$1700 Gaming PC, First Build

[G-Riff]

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next two weeks.

Budget Range: Around $1700, willing to go to $2000.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, surfing the internet.

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, speakers.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.

Country: USA.

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU, though not required.

Overclocking: Maybe.

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe.

Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080, but willing to change.

Additional Comments: A quiet PC would be a relief.

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Hello,

I just have a few questions regarding a new gaming PC I plan on building (Guild Wars 2 is the game in mind). Any and all comments/feedback on the build in general is welcome.

Here is the build so far:

Case: CoolerMaster HAF 932
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

MB: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265

CPU: Intel i7 2600k Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070

HSF: CoolerMaster Hyper 212+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 580 1536MB 384-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130587

Hard Drive (SSD): Crucial M4 128GB SSD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series HX 850w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1600 (2 x 4GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345

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

Monitor: Acer G235HAbd 23'' 5ms 1920x1080
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009266


Nothing has been purchased yet, so everything is replaceable.

Here are my concerns:

-Compatibility: I realize that it should be rather straight-forward, but I would hate for the first mistake I make to be a compatibility issue. Also, I would like to avoid any bottlenecking.

-Cooling: I do not initially plan to do any over-clocking, but I chose the unlocked processor and Hyper212+ cooling fan to make it possible in the future. The case has some large fans and it is a full tower, but liquid cooling scares me a little bit and I'm not really sure that I'll need it.

-CPU/GPU: I like what others have said about the i7 2600k, but I am not sure if I should wait to get one of the newer Ivy Bridge CPUs or if there is a better processor for this build. Also, I am open to doing CrossfireX or SLI or just changing the video card, but I am not especially familiar with the advantages/disadvantages, etc.

-SSD and HDD combo: I really just want to know if it would be best to have an SSD boot drive and an HDD for storage or if I could just go with the SSD. I have been using the same PC for around 7 years and I have yet to exceed 120GB, but I plan to use this new computer much more frequently. I also realize that adding a larger hard drive in the future would be relatively easy.

-Monitor: I know next to nothing about what kind of resolution I want. The monitor I selected just had some good reviews for a pretty good price, so I am very willing to make changes. All I know is that I would like a larger screen (20" diagonal at the very least).

Please let me know if I left out any pertinent information.
Thanks in advance for your time and any responses.

 

[boulbox]

CASE/MOBO:Corsair Carbide Series 500R and ASRock Z77 Extreme4 - $239.98
PSU:SeaSonic M12II 620 - $89.99
wouldn't recommend getting SLI/Xfire which is why i got a 620W power supply. only get SLI if you plan on getting 3 monitors running at the same time for a game.
RAM:CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB @ 1600 - $49.99
better ram looks a lot better with the mobo than the blue one. also the one your about to buy has really high heatsinks that will block aftermarket coolers
OS:same
Monitor:same
SSD:same
HDD:SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 $109.99
CPU: i5 3570k will be the best for gaming
Heatsink:hyper 212 evo

 

[julien329]

Your build seems very good in general.

However, I would defenitively change these two items:

GPU: MSI 670 GTX -> Same price, much better : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127675

Also, I don't recommend you going into a SLI settup, as any crossfire or SLI setup can suffer Micro-Stuttering. So as you won't need that much power with a single card setup, you may want to take a PSU with a lower wattage and save money.

PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series HX750 -> Very good brand and model for the price (especially with the rebate right now). It's also modular and 80+ SILVER certified : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010

Finally, if you want to, there is a new version of this motherboard for only ten more dollars. So here it is :

MOTHERBOARD: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 -> Future proof : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157295

 

[G-Riff]

CASE/MOBO:Corsair Carbide Series 500R and ASRock Z77 Extreme4 - $239.98
PSU:SeaSonic M12II 620 - $89.99
wouldn't recommend getting SLI/Xfire which is why i got a 620W power supply. only get SLI if you plan on getting 3 monitors running at the same time for a game.
RAM:CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB @ 1600 - $49.99
better ram looks a lot better with the mobo than the blue one. also the one your about to buy has really high heatsinks that will block aftermarket coolers
OS:same
Monitor:same
SSD:same
HDD:SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 $109.99
CPU: i5 3570k will be the best for gaming
Heatsink:hyper 212 evo

Thanks for the reply.

Absolutely brilliant idea with the RAM! I'm so glad you thought of that. I also like the HSF you recommended. I'm a little unsure of the processor, but I'll look into it.

 

[G-Riff]

Your build seems very good in general.

However, I would defenitively change these two items:

GPU: MSI 670 GTX -> Same price, much better : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127675

Also, I don't recommend you going into a SLI settup, as any crossfire or SLI setup can suffer Micro-Stuttering. So as you won't need that much power with a single card setup, you may want to take a PSU with a lower wattage and save money.

PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series HX750 -> Very good brand and model for the price (especially with the rebate right now). It's also modular and 80+ SILVER certified : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010

Finally, if you want to, there is a new version of this motherboard for only ten more dollars. So here it is :

MOTHERBOARD: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 -> Future proof : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157295

Thanks.

The GPU you recommended looks much better and it is a little bit cheaper. I was unaware of that motherboard but I would be very happy to upgrade for $10.

Will lowering the wattage only change the performance if I do an SLI set up? (Which I probably won't.) If the price only differs by $30 or so, I am willing to keep the 850w PSU if there is any sizable difference in performance elsewhere.

 

[boulbox]

Thanks.

The GPU you recommended looks much better and it is a little bit cheaper. I was unaware of that motherboard but I would be very happy to upgrade for $10.

Will lowering the wattage only change the performance if I do an SLI set up? (Which I probably won't.) If the price only differs by $30 or so, I am willing to keep the 850w PSU if there is any sizable difference in performance elsewhere.

if you don't plan on SLI(which i don't recommend since i think you will only be using 1x1080p monitor). just go with ASrock extreme 4 combo that i gave you it has 2 3.0 slots but it has a $30 discount where u can't really beat that compared to a 1 pci 3.0 slot

spend more on gpu is the best solution and only 1 will be needed