Which build should i get??

Mookeylama

Distinguished
Aug 30, 2012
114
0
18,690
hiya! could you kind folks please take a look at these 2 builds. i'm about ready to take the plunge, hopefully tomorrow. so which one of these do you prefer? wish i could combine them but might run higher than i should go. $2500 is about max...unless i get the gtx 690 lol.
and a huge thanks to anyone who helps out!


build #1 assembled by a wonderful member here, AndrewCarr. yay! *applause*...

$1893 + the $75 shipping fee for $1968 total.

Case 1 x CoolerMaster HAF 922 Gaming Case-Black
Processor 1 x Intel® Core™ i5-3570K Processor (4x 3.40GHz/6MB L3 Cache)-Intel Core i5-3570K
Motherboard 1 x ASUS P8Z77-V LK -- 2x PCI-E 3.0 x16, 4x USB 3.0
Memory 1 x 8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1866 Memory Module-Corsair or Major Brand
Video Card 1 x AMD Radeon HD 7970 - 3GB-CrossFire Mode (Dual Cards)
Case Lighting None
Power Supply 1 x 750 Watt - Corsair CMPSU-750TXV2-Free Upgrade to 850 Watt Corsair CMPSU-850TXV2 ($20 Savings)
Processor Cooling 1 x Corsair Hydro Series H60 Liquid CPU Cooling System-ARC Dual Silent High Performance Fan Upgrade (Push-Pull Airflow)
Video Card Brand 1 x Major Brand Powered by AMD or NVIDIA
Primary Hard Drive 1 x 1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s-Single Drive **Free Upgrade to 2TB SATA 6.0Gb/s Single Drive**
Data Hard Drive 1 x 120 GB ADATA S510 SSD-Single Drive **FREE Upgrade to 256GB ADATA SP900 - Single Drive**
2nd Optical Drive None
Optical Drive 1 x 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive-Black *Labor Day Sale - FREE Upgrade to LG BLU-RAY Reader Combo Drive Black*
Sound Card 1 x 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Speaker System None
Network Card 1 x Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
Monitor None
Operating System 1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel)-64-Bit
Warranty 1 x 3 Year Standard Warranty Service
Rush Service 1 x Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee)-No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days
Video Camera None
Meter Display None
Flash Media Reader / Writer None
2nd Monitor None
iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction None
iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion None
iBUYPOWER PowerDrive None
USB Expansion None
Intel Smart Response Technology None
Case Engraving Service None
truly awesome with it's SLI 7970s! was kinda wanting to stay away from AMD tho since i've had them for years and had nothing but trouble w/ drivers and CCC. also i like the idea of PhysX

and a build i put together using mostly advice garnered from recommendations...

