Help with Gaming Build

[sixthshadow42]

Budget Range: $1200 - $1550

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies.

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: CPU, mobo, GPU, RAM, Case, Cooling, PSU

Do you need to buy OS: No


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: http://pbtech.co.nz/

Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU and Nvidia graphics card please.

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1600x900


Please help. Any advice is appreciated.
This is what I have so far:



CPU: Intel Latest Core i7 3770 Ivy Bridge Quad Core with HT 3.4GHz LGA1155 Processor
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CPUIT3770&name=Intel-Latest-Core-i7-3770-Ivy-Bridge-Quad-Core-wit

Graphics Card: Asus GTX 660 Ti DirectCU II 2GB GDDR5 PCI-E3.0 2xDVI HDMI DisplayPort
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=VGAAS60700&name=Asus-GTX-660-Ti-DirectCU-II-2GB-GDDR5-PCI-E3.0-2xD

Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=PSUSSN10620&name=SeaSonic-S12II-620-Bronze-620W-ATX12V-V2.3--EPS-12

CPU Cooling: COOLER MASTER HYPER 212 EVO COOLER 120mm PWM Fan 4 Direct Heat Pipes All-In-One Mounting INTEL:2011/1366/1156/1155/755
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=FANCLM0213&name=COOLER-MASTER-HYPER-212-EVO-COOLER-120mm-PWM-Fan-4

Case: CORSAIR Obsidian 550D Mid-Tower Case, No PSU,
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CHACOR0550&name=CORSAIR-Obsidian-550D-Mid-Tower-Case-No-PSU

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H LGA1155 Sandy / Ivy Bridge Intel H77 Chipset, mAtx, 4 X DDR3 DIMM, VGA/DVI/HDMI, PCI-E 3.0 support AMD CrossFireX,USB3.0, SATA3.0, Raid
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MBDGBM2715&name=Gigabyte-GA-H77M-D3H-LGA1155-Sandy--Ivy-Bridge-Int

RAM: G.SKILL RipjawsX 8GB (1x8GB) DDR3 1866MHz (PC3 14900) Ultra Performance Desktop Memory 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM Model F3-14900CL10S-8GBXL
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MEMGSK0459

This totals to $1530.65 at the moment.

 

[McLubbin]

Can you buy from sites like amazon?

And are you using US currency? If so that site is a ripoff

 

[sixthshadow42]

Can you buy from sites like amazon?

And are you using US currency? If so that site is a ripoff

No online stores as I don't have a credit card.
All the prices are in NZD. (Its still a ripoff compared to US prices )

 

[McLubbin]

Then you are really going to get ripped off...

 

[realchaos]

PC parts in new zealand are ridiculously expensive. Thing are about 50% more expensive than what we usually see.

I hope you're comfortable going with AMD products, as they are so much cheaper there.

AMD FX-8350: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CPUAMD8350&name=AMD-FX-8350-Eight-Core-4.0Ghz-16MB-Cache-Socket-AM $245
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=FANCLM0213&name=COOLER-MASTER-HYPER-212-EVO-COOLER-120mm-PWM-Fan-4 $43
Gigabyte GA-970A-D3: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MBDGBM3032&name=Gigabyte-GA-970A-D3-AMD-970-SB950-ATX-Socket-AM3+- $113
G.Skill Ares 2x4gb: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MEMGSK0493&name=G.SKILL-Ares-8GB-(2x4GB)-DDR3-1600MHz-(PC3-12800)- $79
Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 OC Vapor-X edition: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=VGASAP7973&name=Sapphire-HD7970-3G-OC-Version-PCI-E-3.0-Dual-fan-V $499
Corsair 550D: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CHACOR0550&name=CORSAIR-Obsidian-550D-Mid-Tower-Case-No-PSU $230
Seasonic 620w: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=PSUSSN10620&name=SeaSonic-S12II-620-Bronze-620W-ATX12V-V2.3--EPS-12 $119

Total: $1328
Much better performance using AMD products and it also allows for overclocking!

 

[sixthshadow42]

C parts in new zealand are ridiculously expensive. Thing are about 50% more expensive than what we usually see.

I hope you're comfortable going with AMD products, as they are so much cheaper there.

AMD FX-8350: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CPUAMD8350&name=AMD... $245
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=FANCLM0213&name=COO... $43
Gigabyte GA-970A-D3: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MBDGBM3032&name=Gig... $113
G.Skill Ares 2x4gb: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MEMGSK0493&name=G.S...(2x4GB)-DDR3-1600MHz-(PC3-12800)- $79
Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 OC Vapor-X edition: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=VGASAP7973&name=Sap... $499
Corsair 550D: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CHACOR0550&name=COR... $230
Seasonic 620w: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=PSUSSN10620&name=Se... $119

Total: $1328
Much better performance using AMD products and it also allows for overclocking!

Uhhh, there are two other stores I can think of: http://www.wiseguys.co.nz/ and http://www.ifocus.co.nz/

I do prefer Nvidia cards but I wouldn't mind going for an AMD card if it will make a big enough difference in the price, please suggest a few cards for me.

I did once use an AMD cpu but i had a bad experience with it. But I'm willing to give it another shot...

 

[Greatatlantic]

I am completely clueless about New Zealand prices, except they are probably more than American prices.

Still, I can make suggestions based on American pricing but you'll need to verify them yourself.

1) You picked an H77 motherboard. The H77 unlike the Z77 chipset is NOT designed for overclocking. If you want to overclock (which is part of the reason for getting a "K" series CPU, then find a Z77 chipset.

2) If your primary concern is gaming, the i7 is overkill. You spend substantially more than the i5 without a corresponding increase in gaming performance. The i5 3570K is a pricing sweet spot if you plan on overclocking. If you don't, the almost as good i5 3350P will save you even more money.

3) As for your CPU cooler, it is very well regarded for its price/performance ratio. However, once again its unnecessary if you don't plan on overclocking. Intel does not want their CPUs to fail and create unhappy customers due to inadequate cooling. The stock fan will work fine for any sufficiently ventilate case provided ambient temperatures aren't overly hot. So, either get the Z77 chipset mobo, or ditch the CPU cooler.

4) That is one SEXY looking case. See if youtube has an "unboxing" of it so you can get a better idea of if its right for you.

5) Going back to mobo, you actually have an "m-ATX" form factor. This means its designed for smaller cases. Most ATX cases still fit the smaller mobos, they just tend to offer less room to work with, which could be hard for a new builder. I'd recommend switching to a full sized ATX motherboard.

Hope my suggestions help.

 

[realchaos]

He said he's not overclocking, so he was good on picking a locked processor and a h77 mobo.
After looking at the i5-3470 price, it's alot more worth it than the i7. Forgot about that.
How does mid-towers offer less room to work with if you put in a mATX? If anything, it should offer more room as it is smaller.

Here's the intel cpu/mobo:
i5-3470: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CPUIT3470&name=Intel-Latest-Core-i5-3470-Ivy-Bridge-3.2GHz-6M-L3-
Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MBDGBM2715&name=Gigabyte-GA-H77M-D3H-LGA1155-Sandy--Ivy-Bridge-Int

May I ask what AMD cpu you used before, OP?

 

[sixthshadow42]

I am completely clueless about New Zealand prices, except they are probably more than American prices.

Still, I can make suggestions based on American pricing but you'll need to verify them yourself.

1) You picked an H77 motherboard. The H77 unlike the Z77 chipset is NOT designed for overclocking. If you want to overclock (which is part of the reason for getting a "K" series CPU, then find a Z77 chipset.

2) If your primary concern is gaming, the i7 is overkill. You spend substantially more than the i5 without a corresponding increase in gaming performance. The i5 3570K is a pricing sweet spot if you plan on overclocking. If you don't, the almost as good i5 3350P will save you even more money.

3) As for your CPU cooler, it is very well regarded for its price/performance ratio. However, once again its unnecessary if you don't plan on overclocking. Intel does not want their CPUs to fail and create unhappy customers due to inadequate cooling. The stock fan will work fine for any sufficiently ventilate case provided ambient temperatures aren't overly hot. So, either get the Z77 chipset mobo, or ditch the CPU cooler.

4) That is one SEXY looking case. See if youtube has an "unboxing" of it so you can get a better idea of if its right for you.

5) Going back to mobo, you actually have an "m-ATX" form factor. This means its designed for smaller cases. Most ATX cases still fit the smaller mobos, they just tend to offer less room to work with, which could be hard for a new builder. I'd recommend switching to a full sized ATX motherboard.

Hope my suggestions help.

As for overclocking, its highly unlikely for me to do so.
As for the cpu, how much will it affect gamplay if i go for the i5 3570k on games like Crysis 3 etc?
But thats if i go for the Intel build over the AMD build realchaos suggested.
For the mobo, I'll see if I can find an ATX sized board


Thanks for you suggestions.

 

[realchaos]

FX-8350 and i7-3770 beats the i5 in Crysis 3, as it takes advantages of those 8cores.

 

[sixthshadow42]

He said he's not overclocking, so he was good on picking a locked processor and a h77 mobo.
After looking at the i5-3470 price, it's alot more worth it than the i7. Forgot about that.
How does mid-towers offer less room to work with if you put in a mATX? If anything, it should offer more room as it is smaller.

Here's the intel cpu/mobo:
i5-3470: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CPUIT3470&name=Intel-Latest-Core-i5-3470-Ivy-Bridge-3.2GHz-6M-L3-
Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MBDGBM2715&name=Gigabyte-GA-H77M-D3H-LGA1155-Sandy--Ivy-Bridge-Int

May I ask what AMD cpu you used before, OP?

I don't remember, I wasn't very interested with computer hardware at the time...
Btw, I checked the price of the build you suggested... I was pretty happy with it till i realised the prices were excluding GST. The AMD build is about $8 cheaper lol
Thanks for the suggestion though.
For future reference, that site has a little tickbox on the right side of the page that says GST inclusive, make sure you tick that before looking up components.

