Need Help!! Gaming/Recording/Editing PC under $1200

[chichagof]

Hey everyone,

I've made a few threads but haven't been to sure of the suggestions, so I've started my final thread to make my decisions. I have everything except the video card/motherboard/memory picked out.

I'm leaning towards the GTX670, which is a bit pricey, but possibly worth it?

i'd love to hear your opinions/suggestions, especially if it will save me some cash!

Approximate Purchase Date: Christmas-ish

Budget Range: 1000-1200

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Recording gaming vids, Editing, Surfing, movies, music.

Are you buying a monitor: Yes, and if i could fit one into the budget that would be great, but I have a few that i've got an eye on


Parts to Upgrade: Everything

Do you need to buy OS: Yes, I've included that in my price

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: instore/newegg/amazon or anywhere that ships to CA

Location: Los Angeles

Parts Preferences: Nvidia/Intel (can be swayed)

Overclocking: Maybe, if it seems easy to do with my budget

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe, in the future...

Your Monitor Resolution: Going to be buying a 1080p 120hz Monitor

Additional Comments: Playing BF3, Skyrim, Borderlands 2, PlanetSide 2 Beta

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I want a sweet gaming PC that will allow me to record game footage without breaking too much of a sweat. I used to edit and render on a dual core processor, and I was okay with how much time it took, so I assume i'll be okay with i5 performance on that front.

Parts:

Case
Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case - Antec
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GQMHBI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Power Supply
Corsair CX Series CX750 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Power Supply CP-9020015-NA - Corsair
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008RJZQSW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Processor
Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I53570K - Intel
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007SZ0E1K/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Storage
SAMSUNG 830 Series 2.5-Inch 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Desktop Upgrade Kit MZ-7PC256D/AM - Samsung
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005T3GQ0G/ref=ox_sc_act_title_8?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

+

Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache Internal Desktop Hard Drive Bulk/OEM - WD1002FAEX - Western Digital
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036Q7MV0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Motherboard
??????????

Memory
??????????

Video Card
??????????

any and all suggestions are appreciated!

is the SSD I picked overkill?
will the case cut it?

I want to have the most cost effective, beastly machine possible!

 

[TheBigTroll]

if you are buying in the chirstmas season, you should post then and not now. component recommendations change according to prices

 

[chichagof]

if you are buying in the chirstmas season, you should post then and not now. component recommendations change according to prices

christmas is a worst case scenario. i'm trying to get ideas for the best buys right now, and if it works out I will purchase asap.

 

[TheBigTroll]

well then you could wait for black friday or cyber monday. right now isnt quite the best time to buy but you can still get decent deals

 

[Why_Me]

You want the Antec Three Hundred Two from Amazon, and not the one you have up there. The three hundred two is larger and gives you room for a decent sized video card and cpu heat sink along with front 3.0 USB ports. Also California doesn't get tax breaks using Amazon since last week (Sept. 15th), so you might as well look at some Newegg combo's to save a few dollars.


http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Three-Hundred-Two-Gaming/dp/B006TVQTHW/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348502228&sr=1-5 $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Antec Three Hundred Two Gaming Case, Black

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-80PLUS-Certified-Modular-CP-9020015-NA/dp/B008RJZQSW/ref=sr_1_24?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1346646210&sr=1-24 $86.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair CX 750 Watts 80PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V/EPS12V Power Supply CP-9020015-NA

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1066148 $336.98 save: $13.00
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
ASRock Z77 Extreme3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005O65JXI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=A2EUTVCJXLAJ4K $32.08 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186 $38.99 FREE SHIPPING
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9

http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-GH24NS90B-Super-Internal/dp/B00632SB2I/ref=pd_cp_pc_1 $17.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
LG Electronics GH24NS90B 24 X SATA Super Multi DVD+/-RW Internal Drive - Bulk without Software - Black

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-2-5-Inch-Solid-SDSSDX-240G-G25/dp/B006EKJ8UI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348478248&sr=1-1&keywords=sandisk+240+gb+ssd $180.00 + $0.00 shipping
SanDisk Extreme SSD 240 GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SDSSDX-240G-G25

http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-WINDFORCE-PCI-Express-Graphics-GV-N66TOC-2GD/dp/B008UG2W20/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348479966&sr=1-4&keywords=gtx+660+ti $299.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 660 Ti WINDFORCE 2X OC Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express 3.0 2x DVI / HDMI / DP SLI Ready Graphics Card Graphics Cards GV-N66TOC-2GD
Core Clock: 1032MHz
Boost Clock: 1111MHz

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_z $90.70 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

Total: $1,110.64 *not including shipping & rebates


http://www.amazon.com/HD7870-DC2-2GD5-DisplayPort-Utilities-PCI-Express-Graphics/dp/B007JLFVNO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348502633&sr=1-1&keywords=7870 $249.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
ASUS HD7870-DC2-2GD5 Radeon 2GB DDR5 VGA/DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort GPU Tweak Utilities PCI-Express 3.0 Graphics Card HD7870-DC2-2GD5


http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.us.asp?Model=Z77%20Extreme3 <----- another look at that Asrock board up above


