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$1500 First Time Gaming Build

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Approximate Purchase Date: The next couple weeks (the closer the better)

Budget Range: ~$1500 After Rebates; After Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Home office, Adobe CS, Media center, Internet, funny cat videos

Are you buying a monitor: Yes - looking at Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor - $179.14
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vs247hp

Do you need to buy OS: Yes, will buy Windows 7 through school IT store

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Cheapest but reliable

Location: City, State/Region, Country - Oklahoma, USA

Parts Preferences: Intel CPUs, NVIDIA GPU

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Would like to in the future

Your Monitor Resolution: 23' - 24' 1920x1080, no more than $200. A friend recommended refurb with warranty to get cheaper; any comments on that?

Additional Comments: Quiet is good. I realize technology advances rapidly, but I would like a little longevity or the ability to upgrade somewhat easily. My main performance desire is to run Skyrim at very high settings with HD re-texture mods and to be able to play some future games.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Let's be honest, to play Skyrim for real (long time Elder Scrolls fan), and my wife needs a computer. Upgrading from an old 2006 laptop.

What I'm thinking:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($102.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($407.98 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($76.05 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($179.14 @ B&H)
Keyboard: Logitech MK120 Wired Slim Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($16.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1403.07
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-18 20:45 EDT-0400)

Thanks in advance!

More about : 1500 time gaming build

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get this hard drive.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Hard drive prices just plummeted on newegg and now you can get all 1tb hardrives for under $100.
once again get the 670 on newegg it's cheaper
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Also if your budget is 1500 I would consider getting a 680. It will bring your price up to 1497 I think. Also I think you should get the card off newegg regardless. They have lower prices than amazon for cards in general.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

DrVetur said:

What I'm thinking:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($102.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($407.98 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($76.05 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($179.14 @ B&H)
Keyboard: Logitech MK120 Wired Slim Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($16.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1403.07
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-18 20:45 EDT-0400)

Thanks in advance!


if you are going to SLi your 670 and overclock the rig then go with this power supply-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
why do you need 2 optical drives? a single drive is sufficient imo.
now you build looks great.every component is high quality and compatible.
enjoy ;) 

hellfire24 said:
if you are going to SLi your 670 and overclock the rig then go with this power supply-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
why do you need 2 optical drives? a single drive is sufficient imo.
now you build looks great.every component is high quality and compatible.
enjoy ;) 


I'll easily second this choice of power supply.

Although am I the first one to comment on the RAM? Most Kingston RAM is rated at 1.65V and that won't mix well with Sandy / Ivy Bridge builds. You're better off going with 1.5V - Kingston that will run a little more. If you use this as your RAM that will work: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
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You might wanna look at getting at least 16 GB depending how serious your editing requirements are. Photoshop/Premier etc. will do well with more than just 8GB.

Shouldn't be an issue seeing as RAM is fairly inexpensive and your budget is $1.5K anyways :) 

Here ya go. I made a couple of subtle changes to help improve the build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($102.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($407.98 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($179.14 @ B&H)
Keyboard: Logitech MK120 Wired Slim Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($16.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1424.52
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-19 02:22 EDT-0400)

The HAF 912 case provides better airflow and looks better in my opinion in comparison to the storm enforcer. Get the g.skill ripjaws RAM. It's rated for 1.5v. So you shouldn't have any worries there. I also decided to bump it up to 16gb. You should benefit from it since you'll be working with Adobe. I also took out the second dvd burner as I didn't see its necessity. The PSU I chose is the Corsair HX750. It's 80+ silver certified and full modular. It's on sale for $110 w/ MIR. Without the MIR it's $120 which is still a pretty awesome deal for a power supply such as this.

DrVetur said:
Approximate Purchase Date: The next couple weeks (the closer the better)

Budget Range: ~$1500 After Rebates; After Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Home office, Adobe CS, Media center, Internet, funny cat videos

Are you buying a monitor: Yes - looking at Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor - $179.14
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vs247hp

Do you need to buy OS: Yes, will buy Windows 7 through school IT store

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Cheapest but reliable

Location: City, State/Region, Country - Oklahoma, USA

Parts Preferences: Intel CPUs, NVIDIA GPU

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Would like to in the future

Your Monitor Resolution: 23' - 24' 1920x1080, no more than $200. A friend recommended refurb with warranty to get cheaper; any comments on that?

Additional Comments: Quiet is good. I realize technology advances rapidly, but I would like a little longevity or the ability to upgrade somewhat easily. My main performance desire is to run Skyrim at very high settings with HD re-texture mods and to be able to play some future games.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Let's be honest, to play Skyrim for real (long time Elder Scrolls fan), and my wife needs a computer. Upgrading from an old 2006 laptop.

