First Time Gaming PC Build $1000-$1200

[AvalancheRyder]

Hi all,

I'm new to Tom's Hardware and haven't built a PC in about 10 years. I'm looking to get back into it and build a gaming PC. My budget is about $1000-$1200, though I could be convinced to spend a bit more if there was a good reason. I put together the below list of components. If anyone has a couple of minutes to take a look, I'd like to get some feedback. If there's anything critical that I am missing, or some suggestions, please let me know.

I was wondering though, do I need a separate cooling solution or is the built in cooling adequate? While I am looking to be able to run most games at 2560x1440 resolution in Ultra settings at 60fps+, I probably won't be playing a game for more than 2 hours at a time.

The current total is $1069.40, and I am fine going up to $1200, or possibly a bit higher if there is a good reason. Thanks!

Case - Antec One - $55.14 - http://www.amazon.com/Antec-One-Computer-Case/dp/B006TVQU6C/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1361808130&sr=1-1&keywords=antec+one

HDD - WD Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive - $73.52 - http://www.amazon.com/WD-Blue-Desktop-Hard-Drive/dp/B0088PUEPK/ref=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1361807034&sr=1-1

SSD - SanDisk Ultra Plus SSD 128 GB Sata 6.0 - $89.99 - http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-2-5-Inch-Solid-SDSSDHP-128G-G25/dp/B0093HMKVI/ref=sr_1_11?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1361806845&sr=1-11&keywords=128gb+ssd

Memory - Corsair Vengeance Blue 8 GB (2X4 GB) PC3-12800 1600mHz DDR3 240-Pin SDRAM - $49.99 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QBUL1C/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004QBUL1C&linkCode=as2&tag=gamingsquid-20

Motherboard - Gigabyte Intel Z77 LGA 1155 Dual UEFI BIOS ATX Motherboard GA-Z77-DS3H - $104.99 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007R21JWC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007R21JWC&linkCode=as2&tag=hhmsquiddiscount-20

Optical Drive - Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive DRW-24B1ST (Black) - $23.49 - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0033Z2BAQ/cupcre06-20

Power Supply - Cooler Master GX - 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supply (RS650-ACAAD3-US) - $79.00 - http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-GX-Bronze-RS650-ACAAD3-US/dp/B0035WTD2G/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1361808462&sr=1-1&keywords=Coolermaster+GX650

Processor - Intel Core i5-3570K - $223.79 - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B007SZ0E1K/cupcre06-20

Video Card - GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 - $369.99 - http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GV-N670OC-2GD-GeForce-Windforce-Graphics/dp/B0080I06WQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1361805934&sr=1-1&keywords=GeForce+GTX+670%3A+Gigabyte+N670OC-2GD

 

[dawsy]

Are you looking to OverClock as i believe the i5 3570k is a better processes for this job if so you will need to clook at some cooling equipment , If not try looking at the i5-3470 should do the same job but it will save you a few pounds.

 

[dawsy]

I just looked for you the i5-3470k Comes up around $188 dollars on amazon.com the money you saved from this could go towards a better power supply just for reinsurance

 

[AvalancheRyder]

I just looked for you the i5-3470k Comes up around $188 dollars on amazon.com the money you saved from this could go towards a better power supply just for reinsurance

Great, thanks for the input! I will take a look at the i5-3470k.

 

[michxymi]

COUGAR Solution Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with 12cm COUGAR TURBINE HYPER-SPIN Bearing Silent Fan and USB 3.0

Fractal Design Integra R2 750-Watt 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V/EPS12V 750 Power Supply FD-PSU-IN2B-750W

AMD FX-8320 Eight-Core Processor Black Edition AM3+ FD8320FRHKBOX

ASRock MB-970EX4 Socket AM3+/ AMD 970/ AMD Quad CrossFireX& nVidia SLI/ SATA3&USB3.0/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard

Patriot Memory Viper 3 Series Venom Red DDR3 8GB 1866MHz (PC3 15000) Memory Kit PV38G186C9KRD

2 x HIS Radeon HD 7950 3 GB (384bit) GDDR5 Eyefinity 2x Mini-Displayport HDMI DL DVI-I (HDCP) PCI Express 3.0 X16 Graphics Cards (H795F3G2M)

Samsung 840 Series 2.5 inch 120GB SATA III internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7TD120BW

Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

That's what I would buy for your budget and resolution. You ve got a powerful CPU along with dual 7950 to run everything smooth at such resolution plus SSD

 

[J_E_D_70]

Depending on what games you play, will need 2x 7970s/680s or the like to drive that resolution at ultra - for some games (FC3 and C3) you'll *still* barely get there:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-titan-performance-review,3442-5.html