High-end Gaming Rig Advice - Budget up to $4000

gov · Sep 20, 2012

/EDIT

$4000 is not a hard cap, it's a ballpark and can be increased. I guess what I'm asking is whether or not it's worth to put out for two Xeon processors, are they worth their weight in... cash?

/EDIT

Hello,

This won't be my first build but I don't keep up with the hardware industry and it's important to me that I understand what I'm buying as I suspect it is with most buyers (I hope). I've done some research the past couple days into EVGA and Intel and I'm really conflicted, I want to go all out and have money put aside for that very reason. Here's where I'm at:

The first thing I saw when I started looking was EVGA's Classified SR-2. I'll be totally honest, I got excited but after reading more into it and other motherboard combos I'm not sure if it's practical. I want to believe it's worth it to put out for the processors but I'm no expert, that's why I came here.

Motherboard:
EVGA Classified SR-2 270-WS-W555-A2 LGA 1366 Intel 5520 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HPTX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188070

Processor:
Intel Xeon Series LGA 1366
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008494%20600048485%20600048497%20600048543&IsNodeId=1

Today I was looking at Intel's new Ivy Bridge and it looks very attractive to me, especially some of the new features:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007671%20600315409&IsNodeId=1&cm_sp=Cat_IvyBridge-_-YTVideo-_-YTIvy

I did a little poking around in the 1155 motherboards, the ones EVGA offers (the ones I looked at) didn't get very good reviews and honestly this was not long before I started writing this post. Basically, the fact that I want to pull out all the stops makes me want to be sure about everything, I'm just looking for advice.

My last builds were ASUS/Intel/EVGA, I didn't have any problems as far as I remember. With this particular build however I'm looking to have SLI, SSDs, liquid cooling, and everything OC'd. This is relatively foreign ground to me so any expert advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading, hopefully you can point me in the right direction.

amuffin · Sep 20, 2012

Get the new EVGA SR-X that uses LGA 2011 cpu's! You can have up to 16 cores and 24 threads, but I'm not sure if your budget will allow it.

Why_Me · Sep 20, 2012

This XFX psu down below is manufactured by Seasonic as are all XFX psu's. Windows 7 is combo'd with the motherboard. Just add a case to this build.

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-PRO750W-Semi-Modular-80Plus-Supply/dp/B005IUVYA2/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1347949610&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.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1032178 $279.98 save: $10.00 FREE SHIPPING
ASRock Z77 Extreme6 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1053942 $379.98 save: $18.00 FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770K
Cooler Master TPC 812 RR-T812-24PK-R1 120mm Sleeve with Dual Vertical Vapor Chamber TPC 812 CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226245 $55.99 FREE SHIPPING
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model 997015

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-24xDVD-RW-Serial-Internal-DRW-24B1ST/dp/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=pd_sim_pc_3 $23.49 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive DRW-24B1ST (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Internal-Desktop/dp/B0036Q7MV0/ref=sr_1_5?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1347949429&sr=1-5 $98.03 & 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/SAMSUNG-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-7PC256B-WW/dp/B0077CR66A/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1348117460&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=samsung+256gb $199.90 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
SAMSUNG 830 Series 2.5-Inch 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7PC256B/WW

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685 $409.99 - $400.00 after $10.00 rebate
MSI N670 PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685 $409.99 - $400.00 after $10.00 rebate
MSI N670 PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Total: $1,969.06 *not including shipping & rebates

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_670_Power_Edition/ <----- review of that MSI GTX 670 w/benchmarks

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme6/ <----- another look at that board along with a link to the latest bios update

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-extreme6-z77a-gd65-z77h2-a2x,3187.html <----- review of that board w/benchmarks

http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2654 <----- review of that CM cpu h/s @ Frosty Tech

http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm <----- that same CM cpu h/s on Frosty Tech's Top 5 list

120Hz refresh rate monitor. If your going to have that much GPU firepower than 120Hz is the only way to go. It makes gaming smooth as butter.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014270 $389.99
BenQ XL2420T Black-Red 24" 5ms (2ms GTG) HDMI Widescreen Height & Pivot Adjustable LED-Backlit 120Hz 3D-Ready LCD Monitor 350 cd/m2 DC 12M:1 (1000:1)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824116513 $469.99 FREE SHIPPING
ViewSonic V3D245 Black 23.6" 2ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD 120Hz 3D Monitor 300 cd/m2 20,000,000:1 w/ Speakers & 3D glasses

