1500$ build

[dboss1987]

I am building my first computer and my price range is about 1500$ here's what i got.
Let me know if you have any suggestion please, im new to this.


Processor: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
CPU Cooler: cooler master hyper 212 EVO
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Memory:CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Storage: SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD128BW 2.5" 128GB SATA III
Video Card: HIS IceQ H787Q2G2M Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Case: NZXT Phantom Full Tower Computer Case
Power Supply: CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular
Optical Drive:ASUS Black Blu-ray Burner SATA
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium

It came out to be 1504.25$ after shipping

 

[tenaciousk]

If you have the money to spend. you could do better then this. i built someone a 1200 dollar rig earlier take a look at it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($85.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($84.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1198.40
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-03 13:58 EST-0500)

And in a lot of ways this build is overkill, but for the price it is great. It will handle whatever you through at it.

 

[stickg1]

If you're going for a $1500 build it should look like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($32.97 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($363.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill BlackHawk ATX Mid Tower Case ($85.65 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($86.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1354.46
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-03 14:14 EST-0500)


Or at least with your original build you need to drop the PSU because it's overkill and about $75 too expensive. Drop the Extreme4 and get the Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H because it's leaps and bounds better than the Extreme4, also for a $1500 computer you need to have a much better GPU than a 7870, also you dont even have a HDD, 128GB on the SSD will run out really fast.

 

[ikes9711]

If you are really committed to $1500 get a 7970. A 670 will not be worth is and a 7970 will beat a 680 in most games.

 

[stickg1]

If you are really committed to $1500 get a 7970. A 670 will not be worth is and a 7970 will beat a 680 in most games.

I just sold my 7970 and got a 670. My framerates and benchmark scores are not as high but the overall gameplay is night and day different. With my 7950's and 7970's I've had in the past year (four total), I would suffer from frame latency, screen tearing, and texture flickering on most of my games. All of that has gone away since switching to nVidia. If all you want is higher numbers then go AMD, if you want smooth gameplay then go nVidia.

 

[Guest]

Or just spend $1500 on a display (30" 2560 x 1600) and a GTX 680 and go from there. Why limit yourself to a tiny 1080p display and a weaker GPU...just saying.

 

[rmiiirusty]

I just sold my 7970 and got a 670. My framerates and benchmark scores are not as high but the overall gameplay is night and day different. With my 7950's and 7970's I've had in the past year (four total), I would suffer from frame latency, screen tearing, and texture flickering on most of my games. All of that has gone away since switching to nVidia. If all you want is higher numbers then go AMD, if you want smooth gameplay then go nVidia.

A+ I have experienced the same with radeon cards, and only very rarely can I get catalyst to work correctly

nvidea forever imo

 

[stickg1]

I've been a long time AMD/ATI supported but until recently I finally realized why nVidia cards cost a little more for the same framerates. It's because the drivers are better and gameplay is better. Until AMD can make a decent driver, I am on the Green Team.

 

[burritobob]

Or just spend $1500 on a display (30" 2560 x 1600) and a GTX 680 and go from there. Why limit yourself to a tiny 1080p display and a weaker GPU...just saying.

This is a good example of what not to do, the 7970 which is cheaper actually performs by quite a large margin better than the 680 anyways...

I've been a long time AMD/ATI supported but until recently I finally realized why nVidia cards cost a little more for the same framerates. It's because the drivers are better and gameplay is better. Until AMD can make a decent driver, I am on the Green Team.

The new beta drivers are fantastic, i get higher framerates with my 7870Ghz Ed. in most games than my friend next door with his 660ti.

Look at this price range you really have 1 clear choice and that is the 7970Ghz Ed, it performs better than any of the suggested cards at the same or cheaper price. You really cannot go wrong with that.

Processor: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
CPU Cooler: cooler master hyper 212 EVO
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Memory:CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Storage: SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD128BW 2.5" 128GB SATA III
Video Card: HIS IceQ H787Q2G2M Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Case: NZXT Phantom Full Tower Computer Case
Power Supply: CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular
Optical Drive:ASUS Black Blu-ray Burner SATA
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium

Take your original build and just put in a 7970, you will be set for years to come.

 

[dboss1987]

but why step up to the i7 processor. all i do is play games and watch movies and surf the web.

 

[stickg1]

but why step up to the i7 processor. all i do is play games and watch movies and surf the web.

