd preferred something bigger. I also like the idea of an all white chassis, since most of the ones I see are either black or red.


---
[$130]Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128502
[$176]PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171049
---
Me and Gigabyte go way back. The ASrock had too many recent RMA horror stories. 1000w just seemed to make more sense. Since I'll be doing absolutely zero tweaking, this should be fine.


---
[$320]CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070
[$ 48]Cooler: ZALMAN CNPS9500A-LED
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118223
---
There is no particular reason I chose this over an i5, other than having the available funds to do so. If I decide to buy a new TV, I will most likely bump this down to the suggested i5 2500k. I liked this cooler not only for its 100% positive review, but it actually goes along with the aesthetic value of the chassis.

---
[$350]EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1573-KR GeForce GTX 570 HD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130620
---
The max resolution I will be using is 1680x1050. The games I will be playing the most will most likely be Mass Effect 3 (a console port), SWTOR (a CPU intense MMO), maybe WoW (Runs on a P III). If I get heavily into Battlefield 3, that will be the most difficult thing this system will run, and I just saw Skyrim run beautifully on a 560 with a 1900x 1600 *weird* resolution. A GTX 590 is overkill, and a GTX 580 is wasted on me. Between my resolution and game choices, I sincerely doubt it will match a 570. If it does, I will buy a 2nd 570. More than likely though, some other new nvidia GPU will be out by then.

Throwing up $100 for a better CPU is one thing, but an extra $250 - $500 for power that simply won't get used is just plain silly.


---
[$ 85]RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233143
---
Corsair is common sense. 16 GB is because I plan on running Vista Service Pack 1 and Firefox at the same time.

---
[$170]SSD: OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227726
[$140]HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697
---
I can't ignore the SSD advantages. Part of me wishes I never saw those videos showing the difference in booting and game loading time. I would use this for the OS, and whatever my main game ends up being. Everything else goes to the 1 TB. I'm turning the PC I'm using into a file server anyway, so I probably won't be touching much of the 1 TB.

---
[$100]Disc Drive: ASUS Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM 8MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135252
---

I'm not going to spend 2 grand on a computer that can't burn a blue ray. Not that I have any intention on ever burning a blue ray, ever. If some games didn't come on discs, I would probably be just as happy with a combination ZIP / Floppy drive.

Total: $1705

... oh wait. Windows 7.

Total: $1835

The best part about this, I have room not only to add a second video card if needed, but I can chop down the i7, the ram, and the SSD if I got frugal at the last second and STILL have a killer machine

After my last build burned to a crisp thanks to a fire (not caused by the PC), I've been forced to use a Compaq Presario SR5250NX. I can't wait to have a real computer again!

 

[hillmanant]

Looks like you got it all figured out, good luck, and post pictures when it's done man.

 

[Emelth]

I was hoping to escape from having to build my own (again), but after reading some of cyberpowers more recent reviews, I guess I'll have to go that route.

I'll go through all of your recommendations, probably do some of my own tweaking, then select best answer. I'll also call cyberpower directly just to see if they have some super amazing deal that will make me change my mind.

@Emelth - A question I have for you specifically is why wouldn't you do SSD ?Wouldn't they be good for the Operating System, and for frequently used games ? Is there a problem I should be aware of (aside from price).

I dont hate SSDs, they are just another way as I see to "waste" money when I can put it towards a better GPU. I know they make booting up comps faster but it would probably only be by a couple seconds. I'm not worried about waiting a couple seconds, if you want to grab one by all means its up to you. Like another said as well personal choice.

 

[hillmanant]

I dont hate SSDs, they are just another way as I see to "waste" money when I can put it towards a better GPU. I know they make booting up comps faster but it would probably only be by a couple seconds. I'm not worried about waiting a couple seconds, if you want to grab one by all means its up to you. Like another said as well personal choice.

It's not simply boot up, there's a part in this article that explains the tremendous benefits of SSD over HDD to get to the point scroll down till you get to the heading "Why SSDs could make the most affordable upgrade for your computer" they explain it plain and simple in laymen's terms. It even goes as far as to say if you have an old gen processor to upgrade to SSD rather than upgrade the whole PC.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20067621-1/storage-talk-why-you-should-get-an-ssd-and-keep-your-hdd-too/

 

[MysticalBagel]

Best answer selected by MysticalBagel.