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Help with Gaming Build

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Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: This Month
Budget Range: (e.g.: $1,000-$1,500) After Rebates; After Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming and Video editing

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: Everything.

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, ncix.com, amazon.com

Location: City, State/Region, Country - Linwood, New Jersey, United States

Parts Preferences: I have no preference. I have heard that Intel is better but I could be wrong.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: I would like to be able to run games such as Call of Duty and Battlefield with good graphics. Also I want to be able to render videos with Sony Vegas and After Effects. I already have an Asus VW246H monitor, Logitech G110 keyboard, and Logitech G9X mouse.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I have always bought Sony or Apple laptops and have never been able to play games well on them. I want to know what's inside of my computer and how to fix/upgrade it.

If you could let me know your thought process for why your choosing the components that you do that would be great. Thanks :) 

More about : gaming build

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($53.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($25.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1042.46
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-26 13:44 EST-0500)


CPu - the best there is for gaming atm. Overclocks slightly.
Mobo - the best matching that cpu
RAM - reliable brand
HDD - 5 year warranty
GPU - all around best there is
Case - can change, just my default solution

Best solution

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ufMC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ufMC/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ufMC/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($75.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($349.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.71 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.89 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1261.51
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-26 13:59 EST-0500)

Since you are going to do videos and you have a big budget, I would go with the i7 and 16 gigs of ram... The rest is subjective.

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rexdoghd said:
I understand that they make 1866 ram. Is that worth the extra money? I'm just wondering if that will be beneficial when I want to upgrade eventually.


it's a few bucks more, it will show higher bench marks, but you probably won't notice.

I think Larrym's build is great, but I do think you should be careful about the case. Look at cases and pick out a few that look good to you, then post them so that we have an idea of your preferences.

The memory can stay at 1600. Higher clocked RAM puts strain on the CPU that is not worth it, as actual performance gains are tiny.

Most video editors that I have worked with want a quiet machine. The EVGA 670 has a stock cooler and will not be very quiet. I would probably go with the Gigabyte
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=71107&vpn=GV-N670OC-2G...

Depending on the case you get, you might be able to use a very quiet and efficient NZXT Kraken X60 CPU cooler.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6530/closing-the-loop-con...
Obviously, that would be quite a jump in cost so only if you really think it important. There are some quiet air coolers that are less, they don't do as good a job but might be a compromise.

Honestly I don't think the sound will be much of a problem. Currently I'm using a Sony Vaio with an Intel i7 Q 740 and Nvidia Geforce GT 425M so I doubt anything could be louder than this when rendering videos haha. Is there any difference between the EVGA and Gigabyte other than noise?

I really don't care about the aesthetic appeal of the case I buy so I'm mainly focused on the ease of install and cable management options. I kind of like the Antec 302 because it has a 3mm space in between the side and the case so you can route the cables through there. I'm also looking at a Full Tower Case which seems to have bigger fans and the size would probably help.
Link to the full tower case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

One thing I'm curious about is the installation of the SSD. It looks like you have to install the SSD with a mount to either the bottom or side of the Antec while the full tower has 2.5 to 3.5 inch adapters for the drive bay so that would make things much easier.

I would probably go with the less expensive card. Just a matter of bang for the buck.

The HAF is a popular case that has been around in one form or another for many years now. Don't get too hung up on mounting the SSD. It has no moving parts and doesn't need to be mounted at all. I have used velcro tape to mount them in the past. I saw one build where one was stuck to the side of the PSU.

rexdoghd said:
I really don't care about the aesthetic appeal of the case I buy so I'm mainly focused on the ease of install and cable management options. I kind of like the Antec 302 because it has a 3mm space in between the side and the case so you can route the cables through there. I'm also looking at a Full Tower Case which seems to have bigger fans and the size would probably help.
Link to the full tower case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

One thing I'm curious about is the installation of the SSD. It looks like you have to install the SSD with a mount to either the bottom or side of the Antec while the full tower has 2.5 to 3.5 inch adapters for the drive bay so that would make things much easier.



SSD mounting is not an issue at all, mine is mounted, however i would be comfortable with it resting on the bottom of the case.

i agree with larrym's build except for graphics i would recommend a 7950 which are about $300

This is the build now with a couple changes. I may switch the ram for ones with lower CAS.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($76.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($369.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($90.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($96.28 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($19.24 @ Newegg)
Total: $1308.41
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-27 08:46 EST-0500)

I have the same mother board with the same cooler and use corsair ram (non low profile and two fit just fine). You have the LP (Low Profile) ram which is alot smaller than mine. I even have a push pull air system with the cooler fan next to the ram. You will be fine, don't worry.

I have two in the front pushing air in, one on top pushing the air out, one in back pushing air out. Plus, the cooler fan pushing air to the back of the case, the gpu fan, and PSU fan. My temps are pretty low with a 3570K OC'ed to 4.2 with a gtx 660, 1 HDD and 1 SSD. GPU never goes above 75C and CPU gets to about 68C under load. Room temp is about 65F.

Check the temps of the room you have your PC in and then check the temps of the inside of your case, MOBO, GPU and CPU. If they run hot under load, you can add fans then, but I suspect you will be fine. Just make sure you have good cable management for good air flow. The MOBO comes with software to Monitor this and you can use GPUZ for the GPU. If anything runs hot, you can always add fans later. And always keep it dust free (using compressed air to blow away the dust..dust is a killer and causes excess heat). But, blowing you fans can cause static, so unhook you fans when you blow them off.

Ok sounds good. I just got an email from newegg about some pretty good deals on cases. Do you think they are worth getting instead of the Corsair 400r? They're all full size cases but to me size isn't a problem. I'm not going to be going to any lan parties since I don't know anyone else with a gaming pc haha.

My current case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... ($91)

COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... ($100)

COOLER MASTER HAF X: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... ($130)

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... ($135)

Rosewill THOR V2-White Edition: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... ($99.99)

The Storm Sniper is the best looking case in my opinion, of those. However, you want front USB 3.0 ports and that one doesn't have them.

The Thor V2 white is a huge case with a lot of features... about like that HAF X. So it is the best value, if you don't mind the color.

Oh, and check youtube for videos... most nice cases can be seen there, and a video works way better than static pictures.

I'll definitely have to check that out.

After some serious consideration I think I have completed the build. I went with the Corsair 400r case because I really like the wire management in Corsair cases and it's a really good price. If you could please just check it over one more time and let me know if you have any final suggestions. I'm also considering getting the Corsair H100i water cooler instead of the Hyper 212 Evo. I'm not sure how much of a difference this will make.
Here's what I have come up with:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Amazon) (Possible switching it out for CORSAIR Hydro Series H100i Water Cooler)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($76.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($121.74 @ Mwave)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($369.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($90.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($19.24 @ Newegg)
Total: $1343.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-27 23:28 EST-0500)
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