[Solved] $3k max - gaming PC

I am looking to build a new gaming PC - I've received a lot of advice from the community, and I am grateful. I am on the final step of choosing my build and would like a final opinion before I purchase.

The only 2 things I'm mildly concerned with is the Graphics card and the CPU Fan (both highlighted in Bold). I want to do 3 screens (hence the price on the monitors) with AMD's Eyefinity capability. I don't know if I should go for the card I chose x1 or x2 or forgo that card and choose a higher card (prefer not to pay over 400 for the individual card, I feel sick when I see a 600 card.) And the CPU Fan is gargantuan! Is that going to fit in the Level 10 GT case??? I'm buying all parts from Newegg.com.

Thanks in advance!


Begin Build Specs:

Thermaltake Level 10 GT (VN10001W2N) Black SECC / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case with Four Fans-1x 200mm Colorshift ...
Item #: N82E16811133188
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant
$269.99
$249.99


MSI SATA Model DH-18D5S
Item #: N82E16827100066
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$17.99 Saving
$0.00 - free with case


Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822148834
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant
$169.99


(3) Acer G215HVAbd Black 21.5" Full HD WideScreen LCD Monitors
Item #: N82E16824009306
Return Policy: Monitor Standard Return Policy
$359.97
($119.99 each)


HIS IceQ Turbo H697QT2G2M Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with ...
Item #: N82E16814161382
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$339.99




XFX Core Edition PRO850W (P1-850S-NLB9) 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active ...
Item #: N82E16817207011
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$119.99


Logitech G19 Black USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard
Item #: N82E16823126053
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$40.00 Instant
$159.99


Cyborg CCB437080002/04/1 Black USB Wired Laser R.A.T. 7 Gaming Mouse
Item #: N82E16826102062
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$77.99


CORSAIR DOMINATOR 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 Desktop Memory Model CMP16GX3M4X1866C9
Item #: N82E16820233228
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$159.99


ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Item #: N82E16813131790
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$15.00 Instant
$204.99


Intel Core i7-2700K Sandy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623i72700K
Item #: N82E16819115095
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
$369.99


Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BL 140mm UFB (Updraft Floating Balance) CPU Cooler
Item #: N82E16835709002
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$99.99


Mushkin Enhanced Callisto Deluxe MKNSSDCL120GB-DX 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820226152
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
$154.99

Subtotal: $2,467.86

1) Get a SataIII SSD. Check Tom's articles on SSD's as to which are the fastest and then take your pick at your range.
2) For gaming with 3 displays, 7950 or 7970 is good, the 6970 doesn't have enough juice to do it.
So either $450 for the 7950 or $550 for the 7970. The 850W PSU will be fine even if you Crossfire.
They have the 3GB memory you need and enough juice to run the displays. Plus if you need more juice you can get an 2nd one for crossfire.

The CoolerMaster Hyper 212 is about $35, it gives performance 3-5 C. off of the Phanteks. I agree with rvilkman, I say you should get a 7950 because it still outperforms the 580 and you can overclock it and it will perform like a 7970. I like the Corsair K series keyboards, I have the K60 + M60 and they are really good, keys are mechanical and high qual. The Tt case might look good, but it has limited functionality. Try the HAF 932, Corsair 600T/650D/800D or Antec 1100

For gaming, the i7-2700k is a waste of money. Hyperthreading won't be utilized for a long time. Save $130 and get the i5-2500k. Use the money saved to get a gold certified power supply. Same with the ram. save the money and get 8gb, lower profile corsair. I highly suggest you look into mechanical keyboards. They are more accurate, have a better feel, and will cause less fatigue. Plus, there are a lot that are cheaper than the one you are planning to get. Another thing is that they last many times longer than rubber dome ones.

Yup, I agree with azeem. Nobody seems to trust me about this but I think the K60 + K90 are some of the best keyboards out there, get one.

My build :
i7-3930K
Sabertooth X79
8GB 1600 RAM
7950
HAF 932 / Antec 1100 / Corsair 650/800D
2TB WD Caviar Green
128 GB Crucial m4
Corsair HX1050

I actually don't agree with your view g-unit. If you can get the best already, including the keyboard in the budget is not a big deal. I have done the same. With my $1800 I have managed to get a $105 keyboard fully mechanical, $150 in games, the best CPU for gaming, best Graphics Card, good PSU, MOBO, and other parts. With what I suggested he do, he can do the same.

