Advice for Gaming PC Building

[PiLoKo]

Hi!, in all these days Ive spend reading and researching Ive come across this forums hundreds of time always with great info, so I figured that whenever I have choosen the Hardware I would come and ask for advice =)

This is the Hardware Conf. I have choosen for my future Gaming PC, I´d like you to take a look at it and give me some advice about it

Fist of all, this PC is about $1670 whereas my budget is arround 1900 and I still need to add some ther stuff, being the pricest one the Monitor (Gaming Monitors go for arroud $350 as far as Ive Research), so I´d like you to tell me if Im going a little Overkill on some points and if exanging a component may help with price without taking away to much performance.

I May say the primary use for this will be Starcraft II while Streaming, its actually the goal of the PC togheter with some fan-Photoshop

I´d really like to keep the chassis although I know is quite expensive, I just love it.


- - - Prices from Amazon - - -


Thermaltake Level 10 GT - $249.99
http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1341&ID=2039


Intel Core i7-3770K - $324.98


The Hydro Series H100 $119.99 - I think is a no brainer, given the problems of liquid cooling and a rookie like me, this is by far the best choice, and EASY.
http://www.corsair.com/en/cpu-cooling-kits/hydro-series-water-cooling-cpu-cooler/hydro-series-h100-extreme-performance-liquid-cpu-cooler.html


ASUS P8Z77-V DELUXE LGA - $267.17 - Im more of an OC Virgin, but I want to learn, and as this MB auto-OCs I think is a good Start
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z77V_DELUXE/


ASUS GTX660 Ti Series 2GB $299.99 - I tried to find an ATI alternative and failed hard, ASUS is reliable as far as I know but you may know best
http://www.amazon.com/GTX660-Series-Video-Graphics-TI-DC2-2GD5/dp/B008TO35EW/ref=pd_sim_e_3


Corsair DOMINATOR Platinum Series 16 GB (4 x 4 GB) DDR3 DRAM 1866MHz $154.99 - Maybe can use 8 Ram? Or a Lower End Model
http://www.corsair.com/en/dominator-platinum-with-corsair-link-connector-1-5v-16-gb-dual-channel-ddr3-memory-kit-cmd16gx3m4a2133c9.html


Corsair 60 GB Force Series 3 SATA III 6Gb/s $69.99
http://www.corsair.com/en/ssd/force-series-3-ssd/force-series-3-60gb-sata-3-6gbps-solid-state-hard-drive-cssd-f60gb3a-bk.html


WD Caviar Black 1 TB SATA $103.23 - There are cheaper HDDs but dont know enough to tell the difference
http://wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=760


Corsair Enthusiast Series 650-Watt $77.99 - If I ever want to go dual GPU this will be just fit
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Enthusiast-Certified-Compatible-platforms/dp/B004LB5AZY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348788173&sr=1-1&keywords=Corsair+Enthusiast+Series+650-Watt


Ill heavely apreciate if you can help me with these, Id like not to expend that much on the PC and several of you may know where to cut.

 

[g-unit1111]

Wow, for gaming I'd completely ditch that whole build. The Dominator RAM is incredibly expensive and you should never pay that much for RAM when it doesn't do anything more than the lowest end models. The H100 is a cheap plastic toy compared to a real water cooler, the Level 10 is an overrated, poorly designed plastic monstrosity, and you won't use the 3770K to its' full extent on a gaming rig.

Try this for that kind of budget:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($192.86 @ 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 ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($449.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($179.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1760.75
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

That's how you spend $1750 on a gaming rig - better GPU, far less expensive RAM but still good quality, better case, better PSU, better SSD, more storage, stronger cooler, and even an OS license.

 

[Gallarian]

+1 ^

Tough, but true!

 

[ckholt83]

I would second most of G-Unit's suggestions, but you said you need to actually trim costs so you can buy a nice monitor, and I think there are a few ways to do that.

I actually have the Noctua NH-D14 in my build, and while it is truly a monster, I would suggest shaving off $70 to get a Coolermaster Hyper212+ instead. It is a tremendous performer for the price.

You definitely don't need a 7970 GHz edition for playing SCII. If you want to bump up a little from the 660 Ti, I wouldn't go past a GeForce 670 (comes with Borderlands 2 free) for $360. Otherwise, I think you could also step down to a vanilla 660 instead of the Ti and be just fine, which would save you $50.

I also think your original choice of Corsair 650W PSU is just fine and you should stick with that, but you can get it for $58 on newegg after rebate vs $78 on amazon.

There are about a million options for great cases and I would also suggest going with something other than the Thermtaltake, but if you absolutely love love love it, well then that's all there is to it. That's probably the biggest area where you can save some money though.

