$1200 Gaming build

[Jamesb57]

Changed it up a little
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.98 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($387.86 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.50 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($92.11 @ Amazon)
Total: $811.41
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
Seagate
Barracuda 1TB 7,200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - 84.99
CPU-Motherboard combo-264.98
OCZ Technology
Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 60GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive SSD)-44.99
Total-1220.54

 

[g-unit1111]

Get the TX650 over the CX600 but otherwise that all looks good to me!

Oh and make sure that Vengeance RAM is low profile.

 

[CaptainTom]

I am looking for help/suggestions/critiques on a gaming build.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.98 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Green 1TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($387.86 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($61.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($92.11 @ Amazon)
Total: $910.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Parts not on list
http://www.microcenter.com/product/388577/Core_i5_3570K_34GHz_LGA_1155_Processor] Intel Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz LGA 1155 Processor-$179.99
http://www.microcenter.com/product/387554/Z77_Extreme4_LGA_1155_Z77_ATX_Intel_Motherboard] ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard $84.99 with $50 dollar discount
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.aspx?sku=922468] OCZ Technology Vertex Plus R2 Series Series 60GB SATA 3Gb/s 2.5" Solid State Drive $29.99
For a grand total of $1216.52 after rebates
What do you guys think?

I have this cpu cooler for my i5-3570k and it can overclock as high as 4.5 GHz without any heat issues whatsoever.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Direct-Contact-RR-910-HTX3-G1/dp/B0028Y4S9K/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1350102828&sr=8-4&keywords=cpu+cooler

 

[g-unit1111]

I have this cpu cooler for my i5-3570k and it can overclock as high as 4.5 GHz without any heat issues whatsoever.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Direct-Contact-RR-910-HTX3-G1/dp/B0028Y4S9K/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1350102828&sr=8-4&keywords=cpu+cooler

The 212 Evo has a stronger fan than the TX3 does.

 

[CaptainTom]

The 212 Evo has a stronger fan than the TX3 does.

Ik and I can still oc as high as I want with a cheaper one...

 

[Guest]

Yes, I would get the 212 Evo, one of my friends has it, its a very good cooler for its 30$ price tag.

For the PSU, I would get either the TX650 or Seasonic M12II 620W. Both are great ...

 

[g-unit1111]

VERY solid start, although a few tweaks can be made (some have been touched on)
As mentioned get low profile vengeance
Get a higher wattage modular PSU ( Rosewill HIVE/Capstone 750w are PERFECT and come to mind right away)
Go for a 7200 rpm barracuda for the same price will perform much better
You can get a much better case for that price or less ( check out the corsair 400r, antec one, rosewill challenger)
Thats a nice price on the SSD however its very old (only Sata II) get atleast a sata III model (will be atleast twice as fast) ideally one of the following, OCZ Vertex4, Samsung 830, Intel 330, or Crucial m4

Oh I didn't catch that about the SSD - I'd go with a Vertex 4 or Samsung 830.

 

[Guest]

VERY solid start, although a few tweaks can be made (some have been touched on)
As mentioned get low profile vengeance
Get a higher wattage modular PSU ( Rosewill HIVE/Capstone 750w are PERFECT and come to mind right away)
Go for a 7200 rpm barracuda for the same price will perform much better
You can get a much better case for that price or less ( check out the corsair 400r, antec one, rosewill challenger)
Thats a nice price on the SSD however its very old (only Sata II) get atleast a sata III model (will be atleast twice as fast) ideally one of the following, OCZ Vertex4, Samsung 830, Intel 330, or Crucial m4

Haha most of the money went to the 400$ gpu.

 

[g-unit1111]

Haha most of the money went to the 400$ gpu.

As it should on a gaming rig.

 

[Jamesb57]

Changed it up a little
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.98 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($387.86 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.50 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($92.11 @ Amazon)
Total: $811.41
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
Seagate
Barracuda 1TB 7,200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - 84.99
CPU-Motherboard combo-264.98
OCZ Technology
Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 60GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive SSD)-44.99
Total-1220.54

 

[Jamesb57]

Also need help picking a case should I use the current one on the list http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156254 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147108 or any other case.

 

[CaptainTom]

Also need help picking a case should I use the current one on the list http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156254 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147108 or any other case.

Personally I don't understand why so many people get ATX cases. Unless you are doing triple SLI/crossfire, you don't need that much space. mATX boards and cases are usually cheaper, AND you save a ton of space.

 

[azeem40]

And they also heat up a lot more since there is less space for heat to escape. An ATX case with an mATX mobo is good, however.

 

[Jamesb57]

Ya also I plan on getting a graphics card that is nearly 300mm long so I need all the room I can get

 

[CaptainTom]

Ya also I plan on getting a graphics card that is nearly 300mm long so I need all the room I can get

LOL I have 2x6950's OC'd in crossfire right next to each other in the smallest mATX case I could find. Nothing overheats...

 

[Guest]

Yeah, but having more room to work with is always good...imho...

Get the rosewill challenger if you want an ATX case... more appealing look

 

[Jamesb57]

Best answer selected by Jamesb57.