Mid-High End Complete Gaming Setup advice?

[Dupontrocks11]

Hey guys, I have been doing some research for about half a year and finally have the money to spend on a system that satisfies my gaming needs. I have already built a computer before for my parents, and now I'm switching over from console to PC. Anyways, I have compiled a list from both Microcenter and Newegg that ends up being around $1100 sans the Monitor and Mouse. I am looking to stay around this price but I'm here to see if anyone has advice for the build!

Here's the build:

CPU: Intel i5-3570K $189.99 on MicroCenter

CPU COOLER: Corsair H-100 Water Cooling Kit $114.99 on Newegg

MOBO: ASRock Extreme4 LGA 1155 $89.99 bundle deal on Microcenter

RAM: G.Skills Ripjaws X 16GB (4X4GB) DDR3-1600 $94.99 on Newegg (I'm pissed cause I missed a Newegg shell shocker deal where the Ripjaws X 16GB DDR3-2133 was on sale for $89.99!!)

HDD: Seagate Barracuda Green 1.5TB 5,900RPM $84.99 on Microcenter (Not really worried about the speed of the drive because of my SSD)

SSD: ****Not included in Budget as I plan to get this as a gift for my upcoming Birthday****
I definitely want a 256GB version and I was thinking either a Mushkin Chronos Deluxe or a Crucial M4 although it will probably just come down to what's cheapest cause my parents are buying )

GRAPHICS CARD: MSI Twin Frozr OC Radeon HD 7950 $339.99 on Newegg

OPTICS DRIVE: ASUS 24X SATA $16.99 on Newegg

PSU: OCZ ModXStream 700W Modular $89.99 on Newegg

CASE: Cooler Master HAF 932 (Already bought this on craigslist for a steal!)

KEYBOARD: Microsoft Sidewinder X4 $47.99 on Newegg

MOUSEPAD: XXTRAC Ripper XXL $21.99 on Newegg

MOUSE: Completely undecided! I can't see myself spending more than 50 bucks on a mouse because I have tons of crappy ones lying around, but if anyone can suggest one that is outstanding, that would be great!

MONITOR: Again I can't really see myself spending more than $100 bucks on a monitor considering they are selling 1920X1080 22" monitors at Microcenter, but I hope to someday get another 7950 and break out some Eyefinity, so if anyone knows of a cheap monitor with a thin bezel let me know! Also, keep in mind I am transferring form console, so I'm not exactly a resolution whore, to me, I'd be much happier playing on an iffy monitor than having to spend big money on one that looks outstanding.


So there is my ultimate setup. The total comes to about $1094.90 and then after mail in rebates it cvomes to about $1044.90. Which isn't half bad considering what I'm getting. I like all these parts and they all have outstanding ratings on both Newegg and Microcenter. I am still looking for a mouse which I definitely need help deciding on. As for the monitor, I will probably come down to an impulse buy at microcenter when I see one I like, but if anyone knows of one with a thin bezel let me know.

I would like to stay around this price range, seeing as I'm not made of money (yet), but any suggestions are appriciated! Thanks!

 

[g-unit1111]

That's an excellent build so far. My main suggestion would be to drop the H100 for a Hyper 212 Evo, and the mouse mat is not needed. With the money saved there you can (and should) upgrade your GPU from the 7950 to the GTX 670.

I'd also switch out your PSU for this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703027

And then 16GB of RAM isn't needed if your primary focus is gaming, you can get 8GB and be fine. Don't get any RAM over 1600 though on a Z77 build - you'll never notice the speed difference. RAM speeds are just kind of there, on default your motherboard runs the lowest speeds and timings it can handle.

 

[Dupontrocks11]

Thanks for the quick reply! Being and AMD fanboy, I guess I am a little weary changing out my last AMD part for a Nvidia part but I guess the numbers don't lie. The total before rebates comes out to only 3 dollars more than my original price which is actually outstanding considering the GPU and PSU performance gain.

The only thing I am worried about is overclocking my i5. I just got a recent issue of Maximum PC which said the the EVO performs better than almost all of the coolers out there but still said the H-100 reigned supreme over all coolers. I really want to overclock my i5 and was wondering if the 212 Evo allows for that?

