$1200 Gaming PC

Stochastic

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Apr 28, 2012
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I'm planning on assembling a new PC soon. I'd appreciate any advice/recommendations/modifications you may think of! Thanks!

Purchase Date: Approximately 2 weeks
Budget: $1200-$1300 (some leeway)
System Usage: Gaming, browsing, general productivity work, movies, etc.
Parts Not Required: All input/output devices
Preferred websites: Any reliable websites that ship in the US
Parts Preferences: None
Overclocking: Moderate
Resolution: 1920 X 1080

Here's what I'm considering at the moment:

CPU: Intel 3570K

Motherboard: Undecided

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

RAM: 2X4 GB G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

GPU: 7850. Haven't settled on a specific one.

SSD: Samsung 830 128 GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147134

Case: Corsair 550D
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139012

PSU: Undecided

OS: Windows 7 64-bit OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986


A few specific questions and points:
--Will a 128GB be sufficient for a system drive? Right now I'm using 122GB, but that's including over 65GB of installed games.
--Any motherboard and PSU recommendations? I don't need very many features for the motherboard, just an affordable Z77 or Z75 board.
--I won't be using an optical drive.
--I plan on overclocking the 3570K to 4.4 or 4.5 Ghz--basically whatever I can get to run stable on stock voltage.
--I'll probably do a moderate overclock with the 7850. Are there any particular 7850s that are worth getting? I've heard good things about the ASUS model.
--What's the difference between the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus and the 212 Evo? Are there any other CPU coolers in this price range worth considering?
 

andystanley

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Mar 6, 2012
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heres a $1200-$1300 build. Buy the parts on newegg.

i5 3570k/$220
Biostar TZ77XE3 z77 lga 1155 motherboard/$120
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB/$47
Coolmaster HAF 912 case/$60
OCZ 750w PSU/$90
Crucial m4 128gb SSD/$125
Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1tb hdd/$100
HIS radeon hd 7850 GPU/$240
Lite on dvd burner/$17
Not sure about cooling?

Total $1019

I assume you need monitor,OS and keyboard/mouse so there is 200-300 bucks for that.
Good luck with your build
 

andystanley

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Mar 6, 2012
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To answer some of your questions.
128gb will be your boot drive(OS&games). The 1tb drive will be for storage. Don't worry about space lol.
Get the z77 I mentioned above. It will work well with the ivy bridge and the 7850 pci 3.0. You can also do crossfire later if ya like.

btw Remove the optical drive from my above build...so that drops down to $1002 :D
 

oddlyinsane

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Mar 11, 2012
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Hello. The only reason to get the new Ivy Bridge CPU's is if you want to be able to utilise the PCI-Express 3, want better iGPU (HD 4000), and maybe if the 2500k is not available.
Other than that, there is no reason not to get the 2500k. The Ivy Bridge CPU's have been reviewed to be much hotter than Sandy Bridge, around 10-12 degrees Celsius hotter per core, especially when over clocked, assuming you want to. They can't tolerate additional voltage as good as Sandy. Also, no current video cards can utilise the extra bandwidth of PCIE 3. IN fact, only the 6990, 590 and 680 come close to saturating the PCIE 2. Another thing to note is that by the time video cards DO need PCIE 3, you'd probably want a new CPU anyway. Which is maybe in 2-3 years time.

I recommend this build:

CPU: Intel Core-i5 2500k $220
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master 212 EVO $35
MOBO: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $135
RAM:Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4) 1600 $50
GPU: Sapphire 7950 OC Edition $410
SSD: Crucial M4 128GB $125
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm 1TB $100 (might not need this)
CASE: NZXT Phantom $130
PSU: Corsair HX 750W $150
Optical Drive: LG DVD Burner $17 or LG Blu-ray $65

Total: $1412 w/ blu-ray, w/o $1370
Newegg prices.

I know its a bit over, but that is because there are 2 storage devices, SSD and HDD. You can can get one only, and that will fit your budget.

That motherboard is really good. Check all these products on newegg to make sure you are satisfied.

