$3000 build help

[flamenader]

My friend wants to build a computer because he bought a prebuilt one a while ago and it was way overpriced. So he thought he should build one. Thing is, he is in a wheelchair and has very limited use of his arms and no use of his legs. Since i had build one before, he asked me to help. So i need a ~$3000 build that would suite him perfectly.

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: Late September, early October

Budget Range: ~$3000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, video editing, school work

Are you buying a monitor: Yes, needs a 1080P monitor UNDER 24", anything larger makes it very had for him to see the whole screen

Parts to Upgrade: All

Do you need to buy OS: Yes, windows 7 ultimate

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg

Location: US, MN

Parts Preferences: i7 3770k

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: If needed

Your Monitor Resolution: 1080p

Additional Comments: PC needs to be low maintenance, so nothing like a custom water loop, he needs a blu ray drive and a CD burner, also would like USB 3 and a 2 TB HDD, needs a wireless adapter, preferably one that goes into the PCe slot, and it would be best if it was somewhat future proof

thanks!

 

[manofchalk]

CPU: Intel i7-3770k. $330
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501

Mobo: AsRock Z77 Extreme4. $135
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

RAM: G.Skill Ares 16GB (4x4GB), 1600Mhz CL9 1.5v. $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231545

PSU: XFX Pro 750W, 80+ Silver semi-modular. $128
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207016

GPU: Gigabyte GTX670. $400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423
or
Sapphire Vapor-X HD7970. $400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102982
Depends on the programs he uses. Both are ~ equal when it comes to 1080p gaming, but if the video editing programs can take advantage of CUDA (Nvidia) or OpenCL (AMD), that may be the final decider.

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB. $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148834

SSD: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB. $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227791&Tpk=OCZ%20Vertex%204%20128GB

Case: This is largely personal, he has to like the look of it after all. Here are some good choices. Feel free to ignore these and find your own, just make sure to research them first.

Coolermaster HAF-XM. $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119257
My personal choice.

Corsair Carbide 400R. $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139008&Tpk=Corsair%20400R

CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO. $37
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM. $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
You don't need Win7 Ultimate. The vast majority of users don't need its niche features, most of which are aimed at large business anyway.

Monitor: Viewsonic VA2212M-LED, 22" size. $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824116565
I will admit, not sure about this one. Not very knowledgeable when it comes to monitors, but this seems to tick all the boxes. Has VESA mounting so you could attach it to some kind of stand for easy adjustment.

Wireless Card: Rosewill wireless card, 300Mb/s supported. $25
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166073
Again, not too sure on this.

Blu-Ray Drive: ASUS Black 12x. $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247

Optical Drive: Lite-On Black 18x. $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276

Total (HAF-XM case): $2155 (not including shipping, rebates, promos or deals).
That seems to be everything.

 

[azeem40]

Sorry, wp.

 

[mastrom101]

@manofchalk

I like your build, but with a 3K budget, i would not use:

212 evo (d14 is better)
Extreme4 (its a 3k build! That motherboard is intended for cheaper builds)


http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hzOi

Everything you could possibly need. Amazing Mobo and XFIRE of the fastest GPU.
The monitor is also stellar.

Do you need a keyboard and mouse aswell?

Best wishes for your friend.


Want to trim the budget?

You could drop a graphics card, use a cheaper monitor and mobo and stick with one BR burner.

 

[flamenader]

@manofchalk

I like your build, but with a 3K budget, i would not use:

212 evo (d14 is better)
Extreme4 (its a 3k build! That motherboard is intended for cheaper builds)


http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hzOi

Everything you could possibly need. Amazing Mobo and XFIRE of the fastest GPU.
The monitor is also stellar.

Do you need a keyboard and mouse aswell?

Best wishes for your friend.


Want to trim the budget?

You could drop a graphics card, use a cheaper monitor and mobo and stick with one BR burner.

I like the build, and the PSU could handle all of that?

 

[manofchalk]

@manofchalk

I like your build, but with a 3K budget, i would not use:

212 evo (d14 is better)
Extreme4 (its a 3k build! That motherboard is intended for cheaper builds)

True. but just because OP has a $3000 budget doesn't mean he has to spend it all. The build I made is still good for his purposes.

For 1080p gaming (on a 60Hz monitor no less), there will be no appreciable difference by going dual crossfire.

EDIT:
To the OP.
750W is more than sufficient for dual graphics cards. Thats the reason why I included a 750W PSU into my build, for easy upgrade-ability if you wanted too.

 

[idroid]

here you go!!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($314.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 2.0 Extreme 81.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.Sniper 3 EATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($280.01 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($429.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($429.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Fortress 750W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($136.68 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VG236HE 120Hz 23.0" Monitor ($389.98 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.33 @ Amazon)
Total: $2712.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-15 23:28 EDT-0400)

 

[manojpraman]

Try below + add CPU Cooler (Noctua D14), GPU (680/670/6970), Change case as per earlier comments (what you personally like). Note that mother board has dual band wifi, BT and dual LAN. Also, the case is actually excellent. I have this configuration and love it...

