Gaming PC Build $1300

[krappyappy]

Approximate Purchase Date: asap

Budget Range: 1300 +/- 200 after rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: games

Parts Not Required: case, sound card, peripherals, OS

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: none, as long as they are reputable

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: none

Overclocking: Maybe, but stability takes priority

SLI or Crossfire: not initially, maybe down the road

Monitor Resolutions: 1920x1080, 1024x768

Additional Comments: quiet would be nice but noise isn't a deal breaker

==============================================

upgrading from a Q6600 paired with HD4870, which has been a great system for me the past few years. i don't keep up with advances in hardware until i have to build something, so i took a crack at putting something together. please feel free to offer cost savings or performance increases where you see them.

i have very low tolerance for system instability, and am willing to trade some top level performance or overclocking ability to get it. that said, i specced out liquid cooling [this will be my first] so that i can crank things up somewhat.

here's what i have so far. the cost came out to be $1337.72 with shipping... :lol:

ASUS P8Z77-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard = $209.99

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K = $239.99

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B = $49.99

MSI N670GTX-PM2D2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card = $399.99

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound = $11.99

CORSAIR CWCH60 Hydro Series H60 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler = $64.99

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) = $124.99

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" = $119.99

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply = $109.99

 

[Azok]

Any specific reason you want that mobo?

Looks like a good build

 

[TheBigTroll]

you do know that a 30 dollar hyper 212 will be the same if not better than the h60 right?

another thing is arctic mx-5 is just as good as the silver 5 but without the curing times.

also i would recommend getting something like a gigabyte widforce 670 or a asus directcu2 670 because those coolers are better than reference

 

[krappyappy]

@ azok: i wanted something with integrated wi-fi, saves me the trouble of buying a wireless card.

@ the bigtroll: i've never done liquid cooling before, but i can't imagine that a properly placed and ventilated radiator would be worse than any air cooling system. can you elaborate?

 

[krappyappy]

you do know that a 30 dollar hyper 212 will be the same if not better than the h60 right?

another thing is arctic mx-5 is just as good as the silver 5 but without the curing times.

also i would recommend getting something like a gigabyte widforce 670 or a asus directcu2 670 because those coolers are better than reference

looks like the hyper212 comes with a tube of thermal compound... is it any good? or will i still need to get some arctic?

 

[Azok]

The thermal paste is good. Wouldn't make anymore than a 1 degree difference IF it even made a difference.

 

[TheBigTroll]

your first comment:

liquid cooling isnt all that great because you only get that one radiator for heat dissipation. cooling comes town to basic science; the more surface area for cooling, the cooler it is. the hyper 212 has more space for cooling than the h60 although the h660 uses water which has more heat capacity. in the end, they are about within 2-5 degrees from each other, but then you have to factor in the cost. the h60 is double the cost of a hyper 212. thats why i recommend the hyper 212

water cooling is only good if you go with a dual radiator setup or higher

 

[TheBigTroll]

second, the thermal compound that comes with the hyper 212 is kinda below average but still works. i recommend the mx-4 because its slightly better than the silver

 

[krappyappy]

parts ordered, ended up with the following:

MOBO:
ASUS P8Z77-V PRO Z77

PSU:
Corsair HX650 650W Modular

CPU:
i5 3570k

GPU:
ASUS GTX670-DC2T-2GD5 (love the design!)

SPU:
X-FI xtrememusic (cannibalized from other rig)

RAM:
Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1600

SSD:
Crucial M4 128 GB SSD

HDD:
WD Caviar Black 1TB 7200

COOLING:
Cooler Master Hyper 212+ / Arctic Cooling MX-4

OPTICAL:
Sony something or other

vendor: Newegg
total cost after rebates: 1303.26


thanks to the folks who helped in this thread! this is going to be quite a beefy rig, to last many years to come.

 

[krappyappy]

Best answer selected by krappyappy.

 

[TheBigTroll]

did you get the top edition? its a higher binned gpu= cream of the crop gpu

 

[krappyappy]

did you get the top edition? its a higher binned gpu= cream of the crop gpu

yup - 'DC2T' is the top series.

one of the benefits of this desk job is i can sit around staring at my email all day waiting for the in-stock notice to come through. snagged it this morning.

 

[TheBigTroll]

i would of liked it if the asus 670 was a bit cheaper

 

[raindog85]

i would of liked it if the asus 670 was a bit cheaper

Yeah I agree. I ended up pulling the trigger on it today though because I've been waiting on this or the Gigabyte Windforce 3 version. But its probably not $30 better than the Gigabyte version.

 

[TheBigTroll]

yeah but the again if you throw another 30$ bucks you get a 680. the ball just keeps rollin