*I meant Caviar Black

lol, g-unit, for a guy who's spending 3k you got him a Pc Power and Cooling Psu. L.O.L.
For 3k I got a 2500k, Sniper2, 256GB SSD 3TB HDD, Hx1050 and a 7970

I tried to factor in a Corsair AX1200 and it ran the price way over budget.

I count the monitor among the important hardware but about 80% of the build requests I've seen on here usually don't require one (most of the time it's because they already have one or they're using an HDTV). If they ask I try to include it. But the $150 keyboard and $90 mouse to me that's what isn't worth it. I know the analogy about using a Ferrari with Ford Fiesta controls but if you can get by with say a Logitech MK320 instead of the $130 keyboard, why not?

It depends on if you prefer mechanical or not. True there are some good ones at the price of the MK320, but I find spending the extra on a mechanical for better typing more useful.

Tiered list of PSU's.
Pretty much can't go wrong with any Tier1 PSU from that list. Tier2 works great as well esp if you have to stretch your buck further.

For keyboards mine and monitors i like to go to stores and try them out for a bit, generally gives you a better understanding of what feels good.

heh, once again I'm stunned at the show of support by the community! Spending this kind of money isn't easy for me, but I want a great gaming pc that will last a long time to come. My concern about the 7970 is this. Will I have to buy any additional hardware to run the Eyefinity capability? There are a few games that we play here, for example, L4D2, BF3, COD3 etc.

Yes I like ALL suggestions! And I appreciate them. Personally I'm not one for mechanical keyboards, but its a great suggestion. I like the one I chose because of the features it offers, and a neat lcd screen to boot. I like the mouse because my hands are a bit bigger than most and I like that I can customize it to my hand.

Keep the recommendations coming, I'm changing some parts out with great recommendations! Can't wait to finalize, i'm going to submit this build to Newegg tomorrow!

$3K will get you a PC that will last a long time with minimum or no upgrades involved. With the 7970 - out of the box it has 2 x DVI and 1 x HDMI, along with 1 x DP. You will be able to run three monitors as long as it adheres to one of those ports. Some non-reference designs like MSI or XFX have will include an additional DP or two. If you get a card like the Sapphire Flex you'll be able to run 3 x HDMI using the included DP adapters. For the most part you will not need to buy those as they will be included with the card, but if you do they're only like $10 - $15.

That's probably the most accurate PSU manufacturer list I've seen yet - I had an Ultra PSU and it was a flat-out junk PSU - never worked when I ran my PC on anything but idle (games, BD-Rs, etc).

Not necessarily - depends on what the OP wants it to do. If they have a separate system for playing BD-Rs (Playstation, dedicated player) they don't really need it.

I definitely agree with that but on an X79 system most dedicated quad channel kits are typically 4 x 4GB, I hesitate to recommend ones that are 2 x 2GB.

That one did actually.

The Level 10, IMO, is *extremely* overrated. If you're gonna pay that kind of money for a case I'd rather pay the extra $50 and get the Cosmos II - much sleeker looking.

I think 256GB SSDs are actually a waste of money right now. When they drop $100 - $150 then it will be worth it, besides you never want to load your SSD beyond 80% capacity or do anything to distort its' read-write times which will drastically decrease the lifespan of the drive. I try to get a small SSD and then store everything else on the 1TB - this will prolong the life of the drive significantly.

I hope this isn't a stupid question but are there thin bezel monitors in the 22" to 25" size?

Yes the border around the monitor is a bezel - I saw an ASUS one for almost 500 apiece, a bit too much for me. I was wondering if anyone knew off hand of any others in that size.

These are probably the "easiest"
Samsung MD230X3 eyefinity setup $1470

At $1470 can't say it's cheap by any means, and the response time is sluggish in comparison to the better gaming monitors out there.
So I would just look around for the thinnest you can find and then build your own setup, generally there are ~0.5" or less bezels out there but not a whole lot

That is ridiculously expensive when you could get 3 x LED 24" monitors at $219 a piece and then get this monitor stand to go with it: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] or%20stand

Yeah I know it's expensive, just pointed out that there is such a thing out there. But indeed for under $1000 you can build one yourself.

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey