In need of new Gaming System

[mmac]

Hi,
I am currently interested in purchasing a new gaming computer but I have the problem that I don't know nearly enough to make a proper purchase and was wondering if you all could help.

I would be willing to consider building a computer myself depending on how much money I could save versus prebuilt systems. I just have no idea how to do it because I have never done it before and don't have enough technical experience.

The only really requirement is that I don't want a large tower, the smaller the better, as my current XPS is to cumbersome and hard to move around. I would be willing to go up to $2500 but would appreciate input on a range of options. I have been considering the Alienware X51 or the Falcon Fragbox. The main reason is the small frame factor. I would appreciate any opinions on these two computers and how they compare to what you would recommend building.

My father's person who does his computers put together this setup when asked for a gaming computer build and he gave me this for about $2400. I have no idea if it is good could someone give me an idea?

Computer - Equus workstation with:
* INTEL BLKDH67CLB3 H67 ATX 1155 DDR3/SATA6.0/USB3.0/PCI MOTHERBOARD
* WINDOWS 7 PRO 64BIT SP1
* NERO 10 ESSENTIAL SUITE
* INTEL I5-2500K BOX PROCESSOR
* QTY 4 OF 4GB DDR3 1333 NON ECC NON REG (16GB TOTAL)
* QTY 2 OF SEAGATE ST32000641AS 2TB SATA 6GB/S 64MB 7200RPM BARRACUDA XT IN MIRRORED CONFIGURATION AS D: DRIVE
* INTEGRATED SATA RAID 1
* LITEON 24X DVD+/-RW
* EVGA GF GTS 450 1GB PCIE 2XDVI 1XMINI-HDMI 01G-P3-1450-TR VIDEO CARD
* INTEGRATED SOUND
* SEASONIC 400W #400ET PS 80+ ACTIVE PFC 80 PLUS ATX 12V V2
* NOBILIS STANDARD SYSTEM WARRANTY (1 YEAR)
* INTEGRATED LAN
* MICROSOFT WIRED 200 BASIC KEYBOARD USB
* MICROSOFT OPTICAL MOUSE 200 WHEEL
* INTEL 320 G3 2.5" 160GB SATA 9.5MM MLC SSD AS C: DRIVE

I appreciate any help you can give and thank you in advance.

 

[Why_Me]

Wait until April 29th when Intel's Ivy Bridge cpu's are due to be released.

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

This build allows you to add another one of those cards later on.

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 $116.98 & 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.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293 $139.99
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://pcper.com/news/Processors/Intel-Ivy-Bridge-Processors-Launch-March-23-2012 $225
Intel Ivy Bridge i5-3570K 3.4GHz

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=pd_cp_e_0 $34.64 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

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.amazon.com/Asus-24xDVD%C2%B1RW-Serial-Internal-DRW-24B1ST/dp/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_b $19.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Asus 24xDVD±RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive DRW-24B1ST (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST1000DM003/dp/B005T3GRNW/ref=sr_1_9?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1333216718&sr=1-9 $99.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1 TB 7200RPM SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST1000DM003

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226226 $238.99 FREE SHIPPING
Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe MKNSSDCR240GB-DX 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121626 $499.99
ASUS GTX680-2GD5 GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Total: $1,414.98 *not including shipping/rebates


http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=br_lf_m_1000219721_1_1_ttl?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=software&pf_rd_p=1292309362&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_i=1000219721&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=14NBC1Z98645HA1HEPKV $99.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

http://www.corsair.com/pc-cases/carbide-series-pc-case/carbide-series-500r-mid-tower-case.html <---- a better look at that case

 

[UVB076]

Not to be offensive, but how the hell is that computer $2400?

 

[mmac]

Not to be offensive, but how the hell is that computer $2400?

Yea I didn't get the impression he knew what he was talking about either which is why I wanted to ask other people who knew about this stuff.

 

[azeem40]

You got ripped off.

 

[Lokordd]

Ya that computer is no way near worth that kinda cash. You can build that comp for 1 grand, maybe giving up a few of the things he throws in that you don't need. If you do not want to go the build it yourself route go with cyberpower or Ibuypower. Just maybe wait for Ivy Bridge to come out sometime this month. You will get a MONSTER comp for 2500 bucks, and a real real nice machine for much less.

 

[mmac]

You got ripped off.

Thank god I didn't buy that then.

 

[maui67]

Why_Me has suggested a good setup.

The system that your father's "person" has offered to build you for $2400 is a complete ripoff. Walk...no, run away from that "deal"!

I will point out the flaws in the setup in case you want to know:
INTEL BLKDH67CLB3 H67 ATX 1155 DDR3/SATA6.0/USB3.0/PCI MOTHERBOARD: You should get at least a Z68 or new Z77 board to pair with the i5-2500K

QTY 4 OF 4GB DDR3 1333 NON ECC NON REG (16GB TOTAL) : Overkill for a gaming rig. 8MB is plenty.

