New ~$1500 complete gaming rig advice

[schm1809]

Hi all,

I am looking for any advice, comments, suggestions or improvements on my proposed first time build. I currently only own a laptop and want to build an entire new system.


Approximate Purchase Date: Next 1-2 months

Budget Range: Around $1500 -- my current build is $1700, which I'm willing to pay, but less $ without sacrificing quality is OK

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, watching movies, web surfing

Parts Not Required:OS (I have windows 7 ultimate)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg

Country: U.S.

Parts Preferences: Intel Z68 chip set. Two data drives: 1x small SSD drive (~120Gb) for the OS and gaming data, 1x large 7200rpm drive (~1Tb) for all other data. Ideally I'd like the parts to be as future proof as possible (i.e. performance longevity, upgradability, and quality are important)

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Yes - I'd like to buy a single video card now and be able to buy another as an upgrade when needed down the road

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 (need to buy monitor also)

Additional Comments: Low noise level is important, high performance is key but without breaking the bank, no bottleneck components, as future proof as possible and with upgradability in mind

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Case: Plain, proper cooling, room for all components

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case | $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

CPU: i7-2600k or i5-2500k -- leaning towards the i7 with the future in mind even though its $100 more

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor | $300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070

Mobo: Capable of SLI/Crossfire, ability to add new upgrade components to this mobo a couple years from now

ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard | $190
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131806

Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) | $87
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233197

Video Card: The Radeon 6870 seems to be the best price/performance card out there right now, but the GT 560 Ti are tempting as well but pricier.. I'd like to get a good one video card now that will run any recent game at good quality/playable framerate and then be able to add another in SLI or crossfire down the road when games get more demanding.

HIS IceQ X H687QN1G2M Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX | $170
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161396
Benchmark: http://www.guru3d.com/article/his-radeon-6870-iceq-x-turbo-x-review/

Drive 1: Small (~120Gb) SSD for my OS and game data, no raid setup just a single drive

Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR120GB 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive | $185
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226236

Drive 2: Large (~1Tb) 7200rpm drive for all other data

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive | $125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697

Media Drive: I want to be able to read/burn anything!

LITE-ON Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM SATA 12X Blu-ray Burner with Blu Ray 3D | $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106369

Power Supply: I'd like to buy a quality PS so that it lasts and it has enough wattage to handle future upgrades such as video cards

RAIDMAX RX-1000AE 1000W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular | $145
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152044

Monitor: 24", 2ms delay, LED backlit, LCD display

ASUS VE248Q Black 24" 2ms LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ Speakers 250 cd/m2 ASCR 50,000,000:1 (1,000:1) | $215
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236154

Other Parts/Accessories: Keyboard, mouse, mouse pad, wireless adapter, surge protector and media reader | $136

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823361001
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153072
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826999006
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833180079
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812120401
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820223113

As it is, my Newegg basket is just over $1700, which is a little spendy but I am OK with paying. I am also not in a major hurry to buy now, so I'd like to hear what anyone has to say about the build and to see if prices might come down in the next 1-2 months.

 

[timpattinson]

Power Supply: I'd like to buy a quality PS so that it lasts and it has enough wattage to handle future upgrades such as video cards

RAIDMAX RX-1000AE 1000W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular | $145
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152044

That PSU doesn't look good.
A PSU is more important than you think, so get a good one. (Antec,Corsair)

 

[vitornob]

Do not need to go for i7-2600k. Stick with i5-2500k, believe me, you will be fine.
In 1 to 2 months, new AMD 7000 series will be released, do not make VGA decision now.
Don't know the PSU, but due to specs it looks fine, specially cause that one is 80Plus certified (Gold btw).
But if you would go for SLI GTX 560Ti even a 750W Quality PSU would be fine. Heck, even GTX 570 SLI is possible! Why go for sure high PSU wattage? If you find a cheaper one go for it. (also, look for a single 12V rail, it's better for power distribution)

 

[majorgibly]

Do not need to go for i7-2600k. Stick with i5-2500k, believe me, you will be fine.
In 1 to 2 months, new AMD 7000 series will be released, do not make VGA decision now.
Don't know the PSU, but due to specs it looks fine, specially cause that one is 80Plus certified (Gold btw).
But if you would go for SLI GTX 560Ti even a 750W Quality PSU would be fine. Heck, even GTX 570 SLI is possible! Why go for sure high PSU wattage? If you find a cheaper one go for it. (also, look for a single 12V rail, it's better for power distribution)

Agreed! Thread poster follow this advice. The PSU I have never heard of but looking at it's specs it does not look as terrible as I first thought.

 

[lothdk]

For a gaming build an i5 2500k would be the best choice for your $, hyperthreading does not do much for gaming.

8 GB memory would be more than enough for gaming.

Since this is a gaming build I would go for at least a GTX 560 Ti, but if you can wait, see what the new AMD Radeon cards set to be released can do.

Go with a quality 850-950W PSU (Seasonic, PCP&C, Antec, Corsair) instead of the RAIDMAX. From the reviews I have read on that specific model, it does NOT live up to the specifications listed.

 

[avieor]

16GB? What would you need 16GB for? 8GB is more than adequate for gaming and an affordable option. 4GB is also ideal and cheaper.

 

[avieor]

Also i5-2500k would be a better choice for the gamer, i7-2600k would be a better choice for a video editor for so forth.

 

[avieor]

As for the video cards, I would recommend waiting a bit for the new GPUs coming out within the next month.
I must apologise for making three separate posts when I could of squeezed everything together.

 

[schm1809]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

Changes -

CPU: i5-2500k rather than i7-2600k | -$100

Memory: 8Gb Corsair Vengeance rather than 16Gb | -$38

Power Supply: Corsair Single 12V rail 850W rather than raidmax 1000W | -$10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139022

Video Card: Still unsure here.. I really want a GTX 560 Ti or greater but the cost is so much more than a Radeon 6870 at the moment.. I like avieor's suggestion to wait 1-2 months to watch prices and see how the Radeon 7xxx series release goes. The Nvidia 6xx series is too far away for me to wait.

I find it hard to justify the cost for upgrading from a 560 / 6870 to a 570 / 6970 at the moment:

GTX 560 / Radeon 6870 | ~$180

GTX 560 Ti / Radeon 6950 | ~$250

GTX 570 / Radeon 6970 | ~$340

Depending on the video card, this brings the total system cost with shipping to: $1600 - $1760

Is the performance that much better for a $250+ card?

Also, does my new Corsair power supply look OK?

 

[brpeden82]

i am using about a $1700 build minus perpherials but including monitor

what i am using is

Intel Core i5 2500k
8GB DDR3 1333 Mushkin silverline RAM
Gigabyte GA-z68X-ud3H-b3 motherboard
Adata S510 120GB SSD
Corsair 750 tx v2 power supply
Corsair Graphite 600t Case
Two XFX Radeon HD 6950 2GB in crossfire
and monitor
ASUS VS248H-P 24" 2ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor

 

[lothdk]

Is the performance that much better for a $250+ card?

Only you can answer that question, to me, yes, but you do pay more for the extra performance you get.
It really boils down to the amount of eye-candy you want. If you ok not being able to run the newest games at max settings then a ~$180 card will do the trick.

Also, does my new Corsair power supply look OK?

Yes, it is a good PSU.

Others for you to consider could be

Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 if you aren't going to SLI GTX 580 and max OC your system (though it would likely be able to run it, but maxed out).

Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-900 - review at jonnyguru

 

[frogsofwar]

Quick thought on the 6870 vs 560ti

Look at this benchmark, they are closer than you probably thought.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/330?vs=290

Looks good to me!