Gaming Rig ($1000-$1500) - Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2

[Doggman9]

Approximate Purchase Date: this month
Budget Range: $1000-$1500
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (mostly Blizzard games but I'm sure I will get into alot of the games out there once I get a gaming PC --> this is my first build), surfing internet, movies, music, programming
Parts Not Required: n/a - i need everything
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg
Country: Southeast US
Parts Preferences: open minded to anything
Overclocking: Maybe in the future if my CPU begins to hold back my system
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe after the HD 8000/GTX 700 series are released sometime next year or whenever and current GPU's are dropped in price
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 or 1200 for my first screen and there's a possibility I will get a 2nd screen later down the road and maybe even a 3rd later later down the road...
Additional Comments: Visual performance that I will see in game for the cheapest price is what I'm most interested in.

So this is my build at the moment. Please let me know what you think about it and what changes you would make, if any.

Case: Corsair Carbide 400r -- $100
Mobo: Asrock Z77 Extreme 4 -- $140
CPU: i5 2500k -- $205 (after $15 promo code)
GPU: XFX Double D HD 7850 2GB -- $270 (I'm hoping this price drops a little when the GTX670 is released but it's doubtful... if the HD 7870 drops anywhere close to $300 I will most definitely be jumping on that.)
PSU: Corsair TX750 V2 -- $90 (after $15 promo code) --> if I plan to crossfire the 7850/7870 later down the road I should get the 750 over the 650 right? Or will the 650 be enough?
RAM: G. Skill Ripjaw X Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 -- $47
SSD: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB -- $150
Total Price: $1000

Screen, keyboard, mouse, and operating system still have to be bought but I don't need help with that. I'm saying $175 for screen, $50 for mouse, $75 for keyboard, and $100 for OS so that's about $400 bringing me to $1400. That's within my budget but I wouldn't mind getting closer to the $1000 side of the budget.

What does everyone think of this build?

Thanks in advance to anyone that replies.

EDIT: This is where the build is now (has changed throughout the thread)
Case: Corsair Carbide 300r
CPU: i5 3450, i5-3550, or i5 3570k
GPU: HD 7850, GTX 570, or wait for GTX 670 or GTX 660 Ti ----> Originally wanted to stay under $250 but hell the GPU is the most important for a gaming rig so I might be willing to throw some cash down for this piece... especially if I can greatly reduce the price in the CPU/Mobo but retain all the features I want...
Mobo: Asrock Z77 extreme 4 (if i5-3570k) or unkown (if 3450/3550)
RAM: something to match the mobo after I pick that
SSD: Crucial M4 128GB SSD -- $125
PSU: Seasonic X650 Gold --> this is only $100 at newegg right now so it sounds like a great deal
Keyboard: Microsoft Sidewinder X4 -- $55
Mouse: haven't decided
Monitor: haven't decided
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium -- $100

 

[UVB076]

Refer to the recommended build in my sig. Remove the things you don't need.

 

[Doggman9]

Anyone else have any opinions on this build? I've heard a few times that Nvidia GPU's plays Blizzard games better... is this true? How would a GTX 560 Ti stack up against the HD 7850 and what about a GTX 570 against the HD 7850?

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Series-Gaming-Computer/dp/B0055Q7BR4/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1336426897&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.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.910431 $379.98 save: $10.00
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1336428438&sr=1-8 $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=N82E16820211588 $104.99 FREE SHIPPING
ADATA S510 Series AS510S3-120GM-O 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - OEM

Low profile RAM so you don't impede the cpu h/s

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231544 $46.99 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/Asus-24xDVD-RW-Serial-Internal-DRW-24B1ST/dp/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1336382996&sr=1-1 $17.99 & 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_5?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1336383091&sr=1-5 $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/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_b $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.amazon.com/gp/product/B00413PHDM/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00413PHEQ&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=15GHDKGV1CE9D9EQAXR7 $134.98 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Asus VE228H 21.5" Widescreen LED Monitor

http://www.amazon.com/HD7870-DC2-2GD5-DisplayPort-Utilities-PCI-Express-Graphics/dp/B007JLFVNO $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.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7870_Direct_Cu_II/ <----- review w/benchmarks of that Asus card

 

[Doggman9]

Thanks for the suggestions. I actually think I've decided to just go ahead and get Ivy Bridge because there's really no reason to try and save $25 and get the last generation CPU.. But is it worth it to get the 3570k over the 3550 or 3450 if there is a small chance that I will ever overclock? Is overclocking really necessary for today's games or are people just doing it for fun/bragging rights? If I saved money buying a locked processor I could put it towards a better GPU such as the HD 7870 or the equivalent GTX 6xx card whenever it releases.. Opinions?

