1500$- 1700$ gaming system

Roman9009 · Dec 15, 2011

Hi Roman9009 here,
I am planning on purchasing the parts post Christmas, probably late December to early January.
My budget is 1500 to 1700 dollars to spend on a gaming PC.
I am planning on using it for high range games such as bf3, skyrim and Guild wars 2 (when it releases) while also using it for net surfing, torrents and office programs.
Parts that i currently wont be requiring is a mouse and speakers
I live in Melbourne, Australia so im planning on purchasing most if not all components from retail.
The site i will be using is Centercom.com.au as i will probably purchase from them.
I would like to buy an Intel cpu but use an AMD gpu.
I would like to overclock despite having no prior experience.
As for Crossfire i would like the utility for upgrade capability so for now i plan on using a single gpu but later on when the gpus price drops i would like to be capable of running crossfire.
In terms of resolution i would like 1920x1200.
I plan on buying the cooler master storm enforcer with windows so that i can add maybe one or two red cold cathodes.
I think i will wait for SSD to drop in price before i purchase them.
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Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer
CPU: Intel i5 2500k
Heat sink: Noctua NH-U9B-SE2 All-In-One Performance CPU Cooler
Ram: Corsair 4GB (2x 2GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL 9 XMS3
GPU: Asus ATI RADEON 6950 2GB
Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V-LE Intel Mainboard - LGA 1155
Power Supply:Corsair AX-850 850W
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB
Opitical drive: Pioneer DVD/CD Burner (DVR-219LBK)
Monitor:Asus 24" VS248H BLACK LED
Keyboard: i was originally planning on purchasing Logitech g110 but due to the budget i may purchase a cheaper keyboard costing 40-70$
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I would like to read your opinions on my selection,
But i would also like ask whether i would be capable of running cross fire despite the graphics card size and motherboard size, and on top of that whether i would be able to add an extra sound card in future

Roman9009 · Dec 15, 2011

OS: WIndows 64 bit premium oem -110$

candlelarbra5212 · Dec 15, 2011

Its a solid build,
I'm not sure about the site, prices seem ok but I always go for pccasegear.com
Your PSU is overkill, I would go a 750W as that will be able to run 2 6950s in xfire easily.
If your looking to buy next year I might wait until the new graphics cards come out.
I would also buy an ssd as well with your budget you should be able to get one

g-unit1111 · Dec 15, 2011

As for Crossfire i would like the utility for upgrade capability so for now i plan on using a single gpu but later on when the gpus price drops i would like to be capable of running crossfire.

The Catalyst software which is the main driver for AMD/ATI cards is, IMO, easier to use than NVIDIA's utility that they include. But I use NVIDIA more than AMD/ATI but that's just my personal preference.

In terms of resolution i would like 1920x1200.

It might be hard to find monitors that use that resolution, even my TV is only 1920 x 1080.

I plan on buying the cooler master storm enforcer with windows so that i can add maybe one or two red cold cathodes.

I'm not sure what those are... but all cases on the market have tube inserts that you can use.

I think i will wait for SSD to drop in price before i purchase them.

SSDs are a lot cheaper than they used to be, but even with the spike in HD prices the mechanical drives are still the highest storage capacity you can get for the money right now.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer
CPU: Intel i5 2500k
Heat sink: Noctua NH-U9B-SE2 All-In-One Performance CPU Cooler
Ram: Corsair 4GB (2x 2GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL 9 XMS3
GPU: Asus ATI RADEON 6950 2GB
Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V-LE Intel Mainboard - LGA 1155
Power Supply:Corsair AX-850 850W
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB
Opitical drive: Pioneer DVD/CD Burner (DVR-219LBK)
Monitor:Asus 24" VS248H BLACK LED
Keyboard: i was originally planning on purchasing Logitech g110 but due to the budget i may purchase a cheaper keyboard costing 40-70$
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Really good selection of components. That will be a pretty impressive build. One thing I would suggest - maybe instead of the Logitech G110 - really you could get away with a far less expensive set - I use the MK320 at work, and it's perfectly suitable and it runs $34. I'd really suggest upping the RAM to 8GB to make your system more future proof, however.

