New Build $1500-$2000 Gaming PC

[Sh0nk4]

I was looking into buying a new PC purely for gaming. My budget is $1500-$2000 and I am thinking of buying within the next month.

I have not built a PC myself but I have watched some friends do it a while ago and I wanted to build this one myself.

After doing a little research online I have come up with a potential build and I would like to get some opinions on it from people who know a lot more about this than I do.

As far as overclocking goes I would like to overclock but I do not have the knowledge to do it currently. After researching it I would probably be interested in it.

Let me know what everyone thinks and if there are some changes I should make and why I should make them if so.

I would need everything for a new build except keyboard/mouse/monitor. If I am missing something or have compatibility problems please let me know.

Thanks!

Mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

CPU Cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Video Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102961

Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145295

Hard Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136794

SSD: (I don't know much about SSD's. Should I get one or leave it out? What are the benefits?)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139601

Case: (Just looking for a generic case that is easy to work with, if you have any recommendations feel free to post them.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112304

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152043

 

[sadams04]

MB ($205) - ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3
CPU ($230) - i5-2500k
CPU Cooler ($35) - Hyper 212 EVO
GPU ($600) - MSI HD 7970
MEM ($50) - Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600 8GB CL9 1.5v
OS / Boot HD ($180) - Crucial M4 128GB SSD
Apps / Storage HD ($160) - Samsung F4 2TB
OPTICAL ($60 after MIR) - ASUS Black 12x BD-RW
PSU ($90) - XFX PRO850W
CASE ($50 after MIR) - HAF 912
OS ($100) - Windows 7 Home Premium x64 - $100

$1760

 

[angaddev]

There are cheaper 7970s out there. No need for 16GB RAM, 8GB of Dominator is fine

 

[sadams04]

Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145295

Of note... LGA 1155 has dual channel memory controllers. The memory you listed is a 6GB tripple channel "kit" and is 1.65 volts. Stick with installing memory in pairs and look for 1.5v modules.

 

[angaddev]

Also if you're looking for a case like that but better, look at the Corsair 650D.

 

[AMutedScream]

With all the money you're looking to spend, have you given CPU water cooling a thought? The Corsair H60 can be had for a cool 70 bucks
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181015

Otherwise the CM 212+ has had some underwhelming performance reviews. I'm a big fan of Gelid or Xigmatek at that price point.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835426023
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233082

 

[azeem40]

I would get the evo.

 

[Sh0nk4]

Thanks for all the input so far. I have modified it to basically what sadams04 has linked. I have a copy of windows vista though so I don't think I would need to buy a new OS unless windows 7 is far superior to vista.

I have not given water cooling a thought yet but it is an option. I do not know anything about overclocking *yet* but once I order everything and build it I will be interested in it. But is water cooling really necessary unless you want to push your system really far? Or are there other reasons that I would choose water cooling over a regular heatsink.

Keep the feedback coming!

 

[sadams04]

Thanks for all the input so far. I have modified it to basically what sadams04 has linked. I have a copy of windows vista though so I don't think I would need to buy a new OS unless windows 7 is far superior to vista.

I do not know anything about overclocking *yet* but once I order everything and build it I will be interested in it. But is water cooling really necessary unless you want to push your system really far? Or are there other reasons that I would choose water cooling over a regular heatsink.

IMHO you should be running a 64-bit OS. Win7 64-bit is a better OS than Vista 64-bit so it might be good to pick up a copy.

Water cooling is "cool", but it won't do a much better job than a good air cooler. With the Hyper 212 EVO listed above you should expect an easy overclock of 4.5GHz. A good H2O system may drop your temps enough to get that closer to 5GHz, but at a cost of way more than $35. Water Cooling Forums

 

[FesBeng]

With this kind of budget, why not go for an i7 2600K ?

 

[Sh0nk4]

I looked at the i7 2600k but I read that it isn't worth it for gaming. So I think I would just stick with the i5-2500k unless I hear otherwise.

 

[FesBeng]

You 're right, you will only see a small difference in pure gaming performance. But for everything else the difference is quite important. Maybe it's just me, but putting an i5 with that kind of budget looks weird !

 

[vollman1]

If you don't need the extra 2xSATA 6Gb/s, why not go with the p8z68-v gen3?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131792

I believe that the this is the only major difference between the it and the pro model.


AND,

Water cools better than air. It just costs a little more. The H60 and H80 are 5-10'C cooler than air. Budget=air; performance=water.

 

[a4mula]

Keep in mind that SSD support @ Vista is non-existent. Spend the $99 for Win7 Home Premium 64-bit.

