~$1500 gaming rig including monitor

[firenutz]

Approximate Purchase Date: within 2 weeks

Budget Range: ~$1500 out the door

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, coding and watching movies

Parts Not Required: Mouse and Keyboard

Preferred Websites for Parts: I would like to split the cost between Amazon.com and Newegg.com

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: intel, evga nvidia

Overclocking: maybe

SLI or Crossfire: in the future

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: I would like it to be quiet but powerful

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Mobo - ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU - Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

SSD - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

RAM - CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

HDD - Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"

Monitor - Asus VH238H Black 23" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 250 cd/m2 ASCR 50,000,000:1

Heat Sink - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO

I am wondering with GPU I should go with

$399.99 GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

419.99 GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Also need some advice on the chassis and PSU this is what I've come up with

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

 

[chumly]

CPU is overkill for what you are using it for, get a 2500k and an aftermarket cooler and overclock it to the same speed. 16 GB RAM is overkill as well, I would go with 8. If you are going with an SSD for boot and programs, then I would get a different drive for data (space is important). Samsung's HD204UI has 2TB space and transfers at a very similar speed to that Seagate. Both of those GPU's are nice, and to be honest, any 670 you're gaming with at 1080p is going to be enough for anything and everything on the market right now.

 

[bigcyco1]

looks good to me you don't need 16GB ram 8GB is more than enough you need low profile so it won't conflict with heat sink here take your pick RAM:G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416#top

RAM:CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9B
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233196#top

RAM:CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186#top
here a top notch PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

 

[Au_equus]

Roll back on the ram until you're ready for coding.
Get a cheaper case because you have ~$100 left for your OS, PSU, and optical drive.
Current shell shocker deal on an Antec DF case:
http://www.newegg.com/Special/ShellShocker.aspx?cm_sp=ShellShocker-_-11-129-088-_-06222012_5
Regular price for win7-HP 64bit is already $99 and the cheapest OD is $15
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151244
If you can find room in your budget you should get this PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095

 

[mousseng]

Like everyone else has said, 16GB of RAM is a bit excessive, so I'd drop back to 8GB.

For the video card, if you're comfortable with doing some overclocking yourself, get the more affordable version. If you'd rather not fiddle with it, get the FTW model.

As for the case: the HAF932 is an ice cold air-cooled case. It's brilliant if you want to keep your computer cool. If you want quiet more than cool, look into the Antec P280. The only other suggestion I can think of is the Rosewill Thor V2; it's another low-temperature case.

As for the PSU, the Seasonic M12II 620W that @equus recommended is a fantastic PSU. If you plan on going SLI, you might want to look into something like this Corsair TX750-V2 for $115 ($100 after rebate) or this PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk.II 750W for $110 ($90 after rebate).

Edit: Now that I've taken then time to think about it, I see you've got very little room for the rest of your components. However, the other night I actually put together a wishlist on Newegg that (conveniently) includes every component you need. Check it out here.

You'll notice that it's a sub-$1400 build, not $1500, so you've got about $100 worth of upgrades you can do to it - for instance, switch the CPU to an i5-3570k for $10, switch the PSU to the 750W Silencer Mk.II for no extra cost, and then replace the video card with a GTX 670 for $60 more. Or, instead of all that, get a copy of Windows 7 if you need it for $100.

 

[firenutz]

Thanks for the feedback guys I really appreciate it! I should have mentioned that I already own Win 7 so I'm good there. As far as the CPU is concerned it's not that I don't want to overclock but I am inexperienced with it. My other fear with overclocking is the wear and tear on the hardware. I don't mind going with the 2500k as long as I am still good on speeds and some future proofing. I will go down to the 8GB RAM for now to save some money and I can always get more later on when I am ready. For the HDD I would prefer speed over space just because I doubt I would fill 1TB as I am constantly deleting stuff and survived on a 160GB for years. For the PSU I want something that I can SLI later on down the road with. I'll probably end up getting the 670 FTW so whatever is compatible with that. For the chassis I do want it to be quiet but I also want some eye candy. I've seen some videos for the HAF 932 and it doesn't seem to be that loud. If that changes your suggestions let me know.

Thanks a lot!

 

[mousseng]

Right, cool. Since you've got that extra $100 to upgrade with, I put together this for you. I know you said you wanted to split it between Amazon and Newegg, but this is just so everything's in one place.

