Assistance for $1800-3500 new gaming build

[BenzieBox]

Hey guys,

I'm trying to build my first gaming rig and I was hoping someone could help

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: In the next few days

Budget Range: 1800-3500 After Rebates; After Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: School, gaming, internet surfing

Are you buying a monitor: Yes (I'm probably going to use an 27' LG display)

Parts to Upgrade: New build

Do you need to buy OS: Yes. I'll probably get Win7. I hear 8 has a lot of bugs

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com, Amazon.com

Location: SA, Texas, U.S

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU, Nvidia video card, Western Digital internal hard drive

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200

Additional Comments: I would like a quiet powerful PC with room to upgrade in the future. I mostly just stream video right now but will want to be using it for school (research, papers, etc) and higher end gaming. I'll be wanting to run The Secret World, Borderlands 2 and Skyrim.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I've been using laptops for the past few years and I am finally settled to the point where getting a desktop is feasible

Include a list of any parts you have already selected with descriptively labeled links for parts. Please do not post only links.

Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 Elite Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (RZ03-00381900-R3U1)- Retail
http://www.amazon.com/Razer-Blackwidow-Ultimate-Mechanical-RZ03-00381900-R3U1/dp/B008U5ZNIG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360992676&sr=8-1&keywords=razer+black+widow+ultimate+2013

Razer Naga Epic Gaming Mouse
http://www.amazon.com/Razer-Naga-Epic-Gaming-Mouse/dp/B004AM5RAM/ref=pd_sim_pc_7


Thanks a lot!

 

[Outlander_04]

would you like a coffee while you wait?

 

[g-unit1111]

Here you go:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($80.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($192.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ 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 ($147.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($179.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: NZXT HALE 90 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1962.74
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-16 02:12 EST-0500)

I leave monitor and keyboard / mouse / speakers open ended as those are personal preference items.

 

[boulbox]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek AEGIR SD128264 89.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 EG 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.88 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($137.28 @ TigerDirect)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($101.93 @ Mac Connection)
Case Fan: Xigmatek XAF-F1255 90.3 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Kingwin Lazer Platinum 850W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($143.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor ($649.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: SteelSeries 6GV/2 Wired Standard Keyboard ($99.92 @ Amazon)
Mouse: SteelSeries Sensei RAW Wired Laser Mouse ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2233.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-16 02:12 EST-0500)

7970 because it can power the monitor much better than a 670

asrock extreme6 because it is cost efficient and overclocks pretty nice

Xigmatek aegir because it can cool pretty dam good(has reports that it did better than D-14 with just a single fan) and i added a second fan for it, of course fans can be switched out to noctua fans for a quiet experience

much more of a steel series fan than a Razer fan(had way to many razer products fail on me as the only thing i would even consider buying from them is the mice)

850W plat for $144 can't really go wrong with it since it is a pretty good brand too

 

[BenzieBox]

Thank you gentlemen, I'll research a little more into these 2 builds and see if I can't get a happy medium. Truly appreciate it and I'll post what I have before I buy it.

Thanks again

 

[Marcopolo123]

Never

 

[realchaos]

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 ($80.54 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($124.95 @ Mac Connection)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 6GB Video Card ($606.13 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor ($649.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($56.48 @ Mwave)
Mouse: Logitech G500 Wired Laser Mouse ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2346.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-16 11:05 EST-0500)

Sapphire Vapor-X 7970 Ghz edition is more expensive than other Graphic Cards. You can cut down about $200 by getting any other 7970.

 

[g-unit1111]

If your budget is so high, you do not need to build it yourself.
I can goo with this one:

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dpcwny5&model_id=alienware-aurora-r4&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19

This is according to your budget

You would seriously recommend a crappy Dell machine over building it yourself? No. Not to mention X79 isn't needed for a gaming rig and there's no SSD.

Xigmatek aegir because it can cool pretty dam good(has reports that it did better than D-14 with just a single fan) and i added a second fan for it, of course fans can be switched out to noctua fans for a quiet experience

I'm not the biggest fan of Xigmatek - I find their fans are very difficult to work with and I lost a motherboard and almost an entire build because of one.

 

[boulbox]

Did you put the backplate wrong? seems like that was one of their biggest problems since some people didn't want to read the direction and installed the backplate wrong and pretty much fried their system

 

[g-unit1111]

Did you put the backplate wrong? seems like that was one of their biggest problems since some people didn't want to read the direction and installed the backplate wrong and pretty much fried their system

Even with the back plate installed correctly Windows reported CPU malfunction errors and CPU temperature errors left and right. I was using a Phenom II X6 and it nearly fried the build that way. I'm using my Gaia as a paper weight. :lol:

 

[marqol]

Here you go:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
/SNIP

I prefer this build.
The only thing you need to sort out is:

SLI - if you are getting it then I agree with the 670's. It's been mentioned quite a lot that Nvidia does multiple cards better... for now
If you're still not sure, I'd personally go with 1 card such as:
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvr797oc3gd

