Gaming Build around 2,000

[skibum5767]

Hello everyone,

I am fighting between ordering a pre-built and building a custom build.


Here is the useful information:

Approximate Purchase Date: near future a week to a month

Budget Range: around $1500 possibly up to $2000 if it is really necessary. Keeping price down without sacrificing quality is always an issue =)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, blu ray movies, genreal usage... although I already have a perfectly capable macbook pro for the last part.

Parts Not Required: I have a usb keyboard and wireless mouse but I am not against buying a "gaming" mouse and keyboard

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg, amazon, Prebuilt sites????

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: I've heard that intel builds have an edge over amd so I would prob. stick with that. Suggestions?

Overclocking: Maybe... I don't really know what I am doing in that arena.

SLI or Crossfire: I have a basic understanding of this, but not sure if it is something I should/need to look into.

Monitor Resolution: good question.... I need suggestions for a monitor as well so that might dictate this answer.

Additional Comments: I want to be able to play current games at max settings and future releases at at-least a high setting, max would be nice but we can't always have our cake and eat it too ( I realize that goal is only attainable for the near future as well, more likely than not more than 2-3 years)... I prefere a more portable build as well and prefer interesting cases as apposed to a straight black box.




I took a look at some of the other resources and found a "Build By Price" section here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/332962-31-recommended-builds-price

I was looking at this build on that page: Is this a good solid build? Would you change anything on this build?


Once again this is not my own build, all credit is given to angaddev

$2000 - Gamer (Enthusiast) - $1,946.90 w/rebates $2,041.90 w/o rebates

CPU : Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) $360


Motherboard : GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 $280


RAM : G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) $60


CPU Cooler : ZALMAN CNPS12X 120mm Long Life Bearing High Performance Triple Fan CPU Cooler $100


SSD : OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-128G 2.5" 128GB $130 ($180 norm)


HDD : Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARX 1TB $95 (norm $99)


PSU : SILVERSTONE Strider Gold ST85F-G 850W $155 (norm $170)


GPU : EVGA 04G-P4-2673-KR GeForce GTX 670 Superclocked+ w/Backplate 4GB X2 $485 each


Case : Corsair Vengeance Series CC-9011016-WW $140


Extra Case Fan : COUGAR CF-V12HP Vortex Hydro-Dynamic-Bearing (Fluid) 300,000 Hours 12CM Silent Cooling Fan with Pulse Width Modulation $17

(Use on the window slots for exhaust)

it's listed to be a just under $2,000 on the link above but when I price it on newegg.com I get around $2300

Thanks everyone!

 

[g-unit1111]

That's a really good start but it needs a bit of tweaking. Definitely go custom - you won't regret it.

But on this build - that motherboard is major overkill, go with the Z77X-UD5H: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128545

You won't need the extra features of the i7-3770K on a gaming system, go with the i5-3570K instead.

You don't need the extra case fan, and I'd switch your CPU cooler to a Noctua D14: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018

Depending on your monitor you most likely won't need 2 x GTX 670 - unless you're running an ultra high resolution monitor like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CROSSOVER-27Q-LED-P-27-DVI-Dual-S-IPS-QHD-2560X1440-16-9-Pivot-Tilt-Monitor-/110869169169?pt=Computer_Monitors&hash=item19d0514411

With the money saved upgrade your secondary HD to this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245

 

[jsrudd]

I'd recommend the Samsung 830 or the Crucial M4 over the OCZ vertex that you've picked.

The Samsung and the Crucial are virtually identical and use a different controller than most SSDs on the market. They're also much more reliable and the speed of the drive is constant whether the data is compressed or uncompressed.

For CPU cooler you could just get the Cooler Master Hyper 212 which, while not quite as good as the Nocturna g-unit recommenced it is half the price.

 

[g-unit1111]

I'd recommend the Samsung 830 or the Crucial M4 over the OCZ vertex that you've picked.

The Samsung and the Crucial are virtually identical and use a different controller than most SSDs on the market. They're also much more reliable and the speed of the drive is constant whether the data is compressed or uncompressed.

