$1100 His and Hers Gaming Machines

[warmwaterpenguin]

Hi guys,

I'm a relative noob with this stuff, but I wanted to know if the following build makes sense:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/iZir

I'm looking at buying two rigs like this if it makes sense, one for me and one for the missus. As time goes on, I'll move the SSD, RAM, and video card from one rig into the other and replace them with newer components in the rig I cannibalize.

I plan to use it primarily for gaming, though I tacked a big drive on for file storage. I want to be able to dabble in overclocking, though it won't be anything ambitious since this would be my first time.

Tell me if there's anything stupid here or any opportunities to save some cash. <3

- i5 3570k
- Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
- Asus P8Z77-V LK
- G.Skill Ares 2x8GB DDR3-1600
- Seagate Barracuda Green 1.5 TB
- OCZ Vertex 4 128 GB
- GTX 480
- Azza Hurrican 2000R
- Cooler Master Silent Pro M 700W

Thanks in advance, everyone!

 

[loresr97]

Here you go http://pcpartpicker.com/p/iZtH

 

[loresr97]

Wait, I didn't put a SSD. Here it is, also a bigger case -> http://pcpartpicker.com/p/iZvp

 

[warmwaterpenguin]

What's the advantage of the Caviar Black over the Barracuda Green? Is it just a more reliable drive?

 

[warmwaterpenguin]

Also, I'm probably going to totally betray my utter noobishness here, but in the research I've done it looked like the GTX 480 benched higher than the Radeon 7870, got more mileage out of SLI-ing (like I eventually will), and cost a bit less? Or am I totally wrong? =/

 

[loresr97]

Well I don't really know about the HDD thing, but I put in the Radeon 7870 because it's a good one, don't really know about the 480.

 

[aznshinobi]

There is no possible way the GTX 480 benched higher than the 7870... The GTX 480 is the equivalent of a hotter GTX 570 and the 7870 beats the crap out of the 570. Especially in efficiency of Temp+Power Consumption per performance:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/548?vs=518

Per your build I think you could get more out of it. You definitely don't need 16GB of ram.

As for the build, check out my $1000 build here:
http://www.squidoo.com/electronicandmore#module147312351
You'll spend SLIGHTLY more but get WAY more performance from the GPU (7950), and you'll still get a PSU that is modular and just as good providing more watts as well. You get a better SSD and a motherboard providing the same performance for less.

7950 vs GTX 570 (as it is the 480 equivalent): http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/550?vs=518
Killed in everyway and that's before overclocking.

 

[warmwaterpenguin]

Is the Asrock Extreme4 better than the Asus P8Z77-V LK?

And how much should I worry about heat? I have to admit, I'm a little paranoid about overheating, since that seems to be what's killing my (admittedly old) current rig. I guess that's another good argument against the GTX 480

 

[aznshinobi]

With current chips like the i5 3570K and any of the newer GPUs, little to none. Mostly none at all.

The Asrock Extreme3 Z77, I specified, is pretty much equivalent to the P8Z77-V LK in performance. No motherboard can really be LARGELY better than another when they both use the same chipset/etc. You're not going to see a large deviation in real life performance going with a cheaper motherboard than another.

I showed you benches by the way, and the 480/570 was crushed. I don't see how it could even be considered.

 

[xiinc37]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820147096

Definitely go with this for memory. It can be oc'd to 1866 9-9-9-24 on the stock volts of 1.35v, and up to 2200-2400 with voltage increases. Plus it's cheap and really low profile so they will never be in the way of your cpu cooler.

 

[warmwaterpenguin]

With current chips like the i5 3570K and any of the newer GPUs, little to none. Mostly none at all.

The Asrock Extreme3 Z77, I specified, is pretty much equivalent to the P8Z77-V LK in performance. No motherboard can really be LARGELY better than another when they both use the same chipset/etc. You're not going to see a large deviation in real life performance going with a cheaper motherboard than another.

I showed you benches by the way, and the 480/570 was crushed. I don't see how it could even be considered.

Was primarily considering the 480 on the low pricepoint, not disputing your benches =)

 

[Why_Me]

Was primarily considering the 480 on the low pricepoint, not disputing your benches =)

The 480 is an out dated old school heat producing power hog. Your looking at a 850+w psu to safely push two of them in SLI. Also those Azziza cases aren't all that and try to stay away from CM psu's.


http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Three-Hundred-Two-Gaming/dp/B006TVQTHW/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1349029731&sr=1-6 $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Antec Three Hundred Two Gaming Case, Black

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/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/Lite-On-Super-AllWrite-Layer-Drive/dp/B002YIG9AQ/ref=pd_cp_e_2 $17.99 Free Standard Shipping (3-5 days)
Lite-On Super AllWrite 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive - Bulk - IHAS124-04 Version C (Black)

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/Gigabyte-PCI-Express-Displayport-Graphics-GV-N660OC-2GD/dp/B00942TK8I/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348900476&sr=1-2&keywords=gigabyte+gtx+660 $229.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 OC 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express 3.0 DVI-I/DVI-D/HDMI/Displayport SLI Ready Graphics Card GV-N660OC-2GD
Core Clock 1032MHz
Boost Clock 1344

Total: $849.92 *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/Sapphire-Radeon-GDDR5-Graphics-11199-03-20G/dp/B007JCNOY6/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1349054319&sr=1-2&keywords=7870 $249.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping | Price after rebate: $234.99
Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHZ OC 2 GB GDDR5 Graphics Card (11199-03-20G)

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/MSI-R7950-TWIN-FROZR-3GD5/dp/B007NG3WR2/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1349054190&sr=1-2&keywords=7950 $321.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping | Price after rebate: $306.99
MSI AMD Radeon HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 DVI/HDMI/2xMini DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card R7950 TWIN FROZR 3GD5/OC

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

 

[aznshinobi]

^ Would disagree about the statement of CM PSUs. The PSU warmwater selected was just fine. CM Silent Pros are one of the better modular units out there. They are quiet and provide solid power. Older CM units aren't so great, the GX/Extreme series are examples. But the newer Silent Pros are pretty solid. Been running a Silent Pro 700M for 3 years now on my main rig. No issues and it's super silent.

 

[warmwaterpenguin]

Best answer selected by warmwaterpenguin.

 

[warmwaterpenguin]

Thanks guys =). I went with most of your suggestions, Why_Me. I opted to up our pricepoint a bit and got the 670 for video. I also went the the HAF 912 over the Antec, primarily for cord management and because the last time I build something (5 years ago), Cooler Master served me well.

I appreciate all the help, gents. And thanks aznshinobi for schooling me on the 480. Would have spent as much money keeping it cool as I saved on the pricepoint, and for inferior results.

 

[aznshinobi]

The 670 is even worse than the 7970...

Clock for clock the 7970 is better than the GTX 680
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/toxic-hd-7970-eyefinity-6gb,3264-3.html
Therefore better than the 670, the 7970 costs the same as the GTX 670, that should be noted.