First Time Builder - $1,500 Gaming Setup

[jimjoe45]

Hi all, first time poster, long time viewer. Looking to take the plunge and attempt my first build. I've been looking over lots of similar post and request so I hope my build specs are decent. But wanted to run by the professionals before moving forward.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within next month
Budget Range: $1,500
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Surfing the internet, Listening to music, watching movies
Are you buying a monitor: Yes
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, microcenter.com
Location: Chicago, IL
Overclocking: Maybe, never done it beofre but seems easy enough
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in future
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Have an older “gaming laptop” ready to try my hand at home built desktop with more power and upgradability.


Corsair Carbide Series 500R Black Steel structure with molded ABS plastic accent pieces ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $130
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139009

Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz LGA 1155 Processor - $190
www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0388577

Biostar TZ77A LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard - $105
www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0387326

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory - $54
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186

GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $400
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423

Hyper 212 EVO Universal CPU Cooler - $30
www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0373900

Extreme SDSSDX-120G-G25 120GB SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive - $100
www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0382699

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $110
www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0387326

OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 - $90
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner, Bulk Package 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118067 - $18

Asus VE248H Black 24" 2ms Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 250 cd/m2 10,000,000:1 - $205
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236102


Total comes out to $1,432

Looking to play current games such as BF3 & Civ V on high-maxed settings & future games like Far Cry 3 & Sim City 5

Thoughts? Comments? Suggesitons?

 

[TheBigTroll]

hope you dont mind spending more than 1600 dollars. i have included a very good monitor and a very good overall system with plenty of room for upgrade

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/e5iW

 

[TheBigTroll]

you could save money on the monitor by going with a asus vs228h-p and that will save you 90 dollars

 

[raytseng]

i haven't heard of that ssd being recommended much

I would get the crowd favorite crucial m4 or samsung 830. Plus those come as 128gbs

if you want, you can consider getting bluray combo drive or bluray burner. it is not much more than the dvdrw, and something nice to have even if you don't see yourself using it at the moment

 

[TheBigTroll]

the sandisk extreme is a new product. its equivalent to the patriot wildfire series, mushkin chronos deluxe series and the vertex 3 max iops lineup. they are the best sandforce SSDs out there

 

[Why_Me]

Hi all, first time poster, long time viewer. Looking to take the plunge and attempt my first build. I've been looking over lots of similar post and request so I hope my build specs are decent. But wanted to run by the professionals before moving forward.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within next month
Budget Range: $1,500
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Surfing the internet, Listening to music, watching movies
Are you buying a monitor: Yes
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, microcenter.com
Location: Chicago, IL
Overclocking: Maybe, never done it beofre but seems easy enough
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in future
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Have an older “gaming laptop” ready to try my hand at home built desktop with more power and upgradability.


Corsair Carbide Series 500R Black Steel structure with molded ABS plastic accent pieces ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $130
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139009

Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz LGA 1155 Processor - $190
www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0388577

Biostar TZ77A LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard - $105
www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0387326

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory - $54
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186

GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $400
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423

Hyper 212 EVO Universal CPU Cooler - $30
www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0373900

Extreme SDSSDX-120G-G25 120GB SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive - $100
www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0382699

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $110
www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0387326

OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 - $90
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner, Bulk Package 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118067 - $18

Asus VE248H Black 24" 2ms Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 250 cd/m2 10,000,000:1 - $205
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236102


Total comes out to $1,432

Looking to play current games such as BF3 & Civ V on high-maxed settings & future games like Far Cry 3 & Sim City 5

Thoughts? Comments? Suggesitons?

psu and motherboard should be improved on. Here's some cost cutters to work with.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1021027 $214.98 save: $25.00 - $20.00 Mail In Rebates FREE SHIPPING
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
Corsair Carbide Series 500R Black Steel structure with molded ABS plastic accent pieces ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Tower-Gaming-CC-9011012-WW/dp/B005E983JW/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1344382280&sr=1-6 $118.98 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 500R Mid Tower Gaming Case CC-9011012-WW

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1020392 $149.98 save: $15.00 - $10.00 Mail In Rebates FREE SHIPPING
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9B

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1032600 $219.98 save: $15.00
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1035671 $167.98 save: $13.00
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0387554 $134.99
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231544 $43.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-8GAO

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Internal-Desktop/dp/B0036Q7MV0/ref=sr_1_4?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1344382652&sr=1-4 $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/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST1000DM003/dp/B005T3GRNW/ref=pd_cp_e_2 $80.14 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1 TB 7200RPM SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST1000DM003

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_b $91.23 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-Gb-s2-5-Inch-Drive-SDSSDX-120G-G25/dp/B006EKJCWM $99.88 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
SanDisk Extreme SSD 120 GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SDSSDX-120G-G25

 

[jimjoe45]

Wow, thanks to all for the quick response. I think I'll go with the updated PSU and combo it with my original case. I'm a little lacking in mobo knowledge what makes this:

ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard
www.microcenter.com/single_ [...] id=0387554 $134.99

a better suggestion than this:

Biostar TZ77A LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard - $105
www.microcenter.com/single_product [...] id=0387326

 

[Why_Me]

Wow, thanks to all for the quick response. I think I'll go with the updated PSU and combo it with my original case. I'm a little lacking in mobo knowledge what makes this:

ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard
www.microcenter.com/single_ [...] id=0387554 $134.99

a better suggestion than this:

Biostar TZ77A LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard - $105
www.microcenter.com/single_product [...] id=0387326

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-express-ivy-bridge-benchmark,3254.html <----- That Asrock board in a review done here on Tom's w/benchmarks

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/asrock_z77_extreme4_review,1.html <----- another review of that Asrock board w/benchmarks

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme4/ <----- another look at that Asrock board along with a link to the latest bios update

 

[jimjoe45]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-express-ivy-bridge-benchmark,3254.html <----- That Asrock board in a review done here on Tom's w/benchmarks

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/asrock_z77_extreme4_review,1.html <----- another review of that Asrock board w/benchmarks

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme4/ <----- another look at that Asrock board along with a link to the latest bios update

Thanks I'm sold on the ASRock instead of the Biostar.

Looking at various RAM. Would performance benefit from this ram

Mushkin Enhanced Redline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226305

over

G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231544

Look pretty similar except the Mushkin has better timings. Would my mobo recognize 1600 over 1333? and Would the 7-7-7 timings of the Mushkin provide a worthy improvment over the 9-9-9 of the G.Skill?

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks I'm sold on the ASRock instead of the Biostar.

Looking at various RAM. Would performance benefit from this ram

Mushkin Enhanced Redline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226305

over

G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231544

Look pretty similar except the Mushkin has better timings. Would my mobo recognize 1600 over 1333? and Would the 7-7-7 timings of the Mushkin provide a worthy improvment over the 9-9-9 of the G.Skill?

The G.Skill in that link for the fact you want low voltage RAM as in 1.5v for these 1155 boards. If the mobo see's the RAm as 1333 then go into the bios and set the timings and speed. It takes all of a few seconds to do that. Chances are though when you enable XMP it will do it for you.