Help on my April/May 2012 $1400-1500 Gaming Build!

[chrismanggg]

Approximate Purchase Date: 2-4 weeks (After Ivy Bridge is released)

Budget Range: $1300-1500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Recording Aforementioned Games (FRAPS), Editing, Surfing, etc.

Parts Not Required: I need EVERYTHING (Including peripherals!) Everything I have is being replaced. (I have one 20" monitor I'm re-using, but I want a second monitor)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: No preference really, but I'm looking for good deals. But I know of Newegg, MicroCenter, Amazon, etc.

Country: US of A

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU preferred (Ivy Bridge), GPU no preference really; I want my dollar's worth.

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Yes (In the future--settling with single-GPU for now)

Monitor Resolution: I already have a 20" (1600x900) but want a second one for dual-setup

Additional Comments: Just wanna play latest games with the greatest settings in FRAPS (Oh, and Minecraft


I have some parts laid out here:
MoBo: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: I'm waiting for the i5 3570k which I heard is around $220ish (And it's coming out on my birthday! April 23rd )
GPU: GIGABYTE GV-R787OC-2GD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
PSU: OCZ ZS Series 750W 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
SSD Drive: Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
DVD Drive: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM

Peripherals:
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Keyboard
Speakers: Logitech Z506 75 watts RMS 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers
Mouse: Haven't found a mouse yet, help me out!
Second Monitor: Acer S201HLbd Black 20" 5ms LED-Backlight LCD monitor 250 cd/m2 ACM 12,000,000:1 (1000:1)

TOTAL: All of this comes out to be $1421.88 after rebates

Is this a good system? I'm a noob at this so there's bound to be better deals out there that you guys already have ready to throw at my face, so feel free! I'm ready

Thanks in advance!

 

[Bones2525]

This seems like a great system. If you want games to load quickly, i would recommend a 60gb boot drive and then buy a separate SSD for games. One thing, there is a case that is the exact same model and make as yours except for the fact that its front USB are 3.0. It's the Challenger U-3. Everything else seems to be really cool, and the Logitech G700 is a great mouse but a little expensive.

 

[azeem40]

For $20 more, get the Capstone 750W. It is 80+ GOLD.

 

[g-unit1111]

Is this a good system? I'm a noob at this so there's bound to be better deals out there that you guys already have ready to throw at my face, so feel free! I'm ready

If you can live without the second monitor for now I'd say don't and upgrade your GPU to the 7950 or 680. Sure the 7870 is a great card in its' own right - I just bought one - but the GPU is where you'll notice the difference in any build and it can often make or break a build's performance.

Try this setup:

Case: Fractal Design Arc MIDI - $109.99
PSU: Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 - $104.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-UD5H - $189.99
CPU: 3.30GHz Intel Core i5-2500K - $219.99
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo - $34.99
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 8GB 1333MHz - $42.99
HD: 1TB Seagate Barracuda ST - $99.99
Optical: Lite On Bulk DVD Burner - $17.99
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 - $459.99
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium - $99.99

Total: $1,330.90

I don't include peripherals on builds because that's entirely personal preference and I generally don't like spending $90 on a keyboard and $60 on a mouse but that's just me.

 

[chrismanggg]

Is this a good system? I'm a noob at this so there's bound to be better deals out there that you guys already have ready to throw at my face, so feel free! I'm ready

If you can live without the second monitor for now I'd say don't and upgrade your GPU to the 7950 or 680. Sure the 7870 is a great card in its' own right - I just bought one - but the GPU is where you'll notice the difference in any build and it can often make or break a build's performance.

Try this setup:

Case: Fractal Design Arc MIDI - $109.99
PSU: Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 - $104.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-UD5H - $189.99
CPU: 3.30GHz Intel Core i5-2500K - $219.99
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo - $34.99
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 8GB 1333MHz - $42.99
HD: 1TB Seagate Barracuda ST - $99.99
Optical: Lite On Bulk DVD Burner - $17.99
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 - $459.99
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium - $99.99

Total: $1,330.90

I don't include peripherals on builds because that's entirely personal preference and I generally don't like spending $90 on a keyboard and $60 on a mouse but that's just me.

I really wanted the 680, but it seems really difficult to get your hands on one at the moment...I don't know how things will be in a few weeks but as of now I was looking at the 7870. I guess I could go with the 7950, or maybe even the 670Ti but I don't want to wait until May to get that. But thanks very much for the tip and your build suggestion!

 

[g-unit1111]

I really wanted the 680, but it seems really difficult to get your hands on one at the moment...I don't know how things will be in a few weeks but as of now I was looking at the 7870. I guess I could go with the 7950, or maybe even the 670Ti but I don't want to wait until May to get that. But thanks very much for the tip and your build suggestion!

I've read that the 660 and 670 is going to be out in a matter of weeks, not months. The IB CPUs will also be out - supposedly April 29th. The 7870 is an excellent card and if you want to stick with it, that's fine. You can always add a second one down the road.

 

[blbeta]

I just put a friends together with that case. Really nice for the money IMO.
Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan

 

[chrismanggg]

I've read that the 660 and 670 is going to be out in a matter of weeks, not months. The IB CPUs will also be out - supposedly April 29th. The 7870 is an excellent card and if you want to stick with it, that's fine. You can always add a second one down the road.

Would you recommend waiting for the 670Ti? My need for a new PC is LONG overdue, but I can always hold myself to wait just a bit longer if it's worth it.

 

[Why_Me]

@ the OP. That case is beyond ghetto for a $1,500 build. Look at these changes....


http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Tower-RC-922M-KKN1-GP-Black/dp/B0026FCI2U/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1334293213&sr=1-2 $79.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master HAF ATX Mid Tower Case, RC-922M-KKN1-GP (Black)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226236 $124.99 FREE SHIPPING
Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR120GB 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

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/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST1000DM003/dp/B005T3GRNW/ref=sr_1_8?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1334100651&sr=1-8 $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

 

[g-unit1111]

Would you recommend waiting for the 670Ti? My need for a new PC is LONG overdue, but I can always hold myself to wait just a bit longer if it's worth it.

The 670TI is actually going to be priced to compete with the 7950 if the reports I've been reading are accurate. The 660TI might fall under your price range more but that's a big *IF*. Until we get the official word from NVIDIA it's all speculation right now.

 

[chrismanggg]

The 670TI is actually going to be priced to compete with the 7950 if the reports I've been reading are accurate. The 660TI might fall under your price range more but that's a big *IF*. Until we get the official word from NVIDIA it's all speculation right now.

Alright, thanks G-unit! And everyone else that has replied so far