HELP! New Build $1700-$2000 Detailed

[SteelBlueFiction]

There will be ALOT of information here.
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Approximate Purchase Date: The closer the better.
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Budget Range: Around $1700-$2000 or less. Less is so much better, but want to get a great gaming system.
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System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Movies, Surfing the Internet, Music, possibly making videos.
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Parts Not Required: Need everything.
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Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com and Amazon.com
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Country: U.S.A.
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Parts Preferences: Intel, or which ever is recommended.
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Overclocking: Maybe
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SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
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Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080
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Additional Comments: Need a good reliable computer. One that is pretty much future proof. Able to upgrade, etc. Also need a case that will fit anything coming out, plus fan filters is a must. My room gets really hot in the summer, so looking for a good air cooling. USB 3.0, Sata 6.0, PCIe 3.0. Also, need warranties on everything. =D Hoping to get something around the same Frame rates as a 580. However, should I SLI/Crossfire to do so, for the frame rates? I will be playing games while listening to music, multitasking, surfing the web, etc.. I would like to be able to play Blu-Ray movies/media. Should I get a Blu-Ray Drive and another Optical DVD burner or should I get a Blu-Ray/DVD combo? Want to play games like: Guild Wars 2, Tera, Tribes Ascend, etc. Oh! One more thing, is there anything that would make it easier to for those little connectors, which I think go for the Power LED, hard drive light, etc? Those little things that go on the bottom right, usually, or around them. Need a reliable and quality hard drive. For positive airflow, do I put all fans on intake and have the Fan near the rear/back of the case as an exhaust? Is it possible to have some money left over for actual Games?

If I install a Hard Drive and an SSD at the same time, how do I choose to install the OS on the SSD and have it as a boot drive?

I would also love to to save money, cheaper it is for me.

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CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K - $239.99
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Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD45 - $149.00 Need help on this. Will it support everything I need?
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GPU: EVGA 02G-P4-2678-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW- $419.99
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RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 16GB -$89.99 Seems to be one of the best.

Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 16GB - $109.99 This is the 8-8-8-24 Timing

G.Skill Ares Series 16GB - $94.99

Maybe a set of G.Skill or something? Although, they are around $8.00 more, besides the Ripjaws X.
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HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $119.99

If I could save cash I would go down to 750GB. The Western Digital Green 1TB is $94.99
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SSD: Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) with Transfer Kit - $124.99

Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive - $199.99 Hope the price drops. Has some negative reviews, not entirely sure.

There is different Crucial M4's. Which one should I get? Any other SSD's recommended? Realiablity is a concern, would like a warranty as well.

Plextor M3 Series PX-256M3 2.5" 256GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - $239.99 Has a 5 year warranty.

Plextor M3 Series PX-128M3 2.5" 128GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - $129.99 Similar to the M4. Just want the best bang for the buck. This seems to priced similar as well.
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Heatsink: ZALMAN CNPS20LQ Ultimate Liquid CPU Cooler - $99.99 Way high.
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XIGMATEK Dark Knight II SD1283 Night Hawk -$49.99
Scythe SCKTN-4000 92mm Katana 4 CPU Cooler - $32.99
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO - $34.99
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Case: Cooler Master HAF XM - $129.99 [ Plus shipping and handling. ] Could I move the front 200m fan on the HAF XM to the top of it, for extra exhaust? Also, does the side panel take 120mm fans? Could I put small magnets on the bottom PSU dust filter, then put it on the bottom of the case? Any ideas? Trying to save money.
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PSU: SILVERSTONE Strider Gold ST85F-G 850W - $154.99 Good price, seems a good company. Although, on the 1000w version the reviews are bad. Is their quality dropping?

COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series RS800-80GAD3-US 800W - $149.99 No idea. Plus Gold and Price is nice.
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Mouse: Need help with this one! I need one that I can use in basically any Games that I come across. MMORPGS / MMO's / FPS / Strategy / Etc.
Cooler Master Storm Spawn - $39.99 Worried about the size. Also, not sure if it has enough buttons. I Just want to play well, or atleast try to.
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Keyboard: CM Storm Trigger - $119.99 Seriously considering this.

