Good gaming build?

[wuj2k]

This is my first build for a computer and i was wondering if it is good?
Also suggestions to improve the computer or cheapen the price would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B75 PRO3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($82.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($310.48 @ SuperBiiz)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar D1 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($89.74 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Rosewill RK-100 Wired Standard Keyboard ($6.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $965.68
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-08 16:42 EST-0500)

 

[stickmansam]

You might want to grab a z77 motherboard so you can overclock that 3570k. If you want to stick with a B75 motherboard, you can save some bucks by using a 3570 or 3470. A good z77 motherboard would be MSI z77 G45 or higher, Asrock Extreme 3/pro4, and most of the asus and gigabyte z77 boards. 500W is good for single card but rmbr you probably can't CF later on.

The 7950 with the boost bios seems to have issues with latency (as per techreport, but I personally can't see it). I would persoanlly get this 7950 since it has a better cooler and is cheaper. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvr795wf33gd
The 670 is priced to high to be competitive with the 7950 so only nvidia card to consider is the 660ti which performs a bit below the 7950 in fps based benchmarks.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn66toc2gd

Here is the techreport video showing the latency, I would cover up the names of the cards in the video and compare them and then see which card is which side of the video to avoid bias. Then depending on what you see, make your choice.
http://techreport.com/review/24051/geforce-versus-radeon-captured-on-high-speed-video

 

[DarkSable]

I'd drop the sound card to spend more on the video card - onboard sound will be more than enough unless you have a professional system, and even then you'd have to spend about $200, not $80.

 

[wuj2k]

Thanks for your quick reply. Also, thanks for your advice. I'm probably going to take your advice and use the 7950 (I noticed the latency but its not a big difference). And what do you mean I can't CF later on? I'm not experienced with the technical language.

 

[wuj2k]

DarkSable, thank you. I wasn't too sure if it had an onboard sound. So I'm not going to get that soundcard then.
EDIT: What video card would you recommend then for this build. I would like to keep the build around $1000 (or lower)

 

[stickmansam]

500W is a bit minimal to be running two 7950 and a 3570k at the same time.
My friend had a i5 2500k and two 7970 and they were throttling becasue his CX600 couldn't provide enough power

 

[wuj2k]

Thank you for this advice. What watts would you recommend?
EDIT: This is my new build, any suggestions?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B75 PRO3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($82.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ NCIX US)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar D1 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($89.74 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: CoolMax 1000W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($95.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Rosewill RK-100 Wired Standard Keyboard ($6.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1011.18
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-08 17:56 EST-0500)

EDIT: Just realized I had the soundcard still on there. Disregard it.

 

[jonjonjon]

for the same price you can get a Z75 board and have the option to overclock. also get a ssd. don't worry about crossfire unless you are actually planning on spending another $300 to buy a second 7950 soon. in the future if you do ever decide that you want another 7950 it will probably make more sense to sell the 7950 and buy a new single card. expect to pay more for a 750W+ psu so you can cf. i also didn't see a case do you already have a case?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($84.55 @ 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 ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Intel 330 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($310.48 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Rosewill RK-100 Wired Standard Keyboard ($6.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $982.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-08 17:55 EST-0500)

 

[wuj2k]

for the same price you can get a Z75 board and have the option to overclock. also get a ssd. don't worry about crossfire unless you are actually planning on spending another $300 to buy a second 7950 soon. in the future if you do ever decide that you want another 7950 it will probably make more sense to sell the 7950 and buy a new single card. expect to pay more for a 750W+ psu so you can cf. i also didn't see a case do you already have a case?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($84.55 @ 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 ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Intel 330 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($310.48 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Rosewill RK-100 Wired Standard Keyboard ($6.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $982.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-08 17:55 EST-0500)

Thanks for this build. I might use this one and just upgrade the power supply to a 750w.
EDIT: Would this be a good build for current-gen games?

 

[jonjonjon]

do you plan on overclocking? if not then you can save some money.

 

[wuj2k]

do you plan on overclocking? if not then you can save some money.

I don't plan on overclocking, so how would I save money?

 

[stickmansam]

I don't plan on overclocking, so how would I save money?

You can stick with your current B75 motherboard choice (save 20ish) and buy either the 3570 (save 10-20) or the 3470 (save 30-40).

Yep I can play most games with my 3570k and single 7850 [gonna grab another one to CF ] @1080p high settings.

 

[jonjonjon]

get a 3470. you could also get a cheaper b75 or h77 motherboard but the cheaper ones are usually micro atx. if you are serious about crossfire i would recommend spending the extra $10+ and getting an atx board.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($84.55 @ 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 ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Intel 330 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($310.48 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Rosewill RK-100 Wired Standard Keyboard ($6.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $955.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-08 18:19 EST-0500)

 

[wuj2k]

Thanks for both of your replies.
I might stick with jonjonjon's build. But, I know I asked it before, will it run newer games on medium to high settings?
EDIT: I was reading up on the hard drive you have chosen and it appears many people are having problem with them. Is there a hard drive that is around that size and price that would be reliable?

 

[jonjonjon]

yes. depending on the monitor resolution. you can look through there and see what fps you can expect. you can also go back to your original B75 board which is $8 cheaper if you don't count the $8 MIR.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/Catalyst_12.11_Performance/3.html

 

[stickmansam]

Thanks for both of your replies.
I might stick with jonjonjon's build. But, I know I asked it before, will it run newer games on medium to high settings?

The 3470 paired with the 7950 will be able to play almost all games at least on high settings @ 1080p. Ultra is also very possible

http://www.techspot.com/review/603-best-graphics-cards/

 

[wuj2k]

Damn, that card is pretty impressive. A lot better than my current laptop card, which can barely run games like Slender at lowest settings. lol.
Thank you all for your replies. I can't wait to build it