QTY 2 OF SEAGATE ST32000641AS 2TB SATA 6GB/S 64MB 7200RPM BARRACUDA XT IN MIRRORED CONFIGURATION AS D: DRIVE : 4TB of storage!?! Again overkill for a gaming rig. Unless you also plan on storing a lot of videos, then 4TB "might" make sense.

EVGA GF GTS 450 1GB PCIE 2XDVI 1XMINI-HDMI 01G-P3-1450-TR VIDEO CARD : If this is supposed to be a gaming rig, this is too weak of a GPU. You should get a GTX680 or HD7970.

SEASONIC 400W #400ET PS 80+ ACTIVE PFC 80 PLUS ATX 12V V2 : Good brand but not nearly enough power for a good gaming rig. Recommend at least 850w PSU to allow room for crossfire/sli later on if you so desire.

These are the most glaring issues with that setup and to top it off $2400 is just way too much for that setup. Did you mention to the person that you were willing to spend up to $2500? If so, they are just looking to scam you by coming in at $2400 and making you think you are "saving" $100.

 

[J_E_D_70]

You'd only get 2TB with those drives as a mirror setup, but that might be OK if you aren't giong to back up to an external and have a lot of files (important document or that much music/movies you don't want to have to rip again) you can't afford to lose. I'm paranoid so I have a second PC that's a mirror with USB drive as a backup.

Agree with going down to one HDD and adding an SSD notwithstanding the above.

 

[Why_Me]

Yea I didn't get the impression he knew what he was talking about either which is why I wanted to ask other people who knew about this stuff.

Check that build I posted out now. I swapped the 120GB SSD for a 240GB and it still keeps you well under $1,500

If you want fire wire then check this board out down below.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157295 $174.99
ASRock Z77 Extreme6 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

 

[obsama1]

Why_Me has suggested a good setup.

The system that your father's "person" has offered to build you for $2400 is a complete ripoff. Walk...no, run away from that "deal"!

I will point out the flaws in the setup in case you want to know:
INTEL BLKDH67CLB3 H67 ATX 1155 DDR3/SATA6.0/USB3.0/PCI MOTHERBOARD: You should get at least a Z68 or new Z77 board to pair with the i5-2500K

QTY 4 OF 4GB DDR3 1333 NON ECC NON REG (16GB TOTAL) : Overkill for a gaming rig. 8MB is plenty.

QTY 2 OF SEAGATE ST32000641AS 2TB SATA 6GB/S 64MB 7200RPM BARRACUDA XT IN MIRRORED CONFIGURATION AS D: DRIVE : 4TB of storage!?! Again overkill for a gaming rig. Unless you also plan on storing a lot of videos, then 4TB "might" make sense.

EVGA GF GTS 450 1GB PCIE 2XDVI 1XMINI-HDMI 01G-P3-1450-TR VIDEO CARD : If this is supposed to be a gaming rig, this is too weak of a GPU. You should get a GTX680 or HD7970.

SEASONIC 400W #400ET PS 80+ ACTIVE PFC 80 PLUS ATX 12V V2 : Good brand but not nearly enough power for a good gaming rig. Recommend at least 850w PSU to allow room for crossfire/sli later on if you so desire.

These are the most glaring issues with that setup and to top it off $2400 is just way too much for that setup. Did you mention to the person that you were willing to spend up to $2500? If so, they are just looking to scam you by coming in at $2400 and making you think you are "saving" $100.

8MB of RAM is plenty... If you're playing Doom that is.

 

[UVB076]

Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6Mod
Part price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6Mod/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6Mod/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Microcenter)
Really, really fast, not too expensive. I would recommend getting the Ivy Bridge version of this though.

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100 92.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ CompUSA)
For overclocking (MaximumPC's Dream Machine 2011 got 4.8GHz out of their i7-2600K)

Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Professional ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($238.49 @ Newegg)
Z77 for Ivy Bridge compatibility, more SATA3 and USB 3.0.

Memory: Corsair DOMINATOR GT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Faster memory to take advantage of the Z77 board. Also, fits color scheme

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($97.99 @ NCIX US)
1TB is plenty of storage space

Hard Drive: Intel 520 Series Cherryville 180GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($274.00 @ B&H)
The Intel 520 is one of the fastest (if not the fastest) SSD available

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($779.98 @ Newegg)
The 580 is plenty powerful, and SLI 580 is comparable to SLI 680. If you care about how your computer looks I would get a Asus 580 because of the red/black.

Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Is a good case that also happens to be the second sexiest case (after the full tower version) in the world. Red matches the black/red internals.