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254091 $119.99 FREE SHIPPING
Hanns-G HL229DPB Black 21.5" 5ms Widescreen LED Monitor 250 cd/m2 Active Contrast 30,000,000:1 (1000:1) Built-in Speakers

 

[chichagof]

You want the Antec Three Hundred Two from Amazon, and not the one you have up there. The three hundred two is larger and gives you room for a decent sized video card and cpu heat sink along with front 3.0 USB ports. Also California doesn't get tax breaks using Amazon since last week (Sept. 15th), so you might as well look at some Newegg combo's to save a few dollars.


http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Three-Hundred-Two-Gaming/dp/B006TVQTHW/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348502228&sr=1-5 $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Antec Three Hundred Two Gaming Case, Black

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-80PLUS-Certified-Modular-CP-9020015-NA/dp/B008RJZQSW/ref=sr_1_24?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1346646210&sr=1-24 $86.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair CX 750 Watts 80PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V/EPS12V Power Supply CP-9020015-NA

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1066148 $336.98 save: $13.00
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
ASRock Z77 Extreme3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005O65JXI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=A2EUTVCJXLAJ4K $32.08 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186 $38.99 FREE SHIPPING
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9

http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-GH24NS90B-Super-Internal/dp/B00632SB2I/ref=pd_cp_pc_1 $17.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
LG Electronics GH24NS90B 24 X SATA Super Multi DVD+/-RW Internal Drive - Bulk without Software - Black

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-2-5-Inch-Solid-SDSSDX-240G-G25/dp/B006EKJ8UI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348478248&sr=1-1&keywords=sandisk+240+gb+ssd $180.00 + $0.00 shipping
SanDisk Extreme SSD 240 GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SDSSDX-240G-G25

http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-WINDFORCE-PCI-Express-Graphics-GV-N66TOC-2GD/dp/B008UG2W20/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348479966&sr=1-4&keywords=gtx+660+ti $299.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 660 Ti WINDFORCE 2X OC Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express 3.0 2x DVI / HDMI / DP SLI Ready Graphics Card Graphics Cards GV-N66TOC-2GD
Core Clock: 1032MHz
Boost Clock: 1111MHz

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_z $90.70 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

Total: $1,110.64 *not including shipping & rebates


http://www.amazon.com/HD7870-DC2-2GD5-DisplayPort-Utilities-PCI-Express-Graphics/dp/B007JLFVNO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348502633&sr=1-1&keywords=7870 $249.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
ASUS HD7870-DC2-2GD5 Radeon 2GB DDR5 VGA/DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort GPU Tweak Utilities PCI-Express 3.0 Graphics Card HD7870-DC2-2GD5


http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.us.asp?Model=Z77%20Extreme3 <----- another look at that Asrock board up above


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254091 $119.99 FREE SHIPPING
Hanns-G HL229DPB Black 21.5" 5ms Widescreen LED Monitor 250 cd/m2 Active Contrast 30,000,000:1 (1000:1) Built-in Speakers

a few questions for you...

Why the change in SSD? Is the sandisk as reliable as the 830? I want to keep my storage pretty much where I have it, with a 250ish gig SSD for OS and programs, and another HDD for file storage.

Also, at this price point, is the 660ti really the best I can do? I'm confident i can add another 100 dollars to possibly get something along the lines of a 670 or a 7970, i just see so much debate and no real answers.

will I be able to play games at 1080p and record the footage to edit later easily?

also i meant to post this SSD:

http://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-7PC256B-WW/dp/B0077CR66A/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348543959&sr=1-1&keywords=SAMSUNG+830+Series+2.5-Inch+256GB

as i will not need to transfer any previous data over. this is a fresh build.

 

[Why_Me]

a few questions for you...

Why the change in SSD? Is the sandisk as reliable as the 830? I want to keep my storage pretty much where I have it, with a 250ish gig SSD for OS and programs, and another HDD for file storage.

Also, at this price point, is the 660ti really the best I can do? I'm confident i can add another 100 dollars to possibly get something along the lines of a 670 or a 7970, i just see so much debate and no real answers.

will I be able to play games at 1080p and record the footage to edit later easily?

also i meant to post this SSD:

http://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-7PC256B-WW/dp/B0077CR66A/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348543959&sr=1-1&keywords=SAMSUNG+830+Series+2.5-Inch+256GB

as i will not need to transfer any previous data over. this is a fresh build.

Both those SSD's are solid, I just went for price point seeing how you had your budget listed as $1,000 - $1,200 so I split the difference. If you can fit in a GTX 670 I would go for it. That card rocks.

As far as the 1920 x 1080 monitor goes...that's the most common resolution today (1080P and movies ftw). I would say with confidence that 99% of the builds on here are that resolution and so are most of your monitors on newegg, amazon, etc....

 

[chichagof]

Both those SSD's are solid, I just went for price point seeing how you had your budget listed as $1,000 - $1,200 so I split the difference. If you can fit in a GTX 670 I would go for it. That card rocks.

As far as the 1920 x 1080 monitor goes...that's the most common resolution today (1080P and movies ftw). I would say with confidence that 99% of the builds on here are that resolution and so are most of your monitors on newegg, amazon, etc....

i'm confident i can play the games at that resolution, i'm more concerned about being able to mantain performance while recording