 

[realchaos]

Ouch. What's GST? Anyways, the AMD build would still have better performance, as it has the 7970 compared to a 660ti, dual channel memory, and allows overclocking if you choose to. Let me see if I can make another build with GST.

 

[realchaos]

Ouch. What's GST? Anyways, the AMD build would still have better performance, as it has the 7970 compared to a 660ti, dual channel memory, and allows overclocking if you choose to. Let me see if I can make another build with GST.

 

[sixthshadow42]

Ouch. What's GST? Anyways, the AMD build would still have better performance, as it has the 7970 compared to a 660ti, dual channel memory, and allows overclocking if you choose to. Let me see if I can make another build with GST.

GST = Goods and Services Tax... it is 15% atm... so basically, add 15% to each price on that site

 

[sixthshadow42]

Based on the suggestions so far, I have 2 possible builds:

Build 1:
(realchaos suggested build)

realchaos said:
AMD FX-8350: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CPUAMD8350&name=AMD...
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=FANCLM0213&name=COO...
Gigabyte GA-970A-D3: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MBDGBM3032&name=Gig...
G.Skill Ares 2x4gb: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MEMGSK0493&name=G.S...(2x4GB)-DDR3-1600MHz-(PC3-12800)-
Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 OC Vapor-X edition: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=VGASAP7973&name=Sap...
Corsair 550D: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CHACOR0550&name=COR...
Seasonic 620w: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=PSUSSN10620&name=Se...

This build costs $1442.10

Build 2:
(My original build edited based on advice)



CPU: Intel Latest Core i5 3570 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz 6M L3 Cache LGA1155 Processor
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CPUIT3570&name=Intel-Latest-Core-i5-3570-Ivy-Bridge-3.4GHz-6M-L3-

Graphics Card: Asus GTX 660 Ti DirectCU II 2GB GDDR5 PCI-E3.0 2xDVI HDMI DisplayPort
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=VGAAS60700&name=Asu...

Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=PSUSSN10620&name=Se...

CPU Cooling: COOLER MASTER HYPER 212 EVO COOLER 120mm PWM Fan 4 Direct Heat Pipes All-In-One Mounting INTEL:2011/1366/1156/1155/755
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=FANCLM0213&name=COO...

Case: CORSAIR Obsidian 550D Mid-Tower Case, No PSU,
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CHACOR0550&name=COR...

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H LGA1155 Sandy / Ivy Bridge Intel H77 Chipset, mAtx, 4 X DDR3 DIMM, VGA/DVI/HDMI, PCI-E 3.0 support AMD CrossFireX,USB3.0, SATA3.0, Raid
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MBDGBM2715&name=Gig...

RAM: G.SKILL RipjawsX 8GB (1x8GB) DDR3 1866MHz (PC3 14900) Ultra Performance Desktop Memory 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM Model F3-14900CL10S-8GBXL
http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MEMGSK0459

This build costs $1406.45

How are the builds looking now?
Which build will be better suited for gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies?
Also, if I do go for the Intel build, would it be a worth getting a
Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H LGA1155 Sandy / Ivy Bridge Intel Z77 Chipset ATX, 4 X DDR3 DIMM, VGA/DVI/HDMI output http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MBDGBM2735&name=Gigabyte-GA-Z77-D3H-LGA1155-Sandy--Ivy-Bridge-Inte
and a Intel Latest Core i5 3570K Ivy Bridge Unlocked 3.4GHz 6M L3 Cache LGA1155 Processor http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CPUIT3571&name=Intel-Latest-Core-i5-3570K-Ivy-Bridge-Unlocked-3.4
for a total of $60 extra in case I do want to OC in the future?

 

[realchaos]

With your build, you chose one stick of ram. It's better to get 2x 4gb for dual memory channel. Mine has a better gpu by far. You can take my build, and switch out the motherboard/cpu for a i5-3470 + Gigabyte h77m or i5-3570k + Asus P8Z77-V.

 

[sixthshadow42]

With your build, you chose one stick of ram. It's better to get 2x 4gb for dual memory channel. Mine has a better gpu by far. You can take my build, and switch out the motherboard/cpu for a i5-3470 + Gigabyte h77m or i5-3570k + Asus P8Z77-V.

Alright, I'll go for the build:
Intel i5-3570k: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CPUIT3571&name=Inte...
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=FANCLM0213&name=COO...
Asus P8Z77-V: http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MBDAS59297&name=Asus-P8Z77-V-LX-Intel-Z77-ATX-Ivy-Bridge-Socket-11
G.Skill Ares 2x4gb: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MEMGSK0493&name=G.S...(2x4GB)-DDR3-1600MHz-(PC3-12800)-
Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 OC Vapor-X edition: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=VGASAP7973&name=Sap...
Corsair 550D: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=CHACOR0550&name=COR...
Seasonic 620w: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=PSUSSN10620&name=Se...


Thanks for all your help realchaos.