$1300-1500 gaming pc Critique

[Konnect]

My name is Daniel and I'm about to build my first gaming PC but before I start I wanted to post my build here to see if any changes can be made.

Approximate Purchase Date: In the next 1-2 months

Budget Range: $1300-1500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming

Parts Not Required: I'm going to need everything including a desk lol!!

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com. amazon

Country: U.S.

Parts Preferences: Intel, Cool Master, Nvidia, AMD/ATI

Overclocking: Yes!!

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: I'm coming fresh from console gaming to experience real* gaming. Games that I will be playing are "BF3. Crysis 1-2. Witcher 1-2, Guild wars 2, ME3, Diablo III and whatever beastly games coming out later this year".

CPU
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge $229.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072&Tpk=Intel%20Core%20i5-2500K%20Sandy%20Bridge

Motherboard
Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 $121.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271&Tpk=Asrock%20Z68%20Extreme3%20Gen3

PSU
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 $104.99 $94.99 with rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021

GPU
SAPPHIRE 21197-00-40G Radeon HD 7970 3GB 384-bit $559.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102961

Memory
Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1600 $44.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148544

HDD
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769

DVD
LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM $18.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276

Case
HAF 912 $59.99 after rebate $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233&Tpk=haf%20912

Cooling
Case Fans: Rosewill RCA-1204BK 120mm Sleeve Black Case Fan, 4/PK $9.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200061

CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO $34.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

Mouse and Keyboard
Logitech Wireless Combo MK260 920-002950 Black $26.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126197

OS
Windows 7 Home Premium $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Monitor
Acer S230HLAbii Black 23" 5ms HDMI LED Backlight $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009315

Speakers
Logitech S-220 17 Watts 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System - OEM $22.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121014

Desk (I'm going to be using a small space so any recommendations are appreciated)
Mainstays Computer Cart $39.84
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Computer-Cart-Black-and-Silver/17479998?findingMethod=rr
or
Sauder Cosmo Computer Cart $59.00
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sauder-Cosmo-Computer-Cart-Silver-and-Cherry-Finish/11003010?findingMethod=rr

Total with Mainstays Desk = 1465.71/ w rebates 1445.1
Total with Sauder Desk = 1484.88/ w rebates 1464.88

If you have any recommendations in which I can improve this build please post. I have done alot of research on various forums regarding PC gaming and have learned alot, but I'm still a noob lol. SSD card I can hold off until a later time, it's really not a big deal for me atm since it only increases the load of programs and not FPS. Thank You

 

[phenom90]

for your resolution hd 7950 is more than enough for most games... hd 7970 is overkill...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102962
SAPPHIRE 11196-00-40G Radeon HD 7950 3GB - $450

as for psu... u can get more wattage model at almost the same price...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207011
XFX Core Edition PRO850W (P1-850S-NLB9) 850W - $100

there are cheaper air coolers that will do a good cooling as well....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181011
CORSAIR CAFA70 - $25

 

[tlmck]

I would opt for an ASUS z68 board as they are the best at z68 right now. Just get whichever one has the features you desire. All are good. They are generally more expensive, but worth it.

 

[Konnect]

for your resolution hd 7950 is more than enough for most games... hd 7970 is overkill...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102962
SAPPHIRE 11196-00-40G Radeon HD 7950 3GB - $450

as for psu... u can get more wattage model at almost the same price...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207011
XFX Core Edition PRO850W (P1-850S-NLB9) 850W - $100

there are cheaper air coolers that will do a good cooling as well....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181011
CORSAIR CAFA70 - $25

First off I would like to thank you for replying to me sir,

7970 overkill? I will have to agree with you there, I just wanted to future proof this build, but I think xfiring 7950's will be just as bad@ass in the future as well. I would opt for a 580 to use physx in Batman AC but the 3gb vram that comes with the 7950 is hard to beat.

I can't believe I missed that PSU!!!! Why isn't that posted somewhere of immediate importance like my toilet seat lol. But really thank you!!

There are 2 air coolers in the link you provided where as I can get 4 for 9.99 with higher rpm! Thank's anyways though sir

 

[Konnect]

I would opt for an ASUS z68 board as they are the best at z68 right now. Just get whichever one has the features you desire. All are good. They are generally more expensive, but worth it.

Thank You for your post,

Well if I were to choose a ASUS Mobo I would probably chose the cheapest one since I really have no clue on what the features actually do. But I will read up on the reviews for the various mobos and go from there. Thank you!

