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First-Time Builder: Looking For a $2000 Gaming Build (PC + Peripherals)

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April 1, 2013 6:04:35 PM

Hello. This is my first time here on Tom's Hardware. I've finally saved enough money to invest into a long-term gaming PC, and I figured this would be the best place to go to start my venture into custom PCs. Reading through the articles on this site, I'm getting somewhat of an idea as to what I need, but I've little idea where to start. I'd like to get some kind of springboard to start off with; I know that's asking for a bit much, but it would be greatly appreciated.

Approximate Purchase Date: About 3-4 weeks; I'm doing research into actual PC building during my spare time, and will actually begin purchases after the current semester ends.

Budget Range: $1800-2200 before rebates is my ideal range. I can go slightly above if it's justified, though.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: I'm aiming for this PC to be my primary source of home entertainment, with gaming being the top priority (I play a wide range of genres; I'd like to be able to run current and near-future games at a strong framerate on max or close-to-max graphical settings); movies (both streaming and Blu-Ray) are also important, but far less so.

Parts Not Required: I have a gaming mouse, but no other peripherals. My university (UF) is selling students Windows 8 Pro 64-bit for $15, but I'm not entirely sold on 8, to be honest; I'd like people's opinion on Windows 8 and gaming before I decide to jump on this. The above-mentioned budget is meant to include the keyboard and monitor.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: From what I've seen doing preliminary research, Newegg is pretty good. I have yet to shop there, but I'd likely use it for pricing.

Country: I'm in the United States.

Parts Preferences: I'm partial to Intel, nVidia, and Asus brands; aside from that, I favor whatever parts are compatible with each other. I have a preference for i7 over i5 Intel CPUs, but I don't know if that is justifiable. I would also like to include a Blu-Ray optical drive on top of whatever else the build turns out to be.

Overclocking: Maybe. I'm still new to PC building, so I don't want to do anything that'll end up with me losing hundreds of dollars. If I need to invest in a sophisticated cooling system, I'd like to learn that now, before I actually go to order parts. That way, I can educate myself on how to deal with those situations.

SLI or Crossfire: Again, maybe. Depends on if I need it or not; I'm not sure if one top-of-the-line GPU is better/worse than two SLI/Crossfire-linked ones.

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080; I'm pretty set on using 1080p at the moment (edited to reflect current choice)

Additional Comments: As I mentioned before, I'm completely new to PC building, and am both excited and nervous at the prospect. I was strongly considering prebuilt for a while, since peace of mind is important to me, but I've seen many arguments against it (including price). Furthermore, I want to be able to easily upgrade this build in the future, and I figure building the computer would better prepare me for upgrading it in the future. However, if a good pre-built computer does come to mind (and can be easily upgraded in the future), I would like to entertain that idea as well.

With that being said, I apologize for not having a parts list ready to go for rating (it seems like that is the norm for most of these threads); while my understanding of what parts are worth investing in is improving, there are issues of part compatibility and bottlenecking that I worry about, among other things. I would like to get advice from more experienced builders who know good builds that avoid a lot of those kinds of problems. In the meantime, I'll be reading more into actual PC parts and building and trying to make sure I understand everything as clearly as possible before actually buying parts.

Thank you all in advance!

More about : time builder 2000 gaming build peripherals

April 1, 2013 6:38:46 PM

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/NOof) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/NOof/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/NOof/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80637i73770k) | $329.99 @ Newegg
**Motherboard** | [ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z77extr...) | $114.99 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [G.Skill Value 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31600c11s8g...) | $54.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-h...) |-
**Storage** | [Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-driv...) | $159.99 @ Newegg
**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-04gp42673k...) | $409.99 @ Newegg
**Wireless Network Adapter** | [TP-Link TL-WN751ND 802.11b/g/n PCI Wi-Fi Adapter](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/tp-link-wireless-network-c...) | $17.99 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Cooler Master Storm Trooper ATX Full Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-sgc5000...) | $149.98 @ Newegg
**Power Supply** | [Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cmpsu...) | $109.99 @ Newegg
**Optical Drive** | [Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-drw24b1...) | $24.98 @ Newegg
**Monitor** | [Asus VE248H 24.0" Monitor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-ve248h) | $159.99 @ Newegg
**Keyboard** | [Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-keyboard-jqd0000...) | $54.99 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $1587.87
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-01 21:38 EDT-0400 |
April 1, 2013 6:54:03 PM

That actually looks a little bit like what I was starting to have in mind. That part lists seems like a good place to start. Thanks!