Also you never mentioned a PSU, is the corsair TX750 good? To be honest, I highly doubt I will ever SLI/Crossfire because I will most likely opt to buy a newer single GPU (i.e. HD 8000, GTX 700 or whatever is next). With that being said, the 750 is probably overkill right? Maybe back down to a 650 and call it a day? Is it possible to crossfire/sli on a TX650?

EDIT: What is the difference between these two?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=-1&isNodeId=1&Description=corsair+tx650&x=0&y=0

All I'm seeing is the 2nd one is V2 (version 2?) and it is 80 Plus "Bronze" versus just 80 Plus for the first one. Do either of those mean anything significant? The price difference is throwing me off haha

Thanks for your help and I'm open to other people's opinions as well.

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks for the suggestions. I actually think I've decided to just go ahead and get Ivy Bridge because there's really no reason to try and save $25 and get the last generation CPU.. But is it worth it to get the 3570k over the 3550 or 3450 if there is a small chance that I will ever overclock? Is overclocking really necessary for today's games or are people just doing it for fun/bragging rights? If I saved money buying a locked processor I could put it towards a better GPU such as the HD 7870 or the equivalent GTX 6xx card whenever it releases.. Opinions?

Also you never mentioned a PSU, is the corsair TX750 good? To be honest, I highly doubt I will ever SLI/Crossfire because I will most likely opt to buy a newer single GPU (i.e. HD 8000, GTX 700 or whatever is next). With that being said, the 750 is probably overkill right? Maybe back down to a 650 and call it a day? Is it possible to crossfire/sli on a TX650?

EDIT: What is the difference between these two?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=-1&isNodeId=1&Description=corsair+tx650&x=0&y=0

All I'm seeing is the 2nd one is V2 (version 2?) and it is 80 Plus "Bronze" versus just 80 Plus for the first one. Do either of those mean anything significant? The price difference is throwing me off haha

Thanks for your help and I'm open to other people's opinions as well.

You just asked the golden question. Benchmark after benchmark shows that over clocking with IB and SB nets you little gain with over clocking in regards to gaming. Some programs it does vastly improve performance, but in gaming...not much. On the flip side it's only a few $$ more to get the unlocked cpu (K).

You can run dual 7850's with a 650w psu.

Here's something to consider.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.910000 $269.98 save: $10.00
ASRock B75 PRO3 LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i5-3450 Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.5GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637I53450

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=B75%20Pro3 <----- another look at that board

This psu down below is manufactured by Seasonic as are all XFX and the mid and upper tier Corsair psu's. This psu down below can easily push a gtx 680 and leave you juice to spare.

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-ATX-550-Power-Supply/dp/B004RJ8EKI/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1336460706&sr=1-6 $74.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
XFX ATX 550 Power Supply - P1550SXXB9

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013 <----- that's the same psu on newegg

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Series-Mid-Tower-Gaming/dp/B006I2H0YS/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1336382927&sr=1-8 $75.84 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 300R Mid-Tower Gaming Case - CC-9011014-WW

http://www.corsair.com/carbide-series-300r-compact-pc-gaming-case.html <----- another look at that case

http://www.amazon.com/HD7870-DC2-2GD5-DisplayPort-Utilities-PCI-Express-Graphics/dp/B007JLFVNO $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.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7870_Direct_Cu_II/ <---- review of that card w/benchmarks

 

[Azok]

Case: Corsair Carbide 400r -- $100
Mobo: Asrock Z77 Extreme 4 -- $140
CPU: i5 2500k -- $205 (after $15 promo code)
GPU: XFX Double D HD 7850 2GB -- $270 (I'm hoping this price drops a little when the GTX670 is released but it's doubtful... if the HD 7870 drops anywhere close to $300 I will most definitely be jumping on that.)
PSU: Corsair TX750 V2 -- $90 (after $15 promo code) --> if I plan to crossfire the 7850/7870 later down the road I should get the 750 over the 650 right? Or will the 650 be enough?
RAM: G. Skill Ripjaw X Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 -- $47
SSD: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB -- $150
Total Price: $1000

I thought I saw techbargains.com with a TX750 for $70-75 yesterday, but I don't see it now. And 650 would be enough, for now.