You don't have to get an i7, but to spend $1500 on a PC that isn't an i7 seems kind of crazy.

Drop back down to i5 but upgrade the GPU.

 

[rmiiirusty]

You don't have to get an i7, but to spend $1500 on a PC that isn't an i7 seems kind of crazy.

Drop back down to i5 but upgrade the GPU.

^+1 yeah get the i5 and the biggest gpu you can afford

 

[stickg1]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($392.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill BlackHawk ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($100.17 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1433.05
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-03 17:18 EST-0500)

This is all from Newegg, you can go to a variety retailers if you want but this would be easy.

 

[rmiiirusty]

Yeah, I usually shop around for the deals...free shipping saves alot these days and a good sale is always appreciated! It doesn't matter to me if parts come from different vendors, just so long as I feel I got the most out of my money!

 

[marqol]

Well with that microcenter price you'd be stupid not to get the i7, even if you're just gunna whack it back on amazon for a resell, lol...

 

[dboss1987]

what about the MSI Geforce GTX 660ti 2GB?

 

[burritobob]

what about the MSI Geforce GTX 660ti 2GB?

That's easily beat out by a 7870XT, really not the best for price/performance right now.

 

[stickg1]

what about the MSI Geforce GTX 660ti 2GB?

I know most people here wouldn't agree, but having owned a Vapor-X 7950, a Sapphire OC 7950, and 2 reference 7970's, I would rather have a GTX 670 over the 7970 and a 660ti over the 7950. The actual smoothness of the graphics is something the AMD cards can't do. Yes the AMD cards produce slightly higher framerates, but it comes at a price. Frame latency, screen tearing, texture flickering, and some people don't notice or this doesn't bother them. But having experienced both, I would gladly pay $50 more for an nvidia.

 

[rmiiirusty]

I was just on another forum where a guy with a msi gtx 670 said he was getting 48 frames minimum on ultimate setting in crysis3. @ 1080p that is extremely good considering that not even the Titan boasts better He also said that o.c.ing his 3570k was part of it... about 10-15 fps worth.

 

[burritobob]

I know most people here wouldn't agree, but having owned a Vapor-X 7950, a Sapphire OC 7950, and 2 reference 7970's, I would rather have a GTX 670 over the 7970 and a 660ti over the 7950. The actual smoothness of the graphics is something the AMD cards can't do. Yes the AMD cards produce slightly higher framerates, but it comes at a price. Frame latency, screen tearing, texture flickering, and some people don't notice or this doesn't bother them. But having experienced both, I would gladly pay $50 more for an nvidia.

It's not really worth it, I've never had problems with my grand total of 7 AMD cards, while the first nvidia card I had, had the exact same problems you're describing, it's mainly a game of luck, one that you lost. Some people have better experience with others, you should have done some research on the sapphire cards and reference cards, they aren't great other brands are much more reliable.

was just on another forum where a guy with a msi gtx 570 said he was getting 48 frames minimum on ultimate setting in crysis3. @ 1080p that is extremely good considering that not even the Titan boasts better

Not starting a flame war but, first of all I would like a link, he could've been staring at a leaf the entire time... there really is no way in the heat of a battle he was getting that fps.

 

[bigcyco1]

The high end gaming PC is going to be something that can run everything at 1080P at high to ultra settings. This machine will burn through any game on the market, and will have plenty of room for expansion as well.Now to give you a run down of my choices for the build for you and explain the details. Core i5 3570K. For those who know me and have me do their builds, you’ll know that it’s just about the best processor you can get for the money today. With plenty of performance, top notch overclocking capability and enough horsepower to run any game you throw at it, the choice is a no brainer.


Cooler - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

30 cooler that will work magic. Seriously though, at this price, there’s no cooler out there can that beat this thing price wise and performance wise it's best bang per buck.




Motherboard - Gigabyte Z77X-D3H

Ever since Intel’s introduction of the Z77 chipset, motherboard giant Gigabyte has made huge leaps in in improvements on their motherboards all the way from the budget end to the extreme high end and the Z77X-D3H is a perfect example of what kind of top quality products can be achieved.

With support for PCIe 3.0, SATA 3 6Gb/s, 8 channel integrated audio, Gigabyte’s fully digital power delivery system, and ultra durable 4 features, it’s got a lot going for it.


Memory – 8GB Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz DDR3 Low Profile 1.5v
With excellent reliability, great performance, a low profile and an amazing price, there really isn’t a better option on the market.