Need help with this one though. Would like a Mechanical Keyboard with some macro keys. For gaming and multiple other stuff. Such as assigning it to my internet browser, or opening inventory in game, etc. I am not sure what the "in-key" Roll over thing is. I believe it is when you are holding multiple keys and they all register, if so, that would be great! Just looking for a good sturdy and lasting keyboard. If a Mechanical is not really required, please let me know.
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Monitor: ASUS 24" 2ms - $189.99

SAMSUNG 24'' 5ms - $199.99

The 24" may help out with my eyes, seeing as I am supposed to wear glasses. If I can lower the price. =D
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CD/DVD/Blu-Ray Drive: LITE-ON Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Internal 12x BD Combo Model iHES212-08 LightScribe Support $79.99

ASUS Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM 8MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS - $89.99

ASUS Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Drive Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM - $57.99
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Speakers: Logitech X-540 5.1 Speakers -$99.99

SONY SRSD25/BLK 25w 2.1 Speaker System - $52.99 This looks really nice!

Logitech Z313 25 w 2.1 Speaker System - $45.99
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Headphones:
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Microphone: Mod Mic - $32.99 / Maybe. Not really considering buying right away.
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Mousepad: Need a good tracking, and pretty long lasting one. Smoothness is a plus.
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Soundcard: ASUS Xonar DGX 5.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Express x1 Interface Gaming Audio Card - $44.99 If needed. Never used one, plus some motherboards have good sound.
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OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - $99.99 I wonder if Windows 8 is coming out soon though? Should I wait on that?
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Case Fans: [1-2x] 140mm Cougar Fan - $16.99 /or/ bgears b-Blaster 140mm Fan - $14.99 /or/ Evercool 140mm Fan - $13.99 /or/ From Amazon.com Thermalright TY-140 - $20.00 /or/ Thermalright X-Silent 140 - $12.00
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Am I missing anything? PLEASE any combo's that will help me save money. I want a lasting gaming computer, but after I added what I had, well, wow...Serial ATA cables?
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Combo: Cooler Master HAF XM + Cooler Master Silent Pro 800w Gold -$34.00
Combo: MSI Z77A-G45 Z77 Motherboard + Crucial M4 128GB SSD - $15.00 If I decide to go with and SSD.
Combo: MSI Z77A-G45 Z77 Motherboard + Western Digitial Black 1TB 64MB Cache- $15.00
Combo: MSI Z77A-G45 Z77 Motherboard + Intel Core i5-3570k - $10.00

 

[blazorthon]

You can easily install Windows on an SSD and use it as a boot drive while you use a hard drive for extra storage. The i5-3570K is a great CPU, but the GTX 670 is way more fast than necessary for 1080p gaming. That's more of a 2560x1600 or 2560x1440 gaming card.

 

[Why_Me]

You can easily install Windows on an SSD and use it as a boot drive while you use a hard drive for extra storage. The i5-3570K is a great CPU, but the GTX 670 is way more fast than necessary for 1080p gaming. That's more of a 2560x1600 or 2560x1440 gaming card.

The OP's putting together a gaming build and your telling him to get a slower card? Your not serious are you?

 

[ddan49]

Future-proof doesn't exist. Not for any budget. Putting that aside, I'll just go down the list:

GPU: A 670 is nice, but if you can find a 680, get it in there! Sacrifice other components if necessary ('cept for the PSU... never, ever, EVER skimp on that. Doesn't mean you go too high, but don't cut from there).

Mobo: I'd try for ASUS at your budget. It's got nice build quality, easier overclocking... really quite nice. Your mobo looks fine, although if you're trying to stay at that budget, I'd get like an ASRock Z77 Extreme4

RAM: 16GB of 1.5v or lower, right? I'd just get the CAS9... 8 won't really make much of a difference. Also, 16GB is overkill, but RAM is cheap right now so... why not?

HDD: DO NOT GET A GREEN DRIVE. Apart from that, I personally prefer the Samsung Spinpoint

SSD: I'd get the Crucial M4... it's well-reviewed, I have a Crucial SSD (great so far), it's also inexpensive... less than $1/gb! Don't get OCZ... they're cheap, and unreliable. 128GB is enough... put all games and OS on it.

Heatsink: WHY?! I'd just get a Hyper 212 Evo. Unless you're overclocking HIGH, you won't need anything else. By the way, I'd suggest a moderate overclock. Free performance!

Case: Do you know how big the HAFX is? If that's fine, go for it. However, I'd go with like a Corsair 500R, personally... Corsair is NICE

PSU: Sorry... gonna veto both. I'd get a Seasonic, Corsair, or a PC Power and Cooling PSU. You won't need much more than 750W... and bronze is fine. The difference between bronze and gold isn't all that high. I'd look at semi-modular or modular... easier to use.

