Is this a good Gaming PC?

llguitargr8

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Feb 27, 2012
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Hi! I'm building my first gaming PC probably mid-late summer, and I have all the parts selected for the most part, but I'm still tweaking it right up until purchase time.

I want to use this pretty much exclusively for gaming. I would be playing games like Battlefield 3, Crysis, Mass Effect, GTA. Mostly modern shooters and action-adventures. I want this build to MAX any game. Battlefield -> Ultra Settings, Crysis -> Very High, etc.

My preferred site is newegg.

These are the parts I have chosen so far.

Case - Cooler Master HAF X
CPU - Intel Core i5-2500K
CPU Cooler - Cooler Master Hyper 212+
Motherboard - Asus P8Z68-V Pro Gen3
RAM - G. Skill Ripjaw 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600
Graphics Card - EVGA GeForce GTX 680
System Drive - Crucial M4 128GB
Storage Drive - Seagate Barracuda 1TB
Optical Drive - Asus 24x DVD Burner
Power Supply - Corsair AX750 750W 80+ Gold
Monitor - Asus VH238H 23" LCD 1080p
Total - $1847

I want to keep this build between $1500-2000, obviously cheaper being better.

For the CPU, I will probably get the i5-3570K Ivy Bridge and a new Z77 board to go with it, as I won't be building until after Ivy Bridge is supposed to be released. I was thinking this Asus board.

I also am probably going to be getting the EVGA Superclocked GTX 680, once it is available on newegg.

The only other thing I'm still unsure about is the CPU cooler. I don't know what to get out of these three: the Hyper 212+, X6 Elite, or TPC-812 (not yet released)

Any and ALL advice is greatly appreciated. I want this build to be able to max ANY game for quite some time before I need an upgrade. Any recommendations I will look at, as I am always tweaking this build. Thank you in advance!
 

llguitargr8

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Feb 27, 2012
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I definitely looked at the Noctua already, the thing is it's huge! I don't know if the RAM sticks I chose would even fit. And also, I don't really like the color. The Cooler Masters are good performing AND look good (the case DOES have a window remember ;))
 

You want an 850w psu for dual 680's, not a 750w psu. That's a benefit for you anyways seeing how unless that Corsair psu is dipped in 24k gold, it's a hose job for $170. Also that's a lot of money to be spending with Ivy Bride due out at the end of April. The low budge Ivy Bridge cpu's ...mobile and low budget desktop are due out in June.

http://www.asrock.com/microsite/PCIe3/overview.html <----- Quick and brief rundown of Ivy Bridge, PCI-E 3.0 cards and the new gen boards.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/index.asp?s=1155 <---- Those are Asrocks Z77 and Z75 board line up so far...although they are going to add more boards here soon. Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI also have their boards ready to go. They all get released with Ivy Bridge.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5626/ivy-bridge-preview-core-i7-3770k/9 <---- full review with benchmarks

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http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-680-overclock-guide/ <----- Overclocking the gtx 680 w/benchmarks

680oc.jpg



http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Series-Gaming-CC-9011012-WW/dp/B005E983JW/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1332866663&sr=1-3 $118.98 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 500R Mid Tower Gaming Case CC-9011012-WW

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-ATX-850-Power-Supply/dp/B0050751YS/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1332866828&sr=1-1 $122.75 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
XFX PRO850W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80 Plus Silver Certified 850 Watt Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z77%20Extreme4 $200 or less
ASRock Z77 Extreme4

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5166/ivy-bridge-overview
i5-3570K 3.4Ghz

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099 $34.99
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231546 $44.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-8GAB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226236 $128.99 FREE SHIPPING
Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR120GB 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
 

llguitargr8

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Feb 27, 2012
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I don't plan on getting two 680's until I need an upgrade, which shouldn't be for at least 2 years I hope, at which point I would get a better PSU to accommodate a second card.
 

llguitargr8

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Feb 27, 2012
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10,690
Here's another look at the list. I found this website, and I think this is really good. If you have any comments on other part aggregators, please share! and if you would change anything let me know! I still have a lot of time between now and when I should be building.