Just because you have a larger budget doesn't mean it's always best to put in 2 GPU's.
You also mentioned about future upgrades. It's more cost efficient to use 1 GPU, then upgrade when needed.
It's possible you could run into dead cards or problems with SLI within certain games.
don't hate me for that it happens

 

[g-unit1111]

I prefer this build.
The only thing you need to sort out is:

SLI - if you are getting it then I agree with the 670's. It's been mentioned quite a lot that Nvidia does multiple cards better... for now
If you're still not sure, I'd personally go with 1 card such as:
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvr797oc3gd

Just because you have a larger budget doesn't mean it's always best to put in 2 GPU's.
You also mentioned about future upgrades. It's more cost efficient to use 1 GPU, then upgrade when needed.
It's possible you could run into dead cards or problems with SLI within certain games.
don't hate me for that it happens

I kind of do agree with that on some points but the reason I pick the GTX 670 in SLI form is that there's only a difference of like +-2 FPS when compared to the $1,000 GTX 690 and is $300 cheaper: http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/39605-nvidia-geforce-gtx-670-sli-vs-the-beasttm/

With the difference you can add a nice 1440p display or two and still come in under $3500.

 

[marqol]

I kind of do agree with that on some points but the reason I pick the GTX 670 in SLI form is that there's only a difference of like +-2 FPS when compared to the $1,000 GTX 690 and is $300 cheaper: http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/39605-nvidia-geforce-gtx-670-sli-vs-the-beasttm/

With the difference you can add a nice 1440p display or two and still come in under $3500.

Don't get me wrong, I'm totally on your side for all that.
Even my suggestion with the 7970 was a little opinionated, tbh. both 670 and 7970 are very 'OC-able' just thought I'd give a different perspective.
The word "budget" is stuck in my own head sadly but after reading his range of $1800-3500 again, I'd get 2 cards 2 monitors and a coke

I hope this build works out for you,
Marqo

 

[g-unit1111]

Don't get me wrong, I'm totally on your side for all that.
Even my suggestion with the 7970 was a little opinionated, tbh. both 670 and 7970 are very 'OC-able' just thought I'd give a different perspective.
The word "budget" is stuck in my own head sadly but after reading his range of $1800-3500 again, I'd get 2 cards 2 monitors and a coke

Hey if you've got a budget range that high I say go all out. :lol:

 

[BenzieBox]

Thanks for all the input.

Here is my tentative build now: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/EeLi

Does anyone else have any suggestions before I pull the trigger?

 

[realchaos]

Not sure if you really need premium full. If you want both 32bit and 64bit, that's fine but I think your better off saving $90 with just the 64 bit.
I don't know how a NZXT power supply is, so it might be better to get someone's opinion on it. Never knew they even made psu.

 

[boulbox]

NZXT PSUs are OEMs of seasonic, they are pretty good

 

[realchaos]

How could you tell if it's really a seasonic inside? I never figured that part out.

 

[boulbox]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-oem-manufacturer,2913-8.html

 

[boulbox]

the 3 i would go with are the OEMs of FSP, Seasonic, and Super Flower as they are pretty much at the top of PSUs

 

[boulbox]

2000 mhz ram doesnt really do much, no need for 3970 for a gaming build

 

[g-unit1111]

I will suggest you two important things.
>Buy Intel Core i7 3970X
>Buy 1 Radeon HD 7970 2GB
>Buy 1 Geforce GTX 690 2GB
>Buy 32GB DDR3 2000Mhz Ram

You won't benefit from X79 on gaming rig and there's no reason to blow tons of money on RAM - you won't really notice a huge performance increase.

the 3 i would go with are the OEMs of FSP, Seasonic, and Super Flower as they are pretty much at the top of PSUs

Yup. I recommend the Hale 90 because it's made by Super Flower. The Silencer MKII series is good as well - they're made by Sirtec. Not as good as Super Flower but it's still a quality PSU for not that much money.

How could you tell if it's really a seasonic inside? I never figured that part out.

Tom's recently put together a comprehensive index of PSU manufacturers and the OEMs they use, check it out: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-oem-manufacturer,2913.html

Also check out jonnyguru.com - they're pretty much the source for anything you ever cared to know about power supplies. If they say it's good it's good. If they say it's crap, it's crap.

 

[boulbox]

Yup. I recommend the Hale 90 because it's made by Super Flower. The Silencer MKII series is good as well - they're made by Sirtec. Not as good as Super Flower but it's still a quality PSU for not that much money.

Yup ^^

the MK series was one of my favorites but i wish they would make some of them modular

 

[g-unit1111]

Yup. I recommend the Hale 90 because it's made by Super Flower. The Silencer MKII series is good as well - they're made by Sirtec. Not as good as Super Flower but it's still a quality PSU for not that much money.

Yup ^^

the MK series was one of my favorites but i wish they would make some of them modular

The 1200W version is made by Super Flower and it's fully modular but then again who needs 1200W on a system these days? :lol: