New Build

[Ben_16]

Approximate Purchase Date: In about two weeks time

Budget Range: 1200- 1400 (Before Shipping)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, movies and internet

Are you buying a monitor: No

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, and any other

Location: NY

Parts Preferences: Intel, nVidia, Corssair, Asus, Gigabyte, and any other quality manufacturer

Overclocking: Yes, bt not straight away. Most probably in 6 to 12 months

SLI or Crossfire: Yes, bt again after abt a year and half, may be less

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Additional Comments: Primarily I want a gaming pc. So that I am able to play most of the games out there on max settings. The Pc should be as quiet as technically possible. I am not planning to OC my CPU bt down the road I will and same goes for my GPU. (Bt if u think that its best to do it now I might go ahead with it then. As far as graphic card is concerned, I am going for nvidia GTX 670 n thats final.. Though a bit confused between EVGA and Asus which one should I get.. I dnt think i will go for a ATI (No offence to ATI fans)

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Its been quite a bit since I had a good gaming PC.

Parts:

CPU: Intel i5 2500K = $219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Graphic Crad: EVGA 02G-P4-2678-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card = $407.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787

Motherboard: Ahhh confused.. Its been a long time since Iv had a good gaming PC out there. I just cant make up my mind. There are so many of them n they all look wonderful. So please I would really appreciate if you get recommend one to me

Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769 = $69.99

SSD: I already have one.

Power Supply: Open to suggestions, Still looking...

Case: Again there are so many of them out there. Im open to suggestions.

Memory: Corsair 8gb = $64.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145313

Your Suggestions are needed. Thanx in advance..

 

[arzbhatia]

Go for an i5 3570K instead.

Choose among these motherboards -

ASRock Z77 Extreme4
ASUS P8Z77 V-Pro
Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H

 

[arzbhatia]

Oh and go with G.Skill RipJaws X RAM instead of Corsair.

 

[strife_ff7]

For the psu you could get one of these for future sli setup.

pc power and cooling silencer mk ii 750w http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703027
or
corsair tx750m http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139030

Here are two good cases.

corsair 500r http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139009
or
corsair 300r http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139011

 

[arzbhatia]

The 500R is an AMAZING case! I have it! I love it! It's so beautiful :') (The white and black one)

 

[idroid]

Hey, buddy! there are some really good options at that price point, check out my signature builds and go here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum1.php?config=tomshardwareus.inc&cat=prive&page=1

 

[bctande1]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($413.78 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHES212-08 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($64.99 @ CompUSA)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1297.67
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-01 00:55 EDT-0400)

I took out the SSD that originally used to be a Samsung 830 256GB

 

[idroid]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($413.78 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHES212-08 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($64.99 @ CompUSA)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1297.67
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-01 00:55 EDT-0400)

I took out the SSD that originally used to be a Samsung 830 256GB

Hmmmm...

*The Asus P8Z77V-LK is a better choice than the Xtreme 4 but they're both ok.

*a Phantom 410 costs 20$ is a lot better.

 

[bctande1]

Hmmmm...

*The Asus P8Z77V-LK is a better choice than the Xtreme 4 but they're both ok.

*a Phantom 410 costs 20$ is a lot better.

Thanks for the feedback ! I checked out your builds this morning man... Extremely well done, very concise. +1 for that.

With the Mobo, I was thinking I should go Extreme4 so I could fit into the budget and get the bigger SSD. I like the Extreme4, however for the plethora of SATA 6GB ports. And I can't stand when power-phases aren't cooled by the board haha.. It's a hair-splitter. I guess you could say the ASUS is better thereafter, however. I can see where your coming from there.

As far as the Phantom, I can definitely see it being better, but with Cases I never like to go radical with the design, I often conform to a lesser exuberant design, and see if the OP would like to pump up the colors (i.e white case, red case) but I think the Phantom has a back version too. The pricing, however

 

[idroid]

Thanks for the feedback ! I checked out your builds this morning man... Extremely well done, very concise. +1 for that.

With the Mobo, I was thinking I should go Extreme4 so I could fit into the budget and get the bigger SSD. I like the Extreme4, however for the plethora of SATA 6GB ports. And I can't stand when power-phases aren't cooled by the board haha.. It's a hair-splitter. I guess you could say the ASUS is better thereafter, however. I can see where your coming from there.

As far as the Phantom, I can definitely see it being better, but with Cases I never like to go radical with the design, I often conform to a lesser exuberant design, and see if the OP would like to pump up the colors (i.e white case, red case) but I think the Phantom has a back version too. The pricing, however

Thanks a lot :lol: i still have a lot of work to do with that thread, take a look at it, it has changed a lot since this morning and i added some cool stuff and guides

i still have to modify a few builds to optimize them hopefully i could finish them before 2:00 am if my cold doesn't kill me by them :lol:

 

[bctande1]

Thanks a lot :lol: i still have a lot of work to do with that thread, take a look at it, it has changed a lot since this morning and i added some cool stuff and guides

i still have to modify a few builds to optimize them hopefully i could finish them before 2:00 am if my cold doesn't kill me by them :lol:

Right on man. I think aqupailit put up one earlier this year and it SUCKED .. Nice to see someone finally make a guide the community deserves. I've seen tons of build guides online and I could definitely say without a shread of doubt thats the most helpful -- keep tweaking that hopefully TomsHardware Moderators can catch a hint and make it official hopefully.

