Need help on new computer build that's around $2000

G

Guest

Guest
Hello, I want to build a computer for the very first time after getting tired of branded PCs and their specs. I need help on choosing parts for my desktop. I'm going to build this probably in April, so help would be appreciated.

I want this desktop to be able to play all of my favorite game at maximum settings in Eyefinity triple monitor setup @ 60 frames per second average. Some of my favorite games are Tomb Raider with TressFX, Borderlands 2 with PhysX, and APB Reloaded max settings in Eyefinity. The resolution will be 3x 1920x1080 for 5760x1080.

There's a build upgrade advice, so I'm going through these questions because I'm new to computer forums.

Approximate Purchase Date:
mid-April

Budget Range:
$2000 (before rebates) for the computer build. I don't mind going a little over $2000 as long as the desktop will run perfectly with what I wanted.
around $500-$1000 for 3 monitors, each at 1920x1080 resolution. I just want a Full HD monitor, don't need 3D or touch screen or anything like that.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming at maximum settings in Eyefinity @ 60fps. Microsoft Office Word/Powerpoint etc., and Google Chrome.

Are you buying a monitor?
Yes, 3 of the same brand and model monitors for Eyefinity.

Parts to Upgrade:
None, because I am using an outdated HP desktop. I am making a fully new build.

Do you need to buy OS?
Yes, I have already decided to use Windows 7 Professional 64-bit. No Windows 8, I may not like it.

Preferred Websites for Parts:
Newegg.com or MicroCenter

Location:
Orange County, CA, USA. Very near MicroCenter.

Parts Preferences: I am planning to go Intel processors, no AMD processors as I heard from my friends that they bottleneck a lot in Eyefinity. Video cards either NVIDIA or AMD, no Intel graphics. No Windows 8 operating systems.

Overclocking:
No. However, I still want a processor that can will not bottleneck a video card (or more if I have to SLI/CrossFire).

SLI or CrossFire:
If I have to SLI/Crossfire to play Tomb Raider, Borderlands 2, and APB Reloaded at max settings in 5760x1080, then Yes!

Your Monitor Resolution:
1920x1080. Three monitors will make it 5760x1080.

Additional Comments:
None so far. I think the information is enough.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading:
I bought my HP desktop (costs $999) like 6 months ago, and it will not run Tomb Raider, a game that was released just recently. And I want to max out Tomb Raider, Borderlands 2, and APB Reloaded at max settings at 1920x1080 with 60 frames per second and higher. Also, I would like to reward myself for being very hard-working in life and a very high raise in my job.

I did get help from my friends so far with these parts.
Intel Core i7-3770k Ivy Bridge $229

16gb RAM Corsair Vengeance about $109

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130781 ] GTX 690 supports Nvidia Surround (similar to Eyefinity) about $1000[/url]

Samsung SSD 250GB about $210

The rest is what I found because I didn't ask my friends specifically about their build and I don't want to bother them because they are busy.

Cooler Master Storm Stryker Full Tower $170

http://microcenter.com/product/388088/SABERTOOTH_Z77_LGA_1155_Z77_ATX_Intel_Motherboard ] Asus Sabertooth motherboard $240 [/url]

http://microcenter.com/product/399157/HX-Series_1050_Watt_ATX_12V_Modular_Power_Supply ] Corsair HX 1050 watts - may be a little overkill but better safe than sorry. I wouldn't want to destroy my first build. it costs $209 [/url]

http://microcenter.com/product/407512/24x_Super_Multi_Internal_SATA_DVD%C2%B1RW_DL_Drive_-_Bare_Drive ] LG 24x Dvd Reader $17. [/url]

Windows 7 Professional, to support 16gb ram and higher. $130.

I would like suggestions or help, because the build may be wrong.
 

2wenty

Honorable
Dec 20, 2012
172
0
10,710
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / 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 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($115.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($72.04 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($496.48 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($496.48 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($151.29 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($135.97 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $2065.17
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-11 20:07 EDT-0400)
Here's my suggestion, sorry if I went a little over and slightly away from your original plan. Go with an i5 3570k instead of the i7 3770k, not much performance benefit in games, and is cheaper. 16Gb vs 8Gb ram? Your choice really, gaming only requires 8Gb, but you could get 16Gb just to be safe. I would definitely recommend overclocking, especially with a build of such a high budget, since you can definitely pull out some extra 'free' frames, and it really isn't that hard to do. The CPU cooler I've put down is a cheap but efficient way to cool your cpu with fairly mild overclocks (4.3-4.5Ghz). Samsung/Crucial/OCZ all offer good SSDs, size and model is your preference really. I would personally choose the 7970 X-Fire over a 690, simply because the 7970 has 1Gb more VRAM (very useful for multi-monitor setups) and performance is very similar, with the 7970s I believe being slightly better. Get a Sapphire, Gigabyte or MSI card, they all have good cooling solutions. Case is mostly up to you, just make sure everything fits, and 850W is enough for two 7970s in X-Fire, although 1000W is fine if you want extra headroom, but even a 750W PSU should handle X-Fire fine.
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($80.38 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($53.78 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($422.13 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($422.13 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($168.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: NZXT HALE 90 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($132.72 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($135.97 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VE278Q 27.0" Monitor ($297.58 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE278Q 27.0" Monitor ($297.58 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE278Q 27.0" Monitor ($297.58 @ Newegg)
Other: i5-3570k + ASRock z77 Extreme4 ($284.99)
Total: $2809.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-11 20:53 EDT-0400)

The cpu and mobo is a combo from microcenter. I gave you the option to overclock since the $40 off mobo discount only applies to the i5-3570k/i3-3225. Since you have to get the "k" why not overclock. I gave you the best air cpu heatsink/fan on the market right now with low profile ram. A solid psu with crossfire'd 7970 ghz edition will max out any game as of right now. The Sapphire Vapor-X edition allows for great overclocking. 3x 27" monitors 1080p will provide great gaming experience.
 
G

Guest

Guest
Nice, I like that pcpartpicker website. That's really useful.

So far, I changed it around.
-i5-3570k with Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler

-8gb corsair vengeance

-2x radeon hd 7970's

-Samsung SSD 840 pro series 128GB + 1TB Seagate Barracuda1TB HDD

-cooler master storm stryker full tower

-the asus maximus v formula motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131854
The AsRock z77 Extreme4 runs SLI/X-fire in PCI expresss x8/x8 as newegg stated. I went for the Asus one so when I X-Fire, it runs in full x16 lanes @ PCI Express 3.0.

-seasonic x series 850 watts 80+ gold certified power supply

-lite-on dvd/cd writer.

How does this look so far?
 

eyeage

Honorable
Apr 11, 2012
396
0
10,810
Here... You're not going to get everything you want AND 3 monitors for 2k (you can make a build with 3 monitors under 2k, but it isn't going to run like you want, unless you sacrifice on things like the case, SSD, etc). Just not going to happen. That said, here's a build that will destroy anything you need it to, and you can save another $50 at microcenter buying the mobo/cpu combo there.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / 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 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($159.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($102.28 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($229.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Toshiba 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($397.28 @ TigerDirect)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($397.28 @ TigerDirect)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Stryker (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($169.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($133.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $2057.69
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-11 21:23 EDT-0400)
 

eyeage

Honorable
Apr 11, 2012
396
0
10,810


I'm a fan of the seasonic x series. So I won't argue that point. The motherboard you have here (and any other mobo) will run 8x8 in xfire. If you want to spend double the price, feel free, but you aren't likely to see performance increase.
 
G

Guest

Guest
Allright, everything's fully planned. Thanks to everyone here who replied. I appreciate a lot of help here.