$1280 medium/high end gaming pc. Opinions?

[fcorazao]

Greetings everyone,

I just made my account here, but I visit this page regularly, so it's a pleasure to be part of this community.

Now for my question. I would like some opinions about this build. I'm going to put down around $1200 which is not a small amount for me, so I want to get it right and I want this computer to last me a few years (3 or 4 maybe? Dreaming is free).

ASUS P9X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard ($251.50)
Intel Core i7-3820 Quad-Core Processor 3.6 GHz 10 MB Cache LGA 2011 ($289.98)
Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz ($73.74) (Maybe go 32gb?)
EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2048MB GDDR5 ($469.99)
Crucial m4 256GB 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s ($192.70)

Total: 1277.91

This is where I start to "cheat". I already own this stuff from my current PC:

Cooler Master HAF Case
Cooler Master 800 Watts PSU
Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatality 7.1
Two 2TB Hard Drives (for work and media)

So... I'm a casual player, nothing too hardcore. I do use 3 monitors to work (2 of them 1080p, eventually will change the third one too) but I play in one, because they are all different size. I would like to be able to play at least all the games that are coming this year (GTA V, Crisis 3, Dead Space 3, Bioshock, etc.) on FullHD and highest or near to highest settings... also Skyrim with high quality textures, etc.

(By the way, I know GTA hasn't been announced for PC, but again, dreams are free... and I also know that the last GTA was ridiculously resource demanding, so don't use that as a benchmark of any kind)

What do you think... am I missing something? Is there something better for my buck???

Thank you for your opinions and suggestions!!!

Fred

 

[fcorazao]

Oh right, I forgot... This is the first time I make an Intel PC. I've been using AMD and ATI (when it was ATI) for more than 10 years now, but I believe that the i7 it's currently on it's own league, so as I said, I want this computer to last...

 

[iceclock]

well, do u have a preference to nvidia or amd, also do u need windows and a lcd monitor?

 

[fcorazao]

I have 3 monitors, as I said. One is also 3D and I expect this rig to run a few games on 3D too. I have original Windows 8. I'm only going to spend those $1280 aprox. I put there.

 

[iceclock]

ok:

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

CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 2.0 Performer 81.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock X79 Extreme3 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($197.55 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 4GB Video Card ($549.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1204.50
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-12 16:05 EST-0500)

better parts, 4 gig 680 versus 2gigs, water cooling system for good overclocking, and u dont need 256gb as an ssd, u already got a good data drive

 

[irsninja]

Greetings everyone,

I just made my account here, but I visit this page regularly, so it's a pleasure to be part of this community.

Now for my question. I would like some opinions about this build. I'm going to put down around $1200 which is not a small amount for me, so I want to get it right and I want this computer to last me a few years (3 or 4 maybe? Dreaming is free).

ASUS P9X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard ($251.50)
Intel Core i7-3820 Quad-Core Processor 3.6 GHz 10 MB Cache LGA 2011 ($289.98)
Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz ($73.74) (Maybe go 32gb?)
EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2048MB GDDR5 ($469.99)
Crucial m4 256GB 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s ($192.70)

Total: 1277.91

This is where I start to "cheat". I already own this stuff from my current PC:

Cooler Master HAF Case
Cooler Master 800 Watts PSU
Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatality 7.1
Two 2TB Hard Drives (for work and media)

So... I'm a casual player, nothing too hardcore. I do use 3 monitors to work (2 of them 1080p, eventually will change the third one too) but I play in one, because they are all different size. I would like to be able to play at least all the games that are coming this year (GTA V, Crisis 3, Dead Space 3, Bioshock, etc.) on FullHD and highest or near to highest settings... also Skyrim with high quality textures, etc.

(By the way, I know GTA hasn't been announced for PC, but again, dreams are free... and I also know that the last GTA was ridiculously resource demanding, so don't use that as a benchmark of any kind)

What do you think... am I missing something? Is there something better for my buck???

Thank you for your opinions and suggestions!!!

Fred

Do not go x79 unless you plan on getting at least 4 sticks of ram. It has quad channel memory and the mother boards are often quite a bit more expensive.

In all honesty if you only plan on gaming, I would get a i5 unlocked and a decent cooler and over clock it. do this in ufei bios as most will do it for you now.

as far as gfx card goes. If I had to buy one right now for a decent bang for my buck, I would probably go with the oc version


My changes


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007SZ0E1K/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=irsninjaamazo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B007SZ0E1K
3570k 223

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007RUG8G6/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=irsninjaamazo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B007RUG8G6

Motherboard 105

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007KRX3GY/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=irsninjaamazo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B007KRX3GY
gfx card 470

 

[iceclock]

wise decision, also u can run it in dual-channel bro, he can add another 16gigs and run in quad eventually, also lga2011 has 6core support unlike the lga 1155,

and 2gigs versus 4 is a nobrainer for the extra price the 4gigs will future proof the system alot more.

 

[fcorazao]

Thanks to both of you for your suggestions!

To iceclock,

CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 2.0 Performer 81.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock X79 Extreme3 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($197.55 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 4GB Video Card ($549.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1204.50
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-12 16:05 EST-0500)

This looks awesome! I'm definitely going to check it out!