Power Supply: SeaSonic 1000W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($259.99 @ Newegg)
80+ Platinum means that it's more efficient than most PSUs, and 1000W is more than enough for this setup

Optical Drive: LG WH12LS39 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($84.98 @ Newegg)
One of the fastest Blu-Ray burners.

Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Battlefield 3 Edition Wired Gaming Keyboard ($138.76 @ CompUSA)
Mechanical Keyboard. 'nuff said.

Total: $2474.15

This is what $2500 should get you.

 

[mmac]

Check that build I posted out now. I swapped the 120GB SSD for a 240GB and it still keeps you well under $1,500

If you want fire wire then check this board out down below.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157295 $174.99
ASRock Z77 Extreme6 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

That one looks pretty good and is quite a good price. Would it be worth spending more money? In terms of graphics and such I generally don't care if I'm playing on ultra settings I'm more interested in a computer that I don't have to upgrade for a number of years that will still get me between high and medium.

Are there smaller cases or is the one you recommended as small as they get?

 

[UVB076]

That one looks pretty good and is quite a good price. Would it be worth spending more money? In terms of graphics and such I generally don't care if I'm playing on ultra settings I'm more interested in a computer that I don't have to upgrade for a number of years that will still get me between high and medium.

Are there smaller cases or is the one you recommended as small as they get?

This is a mid tower. I wouldn't recommend overclocking in a smaller case though.

 

[mmac]

This is a mid tower. I wouldn't recommend overclocking in a smaller case though.

Thanks, if I don't overclock are there smaller cases?

 

[UVB076]

I'm working on a HTPC size though.
Actually, do overclock.

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks, if I don't overclock are there smaller cases?

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Series-Gaming-Computer/dp/B0055Q7BR4/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1334271560&sr=1-3 $90.98 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 400R Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case - CC-9011011-WW Product Dimensions: 20.5 x 8.1 x 19.8 inches ; 18.5 pounds

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Series-Mid-Tower-Gaming/dp/B006I2H0YS/ref=sr_1_9?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1334271560&sr=1-9 $79.49 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 300R Mid-Tower Gaming Case - CC-9011014-WW Product Dimensions: 19.1 x 17.7 x 8.3 inches ; 15.9 pounds

 

[UVB076]

Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6Mt5
Part price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6Mt5/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6Mt5/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-2700K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($337.98 @ Amazon)
(Overclock this, just don't go crazy)

CPU Cooler: Scythe SCKZT-1000 24.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ NCIX US)

Motherboard: Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z/GEN3 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($185.99 @ NCIX US)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($97.99 @ NCIX US)

Hard Drive: Intel 520 Series Cherryville 180GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($274.00 @ B&H)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card ($507.55 @ Newegg)

Case: Silverstone GD06B HTPC Case ($122.00 @ Amazon)
440 mm (W) x 150 mm (H) x 340 mm (D)

Power Supply: Enermax 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($212.74 @ Mwave)

Optical Drive: LG WH12LS39 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($84.98 @ Newegg)

Monitor: Dell S2230MX 21.5" Monitor ($174.99 @ Newegg)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (64-bit) ($189.99 @ Newegg)

Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Ultimate Wired Gaming Keyboard ($148.94 @ Newegg)

Mouse: Cyborg R.A.T. 9 Wireless Laser Mouse ($149.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $2631.11

 

[mmac]

Thanks for the help,
is there a place I can get a prebuilt system like this without spending too much more money? I'm getting this as a belated Christmas present from my parents and it has to be prebuilt I can't build it myself.

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks for the help,
is there a place I can get a prebuilt system like this without spending too much more money? I'm getting this as a belated Christmas present from my parents and it has to be prebuilt I can't build it myself.

Don't get a prebuilt. There's a million and one vids on youtube in regards to building a pc, or find someone to help or even pay a shop a few bucks to put it together for you. Your going to get screwed on a prebuilt.

 

[J_E_D_70]

I have two prebuilt Cyberpower PCs and no complaints. You pay a $200-$300 premium over doing it yourself, but you get a system you unbox, plug in, and play.

That being said, I'm in the middle of a homebuilt right now just because

 

[UVB076]

Thanks for the help,
is there a place I can get a prebuilt system like this without spending too much more money? I'm getting this as a belated Christmas present from my parents and it has to be prebuilt I can't build it myself.

You can buy the parts and say, take it to, say, Tigerdirect and have them build it for you.

 

[lldsgt]

Just an addition, Microcenter has the i7 2600k up for 199.99 right now

great buy if you can get it, unless you perfer to wait for the ivy bridges

 

[mmac]

Best answer selected by mmac.

 

[jackstack10]

Yea I didn't get the impression he knew what he was talking about either which is why I wanted to ask other people who knew about this stuff.

yeah bro thats probably worth under 1000$. OP you getting ripped off. Build on your own.