Every other component: Sorry, I really don't know. I DO have a couple Samsung monitors, and all I can say is... no problems, love 'em both. I think ASUS is nice as well. For case fans, you're getting "silent" fans. Do you want a silent build?

 

[SteelBlueFiction]

I am not really looking for quiet, as I plan on getting some head phones.

As for the PSU, there was two reasons for the CM one. One is Hardware Heaven and the other is the Combo with the HAF X.

As for the Case being big, that s fine, I would rather have that and have good cooling, then a smaller case that gets hot.

The 500r is nice, but no fan filter on the side.

 

[Why_Me]

@ the OP. You have a good build going on up top and here's a few money saving idea's / suggestions for that build. btw anything here linked to Amazon can be found on Newegg. Also forget Hardware Heaven. That CM psu is a dud.

Combo this board with that WD h/d to save some $$.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.977987 $234.98 save: $20.00
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 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

750w is more than enough for dual 670's in SLI while still giving you plenty of headroom. For a rock solid non modular psu then have a look at this one down below.

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

For a modular psu then this XFX manufactured by Seasonic.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207016 $137.99 - $127.99 after mail-in rebate card
XFX PRO750W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80Plus Silver 750 Watt Power Supply

For a solid cpu cooler that comes with great thermal compound then look no further than the CM EVO.

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)

I would think 8GB of RAM would be fine for what your planning

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

If you really think you need 16GB then CL9 1600hz 1.5 is the way to go imo. Solid and no messing with the timings to get it to work right.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226272 $89.99 FREE SHIPPING
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 993995

This GTX 670 has probably the best non reference cooling of all those 670's which means it not only runs cool, but can easily be o/c to surpass the GTX 680.

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

And that CM case you have is a great one. You can add one of these fans to the side of that case, and if you feel the need add another one up top.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Computer-Cooling-R4-LUS-07AR-GP/dp/B002LE8BJA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1339641800&sr=1-1&keywords=cooler+master+200mm+fan $14.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master Computer Case Cooling R4-LUS-07AR-GP (Red) LED Megaflow 200mm Fan

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

 

[SteelBlueFiction]

Okay, will definitely get the Hyper 212+ and the Crucial M4 128GB SSD.

As for the ASRock mother board, I read some reviews saying that it was rather thin/flimsy. So worried that I might break it.

Could I actually go cheaper and get a good build still?

What about speakers and stuff?

 

[ddan49]

Well... you're only going to touch it once. You could go a LITTLE cheaper, but not enough to really justify anything. I don't know anything about peripherals, sorry.

 

[SteelBlueFiction]

I mean, I just worry about breaking the motherboard. If it can handle having the CPU cooler and the Ram, etc. put on and then put in the motherboard.

So far these parts, I have decided to get:
Crucial M4 128GB
CM Hyper 212 Evo
GTX 670
Intel i5-3570k [ Being new so going with that. ]
Asus 24" Monitor 2ms
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Need help on everything else. Do I really need macro keys on my keyboard? If not, I could try something else.

Also need help with the PSU!

 

[ddan49]

Oh, it can handle that easily. As long as you're not stupid about it.

Good choices on everything. With the PSU, I'm getting the 750W Why_Me suggested for my own build (I can't remember if he suggested it to me first or I suggested it to him...). It's a great, cheap, silver PSU. Cable management shouldn't be a problem in the MASSIVE HAFX (it really is massive). So, you don't really need modular.

Again, with peripherals, here's all the input I can give. I'm on a typical Logitech keyboard at $10 that suits my needs fine. I have a Logitech M510 mouse that cost $25 and has just two extra buttons. With these two components, I have ZERO problems gaming. Just right for me. Keyboards with more buttons at the top are uncomfortable for me 'cause I don't like to move my hand... just my fingers. Speakers, I literally know ZERO about. Sorry.

 

[SteelBlueFiction]

Anyone know about the Rose 750w Gold PSU? Jonny Guru had a review on it as well.

Checking out all these parts that you all are mentioning.

So far still on:
Hyper 212 EVO
GTX 670
i5-3570k
Asus 24" 2ms
Crucial M4 128 GB

As good to go, just got to put everything else together.

 

[ddan49]

Hmm... I don't know much about Rosewill, but what I do know is that it has to be treated carefully. I wouldn't sweat the extra $30... 'cause if a PSU goes bad, it takes the entire computer with it. Reputable manufacturers like those listed would be my first choice.

