$2,000 to $2,500 gaming rig first build advice!

nstiver

Honorable
Mar 18, 2012
185
0
10,690
Approximate purchase date: Probably the last week of August, maybe sooner

Budget Range: $2,100 to $2,500 after rebates.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (top priority), school work, web browsing, netfix/espn3 viewing.

Parts Not Required: I need everything, I'm building this baby from the ground up.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NewEgg.com -- I see a lot of people buying from newegg on this forum, so I assume it's good. I could be open to something else if they are truely superior.

Country: Albuquierque, New Mexico, United States

Parts Preferences:by brand or type: I have always used NVIDIA, so that is my preference for GPU. I need a professional looking case, not one that looks like it belongs to a 15 year old boy--I think that Corsair Obsidian is a good look for me, but I am open to other ideas.

Overclocking: Maybe in the future once I get a bit more experienced with my PC

SLI or Crossfire: Most likely. I am kind of stuck here -- see my comments about monitor resolution. I am considering dual 670s, that seems pretty common around here. Again, I am open to other options. I do want this computer to be a gaming beast, so I am leaning towards SLI.

Monitor resolution: This is where I need some advice--I need a pretty big monitor, one large enough to display at least 2 word docs at once. I am leaning toward a 27" monitor which I believe are usually 2560x1600, but I don't know if I can afford that kind of resultion. On the other hand, I dont want to game at a lame resolution just for the sake of having a large monitor.

Additional Comments: I want this machine to absolutely chew through the most demanding games. My biggest area of confusion is monitor size vs resolution and the hardware I will need to support such a display while still having smooth frame rates. I must have smooth frame rates as I play a lot of RTS games. I want to get the most gaming bang for my buck here--I won't be able to afford a nice computer for at least 2 more years.

The area that I need the most help with is displays. I guess I want the biggest monitor that I can afford while maintaining sharp resolution and smooth frame rates. If push comes to shove I will take smooth frame rates and sharp resolution over sheer size.

Thanks in advance for all of your help. I am a PC building noob and I am willing to learn as much as possible. Any questions, just ask! THANKS! :D
 
Solution
Throw two of any of those GTX 670's down below in SLI and add a 120Hz refresh rate monitor and you have the gaming rig from hell. This build is pure gaming with no bottlenecks. 120Hz makes your gaming as smooth as butter with this much fire power. That Corsair case down below comes with an LED on/off switch and multi channel fan controller. That way you can turn those LED's off and control the fan speed while your at it.


http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Tower-Gaming-CC-9011012-WW/dp/B005E983JW/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1344202343&sr=1-7 $119.15 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 500R Mid Tower Gaming Case CC-9011012-WW...

nstiver

Honorable
Mar 18, 2012
185
0
10,690


Okay thanks I will for sure check out getting my monitor from Korea, even though it does seem a bit intimidating. Is there a particular Korean monitor that is recognized as the best for gaming and quality by PC enthusiasts?

Now I just need some help with the rest of the build! :D
 
I have been recommending this build a lot, but for a good reason: it is good price/performance:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 612 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($51.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($102.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($419.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 500W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1264.45
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-05 17:31 EDT-0400)

Add a second GTX 670. If you want, you can change the GPU to an EVGA FTW or the Gigabyte cooler GTX 670.
 

nstiver

Honorable
Mar 18, 2012
185
0
10,690


So, if I pop in an extra 670 and all, then you think this build would be sufficient to run any modern game on max settings with over 60 fps at 25X14? Is there any way that I could squeeze more performance out of it?
 

nstiver

Honorable
Mar 18, 2012
185
0
10,690
Which GPU do you reccomend? EVGA FTW or the Gigabyte cooler 670? And this might seem like a very silly question, but adding the 2nd 670 wont screw up the compatibility? Again, I am a newb.
 
