New build. Was aimming for 1500 w/o monitor

[Aaronraptor]

Need some thoughts on this build. Want to get everything just right before i spend 1500 on a new rig. If you can think of better quality parts that are cheaper please let me know.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/AMgs

PC will be used mostly for gaming, but it needs to last 3-4 years and still run most games being released in that time.

 

[Outlander_04]

drop the 3770 to a 3570 . Hyperthreading wont help games and hat is the difference between the two

2 x 4 gig of RAM is plenty for gaming

I'd tend to want to use one large monitor . A 26 or 27 inch model

The samsung 830/840 SSD is a better choice

You need a 600 - 650 watt psu to run that
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

 

[g-unit1111]

For gaming there's no reason to purchase an i7. Instead of 2 x 660, get a single 680 or 7970.

I agree with Outlander that a single large monitor is a good way to go rather than 2 x 21.5" monitors. You could grab one of those 27" IPS panels from eBay for $350 or less.

Here's what I would suggest for $1500:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($383.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($134.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($104.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1327.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-01 01:06 EST-0500)

 

[Aaronraptor]

The only reason im going with the i7 is that it is only 10 bucks more than the i5 if i pick up from microcenter. I know that their is no huge advantage from the I7. But i do play BF3 so i think it might be worth the money to have the hyperthreading.
Just some more thoughts on that.

 

[EasyTransfer]

I5 not necessary neither is 16gb of ram. You are going to want windows 7/8 if you are gaming and an optical drive to install it. No need for sli when you can get a vapor-x 7970
So here's my build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($80.73 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.49 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($424.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS72 DVD/CD Writer ($22.75 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 21.5" Monitor ($138.81 @ eCost)
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 21.5" Monitor ($138.81 @ eCost)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1708.49
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-01 03:00 EST-0500)

 

[g-unit1111]

I5 not necessary neither is 16gb of ram. You are going to want windows 7/8 if you are gaming and an optical drive to install it. No need for sli when you can get a vapor-x 7970

I would really hold off on Windows 8. There's a few things about it that are great but most of the complaints against it are pretty well justified.

On your build I would really stay away from XMS RAM - it's cheap and it's Corsair but it's not really one of the things they make well. Also instead of 2 x 21.5" monitors go for a single 25" or 27" monitor - 2 monitors gets you nowhere in first and third person games.

 

[Outlander_04]

I would really hold off on Windows 8. There's a few things about it that are great but most of the complaints against it are pretty well justified.

what complaints?

 

[g-unit1111]

what complaints?

People really seem to hate Metro. I can personally take it or leave it, the desktop is OK but most people can't seem to get past Metro. Just a quick Google search for "Windows 8 sucks" yielded like 29 million hits. :lol:

 

[Outlander_04]

There is no reason for a desktop user to ever see "metro" .... unless they want to .

In return you get a better task manager
A license you can transfer to another computer when you upgrade
much faster boots and restarts
the ability to use storage spaces , including setting drives to mirror or stripe , from within windows

Yes there is a small learning curve , but in a week at most anyone with an IQ in double figures will have it worked out

 

[g-unit1111]

There is no reason for a desktop user to ever see "metro" .... unless they want to .

In return you get a better task manager
A license you can transfer to another computer when you upgrade
much faster boots and restarts
the ability to use storage spaces , including setting drives to mirror or stripe , from within windows

Yes there is a small learning curve , but in a week at most anyone with an IQ in double figures will have it worked out

Yeah there's a lot of benefits to Windows 8 but like I said a lot of people just can't seem to get past Metro and how bad it is, how it shouldn't belong on a desktop, etc etc...

 

[Outlander_04]

Yeah there's a lot of benefits to Windows 8 but like I said a lot of people just can't seem to get past Metro and how bad it is, how it shouldn't belong on a desktop, etc etc...

I agree. Metro is hopeless on a desk top

But you can download a free open source start button/menu

or pay a few dollars and have a full featured front end .

Since neither of those is any trouble at all there is no reason to not have the advantages of Win 8

 

[Aaronraptor]

So I finally decided on a build. I used some of the info i got from here. Also i used some help from friends that have built their own pcs for years. We did research to see recommended products for the CPU/MOBO we are using.

This is the final build http://pcpartpicker.com/p/AXIb