I'd definitely like to see other builds, if other people have different ideas. If not, then are there any suggestions regarding where I can invest the surplus budget into?
Related resources
April 1, 2013 7:03:31 PM

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 ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($159.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($98.81 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($178.16 @ TigerDirect)
Monitor: AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($178.16 @ TigerDirect)
Monitor: AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($178.16 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $2102.17
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-01 22:03 EDT-0400)

This is a nice triple monitor setup, if you're into something like that.
April 1, 2013 7:14:58 PM

It sounds intriguing, but I think a triple-monitor setup would be a bit much for me, I think. Dual-monitor sounds interesting enough, though. I may try it out if I feel comfortable with setting it up.

Also, I noticed that you've got 2 GeForce GTX 670 2GB cards in a 2-way SLI system versus the previous build's single 4GB card. Silly question, but is there an advantage to that?

EDIT: One thing that came to mind just now; I think I'd prefer a roomier full tower case over the mid ones. More room for arranging cables/parts, especially since I lack the delicacy to work in a relatively confined area.
April 1, 2013 7:16:41 PM

4 GB vs 2 GB gives you more "juice" to add cool things like mods to your gaming experience. No one really does 2 monitors. That's impractical. If you're not going triple, just go single. Get the 670 SLI + a 120 hertz monitor.
April 1, 2013 7:19:07 PM

CPU Intel Core i7-3770 3.4GHz Quad-Core $289.98

CPU Cooler NZXT Kraken X40 98.3 CFM Liquid $63.98

Motherboard ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 $114.99

Memory Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 $174.99

Storage Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM $124.99

Crucial V4 128GB 2.5" SSD $94.68

Video Card MSI GeForce GTX 680 2GB $448.48

Case Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower $179.99

Power Supply Raidmax 1000W ATX12V / EPS12V $131.98

Optical Drive Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer $16.97

Monitor Samsung S24A450BW-1 24.0" $259.99

Keyboard Rosewill RK-8100 $34.98

total: $1936.00

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/rOjOdogg/saved/1pKk

The case is a personal choice that you should make, I choose this one for its awsume cooling. The monitor is what you asked for and the GTX 680 is top of the line except for the $1000 titan. I choose a non OC CPU for you. This is just something for you to mix and match to help you decide. Good luck and if you have questions just ask.
April 1, 2013 7:38:15 PM

Yeah, I'm probably going to leave the CPU alone to start with, without OCing it. I know you can get much better performance through a good OC, but I'd like to get some experience with a non-OC PC build first.

Does the performance of a single GTX 680 2GB outweigh that of two SLI-linked GTX 670 2GBs (or at least perform better relative to cost)? I'm gravitating toward using a single card (because I've little experience with multiple GPUs), but I'd be willing to choose whichever one would provide greater overall performance.

As for PSUs, what minimum power would I need for hardware at this price range? I've seen a few 750W here, as well as a single 1000W; is 1000W a good level of power for a PSU, or is it overkill relative to 750W?
April 1, 2013 7:40:57 PM

The 680 not very close to the 670s SLI.

Alright, then get the i5-3470 + P8H77-V LE.

1000W is definitely overkill.
April 1, 2013 7:49:21 PM

Single GPU is always better to use over SLI. But you can get the same performance with lower cards SLI for the same or less $$$$ but you will create more heat and use more power with a SLI plus some games dont work so well with SLI/crossfire.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/rOjOdogg/saved/1fbm

Used a 800w PSU for less $$$ but is 80 plus gold rated.
April 1, 2013 7:54:21 PM

The more I look at that parts list, the more I like it. Why did you originally recommend 1000W, out of curiosity?
April 1, 2013 10:01:50 PM

Do NOT use 2133 mhz ram. It will void your CPU's warranty. 1600 is not any slower and will not screw you over in the long run. Really the difference is like 3 fps at most, and thats being optimistic.
April 2, 2013 4:42:23 AM

masterman467 said:
Do NOT use 2133 mhz ram. It will void your CPU's warranty. 1600 is not any slower and will not screw you over in the long run. Really the difference is like 3 fps at most, and thats being optimistic.