 

[blazorthon]

The OP's putting together a gaming build and your telling him to get a slower card? Your not serious are you?

Yes, I was serious. OP is gaming at 1080p. Why would OP buy a GTX 680 for 1080p gaming? Unless OP wants to game on a 120Hz or a 3D 1080p display, that doesn't make much sense at all. Are you seriously recommending that OP waste his money on a card that performs far faster than 1080p demands? A 7850 or 7870 would be a better option here while still being very future-proofed, especially if overclocking is considered.

 

[blazorthon]

Only crap PSUs should take other components with them if they fail. High-quality PSUs should not. Telling OP that it will happen is wrong because you don't know that it will happen. Saying that it could happen would be correct and not misleading. Rosewill is a decent brand, but for PSUs, I tend to stick with Antec, Seasonic, and Corsair.. These three are regarded as the top three brands for PSUs. I would not recommend that you get the Rosewill because you can afford a higher quality PSU.

Also, OP... If you have this much money to throw around, then you should get the Samsung 830 instead of the Crucial M4. The 830 is equally reliable, but is a faster and slightly more expensive drive. Heck, you could get a 256GB model.

Unless you plan on doing some photoshop work or something else that uses as much RAM as you can get, then getting more than 8GB is not going to help at all. In fact, having 4 modules wil slightly increase RAM latency and decrease bandwidth due to the increased load on the memory controller. If you want 16GB anyway, then you should get a 2x8GB kit such as this one from that same brand:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226261&nm_mc=EMC-EXPRESS060912&cm_mmc=EMC-EXPRESS060912-_-EMC-060912-Index-_-DesktopMemory-_-20226261-L04C

It's another few $, but it's worth the slight increase in cost. This will also improve overclocking stability. If you want a GTX 670, then you will need to overclock your CPU in order to get the most out of that GTX 670, so eliminating instabilities is important. With that in mind, your cooler is a good cooler, but the i5-3570K can get very hot. You might want a better cooler.

 

[willzzz]

Yes, I was serious. OP is gaming at 1080p. Why would OP buy a GTX 680 for 1080p gaming? Unless OP wants to game on a 120Hz or a 3D 1080p display, that doesn't make much sense at all. Are you seriously recommending that OP waste his money on a card that performs far faster than 1080p demands? A 7850 or 7870 would be a better option here while still being very future-proofed, especially if overclocking is considered.

If you look the dicussion was about a GTX670 not a 680.

A single GTX670 is a perfectly sensible choice for 1080p.

 

[blazorthon]

If you look the dicussion was about a GTX670 not a 680.

A single GTX670 is a perfectly sensible choice for 1080p.

Typo, I meant to say 670. The 670 is not sensible for 1080p either. It is almost exactly as fast as the 680. Maybe OP could use ridiculously high AA and other such settings in some games... However, the 670 is still not really optimal for 1080p unless you use some seriously intensive mods and/or huge AA in games that support it.

 

[Why_Me]

Yes, I was serious. OP is gaming at 1080p. Why would OP buy a GTX 680 for 1080p gaming? Unless OP wants to game on a 120Hz or a 3D 1080p display, that doesn't make much sense at all. Are you seriously recommending that OP waste his money on a card that performs far faster than 1080p demands? A 7850 or 7870 would be a better option here while still being very future-proofed, especially if overclocking is considered.

It was a GTX 670 not a 680 ...not that it makes any difference and the 7850 and 7870 both have the same amount of VRAM...which again makes no difference. The 7870 is a hose job seeing how a 670 can be had for $50 more and is twice the card. Why would the OP short himself on the gpu? This is a gaming build.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5818/nvidia-geforce-gtx-670-review-feat-evga <----- GTX 670 review w/benchmarks

 

[Why_Me]

Only crap PSUs should take other components with them if they fail. High-quality PSUs should not. Telling OP that it will happen is wrong because you don't know that it will happen. Saying that it could happen would be correct and not misleading. Rosewill is a decent brand, but for PSUs, I tend to stick with Antec, Seasonic, and Corsair.. These three are regarded as the top three brands for PSUs. I would not recommend that you get the Rosewill because you can afford a higher quality PSU.

Also, OP... If you have this much money to throw around, then you should get the Samsung 830 instead of the Crucial M4. The 830 is equally reliable, but is a faster and slightly more expensive drive. Heck, you could get a 256GB model.