 

[phenom90]

for the time being the asrock extreme3 gen3 is hard to beat from value perspective... i know in many people's mind asrock is not as good as asus... but this board is good enough for typical usage... what more can be asked from a sub $130 board? physx is less implemented in today's games... but it can be very beautiful addition to graphical side of game when it is properly used.... there are gtx 580 3gb as well is you're keen on the 3gb vram... otherwise i suggest going for hd 7950 crossfire...

 

[Konnect]

for the time being the asrock extreme3 gen3 is hard to beat from value perspective... i know in many people's mind asrock is not as good as asus... but this board is good enough for typical usage... what more can be asked from a sub $130 board? physx is less implemented in today's games... but it can be very beautiful addition to graphical side of game when it is properly used.... there are gtx 580 3gb as well is you're keen on the 3gb vram... otherwise i suggest going for hd 7950 crossfire...

That 580 3gb is $549 and $529 with rebate atm . You got to be kidding me, especially since a 7970 is . I've been looking at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102963. The reviews for it are phenomenal and it has a magnificent cooler for $30 more. Do you think it's worth it over http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102962 for better temps? I'll have to read some more reviews before I make a decision. Thanks for all the help Phantom.

 

[phenom90]

oops... sorry... my bad... didn't look at the price... hd 7950 is the better option... performance a little bit faster than gtx 580 but at a cheaper price... personally i would get the dual-fan solution as it only costs me $30 more and it also come pre-overclocked... depends on you but even the cheaper option is good enough... it just the dual-fan is better...

 

[xtremegamer2da-max]

change ram to g.skill ripjaws x series 8gb 1600

 

[Konnect]

Sorry that I called you phantom lol, had that case on my mind haha, but yeah that sapphire looks semy. The overall performance of the 7950 OCed is so close to the 7970 I'm surprised I didn't consider it before.

Hey xgamer,

I was going to go with the gskill at first but the heatsinks looks like it might be a pain, especially in the haf 912 case. But see that's the thing I'm not sure. If they will fit then I will be happy to change, they look cooler and are cheaper for the same performance. Thank you.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231426

 

[phenom90]

if you're not too tight on budget i suggest you taking a 1tb hdd as you only need to add another $40 to double your storage capacity...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB - $125

 

[Konnect]

if you're not too tight on budget i suggest you taking a 1tb hdd as you only need to add another $40 to double your storage capacity...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB - $125

You know I'm still up because of you right now lol, it's fun researching the parts needed to build a great pc . I will have enough money to fit this into my budget, I might drive to microcenter (40 minute drive) to get the i5-2500k for 180 as well. I think I might go ahead and buy everything this Friday lol, the only thing holding me back is keplar...If nvidia reveal's that the gpu's will launch a month after I build my PC I will be a sad Panda . Thanks again

 

[Konnect]

Just learned something regarding physx. I can still use it with an AMD card, all I have to do is go to the nvidia website and download the driver. It will use the CPU to produce physx instead of the graphics card! Pretty sweet Link below. Skip to 4:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5yu7h9Txl4

 

[phenom90]

if you're willing to do so then why not? buy everything else but a video card... but kepler isn't yet come out at least until april... it all depends on you... anyway gud luck to your build... whether you ended up with kepler or southern island...

 

[Konnect]

Yeah your right phenom, I think I'm set. One more question though, do you think the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231426 heatsinks will block the 212 evo in my case? Thanks

 

[Konnect]

Thanks for the help again man, really appreciated.

 

[Konnect]

Best answer selected by Konnect.

 

[phenom90]

sorry man... couldn't open the link you posted....

 

[koogco]

As you already said, Nvidia should become competitive again within 2 months probably. Interesting things might happen to prices.
For me, the 212 EVO would bump a bit against the closest RAM slot, but i opted for low profile RAM.
I for one ended up with a Corsair XT rather than the XFX core edition due to what I heard about the companies costumer services. The quality of those two lines should be compareable though (if memory serves, most of them are the same Seasonic platform)

Staggered buying rarely makes sense, as you end up with extra shipping costs, and hardware can often drop a bit in price even in 2 months. RAM is unlikely to get cheaper however.

 

[Konnect]

I decided on the g.skill ripjaws x series 8gb 1600 that xtreme posted. I read a response from the company themselves on new egg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-231-428&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=100&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=4#scrollFullInfo

Phenom what would be the best mobo for like 200-250? What is the difference from lets say the mobo 121 Asrock that I posted and the one you might suggest? Is the overclock better? I didn't think I could still post after selecting a best answer lol.

 

[phenom90]

$200-$250... that's alot for a motherboard.... but at this price range i would pick this one...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3

about which board will overclock better eventually depends partially whether you're lucky or not... if the final product that you buy is good... even it is sold cheaper than the other... it might still overclock as good as the expensive one....

apart from the asus board has more sata ports... i really don't know what difference between those two....