And with that I think I might clock out now lol 1:24AM -- I'm leave the OP in good hands.

Catch you guys tomorrow !

 

[idroid]

Right on man. I think aqupailit put up one earlier this year and it SUCKED .. Nice to see someone finally make a guide the community deserves. I've seen tons of build guides online and I could definitely say without a shread of doubt thats the most helpful -- keep tweaking that hopefully TomsHardware Moderators can catch a hint and make it official hopefully.

And with that I think I might clock out now lol 1:24AM -- I'm leave the OP in good hands.

Catch you guys tomorrow !

Aqualipt''s thread sucked??

 

[bctande1]

 

[Why_Me]

This case down below comes with a multi channel fan controller along with a large 200mm side fan. Larger fan = slower RPM for better airflow and less noise. That case also has an LED on/off switch along with dust filters.


http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Tower-Gaming-CC-9011012-WW/dp/B005E983JW/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1346435921&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.amazon.com/XFX-PRO750W-Semi-Modular-80Plus-Supply/dp/B005IUVYA2/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1346378592&sr=1-4 $111.71 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping | Price after rebate: $101.71
XFX PRO750W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80Plus 750 Watt Power Supply (Silver)

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-CrossFireX-DispayPort-Motherboard-GA-Z77X-UD3H/dp/B007R21JJK/ref=sr_1_4?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1346378768&sr=1-4&keywords=Intel $149.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Gigabyte Intel Z77 LGA 1155 AMD CrossFireX/NVIDIA SLI W/ HDMI,DVI,DispayPort Dual UEFI BIOS ATX Motherboard GA-Z77X-UD3H

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i5-3570K-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B007SZ0E1K/ref=pd_ts_zgc_e_229189_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&pf_rd_p=1381382962&pf_rd_s=right-10&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=193870011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1KGKCK1WPFGTNWJ295EJ $229.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I53570K

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-120mm-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=pd_sim_e_7 $32.32 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

http://www.amazon.com/Patriot-Memory-Extreme-Masters-PC3-12800/dp/B008MF3R82/ref=sr_1_11?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1346378899&sr=1-11&keywords=patriot+8gb $46.50 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Patriot Memory Intel Extreme Masters 8 GB (2 x 4GB) PC3-12800 CL9 Memory Kit - PVI38G160C9K

http://www.amazon.com/Lite--Super-AllWrite-Layer-Drive/dp/B002YIG9AQ/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1346379110&sr=1-5 $17.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Lite-On Super AllWrite 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive - Bulk - IHAS124-04 Version C (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Internal-Desktop/dp/B0036Q7MV0/ref=sr_1_3?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1346468213&sr=1-3 $106.50 & 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/MSI-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-N670-2GD5/dp/B008BGXYAS/ref=sr_1_12?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1346434884&sr=1-12&keywords=gtx+670 $409.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver 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-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_z $90.78 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

Total: $1,314.75 *includes shipping does but not include rebates


http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_670_Power_Edition/ <----- review of that MSI card w/benchmarks

 

[Ben_16]

Go for an i5 3570K instead.

Choose among these motherboards -

ASRock Z77 Extreme4
ASUS P8Z77 V-Pro
Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H

Hi, Thanks for the suggestions.

Ya about i5 3570 K, What Iv heard is that no doubt the Core i5-3570K is slightly faster than the Core i5-2500K due to architectural enhancements. But i5-2500K can overclock marginally higher while maintaining respectable temperatures compared to the Core i5-3570K. The overclock advantage of the i5-2500K nullify the architectural improvements of i5-3570K . They also say that there have been numerous overclocking problems for i5 3570K. So any thoughts???? I would appreciate ur opinion regarding this..

To me all this was strange considering the i5 3570K is a newer version n usually you go with the new stuff and it seemed to me a reasonable choice at first bt i changed it to i5 2500K, kinda confused again now that u and some other members have suggested the 3570K..

And for the motherboard, talking about the Manufacturer. How good is the ASRock?? it seemed to me a relatively new.. I dnt have any friends who have had an ASRock recently , I myself had asus or gigabyte.. There have been people recommending ASRock jst want to know is it really worth the money???

Thanks

 

[Why_Me]

Hi, Thanks for the suggestions.

Ya about i5 3570 K, What Iv heard is that no doubt the Core i5-3570K is slightly faster than the Core i5-2500K due to architectural enhancements. But i5-2500K can overclock marginally higher while maintaining respectable temperatures compared to the Core i5-3570K. The overclock advantage of the i5-2500K nullify the architectural improvements of i5-3570K . They also say that there have been numerous overclocking problems for i5 3570K. So any thoughts???? I would appreciate ur opinion regarding this..

To me all this was strange considering the i5 3570K is a newer version n usually you go with the new stuff and it seemed to me a reasonable choice at first bt i changed it to i5 2500K, kinda confused again now that u and some other members have suggested the 3570K..