There's no reason to spend the extra money on 7870 because you can overclock a 7850 to be just as good the 7870.

I would stay away from OCZ, look for Corsair (Frys has a 120GB for $125), Crucial, Mushkin.

I thought I read that someone was having compatibility issues with Ripjaws and the Extreme4, but it could have just been the board.. May want to look more into that, I will be doing so the next few days (1.5v vs 1.65v)

You should by an upgraded CPU heatsink/fan. Can get a decent one for $25+

 

[Doggman9]

Okay first off thanks Why_Me and Azok for the replies.

I'm cool with the 300r over the 400r since I really have no plans to ever go water cooling nor do I think I will ever surpass 4 SSD/HDD's or 3 optical bays. So 300r it is.

As for a PSU, I've heard so much talk about Seasonic being the best so why not just go for it and get a Seasonic PSU? If its only $couple more I say why not...
What about this one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088
it's only $100 right now after the $40 promo code and from what I understand that should be a pretty epic PSU right? how important is a nice PSU? what gains do you get with a better PSU? and what does "modular" mean? I've heard its a pretty big deal but I have no idea what it is.

Back to the mobo, I originally planned to get the Z68 before IB and Z77's came around so I figured I would stick with the Z77 after it came out. What are the differences between the B75 and Z77? I tried to research it but the motherboards get very confusing to me... The main things I want out of my mobo are 2 PCIe 3.0 slots for potential to crossfire/sli even if its very unlikely that I will do it, ability to hook up atleast 2 or 3 monitors (won't be doing this on day 1 but eventually I probably will), some USB 3.0 ports, support for atleast 16GB ram altho I think almost all of them support 32GB now, a nice audio chipset, and thats about it to be honest. Anything else will just be bonus's. So does the B75 give me all that or do I need the Z77?

SSD: I'm cool with switching to the Crucial M4 128GB for $125 on newegg. Has good reviews and I like crucial.

RAM: Don't necessarily want the Ripjaws so I guess I need to find something thats for sure compatible with the Z77 or the B75 depending on the answer to my questions about the mobo above. How important is it to get RAM that is listed on the "supported ram" list on Asrock's website? The only G.Skill's in 8GB that are on the support list for the Z77 are the Sniper series. What RAM would you recommend for the Z77 and/or the B75 mobo's?

CPU Heatsink/Fan: Do I need one of these if I am not planning to Overclock? If I were to overclock in the future I would buy the fan but am I okay with the stock one until then?

GPU: Just a quick question, how does the GTX 570 stack up against the 7850? I think I like nvidia more than AMD but I have no reason to back that up with. What if I were to just back down to a i5-2500k and get a GTX 570? Is that crazy talk? $300 is the max I want to spend on a GPU at this point. If the GTX 6xx at $300 was out I would be jumping on that but its not and I think it will be a few months before it is...

CPU: something keeps pushing me towards the i5-2500k... it's tested and proven to be badass for over a year now, ivy bridge is getting shitty reviews thus far, and its about equal in performance to the 3450 but with overclockability to be much better at the same price. The ONLY thing I even want from IB is the PCI 3.0 technology but I mean if I'm getting a GTX 570 then that wouldn't even matter... Is not having PCI 3.0 tech really gonna be that big of a loss...? I feel like I'm going in circles now

 

[Why_Me]

Okay first off thanks Why_Me and Azok for the replies.

I'm cool with the 300r over the 400r since I really have no plans to ever go water cooling nor do I think I will ever surpass 4 SSD/HDD's or 3 optical bays. So 300r it is.

As for a PSU, I've heard so much talk about Seasonic being the best so why not just go for it and get a Seasonic PSU? If its only $couple more I say why not...
What about this one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088
it's only $100 right now after the $40 promo code and from what I understand that should be a pretty epic PSU right? how important is a nice PSU? what gains do you get with a better PSU? and what does "modular" mean? I've heard its a pretty big deal but I have no idea what it is.[/quote]
The psu is important seeing how if the psu goes then there's always a chance it will take other components with it. Modular means that you only use the cables that you need. They plug into the psu. Makes for a cleaner build. Good brands of psu's are Seasonic, XFX (Seasonic), Corsair TX/HX/AX (Seasonic), Enermax, LEPA upper tier (made by Enermax),PC Power & Cooling, Antec, and Silverstone.

