First Time Build ~$1250 Gaming Rig

Doggman9

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May 6, 2012
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Approximate Purchase Date: Between now and Christmas

Budget Range: $1000-$1500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Programming, Surfing the Internet, Gaming, Watching Movies, College Level School Work

Are you buying a monitor: Yes
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg
Parts Preferences: Intel, EVGA, ASUS/Asrock, Corsair, SeaSonic
Overclocking: Yes
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: Atleast 1920x1080p, planning to get a 2nd screen either on purchase date or soon after

Current Build:
CPU: Intel i5 3570k
Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Pro 4 (CPU + Mobo Combo: $327)
GPU: EVGA GTX 660 Ti 2GB ($290)
Case: Corsair 300r Windowed ($90)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB low profile ($40)
PSU: SeaSonic M12II 620w ($90)
(Could I get away with the M12II 520w? I do not plan to SLI/CF.)
SSD: Crucial M4 128GB ($110)
Screen: ASUS VS229H-P 21.5" IPS LED 50,000,000 ASCR ($150)
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow ($70)
OS: Windows 7 or Windows 8
Optical Drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST ($20)

Total Price on Newegg (before OS): $1,167 + $27 shipping = $1,194

Games I will play: Starcraft 2, WoW, Diablo 3, LoL, GW2, Borderlands 2, and all future Blizzard titles.
Looking to be gamin' on 3-4 years down the road without upgrading anything except RAM, SDD size, and maybe the GPU.

Like the title says, this will be my first build so I wanted to run it by some people before I pull the trigger.
Opinions?

Updated Build (changes from suggestions):
GPU: EVGA GTX 670
PSU: SeaSonic M12II 520w
Screen: Added a 2nd screen
CPU Fan: Cooler Master Evo
Total Price: $1,450 + OS
 

Doggman9

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May 6, 2012
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Thanks for the reply.

I'll go with the M12II 520w then.

Why do you recommend the 7950 over the GTX 660 Ti? Will the 660 Ti not be up to the task of handling two screens? I could go for the 670 or 680 if need be... I have the funds but didn't want to pay for unneeded power.
 
Here my suggestion and if not no worries just trying to help you get best bang for your buck!But,if you rather not it's fine let me know and good luck!

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($449.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi Tower ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1359.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) add a monitor switch the 7970 to a 670 if you prefer http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423
 

assasin32

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Apr 23, 2008
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MS will probably go out and put Win8 out for a cheap price for students, college in particular just like how they did 7 so chances are you might be able to pick it up for $30-40. So if you were planning on buying the OS go that route.

For the price you can get a better or cheaper PSU but it will work. I personally go with a cheaper one but of same quality and use that extra money for another 8gb of ram, may help out if your doing programming and are a CS major (assuming you are if you mention college and programming in the same sentence). Could you get away with a 520w PSU, probably but I personally want more room to work with when your overclocking and stick with at least with 600w PSU to make sure I never tax the PSU, after all you may end up slowly adding things to the tower and over time it may not run as effeciently.

Beyond that come back here before you make your final purchase as there are always deals going on and they change so we can give you the current best deals at the time. So you get the best bang for your buck.
 

Kamen_BG

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There are quite a lot of things you can improve.Ill just build you another PC and compare them both.Also you didn't list a HDD so i'll still add one.

This is pretty much the best build you can do for 1500$.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Biostar TZ77XE3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.54 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Agility 4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($149.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($387.86 @ Newegg)
Case: Xigmatek ASGARD PRO (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: LG IPS231B-BN 23.0" Monitor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($92.11 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Razer RZ03-00390100-R3U1 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1393.39
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

This thing, when overclocked will play games with no problem in 2016.I guarantee you.



PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD80 (B3) ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Agility 4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($149.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Xigmatek ASGARD PRO (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: LG IPS231B-BN 23.0" Monitor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($92.11 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Razer RZ03-00390100-R3U1 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1296.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

And this is the second system.When overclocked, it's CPU will become faster than the one in the first build and the graphics card will be no more than 10% slower.It also has only 8GB RAM which is still a HUGE amount and you'll never need more than that for gaming.


And both of them are far superior to the build you made.Ill just point out their pros and cons.

Pros :
Better motherboards (No VRM overheating issue!)
Faster graphics cards with huge overclocking headroom
The first one has a superior power supply, compatable with SLI and CF
Both of them have got faster, higher capacity SSD's
They both use a monitor that is FAR superior to the one you listed.

CONS:
Cheaper case
More expensive
 

Doggman9

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May 6, 2012
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Hm so you think I need moar GPU power as well... 670 it is.

I've added the 670 in place of the 660 Ti and added a 2nd screen. I'm at $1,450 total + OS but I might be able to get the OS for free from my college.

Will the GTX 670 be able to push 1920x2160 well? Starcraft 2 match on one screen and itunes, mozilla, utorrent, and email on the other? Where would the bottleneck be in that situation, if any?
 

abbadon_34

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i've run 2 to 3 monitors for 10 years (with various other hardware of course), but only game on 1 (not including occasional test). From my experience, if 1 monitor for the game and 2nd/3rd other desktop apps non-game, all GPU power goes to game with little to no loss of performance
 

abbadon_34

Distinguished
yes

along as your only using 1 card (virtually any type) you should be fine, 2 can work with a little math

typically, biggest draw is video, followed by cpu. ram, storage drives, opitcal drives, add-in cards, peripherals, are almost inconsequential (2W here, 5W there, etc.) with the exception of server with multi-everything
 
Here is Guru3D's power supply recommendation:

GeForce GTX 670 - On your average system the card requires you to have a 500~550 Watt power supply unit.
GeForce GTX 670 2x SLI - On your average system the cards require you to have a 700 Watt power supply unit as minimum.
GeForce GTX 670 3x SLI - On your average system the cards require you to have a 850 Watt power supply unit as minimum.

Remember, if you are going to overclock the GPUs or processor, then we do recommend you purchase something with some more stamina. The minute you touch voltages on the CPU or GPUs, the power draw can rise real fast and extensively. Source: http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_670_2_and_3way_sli_review,4.html I personally would not run a 670 on your build with a 520W power supply i would go for something like this Antec HGC M 620W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371059
Seasonic made, 80Plus Bronze, modular, 48A of 12V power, 3 yr warranty
 

phenom90

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Jul 27, 2010
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$1250? why don't you take a look at these?

http://www.microcenter.com/product/354589/Core_i5_2500K_33GHz_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor
Core i5 2500K - $160

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130646
MSI Z77A-G43 - $100

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB CML8GX3M2A1600C9 - $40

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 - $20

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147163
SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128B/WW - $90

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162107
Galaxy 67NPH6DV5ZVX GeForce GTX 670 GC - $380

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194094
ENERMAX NAXN 82+ ENP650AWT B - $77

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146093
NZXT Phantom 410 CA-PH410-G1 - $100

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136247
LG DVD Burner 24X GH24NS90 - $18

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109191
Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 - $50

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - $100

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824260109
Dell S2340M - $190


total: $1325 after rebates excluding shipping...


you can change i5 3570k to i5 2500k since it provides same performance at cheaper price...

 

Doggman9

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May 6, 2012
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Hm I'll probably just get the 620w to be safe. Doesnt cost that much more...

@ohhgourami
What about the Microsoft sidewinder x4? What keyboard would you recommend?
 

ohhgourami

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Sep 6, 2011
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Do you need macro keys? Depends on the person, macro keys can be useful or completely useless.

Without macro keys, I'd recommend something like the Corsair K60 or CM Quickfire Pro.

Not sure what I'd recommend if you NEED macro keys though.

You should do some research on mechanical keyboards. Even the cheapest mechanical board makes the most expensive rubber dome board feel like crap.
 
Yeah keyboard all depends different strokes for different folks I personally prefer mechanical keyboards, but not everyone does.

For me, the Ducky Shining takes the cake - Backlit in red/green/blue/white, comes in red/brown/black/blue switches.

From there I would look at .CM Quickfire Pro,CM storm,Das or SteelSeries boards...

The Logitech G19 is pretty neat - I used to have one before I went to the Ducky Shining and having macros was a nice little feature.. The LCD screen was useful. Backlighting was mediocre and not needed but you could choose any color in the rainbow, which was nice.CM Quickfire Pro my cousin has it's dope i like it
 

ohhgourami

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Sep 6, 2011
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Agreed that the Ducky Shine is a great keyboard. I have both the Shine 1 and the new Shine 2 with green LED brown switches.

If the many nice mechanical boards I've tried, the Shine 2 is the nicest. Better than Filco and DAS in build quality and features.

I didn't want to initially recommend the Ducky as the price might seem a bit too steep for many. But...I think $150 for something you use everything second you spend on the computer is completely worth it.