And for the motherboard, talking about the Manufacturer. How good is the ASRock?? it seemed to me a relatively new.. I dnt have any friends who have had an ASRock recently , I myself had asus or gigabyte.. There have been people recommending ASRock jst want to know is it really worth the money???

Thanks

The IB cpu's tend to get hot once you start adding any significant voltage to them. But you can easily oc an IB cpu to 4.2Ghz without having to add any voltage to it. When an IB cpu is oc to 4.2Ghz it's comparable to the SB running @ 4.4 - 4.5Ghz. That and you don't see a significant amount of gain in FPS when over clocking any of these 1155 cpu's. With IB you get native 3.0 USB, native 1600hz memory support, etc... hence the reason we recommend the newer IB cpu's on here and not the older SB cpu's.

As far as Asrock boards go they are solid boards all the way around. Asus owned the controlling shares of Asrock for years and kept them as a budget board until a few years ago when Asrock bought out Asus shares and broke free. Ever since then Asrock hasn't looked back and has cut so deep int the market that they are the #3 board manufacture and are looking to soon over take Gigabyte for the #2 position.

Here's a few reviews to read on that Asrock z77 extreme4.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-express-ivy-bridge-benchmark,3254.html

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/asrock_z77_extreme4_review,1.html

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme4/

 

[Ben_16]

The IB cpu's tend to get hot once you start adding any significant voltage to them. But you can easily oc an IB cpu to 4.2Ghz without having to add any voltage to it. When an IB cpu is oc to 4.2Ghz it's comparable to the SB running @ 4.4 - 4.5Ghz. That and you don't see a significant amount of gain in FPS when over clocking any of these 1155 cpu's. With IB you get native 3.0 USB, native 1600hz memory support, etc... hence the reason we recommend the newer IB cpu's on here and not the older SB cpu's.

As far as Asrock boards go they are solid boards all the way around. Asus owned the controlling shares of Asrock for years and kept them as a budget board until a few years ago when Asrock bought out Asus shares and broke free. Ever since then Asrock hasn't looked back and has cut so deep int the market that they are the #3 board manufacture and are looking to soon over take Gigabyte for the #2 position.

Here's a few reviews to read on that Asrock z77 extreme4.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-express-ivy-bridge-benchmark,3254.html

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/asrock_z77_extreme4_review,1.html

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme4/

Hey thanks for the info man. I think that sums it up. Ok , I will go for an IB cpu since most of you are in favour of it n ASrock z77. I have one more question, I am buying the evga 670 FTW, but I also had my eye on the Asus directcu ii top, but iv read a review here which states;

"The company says its thermal solution was reworked to make it lighter, even though it retains a back plate covering the rear of the card. A note on that: depending on how close your CPU cooler or DIMM locking levers come to your motherboard's PCI Express slot, the plate could interfere. Have a look at your platform of choice before making a purchase". (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-test-review,3217-3.html)

Any thoughts on this would be highly appreciated and which one in your opinion is best between evga, asus and gigabyte....

 

[Why_Me]

Hey thanks for the info man. I think that sums it up. Ok , I will go for an IB cpu since most of you are in favour of it n ASrock z77. I have one more question, I am buying the evga 670 FTW, but I also had my eye on the Asus directcu ii top, but iv read a review here which states;

"The company says its thermal solution was reworked to make it lighter, even though it retains a back plate covering the rear of the card. A note on that: depending on how close your CPU cooler or DIMM locking levers come to your motherboard's PCI Express slot, the plate could interfere. Have a look at your platform of choice before making a purchase". (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-test-review,3217-3.html)

Any thoughts on this would be highly appreciated and which one in your opinion is best between evga, asus and gigabyte....

Between those brands it's like close your eyes and pick one. Personally I like the MSI 670. One other thing to consider is the Asrock exreme4 is a budget board and most of the time it doesn't hit the front standoffs in the case due to it's size. Nothing to worry about but it will flex a bit.

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-N670-2GD5/dp/B008BGXYAS/ref=sr_1_12?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1346434884&sr=1-12&keywords=gtx+670 $409.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 OC 2GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card N670 PE 2GD5/OC

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_670_Power_Edition/ <----- review of that MSI card w/benchmarks


http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GV-N670OC-2GD-GeForce-Windforce-Graphics/dp/B0080I06WQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1346536751&sr=1-2&keywords=gtx+670 $399.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 Windforce OC 2048MB GDDR5 256-bit PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Graphics Card

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GeForce_GTX_670_Windforce/ <----- review of that Gigabyte card w/benchmarks


Also keep in mind that the EVGA 680 backplate fits perfectly on that Gigabyte card. Just make sure to use the screws that come with the card and not the ones that come with the backplate.

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GTX-680-Backplate-M021-00-000008/dp/B007TUYPZ0/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1346536851&sr=1-1&keywords=evga+680+backplate <---- you can find it there on amazon and also on newegg.

 

[Ben_16]

Thanks everyone, for ur valuable inputs. I really appreciate it. I am pretty much sorted now, n its time to go ahead with this. Thanks once again..

 

[Ben_16]

Best answer selected by ben_16.