Back to the mobo, I originally planned to get the Z68 before IB and Z77's came around so I figured I would stick with the Z77 after it came out. What are the differences between the B75 and Z77? I tried to research it but the motherboards get very confusing to me... The main things I want out of my mobo are 2 PCIe 3.0 slots for potential to crossfire/sli even if its very unlikely that I will do it, ability to hook up atleast 2 or 3 monitors (won't be doing this on day 1 but eventually I probably will), some USB 3.0 ports, support for atleast 16GB ram altho I think almost all of them support 32GB now, a nice audio chipset, and thats about it to be honest. Anything else will just be bonus's. So does the B75 give me all that or do I need the Z77?

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4830/intels-ivy-bridge-architecture-exposed <----- there's a chart halfway down that page called "Chipset Comparison". It explains it all.

[SSD: I'm cool with switching to the Crucial M4 128GB for $125 on newegg. Has good reviews and I like crucial.

RAM: Don't necessarily want the Ripjaws so I guess I need to find something thats for sure compatible with the Z77 or the B75 depending on the answer to my questions about the mobo above. How important is it to get RAM that is listed on the "supported ram" list on Asrock's website? The only G.Skill's in 8GB that are on the support list for the Z77 are the Sniper series. What RAM would you recommend for the Z77 and/or the B75 mobo's?

G.Skill Ripjaws, Sniper, and Ares...all the same RAM just with different heat spreaders. Asrock is dog slow in updating their site like what RAM is supported. Corsair, G.Skill, Patriot, Crucial, Mushkin...you shouldn't have any problems with any of that RAM. Most you will have to do is go into the bios and set the timings yourself.

CPU Heatsink/Fan: Do I need one of these if I am not planning to Overclock? If I were to overclock in the future I would buy the fan but am I okay with the stock one until then?

Nope, but something like the CM EVO does run quieter and cooler than the stock Intel h/s.

GPU: Just a quick question, how does the GTX 570 stack up against the 7850? I think I like nvidia more than AMD but I have no reason to back that up with. What if I were to just back down to a i5-2500k and get a GTX 570? Is that crazy talk? $300 is the max I want to spend on a GPU at this point. If the GTX 6xx at $300 was out I would be jumping on that but its not and I think it will be a few months before it is...

TBH I don't know how the 7850 does against the 570. I was hoping the gtx 660 ti would be out soon but like you say it looks like it won't be out until the end of this summer which is a total bummer seeing how that's the card I want to SLI.

CPU: something keeps pushing me towards the i5-2500k... it's tested and proven to be badass for over a year now, ivy bridge is getting shitty reviews thus far, and its about equal in performance to the 3450 but with overclockability to be much better at the same price. The ONLY thing I even want from IB is the PCI 3.0 technology but I mean if I'm getting a GTX 570 then that wouldn't even matter... Is not having PCI 3.0 tech really gonna be that big of a loss...? I feel like I'm going in circles now

The SB 2500K is tried and true, but as far as IB getting crappy reviews ...well other than it not over clocking as high as the SB it beats the SB seven ways to Sunday. There's about a half dozen review sites like this one I frequent...ones that I consider "solid" and the IB beats the SB in every bench possible other than top end o/c. What does 5.0Ghz get you on the SB in regards to gaming vs a IB @ 4.4Ghz? Try a big nothing. The IB @ 4.4Ghz is unbeatable. And if anyone says different than let them post the benches on this thread.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-extreme6-z77a-gd65-z77h2-a2x,3187.html <----- 4.7Ghz with the IB on air

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/asrock_z77_extreme4_review,1.html <---- 4.8Ghz with IB on air.

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/pc-components/processors/intel-core-i5-3570k-1077183/review/page:2#articleContent <--- 4.9Ghz


Seriously though anything past 4.4Ghz on SB or IB nets you little to nothing in more FPS for gaming other than shoving more volts into your cpu. Some people on here who game run their SB @ 4.8 - 5.0 Ghz and for what? I mean wtf is the purpose for that?

 

[UVB076]

Both will have USB 3.0, the Z77 just adds overclockability. However, I am pretty sure the B75 chipset does not support 2 PCIE-3.0 x8 slots.

The Crucial M4 is pretty good.

For RAM you just need 1.5V or lower and a memory clock that is supported by the motherboard.

If you do not overclock just stick with the stock cooler. When you need an aftermarket CPU cooler you can buy one then.

