[New Build] Gaming PC

[Mixolydian]

Hello everybody,

So I'm just about to pull the trigger on this rig. Looking to get some input and suggestions if anything needs to be changed, and if all my components are compatible.


Approximate Purchase Date: Within the week

Budget Range: $1,000 with shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, live streaming, video game capturing, video editing

Are you buying a monitor: No (Monitor already acquired)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com

Location: Hawaii

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Dont know??

Your Monitor Resolution: 1024x768 or 1280x1024

Additional Comments: Doesn't necessarily have to be running Ultra game setting, I'll be happy with High with no lag, smooth FPS

So here is the current build, all parts in my Newegg.com cart

CPU - Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-Z77-D3H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128543

GPU - EVGA 01G-P3-1460-KR GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130660

PSU - SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151093

Case - Antec Gaming Series one illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129182

Ram - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144

SSD - Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441
(I also have a 1TB HDD that I will be transferring over from my old PC)

CD/DVD Burner - SAMSUNG Internal DVD Writer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151255
(Not sure if this is necessary, wondering if all CD/DVD burners are compatible as I have one in my current PC. Can I just take it out and use it in my new build?)

OS - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Subtotal - $896.91
Shipping - $82.55 (Ugh!!)

Total - $979.46

So obviously I wouldn't mind bringing the price down a bit. I'm really wondering if the CD/DVD burner I have on this list is necessary, or can I just use the one in my existing PC? I don't know the model or anything, as I've never opened up my current PC. Are all CD/DVD burners compatible?

Any suggestions/thoughts on components I have would be greatly appreciated. This isn't a concrete list, so any parts you all think I should replace, please let me know as well the reason. I'm very open everyone's opinions, as I know people here are far more knowledgeable than I am when it comes to PC builds. Thanks!!!!

 

[dudewitbow]

price cutting to the rescue?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.983918
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1002361

at the cd.dvd burner question, it depends if its sata or ide. if its ide, your better off buying a sata drive. if its a sata drive, then you can take it from your old computer fine.

 

[detown]

GIGABYTE GA-Z77-D3H mobo only supports CrossFireX and you got SLI GPU. Get mobo like GA-Z77X-D3H or ASRock Z77 Extreme4 that supports both CrossFireX and SLI..... or get a crossfirex GPU like HD 6870

 

[chulex67]

I say Overkill at that Resolution

 

[dudewitbow]

GIGABYTE GA-Z77-D3H mobo only supports CrossFireX and you got SLI GPU. Get mobo like GA-Z77X-D3H or ASRock Z77 Extreme4 that supports both CrossFireX and SLI..... or get a crossfirex GPU

that's in assumption op wants to sli/crossfire. with a 520w psu, his choices of doing so would be moderately limited.

 

[Mixolydian]

Oh wow!! Thanks!! I didn't know about combo deals like this. That does save me some money! Any thoughts on the build as a whole? Main games I'll be playing is Starcraft 2, Battlefield 3, Skyrim, Fallout 3, Minecraft, SW KOTOR, and probably be getting into more stuff. I'm thinking this should be a good build for a while, then i'll upgrade the GPU further down the road.

 

[Mixolydian]

I have no idea what SLI/Crossfire is... Can someone enlighten me?

 

[dudewitbow]

I have no idea what SLI/Crossfire is... Can someone enlighten me?

sli/crossfire is when you use 2 of the same base model gpus to combine them to work together. it has a high power requirement, and can only if the motherboard allows it as well as the psu can supply it.

sli is the term for 2 or more nvidia gpus, crossfirex is the term for 2 or more amd/ati gpus

 

[Mixolydian]

Oh, I didn't plan on doing that. Is that really necessary with my build?

 

[dudewitbow]

Oh, I didn't plan on doing that. Is that really necessary with my build?

it is never necessary, its only for people who feel like their gpu isnt cutting it, and want a budget way in order to increase frames. instead of buying a new gpu and replacing the old one, you buy a second of the old one and let them work together. though doing so will force changes in the build(namely the psu, and either the mobo or gpu as one has to go if you went though that route). the 560 at the resolutions you have should be overkill and will not have a hitch on where it shouldnt perform to standards.

 

[detown]

Oh, I didn't plan on doing that. Is that really necessary with my build?

since you are getting a z77 mobo that supports corssfirex, you might as keep that as an option in future. instead getting a upgrade, you could just buy another same GPU and PSU.

 

[Mixolydian]

WHEW!!! That's great to know. As you can tell by my build, I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck. I'm ok with spending a little more on my CPU, as it leaves options for overclocking later down the road. I'll probably upgrade my GPU later next year, or perhaps look more into that SLI/CROSSFIRE option. Any other thoughts on the build altogether?

