Need help on Gaming/Game Modding computer ~ 1600$

Judge123 · Jun 11, 2012

I have already selected all the parts for my computer I would just like to know if this is a good build for what I need it for

Approximate Purchase Date: This week

Budget Range: Max is $1600 but I would prefer to keep it below that

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Game Mods, Gaming, surfing the web, movies, possibly making music

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I selected them on newegg but will be purchasing them from wherever is cheapest

Country: The parts will be assembled by my friend and we live in the US (Why does this matter?)

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Yes

Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Additional Comments: Initially I am only going to overclock the cpu to run 4 channels of memory at ddr3 2133. I also intend to eventually add a second graphics card once the single one can no longer keep up with game graphics

here are my parts:

Case:
Antec Lanboy air
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129093

CPU:
i5-2500K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Motherboard:
ASUS P8Z68-V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790

SSD:
OCZ Vertex 4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227791

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136891

Disc Drive:
LG Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136241

PSU:
CORSAIR Professional Series HX850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011

Memory:
G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231503

Video Card:
GTX 560 Ti
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604

I hope I posted this correctly. Thank you for any help.

Niklas_13 · Jun 11, 2012

Niklas_13 · Jun 11, 2012

If you want to make it Cheeper

CM HAF 912 case

get a 120GB SSD

Or look ing the 7850 GPU

pass on the CPU Cooler for now

And it madder if you live in the US so we can see whare to pick the parts from!

Judge123 · Jun 12, 2012

First of all I would like to say thank you very much for your help. but I have a few questions. can you please explain some of your changes? Such as:

The new HDD has half the storage but is only $20 cheaper and is from an inferior brand (at least based on what I have been told)

I was also once told that it is cheaper to buy cheaper video cards and simply buy them more often. My friend (who now lives hundreds of miles from me but has built many computers) said he would never pay more then $200 for a video card and I know he does gaming. So I figured the video card I had was more then enough especially since I intend to SLI once I need more power and the price drops. I was also told that the amount of power increase is not worth the price increase with more expensive cards.

Why the change in CPU?

The reason I selected the SSD with only 120GB of memory is because I figured I can have about 4-6 games installed and if I need to play something that is not installed then the SSD is so fast it is a quick install so no big deal. Thus the large HDD for storage.

The disc drive you recommended does not have light scribe so I think I'll go with what I had

Last the RAM you gave me is only half. I know that 16 is not necessary for gaming but is it also irrelevant for modding? Also part of the reason I got so much RAM is so I would not have to buy more for many years. I also noticed that the speed on the RAM you recommended is much lower then what I had. Is speed not important for gaming? How does speed/CAS latency help with gaming/modding?

Also I prefer to stick with the same case. If you got this for thank you for reading my long post I appreciate it.

sander3 · Jun 12, 2012

Judge123 :

seagate is not inferior it sells just as much HDDs than WD

the HDD you bought is a 5900 RPM meaning much slower but i do not think you would need more speed since you already have an SSD

but a 128GB can only store so much so a 7200RPM 1TB will store enough and have better speed than a 5900RPM HDD

it is correct to spend somewhat lower on the GPU but for the price of your computer, you can spend more on GPU to get better performance for years to come

if you are still stuck on it, i would rather go with a 7850 which is better than a 560 TI and can compare to a 570

Niklas_13 · Jun 12, 2012

For a gaming rig you want the best GPU you can buy with your budget...... its best to buy one single GPU then run 2 in Sli/Crossfire, Reason ? 2 GPU dont always give you 2X the FPS as a single card also some game just dont play well with sli/crossfire setups.

The CPU is a bit better for only 20 bucks ( the 2500K is a better OCer ) as temps seems to stay a little cooler. ( IMO ) I only OC when the CPU has reached its last leg and i dont have money atm to buy a new one.

seagate is just as good as WD or Samsung, And the green HDD is slower ( Yes less room ) more speed, can always and another HDD down the road.

Ram 8 GB is more then enough for gaming and will be enough to play around with Photo shop editing ECT, and can alway be upgraded latter. 1600 speed is more then enough for OCing less your trying to get 5.6 out of your CPU .

SSD really dont help like with game ( but load times ) a bigger SSD is more for your other uses of the PC.

Its really your call, you can buy the GTX 560 Ti and SLI in 2 year and have it play some games better then a GTX 670 or maybe not...... The GPU will still be good 4 + years

The resons behind changing stuff around is to give you the best gaming rig your budget will allow, and to have it able to OC and sli/crossfire down the road.

The 7850 @ 240 will be a good GPU also.

The case its your call

Judge123 · Jun 13, 2012

Based on your input I have made a few changes. Please tell me what you think. I also have yet to choose a power supply. I may do some minor overclocking early on such as running my memory at ddr3 1600 instead of 1333. But I do want to eventually overclock my cpu as a way of extending its life in the future so I do want to leave headroom for that and headroom for a second gpu. According to http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine my setup will use 466 watts with two 7850s but that is with 0% capacitor aging. So how much headroom should I leave for overclocking? How much for a moderate overclock? How much for heavy? and I know as long as voltage stays the same wattage increases linearly but how much can i increase before i need to increase voltage? Also I'm not entirely decided on the CPU. On the one hand I intend to OC eventually so the 2500k makes more sense on that front but on the other hand I have no current plans to OC until it becomes necessary and from what I understand that could be years so on that fron the 3570K makes more sense. What advantages will I see using the 3570k over 2500k?

here are my parts

GPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125419
2nd in the future

MOBO http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790

CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

SSD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227791

HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136891

Blu-Ray DVD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136241

RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231402

Niklas_13 · Jun 13, 2012

Ok the MoBo is still to much money IMO Try

MoBos

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128544

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131837

^^ All thos MoBo will do sli/crossfire and save money

RAM

Dont get 1333 and OC it !!! If you plan to OC your CPU down the road, buy DDR3 1600 < will let you OC your CPU without OCing the ram. 1600 will run 1333 @ default ( you can set it to run at 1600 in the bios or when you OC the CPU your uping the FSB witch will run the ram @ a higher speed.