It's got the HAF932 for being cool and quiet. The ASRock Z77 Extreme4 for SLI in the future. The i5-3570k for overclocking and enabling PCIe 3.0 (future proofing). 850W power supply for SLI. Cooler Master V8 to keep the i5 nice and cool.

Also, it's come to my attention that Newegg is being incredibly stupid and is saying that there's 2 motherboards and that it totals $1600+. With one motherboard, the proper total cost (before shipping/rebates) is $1520.

 

[mousseng]

Here's it split between Newegg/Amazon.

CPU - Intel i5-3570k for $220 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler - Cooler Master V8 for $53 @ Newegg
Motherboard - ASRock Z77 Extreme4 for $135 @ Newegg
Memory - Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600 (2x4GB) for $53 @ Amazon
Video Card - EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB for $420 @ Newegg
System Drive - OCZ Vertex 4 128GB for $120 @ Amazon
Storage Drive - Seagate Barracude 1TB 7200RPM for $92 @ Amazon
Optical Drive - ASUS DRW-24 for $17 @ Newegg
Case - Cooler Master HAF932 Advanced for $130 @ Newegg
Power Supply - XFX Core Edition PRO850W for $120 @ Newegg
Monitor - Acer G215HVAbd 21.5" 1080p for $120 @ Newegg
Shipping - Free if you're able to take advantage of ShopRunner's 30 day trial on Newegg. Otherwise, $26.41 (all free from Amazon).
Total - $1480 before rebates; $1410 after. Not including shipping costs (assuming you get the SR shipping deal).

 

[azeem40]

For two GTX 670s, one 750W unit like the TX750 V2 will be fine even with OCing the CPU and both GPUs.

 

[firenutz]

Here's what I've put together so far. I kept the 3750 as it was only $10 more.

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=17233531

 

[azeem40]

If it weren't for the great deal on the PSU you have, I'd recommend 750W, but since it is only $10 more, go for it!

 

[firenutz]

mousseng you have it good just not enough spent at amazon. gotta be atleast $550 there and the rest can come from newegg. Also we have different heat sinks and SSDs you dont like my choices?

 

[chumly]

I've had a 2500k for over a year, I keep it at 4.2 GHz and it runs cooler than Ivy at stock clocks. I don't see this having any bad effect on my hardware at all ever. In fact, my bios had an easy adjust profile pre-loaded into it. I just clicked the speed I wanted it at. I'm not telling you to push the limits and try to break records with your CPU, I'm just telling you to hike it up to 4-4.2 GHz and I don't think you will ever have a problem with it. I use an ASrock Extreme 4 P67 version, it's a good solid board with a bunch of great features, one of which is to allow you to overclock without worrying about all the settings. You got a board that can do it, then go for it.

I'm also curious, what do you need the giant case for? I think something like a Fractal R3 would be better for that build.

 

[mousseng]

That's not it, I just really like the V8. It's a great step up from the Hyper212 (another great HSF), and doesn't cost much more when you factor in the rebate (which the 212 lacks). On SSDs, that's another matter of personal preference - the Vertex 4 is an incredibly fast drive compared to the m4, but the m4 has a great track record of being as reliable as they come. Vertex 4 hasn't been out as long, so there's not as much feedback on that.

As for reaching that Amazon minimum... well, for $23.44 more, you can get the same monitor from them (even though it'll be coming from Tiger Direct, lol). However, there's some nice ASUS monitors on Amazon - notably this one and the same thing but with speakers. The first is $10 more than from Newegg, the second is only $15 (and it's the same thing as the other ASUS, but with speakers). If you get one of those, that'll put you comfortably over $550 on Amazon.

 

[firenutz]

I see that 21.5 screen and i'm bent on getting the extra inch and a half lol. If i clocked the Ivy to 4.0 would it run cooler or hotter then the sandy?

 

[azeem40]

4 GHz = 4.3 GHz SB, so probably the same since they have similar performance but just at different clocks.

 

[bigcyco1]

I would take azeem40 word for it he knows better than i would i personally don't care for ivy gets to hot for my liking but most seem to really like it

 

[chumly]

On the monitor, I ordered a Catleap Q270 from Korea for $300. It's 27" and runs at 2560x1440 on an S-IPS panel. You can read about them here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1225919/yamakasi-catleap-monitor-club

Maybe it's your cup of tea, maybe not. They ship in 3 days and mine is the most beautiful monitor I've ever owned.

 

[firenutz]

Best answer selected by Firenutz.