New gaming computer - DIY or online store cheaper?? And build help

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mfink

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Jan 13, 2012
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Hello everyone,
I will be buying 2 new gaming computers this week (one for me and one for the wife, of course :D ). I have come to the realization that there are some online stores that seem to be able to build me a computer for cheaper than I can buy the parts and put it together myself. This is the build I was looking at:


http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1E6UYF


And here is a quick breakdown of the list:

Case: NZXT Tempest 210 Mid-Tower Gaming Case (Orange Color)
Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Default case fans
Noise Reduction Technology: None
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-3820 Quad-Core 3.60 GHz 10MB Intel Smart Cache LGA2011 (All Venom OC Certified)
Freebies: FREE! Mass Effect 3 Game
Performance Tuning Protection Plan by Intel: None
Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: No Overclocking
Cooling Fan: Corsair Hydro Series H60 High Performance Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Dual Standard 120MM Fans (Push-Pull) [+9])
Coolant for Cyberpower Xtreme Hydro Water Cooling Kits: Standard Coolant
Motherboard: [3-Way CrossFireX/SLI] Biostar Tpower X79 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX w/ UEFI Bios, Toverclocker, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI [-15]
Memory: 8GB (2GBx4) DDR3/2000MHz Quad Channel Memory [+48] (Corsair or Major Brand)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 1.2GB 16X PCIe Video Card (MSI Twin Frozr II OC 750 Mhz Powered by NVIDIA)
Video Card 2: None
Video Card 3: None
Power Supply Upgrade: 1,000 Watts - Raidmax RX-1000AE 80 Plus Gold Power Supply [+44]
Hard Drive: 120 GB SanDisk Extreme SATA-III 6.0Gb/s SSD – 550MB/s Read & 510MB/s Write [+30] (Single Drive)
Data Hard Drive: None
Hard Drive Cooling Fan: None
External Hard Drive (USB3.0/2.0/eSATA): None
Optical Drive: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
Network: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
Keyboard: (Keyboard & Mouse Combo) Razer Cyclosa Gaming Keyboard & Abyssus Gaming Mouse
Internal USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
Operating System: None - FORMAT HARD DRIVE ONLY
Service: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Rush Service: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 10~15 BUSINESS DAYS


At the price of just around $1400, it seems to be noticeably cheaper than going through newegg. Here are my questions:
- Does this seem like a good buy for the price?
- Will this game support D3, WoW:MoP and CoD:BO2 at full max settings and resolution (single monitor)
- Any suggestions for changes in the build? (price limit around $1500 per computer (flexible))


Thanks!!!
 
Solution
ddan49
ARRGHHH! NO! If you're getting a gaming computer, definitely DYI. If it was for office use or something like that, you probably wouldn't be terribly badly off. But Cyberpower and Alienware both overprice heavily on components. What is your budget for each computer? If it's about $1500, then I would get the following build (which would destroy that one):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($259.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.90 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($142.86 @ Newegg)...
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mfink

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Bump. I also forgot to mention that most of the data will be stored in an external HDD, only OS and games on SSD. Monitor and peripherals all already purchased.
 
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ddan49

ddan49

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ARRGHHH! NO! If you're getting a gaming computer, definitely DYI. If it was for office use or something like that, you probably wouldn't be terribly badly off. But Cyberpower and Alienware both overprice heavily on components. What is your budget for each computer? If it's about $1500, then I would get the following build (which would destroy that one):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($259.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.90 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($142.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($128.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 950W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($117.24 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($74.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1363.92
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-24 09:09 EDT-0400)

Now, I'd try to get a 680. That's why the build is less than $1500... because the 680 isn't available anywhere.
 
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smorizio

smorizio

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you do not want to put your data drives on the estata or usb ports. your better off having them for speed connected to the sata ports. they make network storage for home users that you can just plug into your home network and share. when people ask is it cheaper to build then buy i says sometime it is but and i say to people this is a big but...can you trouble shoot your own hardware or software error??? do you think you have the skills to put a computer together and if a part is bad sped the time to call or email a vendor and ship the part back at your cost. most rma now you have to pay for shipping the part to the vendor as a cross ship and give them your cc number if you dont send the part back. cyberpower pc meets the need of a person that wants to use off the shelf parts and have some put the unit together and test it. or know that the parts are going to work together. it comes down you the seller piece of mind..
 
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mfink

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First of all, thanks to everyone for the replies! I like the build you have going here, a lot! I am more than comfortable troubleshooting all of my own problems and I actually prefer to DIY, but if it is significantly cheaper I would break and get a PC from a store (which it looks like you may have proven me wrong about the price :) ) We have a Fry's nearby that will price-match "any" online price. I would LOVE to get this all today or this weekend.... maybe I will see what they have in stock :D
 
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ddan49

ddan49

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Good luck! Smorzio was right on the Sata thing. Also, the PSU is overkill, but it'll be fine if you ever run SLId GPUs in the future (when they can consume more power... although the trend is going in the opposite direction now). You can get the 750W editinon of that PSU
 
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ddan49

ddan49

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Yeah, if you're getting an IB chip, get a Z77 motherboard. If you're getting an SB chip, then get a Z68 motherboard.

Also, you're right adg that for gaming, an i5 is sufficient. But I'm going to assume that games will start to utilize HT before OP upgrades his/her CPU.
 
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mfink

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The PC is going to be used primarily for gaming. I couldn't get a 2600K at MicroCenter, but they had a 2700K on sale for $270 so I grabbed one of those. We were also able to get ahold of an ASUS GTX 680 :D

The computers are built, we are just installing everything now. So far so good! Thanks for all the help!!
 
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