For CPU cooler you could just get the Cooler Master Hyper 212 which, while not quite as good as the Nocturna g-unit recommenced it is half the price.

The Vertex 4 is based on a new variant of the Marvell controller - I recommend it because it's surpassed a lot of other similarly equipped drives in its' price range. It has the stability of Marvell and NAND drives with the speed increase of the Sandforce controller. Here's some more info about it: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/vertex-4-everest-2-benchmark,3172.html

 

[skibum5767]

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback. The custom build is really overwhelming..... there are sooo many different parts and brands to choose from. Here is the updated set up (from part picker)

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/aAI5



G unit1111- Will you explain why the I5 is better for me than the I7, I truly am an amateur when it comes to most of these parts. Also could you maybe touch on the differences between the original MObo and the one you suggested? =)


What does everyone else think? Any other comments or suggestions? Also I'm not entirely sold on the case and am also looking for a good monitor. Any suggestions on those?

Thank you Everyone!

 

[g-unit1111]

G unit1111- Will you explain why the I5 is better for me than the I7, I truly am an amateur when it comes to most of these parts. Also could you maybe touch on the differences between the original MObo and the one you suggested? =)

Depends on what the primary uses are - if it's a gaming system you won't need or use the extra features that the i7 has. If you're using multimedia heavy applications (CS5, etc) then you will benefit greatly with hyperthreading. But if you're not using those, then get the i5.

The motherboard you originally picked is meant for XL-ATX systems - you only need it if you're running three or more GPUs, or a RAID storage array, or some other ridiculous setup. The UD5H covers all the bases and is $100 cheaper.

If you're not sold on the case here's a couple of alternatives I recommend in that price range:

- Corsair Carbide 500R: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139010
- Fractal Design Define XL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352017
- NZXT Switch 810: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146088
- Azza Hurrican 2000: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811517011

 

[skibum5767]

Thank you g-unit, you are really providing me a lot of support. I truly appreciate it.

Realistically, should I go with the (2) gtx 670's or is that something I should just put off for now and just get one, or possibly upgrade higher on the graphics card? I know you said it would really only be noticeable with a high end monitor. Does this mean the load balancing by linking these cards for the gaming rig would be somewhat negligible in terms of performance gains?

I guess my major concern is, as I have stated before, I am really new to all of this as far as spec'ing out parts is concerned. That is to say,I really still don't understand all I am getting to this point, even after reading some of the help areas on this site. I have mixed and matched from some suggested builds, and of course all of your input so far.

I just really want to put together a kick butt gaming computer that will have the power to play the highest settings on current games and will be able to continue playing games very well in the future. I do play around with some photoshop and after effects but it's not a daily activity and in all honesty, I don't have a problem with how those programs perform on my 2010 MacBook Pro so I can't see this build performing worse than my current setup.


Thanks again for all your help!

 

[skibum5767]

Also, does this set up look moderately future proof?
(I don't expect 5 years of maxed settings or anything)

 

[g-unit1111]

Realistically, should I go with the (2) gtx 670's or is that something I should just put off for now and just get one, or possibly upgrade higher on the graphics card? I know you said it would really only be noticeable with a high end monitor. Does this mean the load balancing by linking these cards for the gaming rig would be somewhat negligible in terms of performance gains?

A single GTX 670 will max out everything you can throw at it for the next two or three years.

I guess my major concern is, as I have stated before, I am really new to all of this as far as spec'ing out parts is concerned. That is to say,I really still don't understand all I am getting to this point, even after reading some of the help areas on this site. I have mixed and matched from some suggested builds, and of course all of your input so far.

The thing is there's so many parts to pick from and you don't want to get the wrong ones or get something that's overkill. It never hurts to do lots of research whether you're spending $500 or $2500 on a system.

Also, does this set up look moderately future proof?

It'll be a couple of years before games catch up to the power of the 670 and Ivy Bridge - it'll be safe for a long time.

 

[skibum5767]

Best answer selected by skibum5767.