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ffdF
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ffdF/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ffdF/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($314.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PREMIUM ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($438.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($55.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F4 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($93.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Lian-Li PC-Z60B ATX Mid Tower Case ($168.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic Platinum 1000W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-206DBKS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus PA248Q 24.1" Monitor ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1776.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-15 23:37 EDT-0400)

 

[manojpraman]

additional notes on above

RAM is chosen as this fits perfectly with Noctua D14 (no hight problems)
Optical drive - go for Pioneer 207, newer version (this was not listed in PCPartPicker)
HDD - you could swap with WD black series.
Monitor - PA248 is 16:10, 1920/1200 - excellent model (IPS/LED and with 4 USB 3 ports as well for convenience). I think PA238 is 1920/1080, which could be other option.

 

[azeem40]

You do NOT need to CF for 120Hz. It already has smoothness at any fps.

 

[idroid]

You do NOT need to CF for 120Hz. It already has smoothness at any fps.

WHAT? show me a benchmark where a single card is able to get 120fps in Crysis 2 with everything maxed out or BF3

 

[azeem40]

Reread my post dude. I said smoothness is at any fps regardless of fps. 60fps at 120Hz is just as smooth as 120fps at 120Hz.

 

[idroid]

Reread my post dude. I said smoothness is at any fps regardless of fps. 60fps at 120Hz is just as smooth as 120fps at 120Hz.

That' definitely not true, you know my build,right?? well. it runs BF3 maxed out @5760x1080 at about 60-75fps and @1080 it runs it at about 165fps and i can tell the difference between 75 and 165 @120hz but the most awesome thing i've ever seen was MW3 @ 240fps/240hz it simply was out of this world so... framerate matters as much as Hz.

 

[azeem40]

This isn't about you. It's about the OP, and I highly doubt he is as sensitive to fps as you.

 

[idroid]

This isn't about you. It's about the OP, and I highly doubt he is as sensitive to fps as you.

Well, it's the OP's money so i am just advising to him to spend a little bit more (which is still well under his budget) to get something better

 

[manofchalk]

A high refresh rate on a monitor is useless without the FPS to use it.
I agree with both of you actually. You don't need to Crossfire/SLI to enjoy 60+hz monitor, a GTX670 or equivalent will average ~80FPS in intensive games, even with everything turned up. But to get the full potential of 120hz, you need Crossfire/SLI to consistently keep the FPS above 80-90FPS.

Though idroid, FPS only matters as much as Hz when its roughly the same. If you are getting 30FPS, a 120Hz monitor wont fix that or make it seem smoother. And having a higher FPS than your monitors refresh rate is also "bad", since then the monitor is a bottleneck to performance. From what you can see, there is no difference between 120FPS and 165FPS if the monitor is only 120Hz, if anything the 165FPS would be worse because of issues like screen tearing.

 

[idroid]

having a higher FPS than your monitors refresh rate is also "bad", since then the monitor is a bottleneck to performance. From what you can see, there is no difference between 120FPS and 165FPS if the monitor is only 120Hz, if anything the 165FPS would be worse because of issues like screen tearing.

lol, i know that, that's why i V-sync most of the time.... btw, it's been almost 3 months since i last touched my rig (i am in germany) have any new drivers come out that potentially increase performance or anything?

 

[azeem40]

A high refresh rate on a monitor is useless without the FPS to use it.
I agree with both of you actually. You don't need to Crossfire/SLI to enjoy 60+hz monitor, a GTX670 or equivalent will average ~80FPS in intensive games, even with everything turned up. But to get the full potential of 120hz, you need Crossfire/SLI to consistently keep the FPS above 80-90FPS.

Though idroid, FPS only matters as much as Hz when its roughly the same. If you are getting 30FPS, a 120Hz monitor wont fix that or make it seem smoother. And having a higher FPS than your monitors refresh rate is also "bad", since then the monitor is a bottleneck to performance. From what you can see, there is no difference between 120FPS and 165FPS if the monitor is only 120Hz, if anything the 165FPS would be worse because of issues like screen tearing.

Ask MagicPants. He will surely agree with me. It certainly WILL make it just as smooth. I have played on 120Hz mate.

 

[manofchalk]

@idroid
I have no idea if there are new drivers for your rig, dont even know whats in it to begin with. Usually for GPU drivers it will update automatically or prompt you to do it, more obscure things like SSD/HDD firmware, mobo drivers and BIOS' you will have to search for though.

@Azeem
I will admit I have not yet used a 120hz monitor yet, but from what I understand, there is no difference if the FPS is still lower than 60. If the computer can only give 30 frames per second, that means each frame is being displayed for .03 recurring seconds, regardless whether its a 120hz or 60hz monitor. Its only when the FPS go's above the 60FPS does a 120Hz monitor make itself useful.
Note: I'm talking about gaming, I do realize that general Windows use will always be above 60FPS because nothing intensive is happening. So it will be smoother there without doubt.

 

[azeem40]

I have tested the fps and even at 30 fps, it was smooth as butter.