As for RAM, I would like to keep 16GB as RAM is so cheap right now that I might as well

 

[inzone]

You can save some money with a few changes and if you want you can either pocket the savings or put it towards better parts.

You can keep the cpu because it is a good price at the microcenter.
The Corsair H-100 cooler is overkill and you can use the H-70 for $50 less.

CORSAIR H70 Core High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
$79.99 and a $10 rebate makes the final price $69.99.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181019

he motherboard is good also and great price at microcenter.

The ram is another story , and you will not need or ever use 16gb of ram for gaming. I bought 24gb thinking I would have a monster amount of ram for gaming and was surprised and dissapointed to find the computer using only 5gb of it. I have a second screen that I use for running some monitoring programs like the Evga Precision to show the video card temps and fps and also Windows resource manager to show what the cpu and ram are doing and it showed that even with the thigs open and running in the backgraound while playing the game , the computer was only using 5gb of ram.
So you can get an 8gb set of ram and save another $40 - $50.

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
$46.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

The hard drive is ok.
The SSD is a choice of what's on sale or a good top brand like Intel or Samsung.
The video card is where you could put some of the savings if you wanted to get a real top card like a 7970 or GTX 670.

XFX Double D FX-797A-TDFC Radeon HD 7970 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
$429.99 and a $20 rebate makes the final price $409.99.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150596

EVGA 02G-P4-2678-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$419.99 and a $10 rebate makes the final price $09.99.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787

The optics drive is ok.
The power supply could be a better brand than the OCZ. For $10 more you get another 100w. A lot better feedback on this psu.

CORSAIR Gaming Series GS800 800W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
$109.99 and a $10 rebate makes the final price $99.99.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139025

The rest is good and you already have the case , so the mouse is an important part in gaming and I have used two that I cinsider top quality.
The razer Imperator 2012 , it has programable buttons and onboard memory plus adjustable dpi on the fly.

RAZER Black 1 x Wheel USB Optical/Laser 6400 dpi Imperator 2012 Expert Ergonomic Gaming Mouse
$70.99.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153079

The other is a the Logitech G9x.

Logitech G9x Black Two modes scroll USB Wired Laser 5700 dpi Gaming Mouse
$59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104261

So there it is and more for you to think about and decide if you want to make the changes or go with what you originaly chose.

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks for the quick reply! Being and AMD fanboy, I guess I am a little weary changing out my last AMD part for a Nvidia part but I guess the numbers don't lie. The total before rebates comes out to only 3 dollars more than my original price which is actually outstanding considering the GPU and PSU performance gain.

The only thing I am worried about is overclocking my i5. I just got a recent issue of Maximum PC which said the the EVO performs better than almost all of the coolers out there but still said the H-100 reigned supreme over all coolers. I really want to overclock my i5 and was wondering if the 212 Evo allows for that?

As for RAM, I would like to keep 16GB as RAM is so cheap right now that I might as well

I like AMD video cards as well but I will pick the fastest cards you can get for the money and the GTX 670 beats the 7950 in just about every test.

The Hyper 212 will allow for overclocking - you'll be able to reach 4.5GHz easily. Anything over is pretty much overkill. I'm not big on liquid coolers - especially when a closed block gets the exact same results as high-end Noctua air fans. Maximum PC really likes the H100 for some reason despite that the fans included are of the cheap plastic variety - most people who buy H100s will turn around and buy Noctua fans anyways to replace the included ones, and that can get pricey.

Yeah - you can make that argument for RAM but on a gaming system it's not necessary. You won't use it. You also won't utilize speeds over 1600 either.

 

[Dupontrocks11]

Yea I suppose you're right about the graphics card lol

That's good that the EVO does that, and I do actually see that trend in Maximum PC lol I guess I just had to see the numbers to get it.

As for the RAM, I guess you are right but for me I would rather spend the money just to say I have 16GB even though I won't use it lol.

 

[Dupontrocks11]

You can save some money with a few changes and if you want you can either pocket the savings or put it towards better parts.

You can keep the cpu because it is a good price at the microcenter.
The Corsair H-100 cooler is overkill and you can use the H-70 for $50 less.

CORSAIR H70 Core High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
$79.99 and a $10 rebate makes the final price $69.99.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181019

he motherboard is good also and great price at microcenter.