And the idea that small water is better than big air has been shown false time and again. For the price you pay for a prefabbed loop you can purchase a Silver Arrow or NH-D14 that kills even the H100. There are other issues with water cooling as well like taking the circulation off your VRMs. The only time I'd ever suggest one of these overpriced toys is if you're just hurting majorly for space, and then you'd have to supplement it with a spot cooler to replace the circulation lost by removing fans from the socket area.

 

[vollman1]

+1 on the Win 7 64 bit

And the idea that small water is better than big air has been shown false time and again. For the price you pay for a prefabbed loop you can purchase a Silver Arrow or NH-D14 that kills even the H100. There are other issues with water cooling as well like taking the circulation off your VRMs. The only time I'd ever suggest one of these overpriced toys is if you're just hurting majorly for space, and then you'd have to supplement it with a spot cooler to replace the circulation lost by removing fans from the socket area.

I am just relating my first hand experience regarding air vs water and what I have seen. But, I am open to seeing your sources. Should be a great read for all.

 

[LOBOBAST]

You 're right, you will only see a small difference in pure gaming performance. But for everything else the difference is quite important. Maybe it's just me, but putting an i5 with that kind of budget looks weird !

That's how I feel as well. I'm investing on a 2560x1600 BF3 build and for only $70 more I can upgrade to an i7-2600k for only $299. through a local store.

If that deal wasn't around I don't think I would get the i7 for the normal price of $330 or whatever it is now but that's just me.

 

[a4mula]

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/phanteks_ph-tc14pe_review/1

H100 pretty handily being beaten by both the NH-D14 and Silver Arrow while doing it 50% more quietly at and about $30-40 less expensive. Not to mention you don't have to worry about hiding a 2x120 rad.

 

[vollman1]

Maybe there is a tariff or something that drives the price up in Great Britain.

Here the prices are currently around $60-$100 with no current MIR on the H80 or H100 (which you can expect to be there if you wait)

H60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181015

H80
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Performance-Liquid-Cooler-CWCH80/dp/B0051U7HMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328074847&sr=8-1

H100
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Extreme-Performance-Liquid-CWCH100/dp/B0051U7HMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328076273&sr=8-1

In short I think the prices that they are basing their review on are

1) not current
and
2) maybe more in UK than here in US (would be interesting to know what current prices are in UK for those who are on that side of the lake)

Here are some other sources for our readers to draw their own conclusions, with the understanding that the prices have dropped by around 20-30% on the H series coolers.

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/corsair_hydro_series_h100/5.htm

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/07/26/corsair_h100_extreme_perf_liquid_cpu_cooler_review/4

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5054/corsair-hydro-series-h60-h80-and-h100-reviewed/5

and a forum thread on the subject:

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=345929


And nowhere do I see anything about cooling problems with other Mobo components.

Further, several of these reviews state that the idea of having all of the weight associated with a LARGE air cooler heat sink hanging off of your cpu/Mobo may be a mark in favor of the water cooling solutions.

Interesting reading....


Edit:

I personally bought the H100 for a total of $69 after rebate and love it for my OCed main computer. Water cools better than air and if you are smart, you can get the H series units for very reasonable prices.

 

[a4mula]

And nowhere do I see anything about cooling problems with other Mobo components.

http://www.overclock.net/t/943109/about-vrms-mosfets-motherboard-safety-with-125w-tdp-processors

I'd point you to the evergrowing list of VRM failures and the high percentage of those that are being attributed to water cooling.

If you still doubt the voracity of the claim then I'd suggest you venture into water cooling forums and just ask if cooling is important for VRMs and Mosfets. There's a reason for northbridge blocks, and it wasn't just for PCH. Overheating of VRMs is a very real concern and if you're not providing proper circulation then you're gambling with your entire rig every single time you turn it on and run it.

Maybe you can find a great deal on the H100, but the same applies to air cooling as well. No matter how you slice it you're paying more for less while increasing noise and having to deal with external radiators that only a handful of cases have proper support for.

 

[vollman1]

Is it me or are most (almost all) of those failures on MSI boards....

Also, it doesn't say how the fans were oriented with the cooling solutions. Are the fans set up as exhaust or intake?

If fans are intake, they blow the air across... the mobo.

We'll leave it to the readers to decide I guess. I am not a fan boy of air or water; I use both.

Edit: But water cools better than air.

 

[FesBeng]

Vollman, you forgo to mention that the Corsair H series are about 3 times smaller in size than a Noctua NH-D14.
I own an H70 system. It works perfecly, makes virtually NO NOISE and allows me to use any size of RAM I want on every Slot.
Had i chosen a Noctua, I might have had better temp by a few degrees, but it would mean only Low-Profile Memory or only 2/4 slots !

 

[Sh0nk4]

Best answer selected by Sh0nk4.