Some headsets to have a look at.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826570017 $59.99 - $49.99 after $10.00 rebate FREE SHIPPING
Cooler Master CM Storm Sonuz 3.5mm Connector Circumaural Gaming Headset

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826570018 $79.99 FREE SHIPPING
Cooler Master CM Storm Sirus S 3.5mm Connector Circumaural 5.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headset

bigcyco1 · Sep 20, 2012

I would go for something like this with a custom loop or rasa kit PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($207.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F4 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($417.86 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($417.86 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($179.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($136.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHBS212-08 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Full (32/64-bit) ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2215.61
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-20 01:02 EDT-0400)

idroid · Sep 20, 2012

No no no no and NO... trust me, you DO NOT want dual Xeons for gaming, a 3930k will give you MORE performance because Xeons can't be overclocked and games do not use more than 4 cores and by the time they use 24 threads (dual xeons) crysis 400 will be about.

Give me a sec, i am building you a kick ass PC.

bigcyco1 · Sep 20, 2012

Why_Me :

This XFX psu down below is manufactured by Seasonic as are all XFX psu's. Windows 7 is combo'd with the motherboard. Just add a case to this build.

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-PRO750W-Semi-Modular-80Plus-Supply/dp/B005IUVYA2/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1347949610&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.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1032178 $279.98 save: $10.00 FREE SHIPPING
ASRock Z77 Extreme6 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1053942 $379.98 save: $18.00 FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770K
Cooler Master TPC 812 RR-T812-24PK-R1 120mm Sleeve with Dual Vertical Vapor Chamber TPC 812 CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226245 $55.99 FREE SHIPPING
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model 997015

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-24xDVD-RW-Serial-Internal-DRW-24B1ST/dp/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=pd_sim_pc_3 $23.49 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive DRW-24B1ST (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Internal-Desktop/dp/B0036Q7MV0/ref=sr_1_5?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1347949429&sr=1-5 $98.03 & 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/SanDisk-Extreme-2-5-Inch-Solid-SDSSDX-240G-G25/dp/B006EKJ8UI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348116892&sr=1-1&keywords=sandisk+240gb $185.90 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
SanDisk Extreme SSD 240 GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SDSSDX-240G-G25

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685 $409.99 - $400.00 after $10.00 rebate
MSI N670 PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685 $409.99 - $400.00 after $10.00 rebate
MSI N670 PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Total: $1955.06 *not including shipping & rebates

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_670_Power_Edition/ <----- review of that MSI GTX 670 w/benchmarks

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme6/ <----- another look at that board along with a link to the latest bios update

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-extreme6-z77a-gd65-z77h2-a2x,3187.html <----- review of that board w/benchmarks

http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2654 <----- review of that CM cpu h/s @ Frosty Tech

http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm <----- that same CM cpu h/s on Frosty Tech's Top 5 list

120Hz refresh rate monitor. If your going to have that much GPU firepower than 120Hz is the only way to go. It makes gaming smooth as butter.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014270 $389.99
BenQ XL2420T Black-Red 24" 5ms (2ms GTG) HDMI Widescreen Height & Pivot Adjustable LED-Backlit 120Hz 3D-Ready LCD Monitor 350 cd/m2 DC 12M:1 (1000:1)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824116513 $469.99 FREE SHIPPING
ViewSonic V3D245 Black 23.6" 2ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD 120Hz 3D Monitor 300 cd/m2 20,000,000:1 w/ Speakers & 3D glasses

Some headsets to have a look at.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826570017 $59.99 - $49.99 after $10.00 rebate FREE SHIPPING
Cooler Master CM Storm Sonuz 3.5mm Connector Circumaural Gaming Headset

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826570018 $79.99 FREE SHIPPING
Cooler Master CM Storm Sirus S 3.5mm Connector Circumaural 5.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headset

:lol: beat me to it

this is a nice build as well.

gov · Sep 20, 2012

First of all, thank you for awesome responses and I'm looking forward to idroid's as well. I'm glad I didn't trust myself.

First things I'm noticing, I read of people putting ridiculous amounts of RAM in their builds, like 16 - 64 GB. However, you guys consistently go with 8GB, I take it that's more than enough for the time being.