The HD7850 should in theory outperform the GTX570 hardware wise, but generally nVidia has better driver support. The HD7850 uses far less power though. Neither card can fully take advantage of PCI-E 2.0, let alone 3.0

The 3570K is a much better CPU, approximately 4 billion more transistors than the 2500K. Overclocking is a bit limited compared to the 2500K, but it does more per clock. PCI-E 3.0 is useless at this point, no card can actually utilize it.

 

[UVB076]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($147.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($130.99 @ Amazon)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($103.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($25.97 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G235HAbd 23.0" Monitor ($139.74 @ CompUSA)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit) ($138.99 @ B&H)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($82.21 @ eCost)
Mouse: Cyborg CCB437050002/04/1 Wired Laser Mouse ($58.98 @ B&H)
Total: $1439.67
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-08 15:55 EDT-0400)

 

[Azok]

About the PSU, it's a good quality PSU. But only 650W, so if you went nvidia, you probably wouldn't be able to run sli on it (depending on which one you choose), possibly radeon since they use less wattage. But yes, GOLD will save you some electricity $. I picked up a 650w BRONZE because it was only $55 at the time.

The reason why at least I don't want to wait for nvidias "660/670" is because I was told the 660 is based off of the old architecture (Fermi) and 670 would be a Kepler card (new architecture). And the 670 is supposed to be estimated at $400 (who knows though). So if I don't plan on spending ~$400 on the 670, why am I going to wait to buy just a slightly upgraded version of what's already out?

You wouldn't have to upgrade your fan if you aren't overclocking at all, and ivybridge will only be maybe 5* C hotter than sandybridge under FULL LOAD at stock speeds. But it will outperform sandybridge too.

I was gonna make a comment about your case possibly being overkill, but I don't research cases.

 

[Doggman9]

ORIGINAL POST HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH AN UPDATED BUILD LIST

Okay I'm convinced, Ivy Bridge it is.

Now to decide if I want the 3450, 3550, or 3570k.

Why_me you say SB OC vs IB OC isn't that big of a difference but now were just talking about IB. How much performance is there to gain by OC'ing when it comes to GAMING. Like for instance how much better is a lightly OC'd 3570k over a stock 3570k and what about against a 3450 or 3550? Are we looking at a huge difference in FPS or just slight?

And back to the mobo.. I didnt see the B75 on that chart?
Right now if I go with the 3570k I think I will get the Z77 extreme4 because I've seen a few of those builds around already and it sounds solid. But I have no idea what to get if I drop to the 3450 or 3550. Please help with this. Once again I want crossfire/sli support and support for multiple monitors. The difference in price between the i5 3450 and B75 you linked and my i5 3570k and Z77 is HUGE... almost $80... What am I losing other than the ability to overclock and some CPU juice? I want this computer to be future proof so going cheap on a motherboard sounds like a very bad idea to me but maybe thats not the case here.. maybe the z77 is overkill for my needs.. opinions?

As for the GPU, I'm in the same boat as you it sounds like.. the GTX 660 Ti would be perfect but as we both stated its not coming out anytime soon... Maybe i'll just be a badass and get the GTX 670 when it comes out

Thanks again for everyone's help.

EDIT: @ Azok, I was posting while you posted.
You think the 400r was overkill or the newly chosen 300r?

Are the Seasonic Bronze rated PSU's good as well? Gold is probably overkill... bronze will be fine right?

What about this?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095
SeaSonic M12II 620w Bronze SLI Ready Modular -- $90

Is it worth $10 more to get the X650 Gold Modular? Its heavily discounted right now all the way to $100.

Very interesting what you say about the lower end GTX 6xx cards but do you have any factual proof to back that up? Not trying to call you out but that seems strange to me that all the GTX 6xx cards would not be based on the Kepler architecture. How nice do you think the GTX 670 will be? In theory it should be pretty epic right?

 

[Azok]

Even though you aren't overclocking now. We all know that as time goes one, these games take more and more resources. If you get the "K" it's an unlocked CPU and would allow you to overclock. So in a few years when you start to notice performance difference, you can get an upgraded fan and then start overclocking (or even overclock just a little with stock fan).

http://www.pugetsystems.com/blog/2012/04/12/z68-z77-and-h77-whats-the-difference/ states 75's "aren't really worthwhile." They don't support multiple graphic cards which would be the main problem for you. Even the H77 isn't recommended for multiple cards.

