1100~1200$ New Gaming PC

[Nob0dy666]

Approximate Purchase Date: This week maybe next one (I hope to assemble it sometime this August)

Budget Range: 1100~1200$ Before Rebates; After Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, surfing the web, music, movies, graphic editing.

Are you buying a monitor: No



Parts to Upgrade: I'm building a completely new computer.

Do you need to buy OS: Maybe

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Location: Walden , New York, USA. I'll get the parts and assemble them myself with assistance from my technician.

Parts Preferences: I'll post links to all parts with names next to them

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: Currently 1280x1024 but I'll also plug it with HDMI to my 40" LCD TV.

Additional Comments: Looking cool is a plus but performance (visual, smooth and sound) should be top priority.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My old PC won't run the new games and takes 20 hours at most to boot, more than an hour all the time. Also it zaps me when I touch the case when bare foot.

Parts I chose and are subject to change by your suggestions:

MSI R7870 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127662

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840

Antec Kuhler H2O 620 Liquid Cooling System:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209049

ASUS XONAR_DG 5.1 Channels PCI Interface Xonar DG Sound Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132020

COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196

CORSAIR 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMV8GX3M2A1333C9:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233192

BIOSTAR TPOWER i55 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138159

Intel Core i7-870 Lynnfield 2.93GHz (3.60GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor SLBJG:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116725


Thanks.

 

[Rise and Shine]

Dayum, all of that is at least two years old. You'd want the newest. I've already recommended this config, but it'll suit you too. And not OCing in your budget is a bit weird, it'll give you more futureproofing.
Here goes nothing: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dfPI

 

[creepywilly]

GPU: Good pick, go for sapphire altho. It's ATI certified.
PSU: 750 minimum. you will never get above 80% of efficiency keep that in mind, so if your setup need 650, and you give it 80% of 650... you will have shutdowns.
Dont go with water cooling, put half the money you need for it in a better case.
Drop down your HDD quality a bit, dont need that much... you will save another 50-70$
Unless you plan to have a 5.1 sound system. Dont bother with sound card, your graphic card do all the job needed and more.
Go with a coolermaster HAF 9XX series case, ALOT of vent cooling, space etc.
You may want to go for 1600 MHZ type RAM memory.
Get an Asus MB, cooler safer better. DO NOT GO CHEAP ON YOUR MOBO... it's where people bottleneck their computer alot and wonder why it's not working at full potential.

And for the processor... Aight let me explain you something. Mostly all programs only uses 2 cores to operate, but the CAD and graphic editing/modelling wich, the more cores you get the better it is. So you want 6+ (i recommend 8)
So you come to Intel vs AMD... Either you go with the new I7 series at 700+ bucks that won't last 1 year due to non-xeon durability from intel. Either you go with a FX series from AMD for -200 bucks that has more performance than any I5 and proven to last extremely longer (see record of FX-8150 clocked to 10ghz, any I7/Xeon would do popcorn at 6ghz, so your FX will last longer and can take more and longer)

 

[Rise and Shine]

No. The FX series are crap compared to i5, yes, you can OC them more, but their low IPC makes them perform like a i5 at stock speeds while they are at 6 GHz, and that is not a domestic OC at all. The Intel quad-core CPUs greatly overcome AMD octo-cores.

 

[Nob0dy666]

OC can be considered.
Also I have a 5.1 surround so a sound card is needed

 

[obsama1]

Yes, if you're doing CAD, i7-3770K is perfect for your purposes.

 

[obsama1]

Also, get a better mobo. Biostar isn't bad, but you can get ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, or ASRock mobo's that have a better feature set.

 

[Rise and Shine]

Graphic editing is the last of his worries, as you can see.

 

[obsama1]

Well, then an i5-3570K will suffice.

 

[creepywilly]

Experience wise, i've had both an I5-3570 and a FX-8150, I5 is 40 bucks higher and has some massive problems following. The 3570 is the best I5 on market... Hmmm If your client dont mind puting hands in the pocket go for either a Xeon E3-1275 (reliable) or the I7-3770K, I7 will peak higher on performance but will lose performance faster than any others. Xeons in the price range have low peak but really are safe processors (i use em for workstations). AMD is IME no compromises at all for the bucks.

 

[manofchalk]

Graphics card is a good pick, though I think you can go higher at this budget to a GTX670. I recommend the Gigabyte model.
Gigabyte GTX670. $400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423&Tpk=gigabyte%20670

650W is more than sufficient for a single card rig, though if you want to dual Crossfire/SLI in the future, you will have to beef it up to 750W. This supply is modular, 80+ Silver (so better efficiency) and comes from a good brand.
CORSAIR Professional Series HX750. $145
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010

HDD is good.

No need for water cooling, and water cooling isn't worth it temperature wise until you get up the Corsair H100, or a custom loop, both of which are very expensive. The Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO is the go-to budget air cooler, and performs very well for its price.
Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO. $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

This RAM kit is faster and doesn't look like it was salvaged from a tip.
G.SKill Ripjaws 8GB (2x4GB) 1600Mhz CL9. $46
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

Both the motherboard and CPU you selected are quite old, and this is reflected in their price. A 2-3yr old CPU is worth $350 because you simply cant find it anymore. Modern processors will be cheaper and perform better.

CPU: i5-3570k. $230.
The 3570k is essentially the king of gaming CPU's right now, and can be overclocked due to its unlocked multiplier.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

Motherboard: AsRock Z77 Extreme4. $115. A very good budget board with features typically found on higher end ones. Tom's recently did a comparison of sub $160 boards and this one tied for first. Very good board, especially at its price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

Total (with your case,sound card and HDD choices): $1161.

So you have about $40 left. You can either keep it or I would recommend sinking it into a better case.

Coolermaster HAF922. $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

Corsair 400R. $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139008&Tpk=Corsair%20400r

 

[Nob0dy666]

Best answer selected by Nob0dy666.