GPU - MSI GTX 670 Power Edition

We’re building a gaming PC today, so that means we’re going to splurge a little on graphics lol!

Based off Nvidia’s new Kepler design, the GTX 670 provides top notch performance with extremely high efficiency, so you’re guaranteed to be getting a ton of performance without a lot of energy or creating a lot of heat either. ,
With MSI’s Power Edition GTX 670, you’re also getting MSI’s legendary Twin Frozr IV cooler, which will provide excellent cooling along with MSI’s triple overvoltage design that allows you to do a little overclocking to improve performance if you’re feeling adventurous.
Storage - Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM

For your build today, we’ll be going with a Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM hard drive, which if you asked me one or two years ago would’ve probably been my ideal choice when building a new gaming computer.

Nowadays, I think every PC should include an SSD period. They’re waaaaaaaaay faster and they draw less energy, but unfortunately they do cost a significant amount more than a traditional hard drive.
Boot Drive – Crucial m4 128GB SSD
PSU - Corsair TX650 V2

Once again, i will be falling back on our trusty Corsair TX650 V2. High quality Seasonic made power supply for a great price to boot.



CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($393.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1338.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-03 17:49 EST-0500)

 

[bigcyco1]

I know most people here wouldn't agree, but having owned a Vapor-X 7950, a Sapphire OC 7950, and 2 reference 7970's, I would rather have a GTX 670 over the 7970 and a 660ti over the 7950. The actual smoothness of the graphics is something the AMD cards can't do. Yes the AMD cards produce slightly higher framerates, but it comes at a price. Frame latency, screen tearing, texture flickering, and some people don't notice or this doesn't bother them. But having experienced both, I would gladly pay $50 more for an nvidia.

I think you might be right AMD has been having problems with frame latency, they have tried to address the issue in recent driver updates. It's worth it to check out these articles:
http://techreport.com/review/24218/a-driver-update-to-reduce-radeon-frame-times/5
http://techreport.com/news/24136/driver-software-to-be-tweaked-to-reduce-radeon-frame-latencies-in-series-of-updates
http://techreport.com/review/23981/radeon-hd-7950-vs-geforce-gtx-660-ti-revisited

 

[rmiiirusty]

It's not really worth it, I've never had problems with my grand total of 7 AMD cards, while the first nvidia card I had, had the exact same problems you're describing, it's mainly a game of luck, one that you lost. Some people have better experience with others, you should have done some research on the sapphire cards and reference cards, they aren't great other brands are much more reliable.

was just on another forum where a guy with a msi gtx 570 said he was getting 48 frames minimum on ultimate setting in crysis3. @ 1080p that is extremely good considering that not even the Titan boasts better

Not starting a flame war but, first of all I would like a link, he could've been staring at a leaf the entire time... there really is no way in the heat of a battle he was getting that fps.

Here is your link:http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/395895-15-crysis-running-temp#t2971074
What will you dowith it,go call him a liar?

I thought it was impressive tho considering even the Titan card doesnt even claim higher rates than that!?!?

oops http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/395895-15-crysis-running-temp#t2971074

 

[stickg1]

Yeah they've addressed it but its still not that good, although it's much better than before. Look, I love AMD/ATI cards, had them for the past 5 years. But the drivers are garbage, I got a taste of the Green Chocolate and daddy wants more, that's all I'm saying.

http://www.techpowerup.com/177173/HD-7950-May-Give-Higher-Framerates-but-GTX-660-Ti-Still-Smoother-Report.html

http://techreport.com/review/23981/radeon-hd-7950-vs-geforce-gtx-660-ti-revisited

It's smooth like butter baby! Oh and Sapphire makes excellent cards, any comment stating otherwise is false.

 

[bigcyco1]

Yeah they've addressed it but its still not that good, although it's much better than before. Look, I love AMD/ATI cards, had them for the past 5 years. But the drivers are garbage, I got a taste of the Green Chocolate and daddy wants more, that's all I'm saying.

http://www.techpowerup.com/177173/HD-7950-May-Give-Higher-Framerates-but-GTX-660-Ti-Still-Smoother-Report.html

http://techreport.com/review/23981/radeon-hd-7950-vs-geforce-gtx-660-ti-revisited

It's smooth like butter baby! Oh and Sapphire makes excellent cards, any comment stating otherwise is false.

:lol: