$1200 gaming pc - Aus

[Vaisey]

Approximate Purchase Date: This week

Budget Range: $1200 AUD. Can go a little higher.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Would like to play games like BF3.

Are you buying a monitor: No

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: umart.com.au

Location: City, State/Region, Country - Gold Coast, Australia.

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: I would like to buy all the parts from umart.com.au so i would like if it was kept to this site within budget.

 

[redeemer]

http://pcpartpicker.com/au/p/ldYY

 

[blazorthon]

http://pcpartpicker.com/au/p/ldYY

That's not from the site that OP asked for (pcpartpicker doesn't have the right site).

OP:
Graphics: 2x Sapphire HD7870 OC 2G http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&bid=4&id2=248&sid=88453
CPU: i5-3570K: http://umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=13&bid=4&sid=92171
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=177&bid=4&sid=89398
Hard drive: 1TB WD10EZEX http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=129&bid=4&sid=96980
case: NZXT Tempest 210 Mid Tower http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=213&bid=4&sid=82921
PSU: Antec ATX EarthWatts 750W http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=140&bid=4&sid=54887
RAM: CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=153&bid=4&sid=71116
ODD: LG H24NS70 DVD+-RW http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=20&bid=4&sid=77704

Total is $1167

That's a no SSD build. Fitting in a great 120/128GB SSD would need another ~$100 or sacrificing in other components.

 

[excella1221]

^Good build, but won't it be better to just get a single powerful card instead?

 

[blazorthon]

^Good build, but won't it be better to just get a single powerful card instead?

No single GPU card can match the power of two 7870s in a stock versus stock nor an OC versus OC overall gaming performance comparison, so not necessarily.

 

[excella1221]

It also costs more so you basically get what you pay for.
It's also overkill for a single monitor 1080p setup, and gives him a chance to encounter micro-stuttering.

Though if he's using a 120Hz monitor, 2-way 7870 would be nice.

 

[blazorthon]

It also costs more so you basically get what you pay for.
It's also overkill for a single monitor 1080p setup, and gives him a chance to encounter micro-stuttering.

Though if he's using a 120Hz monitor, 2-way 7870 would be nice.

The two 7870s are priced together right with the 7970 GHz Edition despite having superior performance, so I have to disagree with you on pricing.

There's no such thing as overkill, at least not with modern, intensive games. You can always raise settings such as AA and more.

Micro-stutter is hardly existent with GCN Crossfire, especially as you go into the higher end models. Overclocking the 7870s cuts it down even further.

I'm not saying that it's a perfect solution, but it is most certainly great for most games even at 1080p.

 

[excella1221]

About $20-30, so I guess you're right there.
How much is the estimated performance difference between the two though?

I'm on a 7870 myself. :lol:

 

[blazorthon]

About $20-30, so I guess you're right there.
How much is the estimated performance difference between the two though?

I'm on a 7870 myself. :lol:

Well, 7850 CF is generally slightly ahead of a 7970 GHz Edition in average gaming performance and a 7870 is a good 25-35% faster than a 7850, so I'd expect two 7870s to have a worth-while lead on the 7970 GHz Edition. Unfortunately, I don't think that there are any such comparisons with current drivers since I haven't found nor even heard of them, so I can't provide benchmarks that aren't already outdated.

 

[Vaisey]

Cheers for the comments and suggestions guys what about if swap the 2 x 7870's for a Sapphire ATI HD 7970 OC 3GB 384-bit GDDR5, which will save me ~$70 and then add a OCZ 256G Vertex 4 Series SSD to put me at about $1300?

 

[excella1221]

Sounds like a good alternative. Check if the Samsung 830 256b has a cheaper price though. It is on Newegg, and they're about the same quality/performance.