~1200-1300 Gaming build

noxangelus_

Honorable
Sep 29, 2012
3
0
10,510
I'm looking to build a new tower with a budget of $1200-1300. The primary purpose will be for gaming. I wasn't sure if sli in this price range is a viable option over a single card. I do plan on overclocking. I was debating on a Intel Core i5 ivy bridge over the i7. I haven't build a tower in ~4-5 years so I'm out of date on what current chip sets etc are better than others and so fourth. So I won't be hurt if you come up with a completely different list. Thanks for your time guys. I really appreciate it. :)

The following will give you an idea of what I'm looking at:

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x ...
EVGA 02G-P4-3660-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC ...
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9Q-16GBXL
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 2011 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80619i73820
SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256B/WW 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
 
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Tower-Computer-RC-922M-KKN3-GP/dp/B0026FCI2U/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348898667&sr=1-5 $93.89 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master HAF 922 Mid Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0 Ports (RC-922M-KKN3-GP)

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-PRO750W-Semi-Modular-80Plus-Supply/dp/B005IUVYA2/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348898998&sr=1-3 $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.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/Cooler-Master-Hyper-120mm-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348898432&sr=1-3&keywords=CPU%2Bcooler $27.99 & 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=N82E16820231544 $38.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-8GAO

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SH-222BB-BEBE-Internal-Software/dp/B006B7R9PU/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348898517&sr=1-2 $20.33 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE 22X SATA DVDRW Internal Drive (Black), Bulk without Software

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077CR66A/ref=s9_hps_bw_g147_ir01?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-8&pf_rd_r=133BRT8MS6QADS8ETPXS&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1353701242&pf_rd_i=193870011 $195.77 & 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.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-WINDFORCE-PCI-Express-Graphics-GV-N670WF2-2GD/dp/B008LZKLF0/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348894087&sr=1-2&keywords=gigabyte+gtx+670 $399.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping | Price after rebate: $379.99
GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 670 WINDFORCE 2X OC Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express 3.0 2x DVI/HDMI/DP SLI Ready Graphics Card GV-N670WF2-2GD

Total: $1,225.24 *not including shipping & rebates


http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_bxgy_pc_text_z $90.77 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-WINDFORCE-PCI-Express-Graphics-GV-N66TOC-2GD/dp/B008UG2W20/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348900276&sr=1-1&keywords=gigabyte+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 1344


http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-ATX12V-CrossFire-Certified-CP-9020015-NA/dp/B008RJZQSW/ref=sr_1_16?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348893800&sr=1-16 $75.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair CX Series CX750 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80PLUS BRONZE Certified Power Supply CP-9020015-NA

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171646 $79.99 FREE SHIPPING
SanDisk SDSSDP-128G-G25 2.5" 128GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Cache-Desktop/dp/B00461G3MS/ref=sr_1_7?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348901218&sr=1-7 $65.52 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive - WD5000AAKX
 

Kamen_BG

Distinguished
This is what i think you should get.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 2.0 Performer 81.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($67.99 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Performance ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($387.86 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.81 @ Amazon)
Total: $1280.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Compared to your build it has more graphics power and will actually work(You should have used a X79 Motherboard with that CPU).
It has less ram which will NOT affect performance in a bad way.
It uses both a SSD and a HDD which gives you a lot more storage space.
It's much more overclockable due to the included water cooler.Also the included Sandy Bridge CPU superior both Sandy Bridge-E (non K) and Ivy Bridge once overclocked.

Now on to the cons.
A much smaller case which admittedly doesn't look as pretty.
Less RAM (5-10% worse performance in image editing applications such as photoshop)
Less Efficient, non modular power supply.

If you're willing to accept these cons then this PC will be a better choice for you compared to the PC you built and the one by BigFatTroll.
 
Solution

noxangelus_

Honorable
Sep 29, 2012
3
0
10,510
Everyone thanks for the quick replies. Is there a large difference in the GTX 670 and HD 7970 or are they about the same performance? I forgot to mention I don't need a OS figured in. I already have a few unused copies laying around at home. I have a 1TB drive already that I'll throw in for storage from another machine. With that extra ~150 would you change anything else?

Thanks again.

 

zared619

Distinguished
Sep 9, 2012
966
0
19,160

There isn't a huge difference between teh 670 and the 7970, but the 670 does a little better in most games in resolutions around 1920X1080. The 7970 edges ahead at really high res.