$1200-$1500 Gaming PC

[shaggy13]

Hello everyone. This is my first post here so if I forget anything let me know. I'm looking into building a pc with the aim of gaming. I have done some research already on my own but I do not know a whole lot about video cards or mobos. So I will need help in that area. Any comments or ideas are highly appreciated. This is what I have compiled so far:

Approximate Purchase Date: next few weeks
Budget Range: $1200-$1500
System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, internet, movies, etc
Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com
Country: United States
Parts Preferences: I prefer a full tower case, intel i7 cpu, 20"-24" monitor with 1-2 HDMI ports is what I'm looking for(depending on if i can find a good deal)
Overclocking: no
SLI or Crossfire: doubtful
Monitor Resolution: doesn't matter
Additional Comments: I would like a high end video card but for around $100-$200. I'm a little above now, but I am not sure if what I have is going overboard. I have 16GB of ram in the lineup at the moment, but I am also unsure if that is necessary. Although my thoughts are that ram is cheap anyway.

Samsung DVD-RW
Sentey ATX Full Tower
WD Caviar Black 1 TB
XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB
Corsair 600W PSU
Corsair Vengeance 16 GB RAM
Intel LGA 2011, ATX Mobo
Intel Core i7, 3.6 GHz, LGA 2011
Windows 7 Home Edition

The grand total for this comes out to be: $1342.91
This is the price without a monitor included. I am still looking at monitors and probably will be watching sales up until I make the purchase.

 

[Bolivious]

If this is for pure gaming, you don't need the 2011 socket. Go with an i5-3770k, ASRock Extreme 6 Z77 Mobo and 8 gigs of ram. Toss in a GTX 670 instead of the 7850 and you are good to go.

 

[shaggy13]

I have mixed reviews and I'm unsure of what brand of video card is better. Are Nvidia or Radeon cards better or what are the differences between the two brands?

EDIT: Also I am looking for the i5 3770k cpu and I can only find i7 3770k. Is there a typo or am I just not looking right?

 

[t3nn1spr3p]

He meant the i5 3570k.
Just because the "i7" has a bigger number does not mean it's better for all things. The i7 has hyperthreading, which games don't utilize, and don't take advantage of that part of the processor. The i5 is cheaper, and in some people's eyes more geared towards gaming.

 

[shaggy13]

So if i was wanting to run multiple windows at once for streaming, browser games, and other random programs an i7 would be better? What I'm trying to get at is what is the hyper threading in an i7 used for?

 

[Houseboratheon]

So if i was wanting to run multiple windows at once for streaming, browser games, and other random programs an i7 would be better? What I'm trying to get at is what is the hyper threading in an i7 used for?

hyperthreading is used mostly in video editing apps and some 3d modeling i believe. Also, if you are sure that you will not be OCing then get the i5 3570(without the k) and you could also get a h77 instead of a z77. I personally would keep the k and get a z77 in case you change your mind, but if your dead set on not OCing then you mind as will save on parts that you will not be utilizing

 

[shaggy13]

What does the "k" signify in the number?

 

[cetane]

What does the "k" signify in the number?

Unlocked CPU multiplier. Able to overclock without raising FSB speed.

 

[shaggy13]

Is it worth considering a GTX 570 (fermi) if i don't want to spend $100 more on a GTX 670

 

[cetane]

Is it worth considering a GTX 570 (fermi) if i don't want to spend $100 more on a GTX 670

If it is just for gaming, the 28nm (Kepler) 6xx series (GTX 670 and up for now) Nvidias are absolutely brilliant. Low power, great performance. They are artificially handicapped though in GPGPU calculation to make room for Nvidia's Tesla cards based on Kepler. The 5xx series has no such computational handicap, but are on an older, slower process technology (40 nm) that eats up more power. If you are gaming at 1920x1080 or less, the GTX 570 should be plenty. For the same price, the 7850/70 is a better all rounder though, with better power efficiency thanks to its own 28nm process. If you can muster it, go for the GTX 670, but we need to know what resolution you plan to use to best choose a GPU.

 

[shaggy13]

I am thinking of something like this for a monitor:
LG 24" Monitor

 

[cetane]

1920x1080... the 7850 and the GTX 570 on up would be just fine at that resolution, allowing playable frame rates in most games on (next to) the highest settings (little anti-aliasing). Heck, a $120 HD 6850 is just about good enough at that resolution.