Is this a good gaming build for $1500?

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Pixelwyrm

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Nov 22, 2012
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I'm looking to buy parts for a computer this week, and I was hoping to get feedback about parts and compatibility. Im looking to spend about $1500.

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3
Processor: AMD FX-8150 Zambezi 3.6GHz
Graphics Card: EVGA 02G-P4-2680-KR GeForce GTX 680
Hard Drive: WD Green WD20EARX 2TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"
Power Supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W
Ram: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB
DVD Drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS
CPU Fan: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1
Case Fan: COOLER MASTER R4-L2R-20AC-GP 120mm
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black
Monitor: Acer G276HLDbd Black 27" 6ms (GTG) Widescreen LED Monitor
Keyboard: RAZER Black USB Wired BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
OS: Windows 8 64-bit

I'm not too advanced in the computer-building world, so any help is greatly appreciated.
 
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Why_Me

Why_Me

Polypheme
Jan 17, 2008
16,369
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1) The GTX 680 is a hose job. The GTX 670 runs head to head with it for cheaper and requires less juice to do so.
2) That's a decent case but it only comes with two 120mm fans and no front 3.0 USB ports
3) That monitor is big but it has a slow response time. Unless you plan on using it for a home theater look at this one down below.
4) Better psu imo down below
5) Intel 3570K mops the floor with that AMD
6) Look at an SSD to load up Windows and games
7) 16GB of RAM is way over kill
8) CM EVO has a better mounting system and the fans are adjustable. Better all around cpu cooler than the older 212 version you have up there


http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Black-Computer-CC-9011011-WW/dp/B0055Q7BR4/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1353613946&sr=1-2 $74.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series Black 400R Mid Tower Computer Case (CC-9011011-WW)

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Builder-Bronze-Certified-Supply/dp/B008RJZQSW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1353613616&sr=1-1&keywords=corsair+cx+750 $86.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair CX750 Builder Series ATX 80 PLUS Bronze Certified Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157330 $99.99 FREE SHIPPING
ASRock Z77 Extreme3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i5-3570K-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B007SZ0E1K/ref=pd_ts_zgc_e_229189_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&pf_rd_p=1381382962&pf_rd_s=right-10&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=193870011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=104TB45BTBY1H8Q9N34C $219.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I53570K

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_z $28.88 & 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=N82E16820220685 $34.99 - $19.99 after $15.00 rebate card FREE SHIPPING
Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PV38G160C9K

http://www.amazon.com/Lite-On-Super-AllWrite-Layer-Drive/dp/B002YIG9AQ/ref=pd_cp_pc_2 $22.94 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Lite-On Super AllWrite 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive - Bulk - IHAS124-04 Version C (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-WINDFORCE-PCI-Express-Graphics-GV-N670WF2-2GD/dp/B008LZKLF0/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1353619369&sr=1-2&keywords=gigabyte+gtx+670 $379.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping | Price after rebate: $359.99
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

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Cache-Desktop/dp/B00461G3MS/ref=sr_1_4?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1353614415&sr=1-4 $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive - WD5000AAKX

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-2-5-Inch-Solid-SDSSDX-240G-G25/dp/B006EKJ8UI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1353617312&sr=1-1&keywords=sandisk+240gb+ssd $176.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
SanDisk Extreme SSD 240 GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SDSSDX-240G-G25

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-System-Builder-DVD-64-Bit/dp/B0094NY3R0/ref=sr_1_2?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1353619472&sr=1-2&keywords=windows+8 $79.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 8 System Builder DVD 64-Bit

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VS238H-P-23-Inch-Full-HD-Monitor/dp/B005BZNEVQ/ref=pd_cp_pc_3 $139.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping | Price after rebate: $119.99
Asus VS238H-P 23-Inch Full-HD LED Monitor | LED Backlit with 50,000,000:1 ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio; Full 1080P with HDMI

Total: $1,403.74 *not including shipping & rebates



*** Add a start menu to Windows 8 with either of these....

http://windows8startbutton.com/

http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/
 
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spiritpower

Honorable
Nov 22, 2012
6
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10,510
I agree with the i5-3570K choice for CPU

I would suggest saving some money by choosing one of these alternative Videocards instead of the 680

NVIDIA 670 or even the 660Ti or Radeon 7970.

The other components look pretty solid :)
 
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boulbox

Honorable
Apr 5, 2012
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($386.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XM (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1186.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-22 17:39 EST-0500)
 
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LawL_Vengeance

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Jan 12, 2012
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I agree with this about 90%. THe only thing i dont agree with is the RAM, for a $1500 Desktop, get 12GB of RAM. You wont need that for gaming, but if your a stereotypical gamer like me, than you will probably download other programs to either make your own mods, and or run alot of tasking prgrams, which can suck down the RAM. Trust me you wont regret it. If your going for quad chanel or 2 dual channel setups then get 16GB. Otherwise just get 3 stick of good 4GB RAM and set 2 of the 3 to dual channel for gaming.
 
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boulbox

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Apr 5, 2012
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downloading mods doesnt take that much ram at all.....

2x4GB of ram is more than enough for any game and downloading mods only takes a toll on the internet speed getting a triple channel kit for a dual channel only makes the computer slower

chances are, playing something like Skyrim with a lot of mods and leaving things open like browser, Mp3 player, skype, and whatever you need on won't take a whole lot. the only time you need more is if you are doing either of these a lot. and by a lot i mean more than 50% of time wasted on the computer

Video editing, Photoshop, 3D modeling but if you are doing a lot of either of these you might as well get an i7
 
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Pixelwyrm

Honorable
Nov 22, 2012
4
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10,510
Thanks for the suggestions! What about this build?:

Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz
CPU Fan: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE 100351SR Radeon HD 7970 3GB
Ram: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)
Hard Drive: WD Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB
SSD: SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD120BW 2.5"
DVD Drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS
Power Supply: CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W
Monitor: ASUS VS248H-P Black 24" HDMI
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 400R
Case Fan: COOLER MASTER R4-L2R-20AC-GP
OS: Windows 8 64-bit
 
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boulbox

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Apr 5, 2012
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to much money on ram, the HDD is 500GB for $70 that is pretty pricey go for a 2TB one for the same price, i would rather get a better performing SSD like Vertex 4 which is on sale right now for $70 or something. that HX series is pretty pricey now, change it into an XFX 750W for $100(they use the same OEM meaning almost everything about the 2 are the same)
 
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Pixelwyrm

Honorable
Nov 22, 2012
4
0
10,510
ok thanks. One more question, how can you tell if the ram will be compatible? Do you just check the pins, or do certain ones only run with certain processors or motherboards? Could someone post a link for 8-12 gb of ram that would work well and is low price?
 
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LawL_Vengeance

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Jan 12, 2012
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My friend has an i5-3570K @ 4.5GHz, and he makes his own mods and such, whicha rent complicated like most but it still consumes ram like you wouldnt believe. He has to run modeling programs along with these sometimes, and he will hit 75% RAM usage quite a bit..he has 16GB of RAM as well.. i see what your saying but i never said running games with mods or downloading them.
 
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