Well D3 isn't graphically demanding. You definitely don't need a 670 to run this. But, it will last a lot longer than some of these other ones. Honestly 560ti is a little overkill, lol. But when D3 implements their pvp, it may utilize these higher graphics cards.

Edit: yes, I was referring to the 400r

 

[Doggman9]

@ Azok

Haha I understand the GPU is overkill for SCII and D3 but I'm sure I will get into more PC games once I actually own a gaming PC. Really the most important thing to me is the most bang for the buck to be honest.

So you would say overall the system would be better with an OC'able CPU and Z77 board with a slightly less powerful GPU? I'm comparing that type system to say a 3450 on a cheap mobo with a really badass GPU.

How much performance gains are we looking at by OC'ing? i5 3570k OC vs all of these --> i5 3570k stock, i5 3450, i5 3550? Huge gains, medium gains, minimal gains? I don't need actual numbers just general answers will suffice since I know this is all pretty in depth stuff. And by performance I mean GAMING performance and mostly talking about FPS here since I think CPU's deal mainly with FPS and GPU's deal with image quality... is that right?

 

[Azok]

Bronze is 82-85% efficient and Gold is 87-90% efficient. I stole this from a different post:

It really depends on what units you are looking at how long it will take to pay off, some units also barely miss the next level up so they may be a better value. Overall, each higher level is about 2 percentage points more efficient than the one below it at 20/50/100.


Here is some quick math for you, lets suppose you have a 500 W power supply, a system that pulls 250 W at full load, and is on 8 hour a day running at full load all the time(unrealistic but makes for much easier math), that puts your PSU at 50% load so its going to be at peak efficiency.


Power drawn from the wall:
Basic - 312.5 W
Bronze - 304.9 W
Silver - 294.1 W
Gold - 277.8 W
Platinum - 271.7 W

That means that over basic you save 7.6 W/h with bronze, 18.4 W/h with silver, 34.7 W/h with gold, and 40.8 W/h with platinum. With 8 hours a day at full load that comes out to be 1.82 kWh, 4.42 kWh, 8.33 kWh, and 9.79 kWh saved per month with bronze, silver, gold, and platinum respectively. If you pay 15 cents per kWh that means that over the course of 1 year having a platinum rated PSU over basic saves you about $17.62 so it could take quite a while to pay for the difference with energy savings alone, but in general silver rated units and up are much better quality than basic rated units.

So unless you are playing over 8 hours a day (on avg) I wouldn't spend the $ on gold. At least with a budget.

 

[Azok]

@ Azok

Haha I understand the GPU is overkill for SCII and D3 but I'm sure I will get into more PC games once I actually own a gaming PC. Really the most important thing to me is the most bang for the buck to be honest.

So you would say overall the system would be better with an OC'able CPU and Z77 board with a slightly less powerful GPU? I'm comparing that type system to say a 3450 on a cheap mobo with a really badass GPU.

How much performance gains are we looking at by OC'ing? i5 3570k OC vs all of these --> i5 3570k stock, i5 3450, i5 3550? Huge gains, medium gains, minimal gains? I don't need actual numbers just general answers will suffice since I know this is all pretty in depth stuff. And by performance I mean GAMING performance and mostly talking about FPS here since I think CPU's deal mainly with FPS and GPU's deal with image quality... is that right?

Other than your CPU, you've cut costs on items. The 7850 is going to deliver good graphics, and that is already in your budget. So shift the money from the SSD savings, the $10-20 from case, and thats the price between 2500k and 3570k. And then if you got a Bronze PSU, another maybe $40.

When you upgrade your fan, and overclock, huge gains. That's why some gamers are sticking with sandybridge, because they can clock it a little higher without getting higher temps. A lot of games are heavily CPU dependent. I know WoW is one, and I'm assuming D3 is considering how little graphically it is.

EDIT: seems like no PSUs are on sale right now... jeeze. That TX750 is starting to look better, lol. Are you set on modular?

 

[Azok]

If you don't have to have modular:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703027

$61 after discount + rebate... and it's SILVER 750W

 

[UVB076]

Other than your CPU, you've cut costs on items. The 7850 is going to deliver good graphics, and that is already in your budget. So shift the money from the SSD savings, the $10-20 from case, and thats the price between 2500k and 3570k. And then if you got a Bronze PSU, another maybe $40.

