$2000 Gaming/Streaming Build

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arodriq

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Mar 22, 2012
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I'm creating a build for gaming and streaming. My budget is $2000 which needs to include two monitors. I believe I'm at a good place with the below components, but any input would be greatly appreciated.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14CS 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V DELUXE ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($270.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($80.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($107.95 @ Mac Connection)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($428.49 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($179.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1844.31
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-22 14:33 EST-0500)
 
Solution
Go with a Noctua D14 over the Phanteks and make sure you get the Radeon 7970 GHz edition, otherwise everything else looks good.

Also a suggestion - instead of the Crucial M4, go with a OCZ Vector.

Technoflicks

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Dec 24, 2012
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For streaming the FX 8350 is actually better, check it out, http://teksyndicate.com/videos/amd-fx-8350-vs-intel-3570k-vs-3770k-vs-3820-gaming-and-xsplit-streaming-benchmarks
 

arodriq

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Mar 22, 2012
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@g-unit1111 Based on your recommendations and some reviews, I've swapped the CPU Cooler and SSD. I also upped the Radeon HD 7970 to the Lightning at 1.07 Ghz. Thank you for the advice.

@Technoflicks Very interesting information. I guess I'm a fanboi, as I just trust Intel chips more. I'm going to stick with the i7. Regardless, thank you for the link.

Here is my updated list:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($80.76 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V DELUXE ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($265.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($80.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($489.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($179.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1953.62
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-23 12:48 EST-0500)


Thanks in advance for any additional advice.

Does anyone think that the GTX 690 would be worth the extra $500?
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


The Crucial M4 is a good drive no question but the Vector is currently the fastest SSD on the market - most tests show it beating the Samsung 840 Pro. Also for your uses you won't need the i7 - drop that to the i5-3570K and then upgrade your SSD to the 256GB model. Or you could use that money and purchase a third monitor.

Does anyone think that the GTX 690 would be worth the extra $500?

No. If you're going that route - dual 670s will give you nearly identical performance (within +-2FPS) for $250 less than any 690 setup would cost you.
 

Technoflicks

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Dec 24, 2012
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No, I would recommend the ASUS 7970, it is REALLY quiet and cold too, check out the reviews and benchmarks they get some crazy clocks out of it.
 

g-unit1111

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Moderator


The Asus design is decent but it takes up three slots - making it difficult to Crossfire. The Gigabyte Windforce 3X and Sapphire Vapor-X offer better cooling solutions and take up less room in the case.
 

pcgamer719

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Jan 23, 2013
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i know everyone is telling you that you should go with the ocz for your ssd and that is a awesome ssd drive but currently the most reliable on the market is the intel ssd. also drop that ram its junk spend a little more on your memory. that gpu is not worth getting because if you ever try to do crossfire its going to take up too much space.
 

Technoflicks

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Dec 24, 2012
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That is true, and I really do like the Sapphire Vapor-X, I just didn't think he was going to crossfire, and DO NOT get the gigabyte 7970 it is voltage locked @ I think 1.170 volts which the max I have seen people clock it at is 1070MHz.
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


No - Intel SSDs are far from the most reliable on the market. I had one and it crashed my system left and right even with the latest firmware updates. Just because it has the Intel name on it doesn't necessarily mean it's the best product (case in point: their soon to be discontinued motherboard line). The OCZ Vector currently is the fastest drive on the market and is not Sandforce based.

G.Skill Ares RAM is not junk - it's one of the better RAM sets on the market. Tom's includes it in their system builder marathon rigs.
 

pcgamer719

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@g-unit1111 i was not saying the intel ssd is the fastest and yes it is the most stable ssd drive on the market as per almost every chart on the web and i am very sorry you had problems with your ssd sometimes you will get a bad part here and there RMA it. also i never stated that they had good motherboards if you need to know a good motherboard im going to say asus rampage extreme. for ram i dont care what tom thinks about ram once again im going to go with stable memory and that is corsair dominator. 2000 is a great budget and he should build his pc with quality parts with great stability sorry but i completely disagree with you.
 

g-unit1111

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@g-unit1111 i was not saying the intel ssd is the fastest and yes it is the most stable ssd drive on the market as per almost every chart on the web and i am very sorry you had problems with your ssd sometimes you will get a bad part here and there RMA it

I'm saying that I will not recommend bad parts - I had a horrible experience with Intel SSDs and the two I've bought since - a Samsung 830 and OCZ Vertex 4 - have been 1 million times better than any Intel drive I could get.

for ram i dont care what tom thinks about ram once again im going to go with stable memory and that is corsair dominator.