Regards


 

slomo4sho

Distinguished
ASUS VS Series VS247H-P =$160 with code: LSDKDE125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236174&cm_sp=Cat_Monitors-_-Weekend_Sale-_-24-236-174

OCZ ZT Series 750W Fully-Modular =$100 -$20MIR -$20 gift card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341052

XFX FX-785A-CNBC Radeon HD 7850 Black Edition 2GB = $275 if you can find one!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150607
otherwise go with XFX Double D FX-785A-CDFC Radeon HD 7850 2GB = $270
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150609
Both of these cards have lifetime warranties.

ASRock Z77 Extreme4 =$135
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

+ your original list of parts. I wasn't sure if you needed a monitor so I included one.
 

Stochastic

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Apr 28, 2012
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@andystanley: I kind of want to go all solid state for this build. I know that means I'll be very limited on storage, but to be honest I don't need that much space as I use an external HDD for most of my files. I basically just need enough space for programs and games. Instead of getting a 128GB SSD and 1TB HDD, could I just go for a 240/256GB SSD? BTW, thanks for the advice. :)

@oddlyinsane: Yeah, I've read about Ivy's overclocking issues, but I would be happy with a moderate overclock (4.4 Ghz or so). I don't expect the 3570K to cost anymore than the 2500K so I don't see why I shouldn't just go for it. I'll definitely consider the 2500K, though.

As for the rest of your build, it looks pretty solid. I'm trying to go all solid state so I won't need the HDD. Also, I won't be using an optical drive (I have an external optical drive if I really need one). The 7950 is a good GPU but a bit pricey for me, especially since I'm only going to be gaming at 1080p.

Thanks for the help guys!
 

oddlyinsane

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Mar 11, 2012
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One 128GB SSD should be enough, however it also depends on what games you play and also if you download movies and the like. The SSD should be enough for OS, Critical Apps, BF3 (assuming you wanna play lol), and maybe 4-5 more games depending on size.

Right, forgot to mention the OS. Thats another $100. You don't have to get the 7950, since that is more for 1080+ resolutions. That'll save you $140.

Don't have to get the Phantom case, HAF 912 for $60 is good enough. That'll save you $70.

Other than that, i recommend everything else. The mobo is very good for overclocking (check further features). It also comes with 4x SATA 3 ports and 4x SATA 2 ports. A lot of storage future-proofing :)

You want a very good, not decent power supply. Corsair is a reputable brand, everyone knows their quality. It also comes with modular cabling, if tidiness is a concern to you. If you only want to get the 7850, then drop the PSU down to the 650W of this Corsair HX product. This should also be enough to Crossfire in the future.

also, i dont recommend getting 7870, since there is only like a $50 diff b/w that and the 7950, which is much better. In a nutshell, 7850 or 7950. Or wait for Kepler,but condsidering you want it in 2 weeks, i guess go figure.

regards
 

Stochastic

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Apr 28, 2012
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Yeah, I'm leaning toward a 128GB SSD.

I was going to wait for midrange Kepler, but given how well the 7850 overclocks and the fact that I have no idea when midrange Kepler will release I think I'm going to go with AMD this round.

I'll have to check out Corsair PSUs. Modularity is definitely a nice plus.
 

slomo4sho

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You are probably better off getting a 32-64GB SSD for the OS with a Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLHX 300GB for the games and other data.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136929

Would also recommend upgrading to 16gb of ram to cut down load lag if you feel that may be an issue.
 

oddlyinsane

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If you wanna over clock the 3570k to 4.4 ghz, then i think you will need a much better cooler. The voltage will need to be 1.05-1.1 V if i am not mistaken. That'll ramp up the temps to 70-75 degrees Celsius, again, if i am not mistaken. And this is with a liquid cooling. Forgot the review site, think it was Anandtech 3570k review. try cheking it out.

Look into the Noctua nh D-14, i know it is a bit pricey at around $100, but its the best of the best :)

Regards
 

oddlyinsane

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Mar 11, 2012
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This. I'd say stick with 128GB SSD. He only needs this, he already stated. DO NOT GET VELOCIRAPTOR, lol. IMHO, its not worth it, and the speed gains are very minimal. SSD will still be much better.

