1200-1500 gaming build Help Appreciated

[mrmajoni]

Hello, new guy here, don't mean to be the thousandth guy to ask for advice, but you guys seem pretty knowledgeable and helpful, so I decided to give it a go.

Approximate Purchase Date: Hopefully within this month
Budget Range: 1200-1500, excludes OS
System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, movies, surfing the web
Are you buying a monitor: Yes
Parts to Upgrade: Um...no?
Do you need to buy OS: Can decide for myself
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg or Amazon,whichever is cheaper
Location: US
Parts Preferences: None, as long as it works
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

I'm upgrading because my laptop isn't cutting it when it comes to new games, and I like pretty things. I was going to just use the budget build on the Recommended Builds thread, but it hasn't been updated since June, so I'm hoping there might be some new or cheaper parts out now. Would rather go with more expensive parts if they are quality rather than going for cheaper ones and saving a buck. Would like to play games on mid to high settings, I hear most ultra settings aren't that big of an improvement, so I don't care about that, but a monitor would be nice for watching movies. Oh, and can someone explain to me the importance of a SSD and a PSU? Why do so many people put SSDs in their builds when HDDs are so much more cheaper? Are SSDs that much faster? I do tend to game a lot, so does that mean I should choose a PSU with a lower wattage? Or higher?

Thanks in advance.

Case : COOLER MASTER HAF 922 89.99, 10 dollar rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119197


Motherboard : GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX 119.99 20 dollar rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128512


RAM : Need Suggestions

CPU : Need Suggestions

CPU Cooler : Do I need one..?

GPU : EVGA 02G-P4-2678-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB $407.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130787


PSU : Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371044 74.99


SSD : Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) 72.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820148441


HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive 109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136533

 

[chengvang]

CPU, You can go with an I5 3570k. It has good speeds even without OC.

GPU, The GTX 670 isn't even worth the buy because a 660ti's performance is just as good and it's $100 cheaper.

CPU Cooler, If you are overclocking.

RAM, overall any ram is good but I recommend you Corsair Vengeance.

For your questions.
SSD, is what helps your computer do everything faster. Have your whole operating system on a ssd and have your other programs on your HDD and your computer will be fast.
For PSU, you need to check how much all your parts are going to use. Usually a 600w is average enough but you might need a 700 if you plan on OC.

 

[mrmajoni]

CPU, You can go with an I5 3570k. It has good speeds even without OC.

GPU, The GTX 670 isn't even worth the buy because a 660ti's performance is just as good and it's $100 cheaper.

CPU Cooler, If you are overclocking.

For your questions.
SSD, is what helps your computer do everything faster. Have your whole operating system on a ssd and have your other programs on your HDD and your computer will be fast.
For PSU, you need to check how much all your parts are going to use. Usually a 600w is average enough but you might need a 700 if you plan on OC.

Thanks, I don't plan to overclock so I guess I don't need a cooler. I never realized that a ssd could affect a computer's boot time, that's pretty neat. Oh, and are these these the products you were mentioning?

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127696

 

[mrmajoni]

And would this RAM be all right?


RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144

 

[chengvang]

Thanks, I don't plan to overclock so I guess I don't need a cooler. I never realized that a ssd could affect a computer's boot time, that's pretty neat. Oh, and are these these the products you were mentioning?

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127696

Yes, those are the 2 items.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/windows-7-and-ssds-just-how-fast-are-they/2902

Here is more info on the SSD if you want to read about it. Cuts over 50% of boot time.

Since you might not OC, you should stick with the 670. The OC 660ti can match speeds of the 670. If you got the money, the 670 would be a good choice.

 

[chengvang]

And would this RAM be all right?


RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144

Yes, that RAM would be perfect. 8gb is more than enough for gaming. Your gaming rig would allow you to play any games at ultra to max with over 40+ fps.

 

[mrmajoni]

Yes, that RAM would be perfect. 8gb is more than enough for gaming. Your gaming rig would allow you to play any games at ultra to max with over 40+ fps.

Thanks for your responses, I really appreciate it. Do you happen to have any monitor suggestions? I've been eyeing this one, but I'd like to get some sort of approval or heads up if there's a better one.

Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236287

 

[chengvang]

Thanks for your responses, I really appreciate it. Do you happen to have any monitor suggestions? I've been eyeing this one, but I'd like to get some sort of approval or heads up if there's a better one.

Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236287

Yes, it looks good. I can't find any cheaper one's at that quality. IPS has very good viewing angles and such. In my opinion, if you have the money and it's not a problem go for it. But if you want to save money, there are some good monitors that would save you more money and do the job just fine.

 

[hellfire24]

this-
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hHlx

 

[idroid]

You don't want to overclock??? well, then you can get away with a nice H77 motherboard and a locked CPU with a nice pair of GPUs

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($115.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($111.71 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1297.61
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-16 23:43 EDT-0400)