To irsninja, I was considering 32gb of ram, so I would use the 4 slots eventualy, and I'm also expecting to buy a second video card in the near future, so I need the SLI capabilities of the motherboard i choose. Also, I work at home with multimedia. Web pages mostly but also video editing (in FullHD) and a lot of multimedia, so the processor is a must too, but thank you for your suggestions!

 

[iceclock]

alright sounds great, also if u do alot of video editing id recommand a lesser graphic card and a better processor such as this build:

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

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($499.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 2.0 Performer 81.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock X79 Extreme3 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($197.55 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 3GB Video Card ($299.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1224.50
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-12 16:20 EST-0500)

and u can always sli it with another 3gig gtx 660ti later.

ud prob benefit more from this build if u do alot of multimedia and video editing for speedier rendering times and faster performance.

 

[fcorazao]

Well, I'm going to be a little noobish here and say I rather go with a killer video card and stick with the i7-3820. I currently have a humble Phenom X4 3.2 and to be honest, render takes a while but it's not a that bad. I rather have the games run smoothly than saving a few minutes of render. Again, video is what I do less, so it's no big deal

 

[djangoringo]

You just need the i7-3770k + a good card...
The i7-3770k is better than the cpu you chose( i7-3820), no point in going with lga 2011, the z77 mobos supports SLI, also a 670 gtx 4GB is the better value(if for SLI with triple monitor, if not get the 2GB) , also the z77 mobo supports 32GB ram, and you can keep a larger ssd :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($127.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($192.00 @ Adorama)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card ($419.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1164.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Or if you must need really a 680 gtx : http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42687kr

But i rather get the 670 gtx 4GB...

 

[iceclock]

he does video encoding, so the 6core+2011 plateform is better than ur 1155 build sorry djangero, but overclocked 6core beats any i5 i know of,

also he doesnt need a 256gb ssd drive or a 670

 

[djangoringo]

it's an i7, it's good enough, why would he go for a 660 ti, when the i7 is good enough and allows for a better card ?
The i7-3930k is overkill for gaming or his needs, i rather take a larger ssd, better speeds and capacity and a good card.

Or this :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($127.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card ($419.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1072.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)


It's even cheaper, if he doesn't need 256GB SSD, give room for the 680 gtx if he wants to, but the 670 gtx 4GB is the better value.

 

[fcorazao]

The i7-3770k is better than the i7-3930K and the i7-3820??? How come? Again, this is my first Intel build, so I don't know much about this processors...

 

[fcorazao]

It's not really overkill if you consider that I want this computer to last 3 to 4 years at least. My current PC it's on it's fourth year and still going strong... I'm just changing to keep ahead...

 

[djangoringo]

The i7-3770k is all you need, if your planning to do video editing, if it's just for gaming an i5-3570k is what you need.

See here : http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/551?vs=523

 

[iceclock]

its not overkill, fcorazao wants something to last long and be good in video editing and professional programs, clearly u dont seem to understand dj,

the 6core build i recommand blows any 4core i7 outta the water, because the i7 3700 has 4 physical cores and 4-hyperthreading software cores, as the lga 2011 6core has 6 physical cores+6ht cores, as is alot superior for longterm usage

and the gtx 660ti 3gig is fine for what he wants to do,

gtx 670 isnt necesserary for his main usage.

 

[djangoringo]

$1280 medium/high end gaming pc thread.

"I would like to be able to play at least all the games that are coming this year (GTA V, Crisis 3, Dead Space 3, Bioshock, etc.) on FullHD and highest or near to highest settings... also Skyrim with high quality textures, etc."
He want to run 3D games, that has nothing to do with the cpu, a 670 4GB SLI is what he needs, an i5-3570k in my opinion if he doesn't plan to do video editing is even better.

So an i7-3930 which doesn't bring any gain in performance in gaming is better ?
And a lower card is better for gaming ?
I think you got the wrong thread.
For video editing the i7 is fine, no need to spend absurd quantities of money for that cpu.

And does it blows out of the water no : http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/552?vs=551

No point in getting that cpu, for the op.

 

[fcorazao]

Ok, but looking at the whole picture (everything iceclock suggested) it does make sense... same cpu and better gpu... right? that translates to more time without having to change/upgrade the computer...

 

[iceclock]

yep, ur gonna have a pc that last longer, and performs better in ur video editing, and gaming also, so overall its a solid build

and down the road u can always add a second gtx 660ti 3gb and sli it

 

[djangoringo]

For the thing you listed you want only gaming, do not make the mistake of paying the double for a cpu which will not bring any fps to any game, just get the i7-3770k, if your planning to do video editing or the i5-3570k, for gaming, there's nothing wrong with the i5, if you don't do video editing.
Just get a 670 GTX 4GB now and when you buy the third monitor another card.
Do not get a 660 ti, when you'll want to do triple monitor with 3D, that cpu doesn't allow you to buy a good 670 4GB or 680 4GB...

 

[robustus64]

3930K BUILD HANDS DOWN..Trust me i own one and man it powers thru anything im running 2x480 w 1250 watt corsair
and runs everything maxx 1920 x 1200

 

[iceclock]

well to be honest djangoringos pc build is just as good, but i recommanded the 6core since u say u use cpu intensive programs and want it to last longer, but either build his or mine will do u fine

 

[fcorazao]

Excellent! Thanks to everyone here for the suggestions! I'm going to dig a little deeper on all of this and hopefully I'll be buying my new PC withing a month. I'll let you know how it went!

 

[iceclock]

sounds good, let us know how it went