Gaming machine for Casual Gamer. $1500 budget.

[beetchu_ez]

Howdy,

Been lurking in the forums for a few weeks and after getting tired of being kicked out of games for taking too long to load on my 6 year old Pentium D PC, I think I am overdue for an upgrade. I will be primarily playing Borderlands 2 for the next few months and would like to be able to play without stuttering. I don't know much about FPS, resolutions, AA etc, I just like to kill things without slowdowns I'm also an IT guy so I'd like to learn how to overclock since I've never tried it before.

Here is my build so far, please help. My budget is $1500.

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: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($374.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($90.87 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.97 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1360.75

Here are my questions:

1. Should I upgrade to an I7 3770k?

2. Is that a good mobo? I was also looking at the Gigabyte ga-z77x-ud4h.

3. As for the GPU, I was also looking at the Gigabyte GV-N670OC-2gD. Should I stick with the MSI?

4. Is 750w PSU overkill? If so, what number should I get?

5. For storage, I currently have a 1TB Samsung SATA II drive. Do I need to upgrade to SATA III? I still have over 500GB free.

Thanks!

 

[g-unit1111]

To answer your questions:

1. No. It's wasted money if you want to play games. Anything else it's fine, but for games you're wasting money buying the i7.

2. Yes.

3. Get the Gigabyte - far better cooling solution than anything else you can get.

4. 750W will be better if you want to get a second video card.

5. You can definitely reuse any HDs or optical drives you have.

Try this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($142.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($145.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1474.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-21 12:13 EDT-0400)

 

[beetchu_ez]

Thanks for the helpful response.

Why would I chnage to a smaller OCZ Vector? Am I only installing programs here? What about my games? I will have about 100GB of games to play.

And that power supply costs $50 more. Do I even need this? I will not be adding a second card anytime soon.

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks for the helpful response.

Why would I chnage to a smaller OCZ Vector? Am I only installing programs here? What about my games? I will have about 100GB of games to play.

And that power supply costs $50 more. Do I even need this? I will not be adding a second card anytime soon.

The Vector is currently the fastest SSD on the market and it's faster than the Samsung 840 Pro in most read - write tests. You really only install the OS and a few main programs on the primary drive. Use your second and third drives for everything else (games, Steam, etc).

Yeah the PSU is expensive but it's one of the highest quality units that you can get. One thing I will say about power supplies: you get what you pay for. Get a solid one from a good manufacturer, and it will last you for years. Get a bad one and it blows up or shorts out on you and takes your system with it. If you don't plan to get a second video card maybe get something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

 

[beetchu_ez]

Ok, thank you so much for your responses. I am almost done with my build!

I went to MicroCenter and one of the guys there was trying to convince me to get the Asrock Extreme4 board instead of the Gigabyte one. Also, the newegg reviews are really good. Can anyone give me a reason to choose one over the other? They cost about the same price.

Thanks.

 

[g-unit1111]

Ok, thank you so much for your responses. I am almost done with my build!

I went to MicroCenter and one of the guys there was trying to convince me to get the Asrock Extreme4 board instead of the Gigabyte one. Also, the newegg reviews are really good. Can anyone give me a reason to choose one over the other? They cost about the same price.

Thanks.

I wouldn't pick anything - let alone a crucial component like the motherboard - based on Newegg reviews. They're really baseless for the most part and a lot of BS goes into store reviews. There's better sources that you can use to help you judge products. But not the store reviews.

 

[beetchu_ez]

Hello Everyone,

I wasn't sure if I should start a new thread so I decided to post here. I finally got around to building my computer and now I have a question about my CPU temperature.

Parts List:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MRlE

I am using a Fractal Define R4 case with an i5 3570 proc and a Coolermaster Hyper 212 evo. I don't have a video card installed as yet. I have not overclocked and I don't have an OS installed. Looking int he BIOS, my temps are between 34 and 38 degrees celcius. Ambient temps are mid to low 80's. I have seen people reporting having 30 degree temps so mine seem high. I am running the case with the two included fans.

Are my temps normal? Will my temps be lower after I install the OS? I will be running Win 7.

 

[beetchu_ez]

LOL, thanks for replying but I'm thinking you missed the rest of my post. You already helped me build my computer and now that it is built, I was asking about the temp of the CPU using the Coolermaster heatsink. Did you see that?

 

[g-unit1111]

LOL, thanks for replying but I'm thinking you missed the rest of my post. You already helped me build my computer and now that it is built, I was asking about the temp of the CPU using the Coolermaster heatsink. Did you see that?

Oh I didn't see that part I wasn't paying attention. :lol:

I am using a Fractal Define R4 case with an i5 3570 proc and a Coolermaster Hyper 212 evo. I don't have a video card installed as yet. I have not overclocked and I don't have an OS installed. Looking int he BIOS, my temps are between 34 and 38 degrees celcius. Ambient temps are mid to low 80's. I have seen people reporting having 30 degree temps so mine seem high. I am running the case with the two included fans.

Yeah that sounds about right with the included fans. Depending on how many more you add and what size they are you can dramatically reduce those temps.

 

[beetchu_ez]

Thanks. Do you have any recommendations on fans? I think I can fit either 120mm or 140mm in there. I would like to completely populate all the slots if that would be best.

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks. Do you have any recommendations on fans? I think I can fit either 120mm or 140mm in there. I would like to completely populate all the slots if that would be best.

I actually don't recommend buying fans until you have your case in your possession. You can only buy as many fans as you have mounts for and the size and placement of them do matter. So if your case only has say 1 x 200mm fan, one x 140mm side fan, and 2 x 120mm front fans, then those are the fans that you will need to purchase, but that is determined by the case.