Need feedback on $1500-$2000 Gaming PC

Eltopihc

April 24, 2012 5:32:14 PM

Approximate Purchase Date: In the next week or two

Budget Range: $1500-$2000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, movies, video editing, photoshop

Parts Not Required: Mouse, Keyboard, Speakers (although a pair of recommended speakers would be appreciated)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: No preference; just want the most bang for my buck

Overclocking: Don't know much about it

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 +

Additional Comments: As stated above, the PC will mainly be used for gaming. I will be playing mainly MMOs such as Guild Wars 2, Diablo III, Tera Online, and WoW. Would like to be able to run everything at max settings with no CPU lag whatsoever. Below is a list of the parts.

I would love some feedback on the parts and if I should change any parts and why.

Thanks!

Case:
Antec DF-85 (Full-tower)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

OR

Cool Master HAF (Mid-tower)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Fan:
Cool Master CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Video Card:
GTX 580 (x2)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

PSU:
Silencer MK II 950W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

RAM:
Corsair Vengeance 16GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Motherboard:
Asus P8z68-V PRO/GEN3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

CPU:
i5-2500k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

HDD:
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

SSD:
Crucial M4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

CD Drive:
LG Blue ray/DVD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Monitor:
Samsung 27'' HD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

More about : feedback 1500 2000 gaming

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kulladoctor

April 24, 2012 6:35:43 PM

Since you have a good budget, consider upgrading to z77 from z68. If you are looking in the $159 case range, I am in love with my Corsair 600T, which I hope you have considered.

2x580 would give you good price/performance now, but the 680 has some improvements to image quality and effects, is 20% faster and costs only ~50 Dollars more. Also, consider the 7970. Also, the 680 is more power efficient, and you could get by with a 750W power supply for 2x680.

Overclocking: Although you dont know much about it, trust me, its super easy. And you can expect a 10-15% boost on your CPU which is really nice for an extra $20.

A question about Appropriateness: Your main games are MMOs. No MMOs needs the kind of graphics power that you are building into this system. Also, Photoshop will not benefit from this either. Video Editing may improve, but only marginally. Why not save some money and get a single 580/680/7970, and upgrade a couple of years later, if you find that you cant run next generation MMOs at max details. You could also get a 650 W power supply and save another $100, if you go with a single card setup.

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tree319

April 24, 2012 6:59:29 PM

Alright one major thing I see that I would upgrade in this budget is your CPU. I'd go for an i7 with that budget, and here's how it fit it in there. Now, your 580 will run everything, adding 2 will make it more futureproof, however if you need to save some money, I'd either drop one of the 580s, or get a single more powerful card for less money and upgrade to an i7 processor. Many ~$1000 builds have i5-2500ks, and with a $1500-2000 you can squeeze an i7 in there for sure.

Also, my dad has a 27" monitor, and it's so big it's almost inconvenient. The mouse has to be picked up frequently (razor death adder, it's not a crap mouse), and setting it to a higher sensitivity makes it annoying to try and navigate the small stuff. Now, you will be able to fit 2 full size web browsers side by side, but I'd stick to a 24" or less. 24" is considered the optimal gaming screen size for a television, and I feel it's around the same for a computer. I have a 21" and it works perfectly for me.

I recommend a single, more powerful GPU for less money, and a smaller monitor so that you can save some cash for a better processor.

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Eltopihc

April 24, 2012 10:56:50 PM

Thanks for the advice so far! Few questions though:

As I stated, I don't know much about overclocking but my roommate does and he said he would help me out with it. What do I need to change/upgrade to overclock?

And to answer your question: I was just trying to fill the budget, tbh. But you're right, I'm going to go for a single, more powerful GPU and upgrade later and use the extra cash to upgrade to an i7 and a z77. Since I'm using only one GPU now, would I still need that extra fan?

As for the monitor, I've been going back and forth between 24'' and 27'' and I've been leaning towards the 24" for that very reason.

And the corsair case? I actually never came across that one but I'm liking it. I just might switch my case

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azeem40

Gaming Expert

April 24, 2012 11:05:38 PM

24" is alright, but I prefer 23" because I don't like the pixels being too big, which is a good thing.

You just need a good aftermarket heatsink-fan. At your budget range, I recommend the Noctua NH D14. It OCs real well and keeps the temps quite low.

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Eltopihc

April 26, 2012 9:34:11 PM

I've heard that the Noctua NH D14 is huge. Do you guys think that everything will fit well if I go with the Corsair 600T case?

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azeem40

Gaming Expert

April 26, 2012 9:39:10 PM

Here are the dimensions of the NH-D14:
Fan Dimensions
140 x 140 x 25mm
120 x 120 x 25mm

Heatsink Dimensions
160 x 140 x 158mm

Here are the dimensions of a Hyper 212 EVO:
Fan Dimensions
120x120x25 mm

Heatsink Dimensions
120 x 80 x 159 mm

The Hyper 212 EVO is 1mm taller than the NH-D14. I have the 500R case and the Hyper 212 EVO and it fits with plenty of room for my large 200mm side fan. Your case is about the same size as the 500R, so it will fit.

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Eltopihc

April 26, 2012 10:22:20 PM

Would it be more beneficial to go with water cooling or should I stick with the fan?

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azeem40

Gaming Expert

April 26, 2012 10:35:12 PM

Water Cooling doesn't have huge benefits since any OC beyond 4.5 GHz starts to give less and less fps benefits.

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Eltopihc

April 26, 2012 10:38:43 PM

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tree319

April 26, 2012 10:44:50 PM

I'm glad to see you're going with an i7 =) Make sure though, you don't get the i7-2600. Get the 2600k. The "K" at the end means that it is an unlocked processor, so that it is easier to OC and you can OC more. It's the same reason your old i5 had the 2500k; it was unlocked.

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Eltopihc

April 26, 2012 10:46:15 PM

Oh wow, I thought I had put the 2600k down. Thanks for pointing that out!

Anything else? Or does it look solid?

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tree319

April 26, 2012 10:51:28 PM

At the moment I don't have time to look at it all super in depth, but as an overview it looks like an awesome build to me! That thing should run everything you want and more maxed out. I see you are going with a regular CD drive, if you plan on burning a lot of CDs and watching blu ray I'd upgrade, but otherwise stick with it.

I'd be like the Nintendo 64 kid if something that nice showed up under my Christmas tree hahaha have fun and good luck!

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