SSD is a tricky decision. It's more about convenience than performance as you go up in size, and it's up to you how much micro managing you want to do with your software. 60GB is not at a great price point currently, so I'd either do it as a cache drive or step up to a 120GB at least. I recently saw one on sale for $60, and they frequently hover around $80-90, so it's worth a few bucks to double the capacity.

 

[ckholt83]

More on drives:

Here's an Intel 120GB SSD for $95. Intel has a great reputation for SSD quality / reliability, so it might be worth spending the tiny bit extra to go with them.

You don't need a high performing WD Black for your general storage drive if you have an SSD to hold all your critical apps, so you can save both money and power by getting a 'green' drive such as this Seagate 1TB for $70

 

[ckholt83]

And here are some recommendations for different case options:

The Antec Lanboy has a modular design and a ton of cooling, plus a similar aesthetic to the Thermaltake Level 10 for $100 less. It comes in red too, but looks like that version is out of stock everywhere right now.

Corsair Carbide 500R for $90

The Antec Eleven Hundred has pretty amazing thermal performance for $100.

The NZXT Phantom 410 for $100 recently won an award in a case roundup here on Tomshardware I believe.

Rosewill Thor V2 gives you a lot of case for $130.

Coolermaster HAF XM for about $95. This is the little brother of the case I currently use, which I'm mostly pretty happy with. I've had some recurring problems with the 200mm fans starting to rattle after a matter of weeks/months though, and I'm not too happy about that. I've replaced 3 so far.

I recently helped a roommate build a PC using the $110 Coolermaster Storm Sniper, though I think he paid $150 for it at the time. I was really impressed with it, despite being angry at CM over the fans in my HAF X.


And really, that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are tons of cases out there to choose from.

 

[PiLoKo]

Tnxs a lot so far, basicly g-unit opened my eyes, while ckholt83 go more in the line of what I wanted, gonna check it and made some changes.

 

[ckholt83]

Sorry for all the posts, I should have just written one big one, but I keep thinking of more to add.

I also just noticed that there's a promotion going on Newegg for 8GB of RAM free when you buy certain Z77 motherboards, such as the Asrock Z77 Extreme4, which also just won a roundup on Toms if I recall.

So, with that in mind, here's a list using a mix of my recommendations combined with some from G-unit:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($142.86 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Green 1TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 330 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($95.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VN10001W2N ATX Full Tower Case ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1240.76
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)


That comes out to around $1200 when you factor in promo codes and rebates, which leaves you tons of leeway to buy a nice monitor (or two) and peripherals, or to upgrade the video card to a GTX 670 and a larger capacity SSD. That's even using the Thermaltake Level 10, you could shave off another $150 easily by switching cases.

 

[g-unit1111]

More on drives:

Here's an Intel 120GB SSD for $95. Intel has a great reputation for SSD quality / reliability, so it might be worth spending the tiny bit extra to go with them.

You don't need a high performing WD Black for your general storage drive if you have an SSD to hold all your critical apps, so you can save both money and power by getting a 'green' drive such as this Seagate 1TB for $70

Intel SSDs are incredibly overrated - I had one and had nothing but problems with it.

The Antec Lanboy has a modular design and a ton of cooling, plus a similar aesthetic to the Thermaltake Level 10 for $100 less. It comes in red too, but looks like that version is out of stock everywhere right now.

The Lanboy is a good premise but not a good execution, there's better cases you can get on the market.

 

[ckholt83]

I concede on both counts. I've never used an Intel SSD myself, just heard that they're good. Samsung is also a popular choice from what I understand, albeit pricier.

I'd also be inclined to agree on the Lanboy, but I included it because it looks to have a lot of commonality with the Thermaltake Lvl10 (including the poor execution perhaps) for $100 less. Personally, I'd go with one of the other cases I linked to, or the NZXT Switch 810 that G-Unit picked out.

 

[g-unit1111]

I concede on both counts. I've never used an Intel SSD myself, just heard that they're good. Samsung is also a popular choice from what I understand, albeit pricier.

I'd also be inclined to agree on the Lanboy, but I included it because it looks to have a lot of commonality with the Thermaltake Lvl10 (including the poor execution perhaps) for $100 less. Personally, I'd go with one of the other cases I linked to, or the NZXT Switch 810 that G-Unit picked out.

I'm really not a fan of the design of the Level 10 - there's way too much cheap plastic in the thing and I've never been a fan of the exterior.

But as far as SSDs go the reason why I say Intel SSDs are overrated is because of the Sandforce 2.1 controller - pretty much any drive that uses that controller is guaranteed to run into BSODs, Windows errors, installation errors, that sort of thing. Any drive based on Marvell controller - and those are the Crucial M4, Samsung 830, and Plextor PX-M3 and M5S are way better and more stable. And then there's drives based on the Toshiba Toggle NAND controller like the Sandisk, Corsair Neutron, and a couple of others I can't think of right now but those are all really good as well - they're the fastest on the market and very stable at that.