Hmm, I didn't know that; like I said, I'm still not well versed in compatibility issues and OCing.

I do like the rest of rojodogg's build, though. I'll probably spend some time tweaking it once I get a better understanding of the parts. I would ideally like a somewhat future-proof build that can be upgraded in a few years' time. If anyone else notices any glaring issues with that parts list (or just has better alternatives), I'd still love to hear it.
April 2, 2013 4:42:57 AM

You're going with the 680? Anyone here on the forum will tell you that 670 > 680. You get a garbage performance difference between the 2. Some games not optimized for SLI? Simple. Just disable one card and keep going.
April 2, 2013 4:54:09 AM

SHORYUKEN said:
You're going with the 680? Anyone here on the forum will tell you that 670 > 680. You get a garbage performance difference between the 2. Some games not optimized for SLI? Simple. Just disable one card and keep going.


Ah. Well, if it's that simple (and the 680 offers little in the way of a performance upgrade, like you say) then that's probably worth studying. I imagine there's a good guide on SLI somewhere around here; I should probably read through that sometime soon.

EDIT: I did some more reading into the 680 v. 670; I was surprised by just how similar they were in terms of performance. I think going with 2 SLI-linked 670s sounds like a better idea; I'll just have to educate myself on how to how to properly install and link two cards.

I'm sorry if I sound like I'm all over the place / my questions are scattered, by the way. I am surrounded by a lot of new information and learning as I go. Though, listening to these parts lists is giving me a good idea regarding where to aim for my price range, so thank you to everyone who put one up so far.
April 2, 2013 10:24:54 AM

I originaly went with 1000w PSU to future proof a system with a 80 plus Gold rated PSU that was on sale.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-car...

this is a article that will help you in your research.


a c 127 U

Personally I would rather use a single card over the crossfire or SLI performance matching pair of GPU's

The dual card option really only comes into it for me when you are talking about top end performance.
For instance if I wanted HD 7970 or GTX 680 type performance I would rather get a pair of GXT 560Ti cards in SLI because of the cost saving.
However if I wanted HD 6970 performance I would not get 2 GTX 550 cards I would get the single card.

There are less and less actual Issues associated with dual cards these days but you do sometimes have to wait for support for new games which means you sometimes have to drop to a single GPU to play them.

Mactronix :) 

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/348273-33-dual-vgas-s...

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/340031-33-single-sing...

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-card-bench...

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-card-bench...

Personaly I like the single HD 7970, having said that I am trying to help you as to what you want. If you would like to go SLI I would recommend 660 Ti in SLI due to the cost factor. Dual 670 would be nice but can you afford the $700 plus in your budget? It is all a balancing game to fit what you want and need into your budget.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/rOjOdogg/saved/1pUy

puts you over your budget by $152.50 so you would have to find less expensive other parts.

or

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/rOjOdogg/saved/1fbm

Dual 660 Ti but still $19.50 over your budget.

Just let me know what you want and I will try to help you with options.
April 2, 2013 3:10:21 PM

rojodogg said:

Personaly I like the single HD 7970, having said that I am trying to help you as to what you want. If you would like to go SLI I would recommend 660 Ti in SLI due to the cost factor. Dual 670 would be nice but can you afford the $700 plus in your budget? It is all a balancing game to fit what you want and need into your budget.


That's the issue, it seems; as nice as a 670 SLI setup would be, it is a tad pricey at the moment, all things considered. One idea I'm entertaining involves getting a 2 GB (or 4 GB, if there is any benefit to higher VRAM for games that I plan to mod extensively) 670 or 680, using a single-card setup for a while, then considering SLI if a single card ends up not cutting it. This way I can build my first PC with one less immediate complication to worry about, and I can check to see if I really need that extra card before I go out and get it. If I do choose to start off with a single card, then I'll make sure to choose an SLI-ready motherboard with all of this in mind.

Out of curiosity, when is a sound card required for a build? I imagine an SLI-ready motherboard will be able to handle it for a non-audiophile such as myself, but it's still worth asking.

(Thanks again for all of the help thus far, everyone!)

EDIT: I've decided that I'm going to go for a1080p monitor for 1920x1080 resolution, if that is relevant to further GPU advice.
April 2, 2013 3:14:28 PM

Use a 670 for now, then upgrade to SLI later.

Sound cards are usually meant for audio producers and DJs of sort.
a c 294 4 Gaming
April 2, 2013 3:24:39 PM

Nightspectre said:
rojodogg said:

Personaly I like the single HD 7970, having said that I am trying to help you as to what you want. If you would like to go SLI I would recommend 660 Ti in SLI due to the cost factor. Dual 670 would be nice but can you afford the $700 plus in your budget? It is all a balancing game to fit what you want and need into your budget.


That's the issue, it seems; as nice as a 670 SLI setup would be, it is a tad pricey at the moment, all things considered. One idea I'm entertaining involves getting a 2 GB (or 4 GB, if there is any benefit to higher VRAM for games that I plan to mod extensively) 670 or 680, using a single-card setup for a while, then considering SLI if a single card ends up not cutting it. This way I can build my first PC with one less immediate complication to worry about, and I can check to see if I really need that extra card before I go out and get it. If I do choose to start off with a single card, then I'll make sure to choose an SLI-ready motherboard with all of this in mind.

Out of curiosity, when is a sound card required for a build? I imagine an SLI-ready motherboard will be able to handle it for a non-audiophile such as myself, but it's still worth asking.

(Thanks again for all of the help thus far, everyone!)

EDIT: I've decided that I'm going to go for a1080p monitor for 1920x1080 resolution, if that is relevant to further GPU advice.


Not necessarily. You can buy two GTX 670 in SLI without breaking the bank:

Try this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Newegg)
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 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ 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 ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($108.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: NZXT HALE 90 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($155.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1782.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-02 18:24 EDT-0400)

Gives you $150 for a monitor and then get a cheap keyboard and mouse for now, add the expensive peripherals in later.
April 2, 2013 3:26:30 PM

g-unit1111 said:
Nightspectre said:
rojodogg said:

Personaly I like the single HD 7970, having said that I am trying to help you as to what you want. If you would like to go SLI I would recommend 660 Ti in SLI due to the cost factor. Dual 670 would be nice but can you afford the $700 plus in your budget? It is all a balancing game to fit what you want and need into your budget.


That's the issue, it seems; as nice as a 670 SLI setup would be, it is a tad pricey at the moment, all things considered. One idea I'm entertaining involves getting a 2 GB (or 4 GB, if there is any benefit to higher VRAM for games that I plan to mod extensively) 670 or 680, using a single-card setup for a while, then considering SLI if a single card ends up not cutting it. This way I can build my first PC with one less immediate complication to worry about, and I can check to see if I really need that extra card before I go out and get it. If I do choose to start off with a single card, then I'll make sure to choose an SLI-ready motherboard with all of this in mind.

Out of curiosity, when is a sound card required for a build? I imagine an SLI-ready motherboard will be able to handle it for a non-audiophile such as myself, but it's still worth asking.

(Thanks again for all of the help thus far, everyone!)

EDIT: I've decided that I'm going to go for a1080p monitor for 1920x1080 resolution, if that is relevant to further GPU advice.


Not necessarily. You can buy two GTX 670 in SLI without breaking the bank:

Try this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Newegg)
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 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ 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 ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($108.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: NZXT HALE 90 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($155.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1782.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-02 18:24 EDT-0400)

Gives you $150 for a monitor and then get a cheap keyboard and mouse for now, add the expensive peripherals in later.


Off topic, do they still give you Far Cry 3 for the Vector series? Or is that done?
April 2, 2013 3:29:22 PM

@SHORYUKEN Yes they do, and it includes the 128 GB model as well now (before it was only the 512 and the 256).

