Advice, please, on a new PC! :)

[Oleon]

Hello all,

So I've been on a bit of a gaming hiatus for several years, but I'm looking for a new rig to get back into things (at the moment, that means I'd like to run a game like GW2 at high or near-max settings, if possible). Like any gamer, I'm seeking bang for buck, but I would say my budget is ~$800 for the case and its innards. So, I guess I would ask for some friendly advice from the community as to whether (and where!) I can cut some costs or find significant performance increases for a small price difference.

My current setup:

PROCESSOR $229
Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 Quad-Core

MOTHERBOARD $139
ASUS P8Z77-V LK ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

CD/DVD READ-WRITE $20

HARD DRIVE $104
Western Digital WD Black 1TB 3.5" SATA 6.0Gb/s

MEMORY + GRAPHICS (package) $197
CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M2A1333C9
EVGA SSC GeForce GTX 650 Ti 01G-P4-3652-KR Video Card

CASE + POWER SUPPLY (package) $105
Rosewill CHALLENGER-U3 Black Gaming Computer Case
Rosewill Stallion Series RD700 700W Power Supply

TOTAL: $796.92 (with about $40 in mail-in rebates)



Thanks in advance. Remember, I'm shooting for an approx. $800 price point.

 

[compgenie]

Where will you be ordering from? Newegg?
And I see you haven't chosen ram yet

 

[cball1311]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-E33 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($204.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cougar Volant (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.98 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $705.47
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-14 23:16 EST-0500)

It was unclear if you needed a monitor, OS, and keyboard/mouse so I left them out (as you did). If you plan to overclock, go with this.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($127.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cougar Volant (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.98 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $788.46
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-14 23:20 EST-0500)

I would keep the 7870 if you could. This would up the price to around ~$813 after MIRs

 

[Oleon]

Hi, sorry about the missing RAM; it was actually part of a package deal that I copy and pasted wrong. Thanks for pointing that out, I just edited it.

 

[Oleon]

Cball - thanks for the advice.

I'm not including OS/monitor, etc. as I mentioned I'm just looking for the "case and its innards."

Since I don't plan to overclock very much (if at all), I'm going to consider your first list:

1) CPU - Thanks for finding that cheaper.
2) Motherboard - Even if it's not to be overclocked, I'm just not a fan of micros. They tend to get hotter, and it doesn't have many slots or options. It also isn't Crossfire support ready, and I'm pretty certain that's what your graphics card uses.
3) Memory - Mentioned in my prior post.
4) I am a little hesitant about Seagate, because I've used them for some prior builds and they have consistently failed me. Do you recommend this hard drive because you have used it?
5) Video card - I agree, the 7870 is pretty dang good for the price.
6 and 7) Case and power supply - Since I have these packaged, I'll write them together. It's a good case, but I'm not a fan of the lower wattage power supply. I'd rather have more than enough than just barely enough if I'm going to be paying essentially the same price. The motherboard I have requires a minimum of 400 with the processor probably between 70-150, so I'd feel much better with the 700, which is at a steal of a price.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Thanks

 

[cball1311]

1. No problem
2. You don't need a CrossFire supported board if you don't plan to CrossFire. CrossFire can only occur if you have two (or more) GPUs (unless you do a CrossFire Hybrid with integrated graphics). I changed the board to an ATX form factor.
3. The memory in your list is only 1333 MHz, I would recommend 1600 MHz.
4. I have had a Seagate Barracuda 1TB for almost 3 years now and have had no problems. Trust me, it is the cheap one too. (Just bought another as a matter of fact for RAID0).
5. Should definitely go with the 7870
6. The case is fine but I wouldn't recommend Rosewill PSUs (not very reliable). You should stick with SeaSonic, XFX (made by SeaSonic), Antec, PCP&P, or Corsair (80+ Bronze at least). You don't need the extra power unless you will really need it. Your PC will only use what it needs to use. The first build I suggested was rated to only use 341W of power. You only need to have 700W+ when you want to CrossFire or SLI the GPUs.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($204.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill Challenger-U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $680.49
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-15 00:13 EST-0500)

 

[camohanna]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-E33 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($204.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cougar Volant (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.98 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $705.47
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-14 23:16 EST-0500)

Seconded this.

 

[Oleon]

Thanks for the input, guys.

I'm making some changes. I found an Intel Core i7 3770K 3.5GHz LGA 1155 Processor for about the same price as the i5 I posted.

Thanks for pointing out the 1333 memory, Cball. I'm not sure how much of a difference it will make, but memory is cheap enough that it doesn't make sense not to get the 1600. I think I'll take your word about the hard drive. I also realized that the PSU I listed is NOT 80+ certified; that's a problem. I don't like the ASRock motherboard you picked out there, as the reviews on Newegg were very disparate. A heap of 5 and 1 stars reviews inform me that there's apparently a 50/50 chance of it being dead on arrival. I'm feeling this one instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

Thanks again for the help.

 

[camohanna]

Thanks for the input, guys.

I'm making some changes. I found an Intel Core i7 3770K 3.5GHz LGA 1155 Processor for about the same price as the i5 I posted.

Thanks for pointing out the 1333 memory, Cball. I'm not sure how much of a difference it will make, but memory is cheap enough that it doesn't make sense not to get the 1600. I think I'll take your word about the hard drive. I also realized that the PSU I listed is NOT 80+ certified; that's a problem. I don't like the ASRock motherboard you picked out there, as the reviews on Newegg were very disparate. A heap of 5 and 1 stars reviews inform me that there's apparently a 50/50 chance of it being dead on arrival. I'm feeling this one instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

Thanks again for the help.

You you can get the i7 3770k for the same price, you will definatly want to pick up a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo for $30. Alongside your Extreme4 you will be able to overclock.

 

[Oleon]

Yeah, the Cooler master is a good investment. I'm actually debating right now between the Radeon 7870 (and others) and the GTX 570.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD+7870

 

[camohanna]

The 7870 is probably cheaper? Anyway the 7870 is a decent card and is in the "sweetspot" of gpu's.