New top gaming build

[momazboy]

my buddy wants to order a new pc through cyber pc and i told him he would get more bang for buck if he built it. budget $1400 and only pc needed and he could probably reuse his dvd drive.He likes amd for video card and wants ssd for boot drive. Im thinkin a I7-3770k for cpu would be better then an I7-3820 that comes with cyber pc build and if possible less then $1400 WOULD BE GREAT.

 

[jonjonjon]

you don't really need a 3770k for gaming. if you are not going to overclock you don't need the unlocked cpu and cpu cooler. added 2 7970's probaly overkill and he could do with just 1. 180GB ssd and 1TB hdd. you really wont beat that as just a gaming pc. and yes you will get double the pc building it yourself.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($204.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($122.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Intel 330 Series 180GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.68 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($339.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($339.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($94.25 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1420.70
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-02 21:41 EST-0500)

 

[BreadWhistle]

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($101.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($386.97 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Orange) ATX Full Tower Case ($134.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($88.53 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1226.39

For a budget of $1400, this build is pretty good in Price/Performance.

For strictly gaming, there is no need for a i7 at all. For a lot less, an i5 will give you the EXACT amount of performance. The i7 is only really needed when doing heavy video editing/multi-tasking. Even when doing regular video editing and multi-tasking occasionally, the i5 still suffices.

With the build i proposed, he should be able to run almost all games at max at at least 60fps, and overclocking the 3570k should yield and extra few FPS. Of course, if he wants the most more FPS (which this is only necessary if he is gaming about 1080p, otherwise, don't do it) Drop the the motherboard down to a Extreme 4 and grab another 7970. If you really want to stay under budget though, get the Extreme 3

 

[momazboy]

Best answer selected by momazboy.