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First Build $2000 Gaming Rig

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January 24, 2012 6:28:29 AM

Ever since my Dell XPS M1730 Laptop (HUGE mistake buying lol) died on me, I've been interested in the notion of building my own desktop. Although my knowledge is limited given the brief time I've spent perusing these forums and other websites, I'm still leaning towards building one myself over buying a prebuilt. Initially, I wanted to limit myself to about $1200-$1500 build, but I figure I may as well get a beast system for a few hundred more.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next month preferably, unless there's a good reason to wait

Budget Range: $1600-$2000 before rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, watching blu-ray movies, programming

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, Monitor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NewEgg or Amazon

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: I'm more familiar with Intel and nVidia, but I'm not opposed to AMD

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Yes, either initially or in the near future.

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200


Antec Twelve Hundred V3 - $159.99

I don't have much of a preference towards cases, but I'd obviously want one with good air flow and can fit everything with general ease.

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 - $121.99

Heard good stuff about this Mobo

Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB - $599.99

This is one area where I'm still pretty doubtful. I'm debating between getting one of these (which I could only find on Amazon for $40 more...) or going SLI/CF on a different card. If I got the 7970, I'd most likely get another later on if/when I'm unsatisfied with the single card. Should I get this card off of Amazon or wait until they're restocked elsewhere for cheaper? Input on GPU(s) would be greatly appreciated.

XFX Core Edition PRO850W - $119.99

A little iffy on the PSU mainly because the GPU is still undecided.

Intel Core i5-2500K - $229.99

Seems to be the generally accepted CPU for most gaming rigs of this budget

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) - $49.99

Might get another 8GB if I have money to spare, but probably not

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM - $159.99

Didn't really know what to go with, so I just borrowed this HDD from another build. If there's a better/cheaper 1TB 7200 RPM one, let me know.

Crucial M4 128GB SSD - $182.99

I'd rather not drop down to 60-64GB, but if it helps put money into other performance boosts, I'll consider it.

SAMSUNG Black Internal Blu-ray Combo Model SH-B123L/RSBP - $59.99

Pretty much picked this at random. Again, if there's a better/cheaper BR player, please post.

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - $99.99

Self-Explanatory

Scythe SCMG-3000 CPU Cooler - $49.99

A little pricey, but I think it's worth it for the system.

Total Price: $1834.89 before shipping and rebates

More about : build 2000 gaming rig

January 24, 2012 7:56:31 AM

I would wait until they are in stock.
For cooler I think the hyper 212 evo is better for a cheaper one.
January 24, 2012 9:14:23 AM

Build looks pretty solid. Id possibly recommend a slightly higher priced motherboard though tbh. Extreme3 Gen3 is a good budget choice, but since your already nearing $2k, id suggest something like ASUS P8Z68-v PRO or ASRock Extreme4 Gen3.

From my experience, ASUS boards have great support features and BIOS when it comes to tweaking and over-clocking. Solid reliable board.
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January 24, 2012 10:24:38 PM

fire r a g e said:
I would wait until they are in stock.
For cooler I think the hyper 212 evo is better for a cheaper one.


I noticed that Newegg has this 7970 card in stock for $549.99

PowerColor Radeon HD 7970

I'm not too familiar with PowerColor. Would it be okay to get this brand 7970 card instead of waiting for the other ones to restock? Does anyone know when they're expected to have more again?

In regards to the cooler, I think I'll switch to your suggested Hyper 212 Evo.

AdrianPerry said:
Build looks pretty solid. Id possibly recommend a slightly higher priced motherboard though tbh. Extreme3 Gen3 is a good budget choice, but since your already nearing $2k, id suggest something like ASUS P8Z68-v PRO or ASRock Extreme4 Gen3.

From my experience, ASUS boards have great support features and BIOS when it comes to tweaking and over-clocking. Solid reliable board.


After reading some reviews pointing out the lackluster customer support from ASRock, I think I'll try the ASUS P8Z68v Pro. It's kind of pricey for my tastes, but it does seem to fit what I need.

Are there any other parts I should reconsider? With this being my first build and all, I'm a little paranoid about running into complications while building/trying to first boot/etc.
January 24, 2012 10:37:41 PM

Mobo change sounds good. You can get a Cavier Blue, Seagate, or Hitachi 1tb 7200rpm cheaper.
Look at this:GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s

Other than that, looks good. If you wanna save some money i5 2500k. Have extra money to show off? I7 2600k
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