I read a little about i5 vs i7 and would I be correct in saying the most significant difference is HT and cores? I didn't read in-depth but that's the jist I got of it.

idroid · Sep 20, 2012

Here you go:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($499.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.ASSASSIN2 EATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($330.01 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair DOMINATOR 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($93.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card (3-Way SLI) ($459.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card (3-Way SLI) ($459.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card (3-Way SLI) ($459.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Azza Fusion 4000 ATX Full Tower Case ($260.30 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic Platinum 1000W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $3153.73
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-20 01:20 EDT-0400)

i am working on the Watercooling system... give me a few minutes.

arzbhatia · Sep 20, 2012

Why not go for something like this -

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($499.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 2.0 Extreme 81.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock X79 Extreme11 SSI CEB LGA2011 Motherboard ($609.47 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($93.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($159.99 @ CompUSA)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($459.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($459.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos II (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($136.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $3039.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

idroid · Sep 20, 2012

idroid · Sep 20, 2012

arzbhatia :

*For this price range we recommend TRUE liquid coolers.

*Why woud you get an Asrock x79 Extreme 11 with only 2 GPUs??? that motherboard is for 4GPUs and 4GPUs only.

*The vertex 4 is superior to the Crucial M4

*The Cosmos II is very overrated and doesn't have much space for watercooling.

gov · Sep 20, 2012

Again, thank you for such awesome responses, this is more than I expected. I'm going to go through these and I'll keep you updated.

bigcyco1 · Sep 20, 2012

gov :

Sounds good i will be around tomorrow to answer any questions as i am sure others will be as well.

Why_Me · Sep 20, 2012

gov :

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/552?vs=551 <------ Intel Core i7 3930K - 3.2GHz vs Intel Core i7 3770K - 3.5GHz

Take a look at that page and look at the gaming benches (middle of that page on down) then take a look at the power consumption under load bench towards the bottom of that page. Now ask yourself what a $570 cpu gets you vs a $330 cpu or better yet a $230 cpu seeing how the 3570K runs pretty much dead even with the 3770K. Then google some benchmarks to see what the benefit is to running a third card on a single or even dual monitor set up vs a dual card set up. It's comparable to taking your money and setting it on fire hence the reason you would be hard pressed to find one legit site on the net that recommends a tri card set up.

idroid · Sep 20, 2012

Why_Me :

A 3930k is MUCH better than a 3770k/3570k for video editing/decoding/transcoding/encoding/rendering multitasking, media creation, Folding@home and keeping up with Tri and quad GPU setups.

I suppose that the OP will AT LEAST game on a 2560x1440 monitor... if he isn't then he is just wasting money because a ~1600$ rig can easily play any game and make it look butter smooth on a 120Hz 1080p monitor.

bigcyco1 · Sep 20, 2012

Why_Me :

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/552?vs=551 <------ Intel Core i7 3930K - 3.2GHz vs Intel Core i7 3770K - 3.5GHz

Take a look at that page and look at the gaming benches (middle of that page on down) then take a look at the power consumption under load bench towards the bottom of that page. Now ask yourself what a $570 cpu gets you vs a $330 cpu or better yet a $230 cpu seeing how the 3570K runs pretty much dead even with the 3770K. Then google some benchmarks to see what the benefit is to running a third card on a single or even dual monitor set up vs a dual card set up. It's comparable to taking your money and setting it on fire hence the reason you would be hard pressed to find one legit site on the net that recommends a tri card set up.

:lol: +1

Why_Me · Sep 20, 2012

idroid :

What's the title of this thread? I don't see anything about a professional video editing / CAD / rendering on there. What I see is: High-end Gaming Rig Advice - Budget up to $4000

As far as the 2560x1440 resolution...it looks nice but tell me one competitive gamer that plays FPS that doesn't use a 120Hz monitor if it's in their budget. I'm not talking RPG's where people go in for magic fairy dust or transgender elves, but FPS where people want to put a bullet through the opposing players head. That's 120Hz right there. The 3930K might as well come with a tube of K-Y Lube. There's suckers who don't read the benches, and they usually stick to their RPG/MMOPRG ..whatever they call those games, and then there's FPS gamers who have a clue. Those gamers don't care if their case is a cardboard box, as long as they are maxing out their FPS and everything is smooth.

idroid · Sep 20, 2012

Why_Me :

hahahahaha buddy i like you! i hate RPG games as well, god i just don't understand how someone can spend 7 hours a day sitting in front of a freaking PC playing a "game" that is based on raising a character.

bigcyco1 · Sep 20, 2012

Why_Me :

What's the title of this thread? I don't see anything about a professional video editing / CAD / rendering on there. What I see is: High-end Gaming Rig Advice - Budget up to $4000

