Building First Gaming/Rendering PC ($1600-$1850 budget)

[GoofTheCar63]

Hi guys, I'm new to the world of computers and PC's, coming from consoles, and to be honest, I'm glad I made the switch, after all the research I've done.

I'm planning to build my own Gaming/Video Rendering PC. I'm also going to be doing web browsing, Youtube, video/music streaming etc. I'm on a $1600-$1850 budget in hardware (including OS). I want to play games like BF3, Skyrim, Crysis, Metro 2033 etc. maxed out at around 45-55 fps avg. minimum. I've come up with two different builds, and I need your help in deciding what will be better performance wise, and for the money.

I'm in the United States. Troy, Michigan

I plan to OC my CPU, not sure if I'll OC my GPU.....
I'm only playing on one monitor, at 1920x1080 resolution, everything maxed out.

Any other questions for me please ask them below.

Anyway, on with the builds!

Build 1 (Ivy Bridge/ATI Build):
Case: Coolermaster HAF 932 ($160)
CPU: i7-3770K Ivy Bridge ($330)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 Liquid Cooler ($66)
GPU: XFX DD HD 7970 Black Edition ($440)
Optical Drive: ASUS Dvd Burner ($20)
HDD: WD Caviar Black 2TB HDD 7200RPM ($180)
SSD: OCZ Agility 120GB SSD ($90)
PSU: Corsair HX Series 850W Modular Power Supply 80+GOLD ($175)
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 16GB (8GBX2) ($95)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 ($150)
OS: Win7 Home Premium 64-bit ($100)
Total: $1806

Build 2 (Sandy Bridge/nVidia Build):
Case: Coolermaster HAF X ($187)
CPU: i7-2600K Sandy Bridge ($285)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 Liquid Cooler ($66)
GPU: EVGA GTX680 FTW 2GB ($408)
Optical Drive: ASUS DVD Burner ($20)
HDD: WD Caviar Black 2TB HDD 7200RPM ($180)
SSD: OCZ Agility 120GB SSD ($90)
PSU: Coolermaster Silent Pro Gold Series 800W Modular 80+GOLD ($160)
RAM: Corsair Vengance 16GB (8GBX2) ($86)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 ($150)
OS: Win7 Home Premium 64-bit ($100)
Total: $1732

Which build would be better and more effective for gaming on ultra settings and video rendering. If you think there are any positive changes that could be made to either build, or if you have completely different build suggestions, then PLEASE leave them below (no more than $1850 including OS please). And again, if there are any questions for me, please ask them, as I realize this post is kinda vague.

Preferred Site for Parts: Newegg/Amazon

Thanks in advance,
GoofTheCar63

 

[devilofdeaths]

build 1 always because you video render so both the i7 ivy bridge and the 7970 are what is best and the will get great fps in games as well

 

[Why_Me]

You want Windows Professional seeing how Windows Home Premium only allows for 16GB of RAM and would leave you no way to add more RAM in the future. Also that Asus z77 Lk isn't known for it's over clocking ability. No need for that H60.


Here's a few components to have a look at.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Computer-X-Dock-RC-922XM-KKN1/dp/B007Q7EG7I/ref=sr_1_9?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348435360&sr=1-9 $109.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master HAF XM Mid Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0 Ports and X-Dock (RC-922XM-KKN1)

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-MegaFlow-Computer-R4-LUS-07AR-GP/dp/B002LE8BJA/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348435498&sr=1-2&keywords=Cooler+Master+MegaFlow+200mm+Black $14.48 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master MegaFlow 200mm Red LED Computer Case Fan (R4-LUS-07AR-GP)

http://www.amazon.com/Seasonic-M12II-850-BRONZE-Power-Supply/dp/B00607JNIM/ref=sr_1_14?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348434233&sr=1-14 $139.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Seasonic M12II-850 BRONZE ATX 850 Power Supply (semi - modular)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1032654 $249.98 save: $20.00 FREE SHIPPING
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1057749 $395.98 save: $13.00 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
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Cache-Desktop-Drive/dp/B0088PUEPK/ref=sr_1_13?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348251766&sr=1-13 $84.79 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Western Digital 1 TB WD Blue SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-120mm-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348435138&sr=1-1&keywords=CPU%2Bcooler $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.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-2-5-Inch-Solid-SDSSDX-240G-G25/dp/B006EKJ8UI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348434934&sr=1-1&keywords=sandisk+240gb+ssd $185.86 & 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

or...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077CR66A/ref=s9_hps_bw_g147_ir02?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-8&pf_rd_r=11JVQBWR4EH9V5M6C4DZ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1353701242&pf_rd_i=193870011 $196.83 & 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