Unless you plan on doing some photoshop work or something else that uses as much RAM as you can get, then getting more than 8GB is not going to help at all. In fact, having 4 modules wil slightly increase RAM latency and decrease bandwidth due to the increased load on the memory controller. If you want 16GB anyway, then you should get a 2x8GB kit such as this one from that same brand:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226261&nm_mc=EMC-EXPRESS060912&cm_mmc=EMC-EXPRESS060912-_-EMC-060912-Index-_-DesktopMemory-_-20226261-L04C

It's another few $, but it's worth the slight increase in cost. This will also improve overclocking stability. If you want a GTX 670, then you will need to overclock your CPU in order to get the most out of that GTX 670, so eliminating instabilities is important. With that in mind, your cooler is a good cooler, but the i5-3570K can get very hot. You might want a better cooler.[/quotemsg]

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/asrock_z77_extreme4_review,16.html <------ That's what O/C your Ivy Bridge cpu gets you in regards to more FPS in games.

And yes, Cooler Master has given false advertisement on their psu's. It was a low life thing to do and with the OP's budget there's no reason why he shouldn't step up to a better brand, that and no need for an 850w psu for dual 670's.

 

[blazorthon]

It was a GTX 670 not a 680 ...not that it makes any difference and the 7850 and 7870 both have the same amount of VRAM...which again makes no difference. The 7870 is a hose job seeing how a 670 can be had for $50 more and is twice the card. Why would the OP short himself on the gpu? This is a gaming build.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5818/nvidia-geforce-gtx-670-review-feat-evga <----- GTX 670 review w/benchmarks

The RAM capacity had nothing to do with what I said and that they have the same capacity has nothing to do with performance. The 7870 is not half of the 670. The 670 is far faster than necessary for a 1080p gaming build if it does not have a 3D or 120Hz monitor. Repeating that it is a gaming build changes nothing. The GTX 670 and 680 have nearly identical performance and are better suited for either 120Hz/3D 1080p gaming or higher resolution gaming where their performance is not wasted.

There would literally be no difference at all between the 7850 and the GTX 670 at regular 1080p in the vast majority of games in perceivable quality and performance because the 670 is too fast for regular 1080p. The only exceptions to this would be if OP used some very intensive mods. Using a video card suited for OP's resolution is not shooting himself in the foot. Using a card that is not suited for OP's display is wasting money where it won't make a difference.

Even in games such as Metro 2033 and BF3, the 670 is simply far more than practically usable in regular 1080p.

 

[blazorthon]

Only crap PSUs should take other components with them if they fail. High-quality PSUs should not. Telling OP that it will happen is wrong because you don't know that it will happen. Saying that it could happen would be correct and not misleading. Rosewill is a decent brand, but for PSUs, I tend to stick with Antec, Seasonic, and Corsair.. These three are regarded as the top three brands for PSUs. I would not recommend that you get the Rosewill because you can afford a higher quality PSU.

Also, OP... If you have this much money to throw around, then you should get the Samsung 830 instead of the Crucial M4. The 830 is equally reliable, but is a faster and slightly more expensive drive. Heck, you could get a 256GB model.

Unless you plan on doing some photoshop work or something else that uses as much RAM as you can get, then getting more than 8GB is not going to help at all. In fact, having 4 modules wil slightly increase RAM latency and decrease bandwidth due to the increased load on the memory controller. If you want 16GB anyway, then you should get a 2x8GB kit such as this one from that same brand:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226261&nm_mc=EMC-EXPRESS060912&cm_mmc=EMC-EXPRESS060912-_-EMC-060912-Index-_-DesktopMemory-_-20226261-L04C

It's another few $, but it's worth the slight increase in cost. This will also improve overclocking stability. If you want a GTX 670, then you will need to overclock your CPU in order to get the most out of that GTX 670, so eliminating instabilities is important. With that in mind, your cooler is a good cooler, but the i5-3570K can get very hot. You might want a better cooler.[/quotemsg]

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/asrock_z77_extreme4_review,16.html <------ That's what O/C your Ivy Bridge cpu gets you in regards to more FPS in games.

And yes, Cooler Master has given false advertisement on their psu's. It was a low life thing to do and with the OP's budget there's no reason why he shouldn't step up to a better brand, that and no need for an 850w psu for dual 670's.

A 750w is the minimum that I could ever recommend for dual 670s. A 850 is what I recommend for dual 670s when overclocking is intended. You should always have a large margin between the PSU's rated wattage and the maximum wattage usage of your system because this increases the longevity and stability of a PSU.