When you upgrade your fan, and overclock, huge gains. That's why some gamers are sticking with sandybridge, because they can clock it a little higher without getting higher temps. A lot of games are heavily CPU dependent. I know WoW is one, and I'm assuming D3 is considering how little graphically it is.

EDIT: seems like no PSUs are on sale right now... jeeze. That TX750 is starting to look better, lol. Are you set on modular?

The 3570K is actually much more efficient, and can do more with a lower clock speed. It has like 40% more transistors.

 

[Azok]

The 3570K is actually much more efficient, and can do more with a lower clock speed. It has like 40% more transistors.

Yeah, but a lot of people just see higher ghz and go with that, unfortunately for them. That's why we are going 3570k.

 

[UVB076]

Try this build:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair CAFA50 61.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Biostar TZ77XE3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($117.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Mushkin Chronos 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($106.57 @ NCIX US)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.08 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS70 OEM DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1095.12
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-08 17:48 EDT-0400)

Best CPU that's not an i7
CPU cooler that's better than the Hyper 212 Plus
SLI-capable Z77 motherboard
8GB DDR3-1600 RAM
120GB Sandforce SATA3 SSD
7200RPM 1TB SATA3 HDD
Radeon HD 7870
80+ Silver MODULAR power supply

 

[Doggman9]

Y'all have convinced me to get the i5-3570k and thus the Z77 mobo. This sounds like a really solid build that has the potential to last a very long time and it leaves me the option to overclock in the future which I might do if it becomes necessary which I'm sure it will one day...

Now for a PSU, after figuring out what modular is I'm pretty interested in it actually. I see the Corsair TX650 is not modular so I no longer want that haha. I'm willing to pay a little extra coin to have modular because I will like the simplicity of less cables in my system no doubt. However I don't want to pay a fortune for it.

I'm looking at the Seasonic M12II 620W for $90 on newegg right now. It claims SLI ready, is that true? Could I potentially hook up two GTX 570s and have a slight overclock on my 3570k and run a new CPU fan all at the same time? Would that be cuttin it close?

Ideally I'd want a 650W but its not on sale right now and $120. I could probably just wait a few days and something will pop up. Mainly I just need to know if 620W is enough for the system I mentioned above then I think I can go from there.

 

[Azok]

Y'all have convinced me to get the i5-3570k and thus the Z77 mobo. This sounds like a really solid build that has the potential to last a very long time and it leaves me the option to overclock in the future which I might do if it becomes necessary which I'm sure it will one day...

Now for a PSU, after figuring out what modular is I'm pretty interested in it actually. I see the Corsair TX650 is not modular so I no longer want that haha. I'm willing to pay a little extra coin to have modular because I will like the simplicity of less cables in my system no doubt. However I don't want to pay a fortune for it.

I'm looking at the Seasonic M12II 620W for $90 on newegg right now. It claims SLI ready, is that true? Could I potentially hook up two GTX 570s and have a slight overclock on my 3570k and run a new CPU fan all at the same time? Would that be cuttin it close?

Ideally I'd want a 650W but its not on sale right now and $120. I could probably just wait a few days and something will pop up. Mainly I just need to know if 620W is enough for the system I mentioned above then I think I can go from there.

If you are considering 570 SLI then I wouldn't recommend going under 750, during gaming you'd probably be at 600W usage. Just don't stress test.

Edit: You might as well go Corsair TX750.

 

[UVB076]

Y'all have convinced me to get the i5-3570k and thus the Z77 mobo. This sounds like a really solid build that has the potential to last a very long time and it leaves me the option to overclock in the future which I might do if it becomes necessary which I'm sure it will one day...

Now for a PSU, after figuring out what modular is I'm pretty interested in it actually. I see the Corsair TX650 is not modular so I no longer want that haha. I'm willing to pay a little extra coin to have modular because I will like the simplicity of less cables in my system no doubt. However I don't want to pay a fortune for it.

I'm looking at the Seasonic M12II 620W for $90 on newegg right now. It claims SLI ready, is that true? Could I potentially hook up two GTX 570s and have a slight overclock on my 3570k and run a new CPU fan all at the same time? Would that be cuttin it close?

Ideally I'd want a 650W but its not on sale right now and $120. I could probably just wait a few days and something will pop up. Mainly I just need to know if 620W is enough for the system I mentioned above then I think I can go from there.

Modular means that the cables are all removable so you can take out the ones you don't need. The PSU I suggested is 750W