I still think you Should get a 7200 RPM HDD with 32 or 64 MB Cache

Niklas_13 · Jun 13, 2012

The GPU 7850 will be a very nice card at 1920X1080 rez BTW

Judge123 · Jun 13, 2012

Niklas_13 :

I'm mainly getting the HDD for storage. like storing anime on it and then watching said anime. I don't see why I need a high RPM HDD for that. am I missing something?

So your saying go with the RAM you suggested that at 1600 but it was a higher CAS latency. Can OC the CAS to run at 7? Is that a thing? and is it worthwhile? Also why is it important that my meory be at 1600 in order to OC the CPU is this a bottleneck?

Also I went with one of the MOBO you suggested thanks its much cheaper and still has the features i was looking for mainly speaking UEFI BIOS. In case your want/need to know its this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131837

Niklas_13 · Jun 13, 2012

The 120 GB SSD will fill up fast, leaving you no option but to add some programs or games to the HDD.... My SSD is 120 GB and i have windows 7 and one game on it leaving me 90 Gb - 20% so what ? - 20 GB ( you should neaver fill it all up ( Leave room )

I few reads about the CL on the Ram

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/memory_buyers_guide_whats_best_ram_my_system?page=0,1

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1175396

I have my WD black 640 for storage/programs games ( That i dont use alot )

Judge123 · Jun 13, 2012

according to the response time equation at maximum PC the response time on the memory you rec. is 11.25 nano sec as compared to 10.50 nano sec? so why is your recommendation better?

Judge123 · Jun 13, 2012

how about this one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445 its only $10 more runs 1600 has a CAS of 8 and a response time of 10 nano sec

or this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231538 would this be better? its 1866 and CAS 8. Since the lin you gave me was a little dated I thought it might be good to go for one at 1866. does this make sense or no?

Why_Me · Jun 13, 2012

Judge123 :

I wouldn't be hung up on the RAM. I would be asking myself why I have a $1,600 budget and the best I could do was a gtx 560 ti. That and the 850w is total over kill. With your budget you should have nothing less than a gtx 670 and a solid 750 psu. Again the RAM doesn't mean jack, it's the gpu you need to focus on.

Why_Me · Jun 13, 2012

First off these 1155 boards don't play well with high voltage RAM. That RAM is meant for a socket LGA 2011 build. Second that Anetc Lanboy is a cheap gimmick case with poor quality not to mention it's a builders nightmare.

Anything on here linked to amazon can also be found on newegg.

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Series-Gaming-CC-9011012-WW/dp/B005E983JW/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1339482263&sr=1-5 $129.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 500R Mid Tower Gaming Case CC-9011012-WW

http://www.corsair.com/carbide-series-500r-mid-tower-case.html http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6821 <----- another look at that case along with links to professional online reviews

or...

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-RC-922XM-KKN1-External-X-Dock/dp/B007Q7EG7I/ref=sr_1_12?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1339452740&sr=1-12 $129.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
COOLER MASTER HAF XM RC-922XM-KKN1 Black Mesh, Plastic, Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6821 <----- another look at that case along with links to professional online reviews

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207016 $109.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W High Performance 80PLUS Silver SLI CrossFire ready Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.977990 $234.98 save: $20.00
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/asrock_z77_extreme4_review,1.html <---- review of that board w/benchmarks

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme4/ <----- another look at that board along with a link to the latest bios

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504 $234.99 FREE SHIPPING
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/gp/product/B005O65JXI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A2EUTVCJXLAJ4K $35.99 & 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=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=1339452539&sr=1-1 $16.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive DRW-24B1ST (Black)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171567 $124.99 FREE SHIPPING
SanDisk Extreme SDSSDX-120G-G25 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=AS-670DC2G $424.99 Free Shipping
ASUS NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 2GB DDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card - GTX670-DC2-2GD5

Total: $1,359.90 *not including shipping & rebates

Judge123 · Jun 13, 2012

Why_Me · Jun 13, 2012

Judge123 :

This will be the last post on this thread for me, but you are the only poster on this forum that I know of that has that kind of budget and settled for a mid tier card when they were suppose to be building a gaming rig. I guess if you play D3 and mine craft then your good to go.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5818/nvidia-geforce-gtx-670-review-feat-evga <---- A $1,600 budget gets you those FPS. Anything less than that card on your budget is terribly wrong.

Niklas_13 · Jun 13, 2012

Just take what the advice your going to, and add the rest of the parts your going to and buy the PC

GL enjoy the build

Judge123 · Jun 13, 2012

Best answer selected by Judge123.

Need help on Gaming/Game Modding computer ~ 1600$

Distinguished

Splendid

Splendid

Distinguished

Honorable

Splendid

Distinguished

Splendid

Splendid

Distinguished

Splendid

Distinguished

Distinguished

Polypheme

Polypheme

Distinguished

Polypheme

Splendid

Distinguished

Share this page