Advice and Recommendations for Homebuilt Gaming PC

[Bearmace1]

My brothers and I were going to build a gaming computer. Here is what we have decided so far but are looking for recommendations and advice:

Cpu - i5-3570k - $233.00

GPU - Gigabyte Radeon 3G HD 7950 - $325.00 - Not quite sure what 3G means, If its for dual monitors then I should probably just get a 1G or 2G. Not exactly sure of difference.

Motherboard - Asrock z77 Extreme 4 - $139.00

Case - Coolermaster Storm enforcer - $89.00

PSU - Seasonic S12II 620w - $118

Hardrive - Western digital 2TB Caviar Black - $172.00 - Not sure if Black is worth extra $70 over green.

Price at this stage comes to $1076.00. I am completely unsure of what to get for the next components.

Memory - ?

SSD - ?

Cooler - ?

Optical - ? - Is there much of a difference between brands and between price?

The site I am using is - http://www.cplonline.com.au/

My budget is fairly flexible so am just looking for best value around $1500. I dont mind spending less if the gains drop off or spending a bit more if its worth it.

Thanks for any help in advance. As a novice I appreciate it massively.

 

[Bearmace1]

I might get a Gigabyte HD 7970 3G for $409.00 if price is a lot under $1500.

 

[Despot96]

For SSD get Samsung 840 120GB its about 100$. For memory get 2x8GB some Corsair low profile about 80$. Optical drive don't mean that much so cheaper is 15-20$. And for Cooler get CoolerMaster EVO 212 hyper about 40$. Total is 1400$ and i will list parts below:
i5-3570k
HD7970
Asrock z77 Extreme 4
Seasonic S12II 620w
Coolermaster Storm enforcer
2TB that you listed but you can probably get one for 100$ no big difference.
Samsung 840 120GB
2x8GB Corsair
CoolerMaster Evo
Samsung Optical drive.
If you drop 72$ from HDD you will be at 1328$ Cheers

 

[Bearmace1]

For SSD get Samsung 840 120GB its about 100$. For memory get 2x8GB some Corsair low profile about 80$. Optical drive don't mean that much so cheaper is 15-20$. And for Cooler get CoolerMaster EVO 212 hyper about 40$. Total is 1400$ and i will list parts below:
i5-3570k
HD7970
Asrock z77 Extreme 4
Seasonic S12II 620w
Coolermaster Storm enforcer
2TB that you listed but you can probably get one for 100$ no big difference.
Samsung 840 120GB
2x8GB Corsair
CoolerMaster Evo
Samsung Optical drive.
If you drop 72$ from HDD you will be at 1328$ Cheers

Thanks heaps, will do. The Samsung 840 120GB is not available at my preferred store some reason only 240 size and up. Are there any other SSDs at http://www.cplonline.com.au/hard-drives/ssd.html that would be similiar or should I get the SSD from another store. Its just easier getting all at one place.

Are these the memory cards you reckon?

http://www.cplonline.com.au/memory/corsair-vengeance-low-profile-8gb-2x4g-1600mhz-ddr3-cml8gx3m2a1600c9.html. They are only $55 so just making sure.

And would this optical drive suffice?

http://www.cplonline.com.au/optical-drives/samsung-dvd-rw-sata-22x-oem.html

Cheers.

 

[ilysaml]

CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K - $335 (in case you're gonna do some photo or video editing or gonna use heavy multi-threaded applications), If not you can replace it by the 3570K
http://www.cplonline.com.au/intel-core-i7-3770k-3-5ghz-lga1155.html

MOBO: Asrock z77 Extreme 4 - $139.00
http://www.cplonline.com.au/asrock-z77-extreme4-motherboard.html

Case: CM Storm Enforcer - $89
http://www.cplonline.com.au/coolermaster-storm-enforcer-case-no-psu.html

PSU: Seasonic S12II 620w - $118
http://www.cplonline.com.au/seasonic-s12ii-620w-power-supply.html

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM (much better than the intellipower WD Green) - $103
http://www.cplonline.com.au/seagate-barracuda-2tb-st2000dm001.html

GPU: Gigabyte Windforce 3X HD 7970 (3G stands for 3GB) It's one of the best Hd 7970s out there, Windforce 3X is famous for it's great cooling and quite performance, for $409
http://www.cplonline.com.au/graphics-cards/nvidia-graphics-cards/gigabyte-radeon-3g-hd7970-oc-bonus-free-games.html