Those benchmarks used a Radeon 7970 and 2133MHz memory. The 670 is faster than the 7970 in most popular games (although if you use a wide selection, they are shown to be on-par with each other) and the faster RAM both attribute to somewhat smaller gains from overclocking the CPU. Furthermore, games all act differently in how CPU bottle-necked they are. Some are more limited than others.

 

[willzzz]

The RAM capacity had nothing to do with what I said and that they have the same capacity has nothing to do with performance. The 7870 is not half of the 670. The 670 is far faster than necessary for a 1080p gaming build if it does not have a 3D or 120Hz monitor. Repeating that it is a gaming build changes nothing. The GTX 670 and 680 have nearly identical performance and are better suited for either 120Hz/3D 1080p gaming or higher resolution gaming where their performance is not wasted.

There would literally be no difference at all between the 7850 and the GTX 670 at regular 1080p in the vast majority of games in perceivable quality and performance because the 670 is too fast for regular 1080p. The only exceptions to this would be if OP used some very intensive mods. Using a video card suited for OP's resolution is not shooting himself in the foot. Using a card that is not suited for OP's display is wasting money where it won't make a difference.

Even in games such as Metro 2033 and BF3, the 670 is simply far more than practically usable in regular 1080p.

If you click his link the GTX 670 is getting just over 60 fps in BF3 Ultra, thats the sort of thing a gamer wants.
The 7850 is mid 30s average, presumably pretty low minimums in hectic firefights.

And thats only current games, maybe he wants to play new releases for the next few years?

 

[Why_Me]

If you click his link the GTX 670 is getting just over 60 fps in BF3 Ultra, thats the sort of thing a gamer wants.
The 7850 is mid 30s average, presumably pretty low minimums in hectic firefights.

And thats only current games, maybe he wants to play new releases for the next few years?

+1

 

[ddan49]

Okay, seriously, I'm surprised this much debate has occurred over getting a STRONGER GPU. Lemme put it this way:

Sure, now, it is just a LITTLE bit of an overkill. How 'bout the next game that's released? Think it'll still be overkill in a year?

 

[blazorthon]

If you click his link the GTX 670 is getting just over 60 fps in BF3 Ultra, thats the sort of thing a gamer wants.
The 7850 is mid 30s average, presumably pretty low minimums in hectic firefights.

And thats only current games, maybe he wants to play new releases for the next few years?

Read the link again. There were multiple benchmarks, the one with the 670 only getting about 60FPS were the 2560x1600 benchmark and the very high AA benchmark of 1920x1200. In the regular 1920x1200 benchmark, the 6970, a card that is roughly on-par with the 7850, got over 55FPS. Let's also not forget that the 7850 is one of the best overclocking cards ever and a 40% overclock is the norm with up to 45% being common, especially with certain models. That puts it between the 7970 and the 7950 with the GPU overclocked to 1200MHz-1250MHz, 1200MHz being the most common for most models and a few models tending to hit closer to 1250MHz. I'm not saying that OP can't get the 670, only that OP should be sure that it OP doesn't mind spending that much money on a card that is overkill.

 

[Why_Me]

Read the link again. There were multiple benchmarks, the one with the 670 only getting about 60FPS were the 2560x1600 benchmark and the very high AA benchmark of 1920x1200. In the regular 1920x1200 benchmark, the 6970, a card that is roughly on-par with the 7850, got over 55FPS. Let's also not forget that the 7850 is one of the best overclocking cards ever and a 40% overclock is the norm with up to 45% being common, especially with certain models. That puts it between the 7970 and the 7950 with the GPU overclocked to 1200MHz-1250MHz, 1200MHz being the most common for most models and a few models tending to hit closer to 1250MHz. I'm not saying that OP can't get the 670, only that OP should be sure that it OP doesn't mind spending that much money on a card that is overkill.

With a budget of $1,700 - $2,000 the OP would have to had a lobotomy not to get the 670. It's a steal at that price. It can easily be o/c without adding voltage to run with the $500 680.

7850 is a decent card for a $1,000 - $1,200 build but it's about to get bad for the 7850 when the GTX 660 is released at the end of next month for $300. That card is going to take both the 7850 and the 7870 and even possibly the 7950 out of the game. Nvidia is beating AMD in all phases of the game and when the 660 is released AMD is either going to have to drop their prices like a boat anchor or their going to be pulverized.