The ram is another story , and you will not need or ever use 16gb of ram for gaming. I bought 24gb thinking I would have a monster amount of ram for gaming and was surprised and dissapointed to find the computer using only 5gb of it. I have a second screen that I use for running some monitoring programs like the Evga Precision to show the video card temps and fps and also Windows resource manager to show what the cpu and ram are doing and it showed that even with the thigs open and running in the backgraound while playing the game , the computer was only using 5gb of ram.
So you can get an 8gb set of ram and save another $40 - $50.

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
$46.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

The hard drive is ok.
The SSD is a choice of what's on sale or a good top brand like Intel or Samsung.
The video card is where you could put some of the savings if you wanted to get a real top card like a 7970 or GTX 670.

XFX Double D FX-797A-TDFC Radeon HD 7970 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
$429.99 and a $20 rebate makes the final price $409.99.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150596

EVGA 02G-P4-2678-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$419.99 and a $10 rebate makes the final price $09.99.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787

The optics drive is ok.
The power supply could be a better brand than the OCZ. For $10 more you get another 100w. A lot better feedback on this psu.

CORSAIR Gaming Series GS800 800W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
$109.99 and a $10 rebate makes the final price $99.99.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139025

The rest is good and you already have the case , so the mouse is an important part in gaming and I have used two that I cinsider top quality.
The razer Imperator 2012 , it has programable buttons and onboard memory plus adjustable dpi on the fly.

RAZER Black 1 x Wheel USB Optical/Laser 6400 dpi Imperator 2012 Expert Ergonomic Gaming Mouse
$70.99.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153079

The other is a the Logitech G9x.

Logitech G9x Black Two modes scroll USB Wired Laser 5700 dpi Gaming Mouse
$59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104261

So there it is and more for you to think about and decide if you want to make the changes or go with what you originaly chose.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I think I am gunna actually go a different direction with the cooler, and get the EVO so that I can use that money to spend on a 670. I do really like Corsair and their water cooling line, but the money that I can reinvest into a graphics card is a little more valuable to me.

That power supply is great for the price, but I am going for a red and black theme in my case, so a blue lit power supply doesnt really fit. I think I'll go with the PC Power one.

AS for the mice.... I don't think I can justify spending 80 bucks on a mouse so I'll have to rule that out. I do like the logitech one, but I am 6'4" and with that height comes massive hands. And that mouse is apparently pretty small. I do like having a high DPI but I don't think I could deal with a small mouse. Sorry to reject both of the mice, Im sure they are very good, but with a budget approaching the limit and giant mitts, I don't think I could buy either one

 

[inzone]

I have large hamds as well and the logitech comes with an optional cover that makes the mouse bigger and I found it to be comfortable but it's your build and we just make suggetions to help you find your best option. If you can end up wih a better video card because of those suggestions then we have helped. Some people come here with no intention of making changes they just want us to tell them how great their build is. It's nice when people listen and see an oportunity to get a better part. Before buying the Evo you should read this article about overclocking the Ivy Bridge cpu's.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ivy-bridge-overclocking-core-i7-3770k,3198.html

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I think I am gunna actually go a different direction with the cooler, and get the EVO so that I can use that money to spend on a 670. I do really like Corsair and their water cooling line, but the money that I can reinvest into a graphics card is a little more valuable to me.

That power supply is great for the price, but I am going for a red and black theme in my case, so a blue lit power supply doesnt really fit. I think I'll go with the PC Power one.

AS for the mice.... I don't think I can justify spending 80 bucks on a mouse so I'll have to rule that out. I do like the logitech one, but I am 6'4" and with that height comes massive hands. And that mouse is apparently pretty small. I do like having a high DPI but I don't think I could deal with a small mouse. Sorry to reject both of the mice, Im sure they are very good, but with a budget approaching the limit and giant mitts, I don't think I could buy either one

Stay away from the Corsair GS series - the OEM on them isn't that great. The TX series are made by Delta Electronics and the AX and HX are made by Seasonic and they're about the best you can get.

I definitely agree that you shouldn't sink $80 into a mouse when you should put that into the GPU, you can always get a good mouse later on.