Gamer Paladin D827 $2057 that includes rush 3 day shipping

1 x Case ( Antec DF-85 Full Tower Gaming Case - Black )
1 x Case Lighting ( Cold Cathode Neon Light - Green )
0 x iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction ( None )
0 x iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion ( None )
1 x Processor ( Intel® Core™ i7-3770K Processor (4x 3.50GHz/8MB L3 Cache) - Intel Core i7-3770K )
0 x iBUYPOWER PowerDrive ( None )
1 x Processor Cooling ( Corsair Hydro Series H60 Liquid CPU Cooling System - ARC Dual Silent High Performance Fan Upgrade (Push-Pull Airflow) )
1 x Memory ( 8 GB [4 GB X2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - G.Skill Ripjaws X )
1 x Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 - 4GB - EVGA Superclocked - Core: 1046MHz - Single Card )
1 x Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by AMD or NVIDIA )
1 x Free Stuff ( [FREE Game Download] - Borderlands2 - Free with purchase of NVIDIA GeForce GTX660Ti or above )
1 x Motherboard ( ASUS Sabertooth Z77 -- 2x PCI-E 3.0 x16, 4x USB 3.0 )
0 x Intel Smart Response Technology ( None )
1 x Power Supply ( 750 Watt - Thermaltake TR2 TRX-750M - Free Upgrade to 850 Watt W0319RU ($20 Savings) )
1 x Primary Hard Drive ( 120 GB ADATA S510 SSD - Single Drive **FREE Upgrade to 256GB ADATA SP900 - Single Drive** )
1 x Data Hard Drive ( 1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive **Free Upgrade to 2TB SATA 6.0Gb/s Single Drive** )
1 x Optical Drive ( 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black *Labor Day Sale - FREE Upgrade to LG BLU-RAY Reader Combo Drive Black* )
0 x 2nd Optical Drive ( None )
1 x Flash Media Reader / Writer ( 12-In-1 External USB Flash Media Card Reader/Writer )
0 x Meter Display ( None )
0 x USB Expansion ( None )
1 x Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
1 x Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
1 x Operating System ( Microsoft Windows 7 Professional + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel) - 64-bit )
1 x Keyboard ( iBUYPOWER Standard Gaming Keyboard )
1 x Mouse ( iBUYPOWER Standard Gaming Mouse - Blood Red )
0 x Monitor ( None )
0 x 2nd Monitor ( None )
1 x Speaker System ( iBUYPOWER 2.1 Channel Stereo Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System )
0 x Video Camera ( None )
1 x Advanced Build Options ( Tuniq TX-2 High Performance Thermal Compound - The best interface between your CPU and the heatsinks )
0 x Case Engraving Service ( None )
1 x Warranty ( 3 Year Standard Warranty Service )
1 x Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - [RUSH !!!], Ship Out in 3 Business Days )
Protect Your Investment
just has the 1 670 superclocked which i'm guessing isn't as powerful as the 2 7970s? also i was told the CPU and mobo might be better than the ones in the 1st build if i wanted to upgrade down the road. i went with the 4gb 670 because was told i might could use the extra if i used a ton of hires texture mods. and i remember reading the author of a big texture mod (2000k or something) wrote that he recommended cards of 1.5 to 2gb for his mod, and i plan on using his and every hires pack i can find lol. if there's REALLY no chance i'd ever use all that 4gb then i'd like to go down to the EVGA superclocked 670 FTW.

also, many have recommended CollegePC to me. their reviews seem a bit better than IBuypower, they have free shipping, and they have a cheap $49 warranty that covers any shipping back & forth for repairs for 3 YEARS! very nice. pc breaks just once and it'll cost $150 to and from probably. all other builders i've seen don't cover warranty repair shipping. they DO have a few air cooling option which i'd rather have than water. but...

i dislike how they do not list the brand name of parts, and when i try and build a comparable build at both IBuy and eCollege, College is usually $100-200 more, even w/ their fee shipping. it may be mistakes on my part tho since i can't configure exact builds since both places have different parts. or maybe it's because IBuy has a sale going on. also College doesn't have the EVGA superclocked 670 that i was in favor of, but i've read that the owner will actually take requests, so maybe i could contact him and have him add it.
so if anyone has opinions on IBuypower or eCoolege, they'd be nice to hear.

here's a thread with more of my specific needs, goals, and why i can't build it myself (health conditions)...
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/361165-31-please-build

and the template...

Here are my answers to some starting point questions:

Approximate Purchase Date: now!

Budget Range: $2000ish

System Usage pure gaming, dedicated to HDTV in family room

Major Concern: Heat, I want cool as I can afford while still being able to afford top tier performance. I have very little knowledge on how to achieve this. and running Skyrim at it's BEST!

Parts Not Required: monitor speakers kb mouse

Preferred Website(s): any reputable builder but ibuypwer seems to have good deals now

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: Full Tower, I guess.

Overclocking: not really but is cheap to have IBP do some

SLI or Crossfire: actually just wanted the superclocked 670 4gb, but the deal on the 2 660 3gbs sounds good in SLI. that's why the builds i made have 2 660s but i'm not married to it.

Monitor : Sony 55A3000 55" HDTV thru HDMI. i have an hdmi cord ran thru the floor, thru basement, into computer room. our home theater is in a big wall unit w/ bad airflow
----------------------------------------------

any advice appreciated! thank you!