But i would also like ask whether i would be capable of running cross fire despite the graphics card size and motherboard size, and on top of that whether i would be able to add an extra sound card in future

You don't need a sound card. Your motherboard has built in audio and that's all I ever have or ever will use. It's plenty loud and it works fine. If you're hooking up your PC to a high-end speaker set, you might need it but you generally don't.

As far as motherboard size goes that's not a factor in determining what size of video cards or anything of that nature you can hold - your case size will determine that, you want to make sure you get a case with a roomy interior if you plan on using big video cards in SLI or Crossfire.

Roman9009 · Dec 15, 2011

It might be hard to find monitors that use that resolution, even my TV is only 1920 x 1080.

By 1920x1200 i basically was referring to any high def resolution.

The Catalyst software which is the main driver for AMD/ATI cards is, IMO, easier to use than NVIDIA's utility that they include. But I use NVIDIA more than AMD/ATI but that's just my personal preference.

I don't know what your taking about but by 'utility for upgrade capability' i was inferring to the ability to add an extra gpu later on

As far as motherboard size goes that's not a factor in determining what size of video cards or anything of that nature you can hold - your case size will determine that, you want to make sure you get a case with a roomy interior if you plan on using big video cards in SLI or Crossfire.

The reason i asked was because in several reviews the Asus ATI RADEON 6950 2GB was mentioned to be one of the thickest, due to the CUII build causing it to cover 3 slots

also in response to candlebra i heard 750w power supplies were noisy when put in crossfire/sli systems due to constantly being made to run at full.

Headspin_69 · Dec 15, 2011

Don't even bother with CFX on that board being the second PCI-E lane only runs @ x4 speed which gives worse performance than is your are to run a single card.

Roman9009 · Dec 15, 2011

Don't even bother with CFX on that board being the second PCI-E lane only runs @ x4 speed which gives worse performance than is your are to run a single card.

Than what would you recomend?
Would a Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Intel Mainboard (B3 Stepping) - LGA 1155 do?

Formata · Dec 15, 2011

The below build incorporates a lot of your choices with a few refinements. Totals $1480 + shipping (You live in Melbourne... can you pick up will save you a bunch

viridiancrystal · Dec 15, 2011

build looks really good. I can only recommend that you wait for the new AMD cards to come out. The 79xx's are coming out in early January.

Memnarchon · Dec 15, 2011

Hi Roman. I was about to suggest you since you are going for such a high end gaming pc, to grab a better gpu like a HD6970 or a GTX570 (GTX580 are still way up in price at your country). But while I was searching for prices I opened also a tab from X-bit labs.
Since they are already shipping they might be only a month or 40 days away. If I were you I would wait a month in order to get a more powerful rig at the same or lower $$.

Roman9009 · Dec 16, 2011

Im stuck between Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3R Motherboard or ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 Motherboard.
also in terms of psu i am considering Corsair TX-850M Modular Power Supply
...and i will wait for the new gpus, would buying the new 7950 be a good idea?

Formata · Dec 16, 2011

You won't loose anything by waiting. Even if you decide the 7950 are not the way to go... who knows... prices might go down on the 6950. Can't really recommend anything until you see the benches and testing results.

From what few details have been released you would think an 850w PSu would be heaps for XF 7950, but wait and see.

Either of those boards will serve you well. Just look at the features on both, compare with your budget and go with which ever you feel more comfortable with

Roman9009 · Dec 16, 2011

also btw what was your reasoning behind the cm hyper212 evo cooler?

Formata · Dec 16, 2011

The CM Hyper 212 Evo offers great cooling at a low cost. Depending on how far you plan to OC you CPU, obviously you can spend more to gain lower degrees... but the Hyper 212 Evo will have your CPU sitting comfortable at 60 degrees C (or probably less) under full load at 4.5 GHz no problems.

Roman9009 · Dec 28, 2011

Best answer selected by roman9009.

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