As to the 16GB of RAM, that's good to consider. You can never get enough of RAM :) Motherboards.org and Newegg have recently released videos on what you can do with extra RAM, called a RAM Disk. I know its kind of old tech (i have tried this 1-2 years ago), but it can be used as a cache, or as storage. But that's another thread ;)

regards
 

slomo4sho

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He also stated he is borderline full capacity on his current system. The other option is to step up to a larger size SSD.
 

oddlyinsane

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IMO, Kepler will be that much better. Consider the GTX 680. Much less power consumption, heat and better performance than the flagship line-up of AMD.
But, you're gonna have to wait till mid-year or Q2/Q3 of this year. What a bummer.
 

Stochastic

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@Slomo4sho: I know going with an SSD+HDD combo is probably the most sensible thing to do, but I kind of want to go all solid state if possible. I might just spring for a 240/256GB SSD. Although it's a pricey option, it should be ample storage for my needs . Also, is 16GB of RAM really necessary? I'm not really a poweruser so I don't see what advantage it would give me over 8GB.

@oddlyinsane: Looking at that Anandtech article, it looks like they were able to get a 3770K@4.4Ghz stable at 1.05 volts. Because the 3570K will probably be binned lower, I might have to bump things up to, say, 1.1 volts. At 1.1 volts Anandtech measured the 3770K running at a max temp of just under 70 celsius, which is a bit hot but not terrible. Noctua coolers are great, I don't doubt that. However, I don't think it makes a whole lot of sense to spend half the cost of the CPU on a cooler just to get an extra 200-300 Mhz.

EDIT: Ah, I missed that they were using liquid cooling in the Anandtech review.
 

slomo4sho

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oddlyinsane

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Of course you can get it up to 4.9 ghz on air, but you're gonna have to buy a new chip in less than a year. Plus, where did i say get water cooling? i said to get the Noctua d 14 which IS AIR COOLING. It actually beats most water cooling options, minus those $200+ ones.

Overclock smart, not crazy. Besides the point, 4.4-4.5 ghz is where people are over clocking the 2500k. Now get those temps, and add another 10 degrees Celsius, give or take a few. It'll be pretty hot, and definitely not preferable for a day-to-day use.

Regards
 
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Series-Gaming-Computer/dp/B0055Q7BR4/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335685707&sr=1-4 $99.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 400R Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case - CC-9011011-WW

http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-Series-80PLUS-Performance-compatible/dp/B005A2RJOI/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335685776&sr=1-5 $89.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
OCZ ZS Series 750W 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293 $134.99
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504 $249.99 FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX806237I53570K

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=pd_cp_e_0 $34.95 & 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=N82E16820231544 $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-8GAO

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-AD-7280S-0B-Internal-Drive-Black/dp/B0057FRTPW/ref=pd_cp_e_0 $17.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Sony AD-7280S-0B 24x SATA Internal DVD+/-RW Drive (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST1000DM003/dp/B005T3GRNW/ref=sr_1_6?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335686168&sr=1-6 $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.amazon.com/Kingston-SSDNow-120GB-Solid-KW-S2120-4B/dp/B007B6YP9I/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1335686396&sr=1-3 $129.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Kingston SSDNow V+200 120GB SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5 Inch Solid State Drive KW-S2120-4B

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007JLFVNO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER $349.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
ASUS HD7870-DC2-2GD5 Radeon 2GB DDR5 VGA/DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort GPU Tweak Utilities PCI-Express 3.0 Graphics Card HD7870-DC2-2GD5

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_c $99.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

Total: $1,334.86

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7870_Direct_Cu_II/ <----- review w/benchmarks of that Asus 7870

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z77%20Extreme4 <----- a better look at that Asrock board

http://www.corsair.com/pc-cases/carbide-series-pc-case/carbide-series-400r-mid-tower-case.html <---- another look at that Corsair 400R