As far as the 2560x1440 resolution...it looks nice but tell me one competitive gamer that plays FPS that doesn't use a 120Hz monitor if it's in their budget. I'm not talking RPG's where people go in for magic fairy dust or transgender elves, but FPS where people want to put a bullet through the opposing players head. That's 120Hz right there. The 3930K might as well come with a tube of K-Y Lube. There's suckers who don't read the benches, and they usually stick to their RPG/MMOPRG ..whatever they call those games, and then there's FPS gamers who have a clue. Those gamers don't care if their case is a cardboard box, as long as they are maxing out their FPS and everything is smooth.

magic fairy dust or transgender elves :lol: :lol: :lol:

idroid · Sep 20, 2012

bigcyco1 :

i lol'ed really hard at that :lol:

i know i am on a tech forum and most people here are what you would normally call a nerd but i just hate the kind of people who sit in front of their PCs 8 hours a day playing a boring-ass game while getting fatter and fatter and developing a chronic masturbation disorder.

Why_Me · Sep 20, 2012

idroid :

Sorry if I came off like a dick on here. Toms did a review with the 1155 (SB) x8 & x8 vs the NF200 Bridge (SB w x16 & x16) vs 1336 set up with x16 & x16. The 1336 lagged in third, and the NF200 set up ran pretty much dead even with the less expensive x8 & x8 set up. After that review the sales of the spendy boards with the NF200 bridges dropped like a rock.

Why_Me · Sep 20, 2012

bigcyco1 :

Nothing against those players.....the WoW type gamers it's just that if I can't race it, blow it up, or put a bullet through it's head then I don't want to play it. I mean I broke in playing Duke Nukem way back in the day and went strait to UT97 and then Tactical Ops which was a UT mod FPS that was like Counter Strike on crack. It's gotta be fast paced or it totally sucks imo. Even BF3 is like taking a bunch of downers tbh. It's just too slow for me. Give me a Glock, MP5 or a sniper rifle and I'm off to the races. Nothing beats killing someone over and over and over in a map and then spamming them so bad that they get butt hurt and leave the map. That's what it's all about right there.

bigcyco1 · Sep 20, 2012

Why_Me :

Nothing against those players.....the WoW type gamers it's just that if I can't race it, blow it up, or put a bullet through it's head then I don't want to play it. I mean I broke in playing Duke Nukem way back in the day and went strait to UT97 and then Tactical Ops which was a UT mod FPS that was like Counter Strike on crack. It's gotta be fast paced or it totally sucks imo. Even BF3 is like taking a bunch of downers tbh. It's just too slow for me. Give me a Glock, MP5 or a sniper rifle and I'm off to the races. Nothing beats killing someone over and over and over in a map and then spamming them so bad that they get butt hurt and leave the map. That's what it's all about right there.

i agree

idroid · Sep 20, 2012

Why_Me :

gov · Sep 20, 2012

Just for the record, I actively play every type of game but FPS are my favorite and 'magic fairy dust or transgender elves' had me laughing for a good minute.

The information Why_Me provided is hard to go against and I have to agree with him when it comes to tri-sli. With that said I'm also getting one:

BenQ XL2420T Black-Red 24" 5ms (2ms GTG) HDMI Widescreen Height & Pivot Adjustable LED-Backlit 120Hz 3D-Ready LCD Monitor 350 cd/m2 DC 12M:1 (1000:1)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014270

as I don't plan on gaming on more than one screen, also that monitor is awesome and I've yet to play on one of that quality.

Essentially I'm going with the build Why_Me suggested with an extra order of the RAM. I still have my heart set on a water-cooling system, I'm going off of idriod's suggestion for the case and cooling system itself. So, it comes down to:

- Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1053942

- ASRock Z77 Extreme6 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1032178

- x2 Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model 997015
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226245

- x2 MSI N670 PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685

- XFX PRO750W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80Plus 750 Watt Power Supply (Silver)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IUVYA2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

- Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache Internal Desktop Hard Drive Bulk/OEM - WD1002FAEX
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036Q7MV0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

- SAMSUNG 830 Series 2.5-Inch 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7PC256B/WW
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077CR66A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

- Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive DRW-24B1ST (Black)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&smid=A1HNC035CZ2MR5

- AZZA Fusion 3000 (CSAZ-3000) Black SECC ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811517018

I haven't done any research into water-cooling systems so that's my next step. One question for idroid, you listed two radiators, will I need two or are you just suggesting options?

Thanks again for all your input, my brain is fried from reading reviews so I'm off to bed.

High-end Gaming Rig Advice - Budget up to $4000

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