 

[Dupontrocks11]

I have large hamds as well and the logitech comes with an optional cover that makes the mouse bigger and I found it to be comfortable but it's your build and we just make suggetions to help you find your best option. If you can end up wih a better video card because of those suggestions then we have helped. Some people come here with no intention of making changes they just want us to tell them how great their build is. It's nice when people listen and see an oportunity to get a better part. Before buying the Evo you should read this article about overclocking the Ivy Bridge cpu's.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ivy-bridge-overclocking-core-i7-3770k,3198.html

Well that extension certainly makes me feel better about the mouse, I was previously unaware about that when i first looked at it months ago.

As for the article, I am aware of Ivy Bridges extra heat, which was why I was wary to ditch my watercooling. But im glad you linked that so i can some more. In your opinion would the EVO be satisfactory? I love my new setup now that I have a 670, but I would still like to have the option to overclock.

 

[Dupontrocks11]

Stay away from the Corsair GS series - the OEM on them isn't that great. The TX series are made by Delta Electronics and the AX and HX are made by Seasonic and they're about the best you can get.

I definitely agree that you shouldn't sink $80 into a mouse when you should put that into the GPU, you can always get a good mouse later on.

I can get mouse later, but considering im dropping this much money, i would rather have a fresh gaming start than using a coffee stained trackball mouse . What mouse do you use?

 

[inzone]

I would say that it would depend on how much you want to overclock , the article did say that up to a certian clock it was ok but when they hit the next higher clock the temps shot up so if your not going to go crazy and just want a nice clock of about 4.2ghz or so the Evo should work for you. I think that in the article they ran into trouble when they started applying voltage for the higher overclocks.

 

[Dupontrocks11]

I would say that it would depend on how much you want to overclock , the article did say that up to a certian clock it was ok but when they hit the next higher clock the temps shot up so if your not going to go crazy and just want a nice clock of about 4.2ghz or so the Evo should work for you. I think that in the article they ran into trouble when they started applying voltage for the higher overclocks.

Well my goal was 4.5Ghz for the i5-3570k, but i guess 4.2Ghz will be the most. What air cooler would you suggest, seeing as maybe i could push my budget to achieve a personal goal?

 

[g-unit1111]

Well my goal was 4.5Ghz for the i5-3570k, but i guess 4.2Ghz will be the most. What air cooler would you suggest, seeing as maybe i could push my budget to achieve a personal goal?

Well you could always get a Noctua D14 or Thermalright Shaman cooler and that gives you a bit more horsepower. Alternately you could check this article as there's tons of good suggestions: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/LGA-2011-i7-3960X-Air-Overclocking,3130.html

 

[Dupontrocks11]

Thanks! I just realized that the power supply you suggested is not modular, which is something i cant do without. Can you suggest (and this goes to anyone) a modular power supply?

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks! I just realized that the power supply you suggested is not modular, which is something i cant do without. Can you suggest (and this goes to anyone) a modular power supply?

I'm personally not a fan of modular power supplies. Most anymore are partially modular, not fully modular. If you must I'd suggest something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151106

 

[Dupontrocks11]

You know Ive never heard anyone say that they prefer non-modular. Can I ask why?

 

[lordofdeath242]

If you are only using a single 1080 monitor, a 7870 is alot cheaper, ang gets a $50 price cut tommorow, if oc'd even slightly it shouldn't get less than 60fps on max settings on any game and there's always crossfire if that should change

 

[Dupontrocks11]

Considering the 670 beats the 7970 in most tests and is about 100 bucks cheaper, ill stick with the 670. Also, Nvidia has to counter with a price drop soon anyways, ill buy then.

 

[azeem40]

You know Ive never heard anyone say that they prefer non-modular. Can I ask why?

Solution: motherboard tray.

 

[inzone]

The 660Ti is to be released in August and it's said that it's more powerful than the 580 so that should shake up AMDF a bit and we should see some more price drops. This is becoming a great time to buy a video card.

 

[Dupontrocks11]

The 660Ti is to be released in August and it's said that it's more powerful than the 580 so that should shake up AMDF a bit and we should see some more price drops. This is becoming a great time to buy a video card.

+1

To paraphrase scotty "I like this site! You know, its exciting!"

 

[Dupontrocks11]

Best answer selected by dupontrocks11.