Hey Gang,
Trying to get back in to gaming after being out for the past 8 years due to the birth of my twins. I have built a couple of 'homebuilts' in the past (10+ years ago), but the gaming/computer world has passed me by these past 8 years.
Now that the kiddos are getting bigger and I have more and more time to myself (yea!), I am ready to get back to some fun. I don't have any particular games picked out to build towards, I will have to play around a bit and see what strikes my fancy. I don't even know yet what all games are out there now-a-days.
I do know that immediately I will be playing Minecraft and Microsoft Flight Simulator X. The following build is probably major overkill for those titles, but I don't yet know which way my new foray into gaming will eventually end up. Budget isn't a huge issue at the moment, but I certainly like to save money where I can.
With all this in mind (and after reading a lot of forums and reviews) here is what I have put together as my top dollar build. What I am looking for is to see if there are areas I can either save money, or shift around money for performance boosts. Please let me know if I am overthinking/overspending on my re-intro into gaming!
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hlXf
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($215.99 @ NCIX US)..........chose this because it is near the same price as an i5-2500k. I won't be overclocking right away, but will probably play around with OC'ing down the road. I will hold off on purchasing a cooler until then.
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)..........good reviews and seems to have great bang-for-buck value.
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)..........Is this fine, or should I go for 'low profile'. Also looked at the GSkill Memory as an option.
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($94.99 @ NCIX US)..........Debating whether I should get a 128GB SSD instead for now and for the same price and add a HDD later down the road when/if I run out of room. Thoughts?
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($195.98 @ Newegg).........No brand loyalty here. Just a place holder. Based on a lot of reading, the 7850 seems to be the way to go. Any thoughts on brands? Would I be just as well of going with a 1GB version and saving a few bucks?
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)..........Good price and good reviews. Looked at some $50-$60 cases, but many would require adding fans. This one seems 'ready to go'.
Power Supply: Corsair 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)..........Again, no loyalty here. Just picked based on good reviews.
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS424-98 DVD/CD Writer ($22.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: ViewSonic VX2450wm-LED 23.6" Monitor ($187.95 @ Mac Connection)..........I think 24" is fine for my use. I will be adding a pair of Dell 19" I already have for a three monitor setup. That way I can see out the 'side windows' on my flight sim...haha!
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.47 @ Amazon)
Total: $1133.33
There you have it, guys and gals...do what you do best and give me some thoughts and potential changes. Thanks a bunch!!!
-Jon-
OKC, OK
Trying to get back in to gaming after being out for the past 8 years due to the birth of my twins. I have built a couple of 'homebuilts' in the past (10+ years ago), but the gaming/computer world has passed me by these past 8 years.
Now that the kiddos are getting bigger and I have more and more time to myself (yea!), I am ready to get back to some fun. I don't have any particular games picked out to build towards, I will have to play around a bit and see what strikes my fancy. I don't even know yet what all games are out there now-a-days.
I do know that immediately I will be playing Minecraft and Microsoft Flight Simulator X. The following build is probably major overkill for those titles, but I don't yet know which way my new foray into gaming will eventually end up. Budget isn't a huge issue at the moment, but I certainly like to save money where I can.
With all this in mind (and after reading a lot of forums and reviews) here is what I have put together as my top dollar build. What I am looking for is to see if there are areas I can either save money, or shift around money for performance boosts. Please let me know if I am overthinking/overspending on my re-intro into gaming!
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hlXf
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($215.99 @ NCIX US)..........chose this because it is near the same price as an i5-2500k. I won't be overclocking right away, but will probably play around with OC'ing down the road. I will hold off on purchasing a cooler until then.
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)..........good reviews and seems to have great bang-for-buck value.
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)..........Is this fine, or should I go for 'low profile'. Also looked at the GSkill Memory as an option.
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($94.99 @ NCIX US)..........Debating whether I should get a 128GB SSD instead for now and for the same price and add a HDD later down the road when/if I run out of room. Thoughts?
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($195.98 @ Newegg).........No brand loyalty here. Just a place holder. Based on a lot of reading, the 7850 seems to be the way to go. Any thoughts on brands? Would I be just as well of going with a 1GB version and saving a few bucks?
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)..........Good price and good reviews. Looked at some $50-$60 cases, but many would require adding fans. This one seems 'ready to go'.
Power Supply: Corsair 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)..........Again, no loyalty here. Just picked based on good reviews.
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS424-98 DVD/CD Writer ($22.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: ViewSonic VX2450wm-LED 23.6" Monitor ($187.95 @ Mac Connection)..........I think 24" is fine for my use. I will be adding a pair of Dell 19" I already have for a three monitor setup. That way I can see out the 'side windows' on my flight sim...haha!
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.47 @ Amazon)
Total: $1133.33
There you have it, guys and gals...do what you do best and give me some thoughts and potential changes. Thanks a bunch!!!
-Jon-
OKC, OK