RAM: 8GB is overkill for gaming, no need to go 16GB and no need for corsair, G.Skill or Kingston have similar or better performance for much low cost, G.Skill 8GB 1600 MHz for $44
http://www.cplonline.com.au/gskill-8gb-kit-2x4g-pc12800-1600mhz-cl9-xl-f3-12800cl9d-8gbx.html

SSD: Samsung 830 SSD 128GB (you will gain nothing by acquiring the 840 one) and it's one of the most reliable SSDs out there for $125
http://www.cplonline.com.au/samsung-830-series-128gb-ssd-mz7pc128n-cn-with-noteb.html

CPU Cooler: Hyper 212 EVO - $35
http://www.cplonline.com.au/coolermaster-hyper-212-evo-cpu-cooler.html

ODD: Lite-On DVD RW - $20 (brands doesn't matter you can pick whatever you like)
http://www.cplonline.com.au/lite-on-ihas324-dvd-rw-sata-24x.html

Total $1417

You did great picking the stuff yourself.
What about the monitors?

 

[Bearmace1]

CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K - $335 (in case you're gonna do some photo or video editing or gonna use heavy multi-threaded applications), If not you can replace it by the 3570K
http://www.cplonline.com.au/intel-core-i7-3770k-3-5ghz-lga1155.html

MOBO: Asrock z77 Extreme 4 - $139.00
http://www.cplonline.com.au/asrock-z77-extreme4-motherboard.html

Case: CM Storm Enforcer - $89
http://www.cplonline.com.au/coolermaster-storm-enforcer-case-no-psu.html

PSU: Seasonic S12II 620w - $118
http://www.cplonline.com.au/seasonic-s12ii-620w-power-supply.html

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM (much better than the intellipower WD Green) - $103
http://www.cplonline.com.au/seagate-barracuda-2tb-st2000dm001.html

GPU: Gigabyte Windforce 3X HD 7970 (3G stands for 3GB) It's one of the best Hd 7970s out there, Windforce 3X is famous for it's great cooling and quite performance, for $409
http://www.cplonline.com.au/graphics-cards/nvidia-graphics-cards/gigabyte-radeon-3g-hd7970-oc-bonus-free-games.html

RAM: 8GB is overkill for gaming, no need to go 16GB and no need for corsair, G.Skill or Kingston have similar or better performance for much low cost, G.Skill 8GB 1600 MHz for $44
http://www.cplonline.com.au/gskill-8gb-kit-2x4g-pc12800-1600mhz-cl9-xl-f3-12800cl9d-8gbx.html

SSD: Samsung 830 SSD 128GB (you will gain nothing by acquiring the 840 one) and it's one of the most reliable SSDs out there for $125
http://www.cplonline.com.au/samsung-830-series-128gb-ssd-mz7pc128n-cn-with-noteb.html

CPU Cooler: Hyper 212 EVO - $35
http://www.cplonline.com.au/coolermaster-hyper-212-evo-cpu-cooler.html

ODD: Lite-On DVD RW - $20 (brands doesn't matter you can pick whatever you like)
http://www.cplonline.com.au/lite-on-ihas324-dvd-rw-sata-24x.html

Total $1417

You did great picking the stuff yourself.
What about the monitors?

Thanks that perfect, makes things so easy haha. The computer will be mainly used for gaming, web and word processing so I'll get the i5 3570k. Yeah I haven't really thought about a monitor. How much would I be looking to spend for a good quality full HD 22 - 24 inch?

 

[ilysaml]

Look for this one "ASUS VS239H-P"

I like ASUS monitors, look at the one in my PC info.

 

[Bearmace1]

Thank you, i'll check it out.

 

[Bearmace1]

Look for this one "ASUS VS239H-P"

I like ASUS monitors, look at the one in my PC info.

What is the difference between these two samsung 830 120gb ssd's

http://www.cplonline.com.au/samsung-830-series-128gb-ssd-mz7pc128n-cn-with-noteb.html - $125

and

the same without noteb for $99?

http://www.cplonline.com.au/hard-drives/ssd/samsung-830-series-128gb-ssd.html

 

[ilysaml]

The $125 comes with a Norton Ghost 15.0 Full version, and a sata to molex power cable, a total complete hassle :lol:

Grab the $100 and don't forget to close the thread after you make a purchase.

 

[Bearmace1]

Cheers thanks will do.

 

[Bearmace1]

Best answer selected by Bearmace1.