 

[dudewitbow]

the only one thing i would make a recommendation is down the road, if you do overclock, be sure to buy an aftermarket heatsink, unless you plan on really light overclocking.

 

[Mixolydian]

since you are getting a z77 mobo that supports corssfirex, you might as keep that as a option in future. instead getting a upgrade, you could just buy another same GPU and PSU.

Are you talking about upgrading it now?

 

[Mixolydian]

the only one thing i would make a recommendation is down the road, if you do overclock, be sure to buy an aftermarket heatsink, unless you plan on really light overclocking.

Ok, definitely. I don't plan on overclocking for a while, not until I feel like my pc needs it. Then I might even look into liquid cooling, but probably just go with a better aftermarket heatsink.

 

[Mixolydian]

GIGABYTE GA-Z77-D3H mobo only supports CrossFireX and you got SLI GPU. Get mobo like GA-Z77X-D3H or ASRock Z77 Extreme4 that supports both CrossFireX and SLI..... or get a crossfirex GPU like HD 6870

You mentioned that my mobo only supports crossfirex, and my GPU is SLI. What's a crossfirex GPU?

 

[detown]

Are you talking about upgrading it now?

if you wants use crossfirex to upgrade frames in the future and to keep GIGABYTE GA-Z77-D3H mobo, then get a crossfirex GPU like HD6870. or keep GTX560 and get a mobo that supports SLI.

HD6870 is the same level as gtx 560... go on google and search "GTX 560 vs HD 6870"

 

[Mixolydian]

if you wants use crossfirex upgrade frames in the future and to keep GIGABYTE GA-Z77-D3H mobo, then get a crossfirex GPU like HD6870. or keep GTX560 and get a mobo that supports SLI.

Can you please link some MOBO's and GPU's that support SLI? I really like what I have now, especially because of the combo deal that I have which does save me some money.

 

[detown]

Can you please link some MOBO's and GPU's that support SLI? I really like what I have now, especially because of the combo deal that I have which does save me some money.

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/sli/motherboards

select LGA 1155 CPU socket or put $20 more and get a mobo that supports both crossfire/sli

 

[dudewitbow]

Can you please link some MOBO's and GPU's that support SLI? I really like what I have now, especially because of the combo deal that I have which does save me some money.

mobo combos can be generated with almost any product in line. just go to the mobo or cpus page, head down till you see the button that says see list of combos or whatever.


heres my old short guide on how to shop newegg

 

[Mixolydian]

if you wants use crossfirex to upgrade frames in the future and to keep GIGABYTE GA-Z77-D3H mobo, then get a crossfirex GPU like HD6870. or keep GTX560 and get a mobo that supports SLI.

HD6870 is the same level as gtx 560... go on google and search "GTX 560 vs HD 6870"

I'm looking at the HD 6870 on newegg, and it says PCI Express 2.1 x 16. I don't see that listed on my Gigabyte MOBO in the expansions slots. Will the HD 6870 be compatible with my MOBO? (Forgive my naivety, this is my first build

 

[detown]

I'm looking at the HD 6870 on newegg, and it says PCI Express 2.1 x 16. I don't see that listed on my Gigabyte MOBO in the expansions slots. Will the HD 6870 be compatible with my MOBO? (Forgive my naivety, this is my first build

PCI Express 3.0 is backwards compatible with PCI Express 2.0 slots

yes, it is compatible

 

[Mixolydian]

With your experience, should I upgrade my MOBO and keep the GT 560, or keep my MOBO and get the HD 6870?

 

[detown]

With your experience, should I upgrade my MOBO and keep the GT 560, or keep my MOBO and get the HD 6870?

I only build two PC in my life..don't have much experience, just did a bit more research. Personally I am a fan of GIGABYTE, and I just bought a GA-Z77-D3H mobo with my HD6870...so...it's up to you.

base on my research.. HD6870 is a bit better than GTX560!!

If you wants to add $20 and get a mobo that supports both, a lot of people recommend ASRock Z77 Extreme4.

 

[Mixolydian]

Ok, so here's the updated build, I think it looks pretty damn good so far -

CPU + MOBO combo - Intel i5-3570K + Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.983918

GPU - XFX HD-687A-ZHFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150561

PSU - SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151093

Case - Antec Gaming Series one illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129182

RAM - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144

OS - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

SSD - Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441

CD/DVD Burner - SAMSUNG Internal DVD Writer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151255

Subtotal - $884.91
Shipping - $83.44 (UGH!!!!)

Total - $968.35

So a couple more questions. Is my PSU powerful enough? Also, maybe i'm just blind, but I couldn't find any more combos that may help cut costs a bit (This shipping to Hawaii REALLY sucks!!!). Any thoughts/suggestions please!