Around $1300-1400 new build

[crashngo]

Hi, I am looking to build a gaming computer. So far I think I have everything I need sitting in my cart on newegg, but I'd like a second opinion on the build. So I came here.
Right now my total is $1547 (without monitor) and ($1726 with monitor) I would like to shave that down a bit more as well.

Approximate Purchase Date: hopefully within June 2012

Budget Range:1300-1400 (without monitor) After Rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, some internet usage (currently I have a laptop that will be my primary internet surfing machine)

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, speakers

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: where ever I can get the parts cheapest, currently I am using newegg

Country: US

Parts Preferences: by brand or type: Intel CPU

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe later on when a single GPU isn't cutting it anymore hopefully this won't happen for a few years

Monitor Resolution: currently I have a 1900 x 1080 in my cart and I am open to alternatives as long as they aren't crazy expensive.

Rosewill BLACKHAWK Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, come with Five Fans, window side panel, top HDD dock
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147107

Asus VH238H Black 23" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 250 cd/m2 ASCR 50,000,000:1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236117

EVGA SuperClocked 04G-P4-2673-KR GeForce GTX 670 4GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130785

ASUS Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E818A7T/BLK/B/GEN - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135224

Rosewill HIVE Series HIVE-750 750W Continuous @40°C, 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified, Modular Design, Single +12V Rail, ATX12V v2.31/EPS12V v2.92, SLI Ready, CrossFire Ready, Active-PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182133

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231489

GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128549

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.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/AM 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Desktop Upgrade Kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147135

One thing that I am uncertain about is the SSD. I am not sure if i should get a lower capacity SSD a primary OS drive then another HDD for game storage and stuff like that. But I do want the speed of a SSD for gaming (Newbie alert: would it be that noticeable of a difference?), so I am not completely sure about what to do.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[TheBigTroll]

1: get a antec 302. much better case and is good quality
2:the vs247h-p is a better and newer model of the vh series. its also led backlit to save energy
3:not point of 4gb of frame buffer if yo are not going multi monitor. get a 670 with a non-refernce cooler such as the asus directcu2 top edition or the gigabyte windforce 670. the top card is specially binned so that it can overclock even more than the standard 670 chips
4: the power supply is ok. i would have gotten the xfx pro 750w or the corsair tx750 v2. they are both made by seasonic=good.
5: you do not need 16gb of ram unless you are video editiing. get 8gb ram kits such as the mushkin blackline and the crucial ballistix sport. they are lower profile so that they fit under tall heatsinks
6: samsung drives are very good. an alternative are the intel drives or a mushkin chronos deluxe

 

[JackNaylorPE]

1. If budget allows, I'd move up to 120 Hz ... you won't be disappointed.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236092

2. Swap the EVGA 670 for the Aus model....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121638

http://www.guru3d.com/article/asus-geforce-gtx-670-directcu-ii-top-review/23
http://www.guru3d.com/article/evga-geforce-gtx-670-sc-review/23

Asus DC II TOP model OC'd hit 9839 in 3D Mark
EVGA SC model OC'd hit 9443 in 3D Mark

So Asus was 4 % faster and and $55 cheaper

3. I'd change the RAM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&CompareItemList=147|20-233-186^20-233-186-TS%2C20-233-196^20-233-196-TS%2C20-233-199^20-233-199-TS

4. I prefer the AsusZ77 Pro board
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131819

5. The Mushkin Chronos Deluxe has it all over the 830 ..... with the premium toshiba toggle mode flash, it has more performance ..... longer life .... and less money

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/4328/mushkin_chronos_deluxe_120gb_solid_state_drive_review/index13.html

To sum it all up with a bow on top, you get amazing performance, extremely long service life and a hassle free low price point on a drive that literally has very little competition in the marketplace.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226318

6. Grab a 1 TB 7200 rpm, 64 MB cache, SATA III drive .... before ya listen to the HD cant deliver SATA II speeds so SATA II is fine, note that they the same price and transfers form the large 64 MB cache will go at SSSD speeds.

7. As an alternate to the SSD and HD, consider hybrid like the Seagate Momentus. For $150 ya get a small SSD buildt into the HD and performance is quite impressive.....the Momentus boots windows in 17 seconds, just 1 second slower than an SSD.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=806&Itemid=60&limit=1&limitstart=7

I really like where the Seagate Momentus XT series is heading, because I firmly believe all-in-one hybrid storage solutions are the future... at least until NAND flash components can cost as much as mechanical counterparts. Multi-part hybrid solutions with 3rd party software, such as those currently promoted by the competition, are hardly a match for integrated hybrid products like Momentus XT. Now grown to offer 750 Gigabytes of storage capacity, the new second-generation Seagate Momentus XT is offering the best of both worlds better than anyone else.

8. Case / PSU - Rosewill PSU's are not something most will be comfy with..... With the $55 savings from the card, on top of the $180 in ya original build, ya have $235 to spend.....this would be a huge step up with $5 to spare.

$130 Corsair 500R http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139010
$100 Corsair TX750 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021

Finally, with IB CPU, I'd suggest stepping up to a very good CPU cooler.....212 is great but Hyper 612 or Scythe Mugen 3 will get ya 5-7C more cooling.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185175
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103106

 

[crashngo]

Best answer selected by crashngo.

 

[crashngo]

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[crashngo]

Actually I do have one more question, should I stick with the Ivy Bridge CPU or switch to a Sandy Bridge? The price difference is pretty much negligible. But as I read through articles about the Ivy Bridge series, it appears that they don't play too well with overclocking, whereas Sandy Bridge does. Would it make sense to drop down to the Sandy Bridge for better Overclock potential? Or just stay with the Ivy Bridge?

 

[TheBigTroll]

nope just stay with ivy bridge. it is 5-8% faster than sandy bridge clock for clock. so if you oc the ivy bridge to 4.5ghz, it is the same thing as a sandy bridge at 4.8-5ghz

 

[crashngo]

Alright, thanks again for all the help.