First Build, Gaming Rig, NEED A LOT OF HELP! (Newbie)

The Gravy Monster

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Hello, i have been a passionate gamer all my life and finally am going to take the plunge into the world of attempting to build a Gamer's Machine which would last me a few years to come.

i have a budget of about $1200, (but is flexible if it means $100 would make a huge difference... or even $200) and would like some advice on what to add or take away to make this current list more affordable and compatible.

Been doing some research and came up with these "must haves" according to longevity and duration of the system... (but am not sure if the i7 is worth the extra money over the i5, also some graphic card help would be great.)

BUT I AM I NOOB! so its probably all crap! just need some help before i buy something i regret.

PS: I do notice i am missing some components in this build and would like to leave the door open for suggestions from the experts!

Thanks anything would help.

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W
CPU Cooler: ?
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Memory:Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (CML8GX3M2A1600C9)
Storage: ?
Video Card:EVGA 02G-P4-2680-KR GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Case:AZZA Solano 1000 Black/Black Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Power Supply: ?
Optical Drive: ?

All in all i'm pretty confused about the whole thing, especially compatibility issues, and would love some feed back!
 

burritobob

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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 ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($56.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.64 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($418.13 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Essential 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($66.30 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1169.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Sorry for the i5 being from microcenter this build is really 1200 total.

I will explain every choice stating from the top:

The i7 is completely unnecessary the best CPU right now for gaming is going to the the i5

The CM Hyper 212 EVO is a great cooler for the money it's an easy 4-4.2GHz

The extreme6 really is not all that necessary the added features probably will not be used, the extreme4 is perfect for this budget, it has the same performance as well.

Same ram, cannot go wrong with that.

1TB HDD + 128GB ssd, you really cannot beat that you're going to have a fantastic performance.

The 680 is simply not worth it, it being 100$ more for a 5% performance increase is just not worth the investment. With the 7970Ghz ed performing 10% or so better than the 680 at a cheaper price, you really have to go with AMD on this one.

The 912 is an amazing case with plenty of room and it looks fantastic. Cases are more personal than anything though.

Any 600w PSU from XFX Corsair Seasonic or Silverstone will do fine here, I picked a nice PSU for the money.

And finally the Optical Drive, it's cheap highly rated and works great.

 

burritobob

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You can simply look at the post and answer those questions yourself:
if the OP is looking for an aftermarket cooler yes he is going to OC
most people do not CFx or SLI
Most people have a monitor of some sort he does have a gaming machine...
And if the request is in dollars... the good old US of A
 

tenaciousk

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My suggestion without an operating system
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($163.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill NS Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ATX Mid Tower Case ($105.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1172.40
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-19 19:24 EDT-0400)


My suggestion with a operating system.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ 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 NS Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ATX Mid Tower Case ($105.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1243.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-19 19:26 EDT-0400)

I think the 7970 would give you more bang for your buck and can play all games on high-ultra settings.
 

johnvonmacz

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Good choice on the 3770k, It's worth investing. As games are getting more and more demanding like crysis 3 and many more in the next few months/years. 3770k's extra threads or what intel called "hyperthreading" really helps.

I changed the 680 to a Gigabyte 670. Even when over clocking both cards, there's not much of a difference. Even an OC Giagabyte 670 can beat the OC Gigabyte 680 in most of the games. You get pretty much the same performance for $100 less.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.80 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($115.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VN300M1W2N ATX Full Tower Case ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1289.69
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-19 19:22 EDT-0400)

I chose 750 watt so you have more headroom if you plan to overclock or SLI in the future.
 

The fact that he said he doesn't know much about computers, I would like him to answer this himself. Perhaps he doesn't even know what overclocking is and chose the unlocked processor and a z77 mobo due to the good ratings. The request of $ could be in canada. I like tenaciousk's 2nd build as it allows overclocking and crossfire, but I personally would take a bit out of the case for a ghz edition gpu.
 

The Gravy Monster

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Hey guys, yeah not %100 sure on the OC part, i live in Canada, no need for a monitor at the moment, or an operating system, my uncle works for Microsoft, and will get me a sick deal on the OS, but he is an Arse and wont help me build anything.

But yeah, i just want a build that will last a good long time with all the upgrading options available to it.

This is because a buddy of mine built his computer a few years ago and got a very cheap MOB and he said he regretted it later down the road.

Also is their any reason everyone keeps changing the case, is the one i put up crap? ahha

And why the Extream4 over 6?

Thanks again !
 
if you are in canada like me, it changes everything

get this
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/KRkK

-price match the ram at ncix to save on shipping
-same goes for the SSD
-video card is cheaper at ncix.
-price match the heatsink as well
-dvd drive can also be price matched

-asrock boards in canada are scams. good luck with those
-i7s are not for games
-get a proer built case like the arc midi r2. cant get much better that that
 

burritobob

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CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($226.99 @ Newegg Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.33 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($56.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($124.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($458.16 @ DirectCanada)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.88 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Essential 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Memory Express)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.79 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1226.10
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Same build and reasons as original post its the same price as well.
 

The Gravy Monster

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strange.... so asrock boards in Canada are scams... good to know.

Also i know the i5 is a better choice for right now, but eventually wont i have to upgrade to an i7 anyways? i mean as technology advances, and games get more demanding.

Sorry should of said that i lived in Canada didn't know it made such a huge difference.

 

The Gravy Monster

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So this build or Trolls... hmm any 3rd party advice??? i do like the reasons for building what you have burrito, but these builds seem so different with the main parts, like the Motherboard and Video Card. gonna need some other people in on this.
 

The Gravy Monster

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Hmm strange, a buddy of mine swears by Newegg, would it make a difference if i lived in Nova Scotia?
 

burritobob

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You really do not get scammed shipping to parts of canada are included and also free shipping to Canada and the US is a policy of theirs.
 

properbuilds

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Hi,you can see if it has shipping costs or not in newegg, if it says free shipping, it will have free shipping, i made a build for you, i hope you like it, for a single card ;)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($226.99 @ Newegg Canada)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12DX_BL 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Canada Computers)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($171.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($41.00 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Memory Express)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.79 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1205.71
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
 


most parts are still requiring a shipping fee. doesnt help much
 

johnvonmacz

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Get the i7 it really does help. Most new games starts to use more threads. And i7 has extra 4 threads.
 

properbuilds

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Hi, he doesn't need the i7, some games are using more CORES, but the ht doesn't help in gaming, some might say it can have the reverse of it, since in some games you do get better performance with the ht off.
As for the builds, i like more of thebigtroll, i made some changes, with better motherboard, cooler, ssd, and cheaper, the only downside is the psu, if you don't plan to add another 670 so soon, that one will do the trick ;)
 

burritobob

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Everything (Except the SSD which in my build is fantastic) in our builds are equal except the GPU performance, the 7970 performs a GREAT amount better than the 670 and even the 680...
 
mine :D

-better motherboard (ud3h smacks extreme4 anyday in terms of quality)
-ram is a little cheaper
-hard drive i chose has more warranty and is 99 cents cheaper
-he has a faster SSD but it does come at a cost
-his video card performs better but for an extra 100 dollars, forget it
-my case is waaaaay better than the 912. it has usb3, more than an inch of space in the back for cables, removable hard drive bays and cable grommets. it ends up looking a hell of a lot tidier
-i have a better psu
 

burritobob

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The PSU... not a reputable one stick to Corsair XFX Seasonic and silverstone, otherwise you're risking your entire build being fried like eggs...