Thanks in advance!

@ the OP. The Microcenter deal on that cpu is a walk in only special and the nearest microcenter from you is in Dallas / Ft. Worth area. You want a 750w psu if you want the option to add another 670 later on.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $79.99 FREE SHIPPING
Corsair Carbide Series 300R Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite... $149.98 save: $15.00 - $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 Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9B

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite... $346.98 save: $18.00
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 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $34.99 - $29.99 after $5.00 rebate FREE SHIPPING
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-AD-7280S-0B-Internal-Drive-B... $17.99 & 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/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Intern... $86.63 & 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.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $92.99 FREE SHIPPING
SanDisk SDSSDP-128G-G25 2.5" 128GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MSI-670_PE $425.99 - $400.99 after rebate Free Shipping
MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 OC 2GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card - N670 PE 2GD5/OC

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Buil... $90.63 & 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/VS228H-P-21-5-Inch-Full-HD-Monito... $136.40 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
ASUS VS228H-P 21.5-Inch Full-HD LED Monitor (Black) | 5ms; 50,000,000:1 ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio; Full 1080P with HDMI

Total: $1,462.57 *not including shipping & rebates


http://www.corsair.com/carbide-series-300r-compact-pc-g... <----- another look at that case

http://usa.asus.com/Display/LCD_Monitors/VS228HP/#overv... <----- another look at that monitor

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_670_Power_Ed... <---- review w/benchmarks of that MSI card

http://www.guru3d.com/article/msi-geforce-gtx-670-power... <---- review w/benchmarks of that MSI card

ShadowKingpin said:
Wouldn't it be better to go to an i7 3770k for Hyper Threading? It's quite helpful with editing and it is around the price of the i5 3570k and it's 3.5GHz instead of 3.4.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


i hardly doubt you need i7 for -
Gaming, Home office, Adobe CS, Media center, Internet, funny cat videos

Quote:
Also, go with Corsair Vengeance RAM (Which is what Why_Me suggested). There are less problems with Corsair RAM than G.Skill.

not really,both are reputable brand.

hellfire24 said:
i hardly doubt you need i7 for -
Gaming, Home office, Adobe CS, Media center, Internet, funny cat videos

Quote:
Also, go with Corsair Vengeance RAM (Which is what Why_Me suggested). There are less problems with Corsair RAM than G.Skill.

not really,both are reputable brand.


I stand corrected. Thanks!

Thanks for all the help. I think I will switch to the Barracuda, upgrade to 750W, go with 16 GB RAM, and drop the second optical.

When looking at cases, I originally passed on the HAF 912 due to the lack of USB 3.0. Should I reconsider that position? Why_Me's Corsair Carbide Series 300R has 3.0 I saw.

Also, any comments on which 670 I should go with? I based my EVGA choice on some other threads, but they had different situations.

DrVetur said:
Thanks for all the help. I think I will switch to the Barracuda, upgrade to 750W, go with 16 GB RAM, and drop the second optical.

When looking at cases, I originally passed on the HAF 912 due to the lack of USB 3.0. Should I reconsider that position? Why_Me's Corsair Carbide Series 300R has 3.0 I saw.

Also, any comments on which 670 I should go with? I based my EVGA choice on some other threads, but they had different situations.


The Corsair 300r would be a great case too.

As far as the gtx 670 goes, I'd go with the EVGA GTX 670 FTW edition. EVGA has stellar customer support. This particular version of the gtx 670 has excellent cooling and performance straight out of the box.

DrVetur said:
Thanks for all the help. I think I will switch to the Barracuda, upgrade to 750W, go with 16 GB RAM, and drop the second optical.

When looking at cases, I originally passed on the HAF 912 due to the lack of USB 3.0. Should I reconsider that position? Why_Me's Corsair Carbide Series 300R has 3.0 I saw.

Also, any comments on which 670 I should go with? I based my EVGA choice on some other threads, but they had different situations.


300r is a great case,go with it if you are interested.for gpu,670 is a great performer and with some overclocking it beats a stock 680 and 7970.if you are interested in overclocking(these cards are overclocking beast)then i would suggest the following cards-
MSi power edition oc tx 670-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
review-
http://www.guru3d.com/article/msi-geforce-gtx-670-power...
Asus DCII gtx 670-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
note: the Asus DCII TOP is rated as the best 670 but unfortunately it's out of stock almost everywhere.but don't worry,the non-TOP version also works really well.
Gigabyte gtx 670-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
review-
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-tes...

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