You do not need to pay the ridiculous premiums that Corsair charges for the Dominator RAM to get stable memory. RAM is not the place to blow tons of money on a build. That is false. Just because something is the most expensive doesn't automatically make it better than everything else.

i never stated that they had good motherboards if you need to know a good motherboard im going to say asus rampage extreme.

And pay $400 for a motherboard when you could get one that costs 1/3 as much and does the same functions? Why?
 

pcgamer719

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Jan 23, 2013
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ok so here we go again your putting words in my mouth i never quoted that corsair was the best because of its price. I stand by corsair because of there incredible services and they stand by there product. if you have any problems they deal with them very quick. Also were talking about a 2000 dollar computer here not a 1000 dollar computer. your getting way off topic here. asus rampage mobo is the one of the highest rated mobo for gaming and it fits his budget. you cant get a mobo for 1\3 of the price that does the same thing and has so many slots for future upgrades if you find one for 133.33 please post it here because i will buy it. make you do your research in what the rampage extreme does and its features first. also g.skill is ok mem but it is known for its stability issues.
 

boulbox

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Apr 5, 2012
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With that extra $300 you can save i might as well buy myself a decent dinner and some liquor instead of some ridiculously priced board like the ramage extreme.

For high end boards, just stop at ASrock extreme 6 or Gigabyte UD5H/UP 4(which ever one is cheaper really) it will have all the stuff you need and might not need.
 

Anderson_64

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Jan 22, 2013
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Yea thats 100% correct..Currently my machine is runnning on intel 520 ssd..it is rock solid..I haven't seen any performance drops yet..
 

pcgamer719

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Jan 23, 2013
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yeah im running the intel 520 ssd x2 at RAID 0 and there incredible also no errors yet here.
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


I'm the one getting way off topic? You're the one who's recommending the most expensive parts here. Just because a budget is $2,000 doesn't necessarily mean that you have to hit it. But why spend money needlessly when you don't have to? That's what I am trying to explain here.

Corsair makes some good products and they have great support - but the Dominator RAM is unbelievably overpriced and RAM isn't really the area to spend tons of money on a build.
 
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zw9n
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zw9n/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zw9n/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($76.32 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.67 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill ARMOR-EVO ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($122.75 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VH232H 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VH232H 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($11.39 @ Amazon)
Total: $1470.01
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-25 12:42 EST-0500)

Base Total: $1540.01
Promo Discounts: -$10.00
Mail-in Rebates: -$30.00
Total: $1500.01


there u just cut 500$ and just as good :D

 

boulbox

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Apr 5, 2012
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No mobo
 
oops. must of been tired.

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($76.32 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.67 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill ARMOR-EVO ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($122.75 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VH232H 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VH232H 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($11.39 @ Amazon)
Total: $1595.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-25 21:02 EST-0500)

Base Total: $1675.00
Promo Discounts: -$10.00
Mail-in Rebates: -$40.00
Total: $1625.00

 
sounds about right.

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($76.32 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.67 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill ARMOR-EVO ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($122.75 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: DoubleSight DS-275W 27.0" Monitor ($608.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($11.39 @ Amazon)
Total: $1924.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-25 21:50 EST-0500)

Base Total: $1995.01
Promo Discounts: -$10.00
Mail-in Rebates: -$40.00
Shipping: $8.99
Total: $1954.00

 

Technoflicks

Honorable
Dec 24, 2012
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10,630

The only thing I am skeptical about is the SSD, by the reviews it looks like it has a pretty high failure rate.
 
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