Throw two of any of those GTX 670's down below in SLI and add a 120Hz refresh rate monitor and you have the gaming rig from hell. This build is pure gaming with no bottlenecks. 120Hz makes your gaming as smooth as butter with this much fire power. That Corsair case down below comes with an LED on/off switch and multi channel fan controller. That way you can turn those LED's off and control the fan speed while your at it.


http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Tower-Gaming-CC-9011012-WW/dp/B005E983JW/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1344202343&sr=1-7 $119.15 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 500R Mid Tower Gaming Case CC-9011012-WW

http://www.amazon.com/Seasonic-M12II-750-BRONZE-Power-Supply/dp/B00607JN1E/ref=sr_1_21?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1344051564&sr=1-21 $119.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
SeaSonic M12II 750 SS-750AM 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Semi-modular Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1030160 $396.98 save: $13.00 FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
ASRock Z77 Extreme6 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103176 $63.99 FREE SHIPPING
Cooler Master TPC 812 RR-T812-24PK-R1 120mm Sleeve with Dual Vertical Vapor Chamber TPC 812 CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226245 $59.99 FREE SHIPPING
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model 997015

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-AD-7280S-0B-Internal-Drive-Black/dp/B0057FRTPW/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1344146308&sr=1-1 $16.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Sony AD-7280S-0B 24x SATA Internal DVD+/-RW Drive (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036Q7MV0/ref=s9_hps_bw_g147_ir03?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-7&pf_rd_r=1W4SJJJBW0TEZE7JEQSS&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1353700742&pf_rd_i=193870011 $99.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache Internal Desktop Hard Drive Bulk/OEM - WD1002FAEX

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-2-5-Inch-Drive--SDSSDX-240G-G25/dp/B006EKJ8UI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1344202201&sr=1-1&keywords=sandisk+240+gb $187.97 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
SanDisk Extreme SSD 240GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive- SDSSDX-240G-G25

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_c $88.73 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

Total: $1,153.80 *not including rebates


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121637 $399.99 FREE SHIPPING
ASUS GTX670-DC2-2GD5 GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

or...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685 $409.99 (Before $25.00 Mail-In Rebate Card) FREE SHIPPING
MSI N670 PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

or...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423 $399.99 FREE SHIPPING
GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007617+600060968+600255027+600255030&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&IsNodeId=1&Subcategory=20&description=&hisInDesc=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&AdvancedSearch=1&srchInDesc= <----- 120Hz LED monitors @ Newegg

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Optical-Gaming-High-Precision-910-002277/dp/B0055QZ216/ref=pd_cp_e_0 $35.31 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Logitech Optical Gaming Mouse G400 with High-Precision 3600 DPI Optical Engine (910-002277)

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-JQD-00001-SideWinder-X4-Keyboard/dp/B002ZV51DI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1344055509&sr=1-1&keywords=Microsoft+SIDEWINDER+X4+Wired+Gaming+Keyboard $47.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Microsoft SideWinder X4 Keyboard

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CA-9011111-WW-Vengeance-Analog-Headset/dp/B005QUQP7Q/ref=pd_cp_e_1 $67.50 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair CA-9011111-WW Vengeance 1300 Analog Gaming Headset


http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme6/ <---- another look at that board along with a link to the latest bios update

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-extreme6-z77a-gd65-z77h2-a2x,3187-2.html <----- review of that board w/benchmarks

http://www.corsair.com/carbide-series-500r-mid-tower-case.html/ <------ another look at that case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139009 <----- that same case on newegg w/customer reviews

http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2654 <----- review of that CM cpu h/s @ Frosty Tech

http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm <----- that same CM cpu h/s on Frosty Tech's Top 5 list
 
Solution

Kamen_BG

Distinguished
If you want a PC with a monitor than that build is just great for you.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 2.0 Performer 81.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Mushkin Redline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($51.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($82.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 3 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($457.86 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($457.86 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec P280 ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: OCZ 1000W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell U2711 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($791.82 @ Amazon)
Total: $2504.44
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-05 18:33 EDT-0400)

You will be able to play every game at its maximum settings at 60 FPS!

You should also consider gaming/working on three monitors at once.With a PC that powerfull, smooth gameplay won't be a problem.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236201&Tpk=asus%20pa238q
This is one of the best monitors you gan buy in the 200-300$ range.(The best if image quality is important for you)
 

I meant to say Z77 Extreme4. I would not get the monitor in Kamen's build. It is of an inferior e-IPS panel. Get the H-IPS Catleap.
 

nstiver

Honorable
Mar 18, 2012
185
0
10,690
So, with the monitor in Why_Me's build, how does that stack up as a gaming monitor? vs say, a 27 inch H-IPS Catleap monitor? I don't necessarily need the 4 more inches, I am more concerned with picture quality and resolution.