M
April 2, 2013 3:31:22 PM

marshallbradley said:
@SHORYUKEN Yes they do, and it includes the 128 GB model as well now (before it was only the 512 and the 256).

M


Awesome, thanks.
April 2, 2013 3:33:10 PM

SHORYUKEN said:
Use a 670 for now, then upgrade to SLI later.

Sound cards are usually meant for audio producers and DJs of sort.


Okay, I'll skip out on the sound card, then.

I'll have to decide between a single 670 now/SLI later or 670 SLI now, then. I'll sit on that decision for now. Another issue is choosing between 2 and 4GB of VRAM; I know VRAM is important for extensive modding (looking at Skyrim, for instance), but is there any other advantage to higher VRAM (since 4 GB seems a bit much, but tempting nonetheless)?

Oh, an off-topic question regarding cooling systems: since I don't plan to do any OCing for my first build (I want to spend time reading about it after I've developed enough knowledge about my build), should I/do I need to still invest in any sophisticated cooling system (beyond a high-quality full tower and third-party CPU cooler)?
April 2, 2013 3:35:14 PM

Personally, I do not know what 4 GB does beyond buffers and modding capabilites.

If you want, I can provide you with the settings I have to get my CPU to 4.4 GHz at a very good 65 Celsius.
April 2, 2013 3:38:18 PM

SHORYUKEN said:


If you want, I can provide you with the settings I have to get my CPU to 4.4 GHz at a very good 65 Celsius.


That would actually be pretty nice, if it's no trouble to you. I'll still have to decide if I want to OC (that's really what my i5 vs i7 decision would rest on, as while I prefer the i7, I get the impression that an OCed i5 is more effective; any other reason to skip out on i7 that I'm unaware of?), but any more data to help my decision would be really great.

a c 294 4 Gaming
April 2, 2013 3:44:21 PM

SHORYUKEN said:

Off topic, do they still give you Far Cry 3 for the Vector series? Or is that done?


Last I checked they still did. I may snag a Vector for my new laptop before that promotion is over.
April 2, 2013 3:46:13 PM

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/388585-33-tomshardw...

this will help you decide on 4gb vs 2gb.

Go with the i7 if you plan on doing editing, if majority of use is gaming go with the i5 3470k. Get a good aftermarket CPU cooler now so if you decide to OC later you will already have the cooling.
April 2, 2013 3:52:17 PM

rojodogg said:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/388585-33-tomshardw...

this will help you decide on 4gb vs 2gb.

Go with the i7 if you plan on doing editing, if majority of use is gaming go with the i5 3470k. Get a good aftermarket CPU cooler now so if you decide to OC later you will already have the cooling.


Thanks. The CPU cooler you listed in your last build - I take it that's good enough for now/OCing later? Also, does it include any thermal compound that I need to apply to the CPU (if so, is it relatively easy/difficult to do?)?

EDIT: Another question: As I stated before, my university offers Windows 8 to students for $15. However, I still have reservations about using W8 for gaming. Is this a legitimate concern? Should I go ahead and jump at this, or spend a little extra to stick with a more stable (and in my case preferable) Windows 7?
April 2, 2013 4:34:52 PM

At $15 Windows 8 seems like a real steal. For that price I wouldn't bother with Windows 8. I haven't really heard of any issues with W8 and gaming (maybe some people have though). For me most of the people I know who have tried it have had a very positive experience. You can even set it up to looks and feel exactly like Windows 7, just with the better security features and so on. I wouldn't want to spend $50+ more on W7, when that could potentially be put into slightly better hardware, which would definitely make more of a difference that W7 vs W8.

EDIT: @Nightspectre If you're talking about the X40 Kraken, for the price you'd be much better off with a Noctua NH-D14. It's one of if not the best air coolers out there, and can allow for very good overclocks indeed. It competes with the likes of the H100 for a much lower price. Lower end pre-filled water cooling loops like the X40 are basically never worth it.

M
April 2, 2013 4:41:13 PM

Nightspectre said:
rojodogg said:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/388585-33-tomshardw...

this will help you decide on 4gb vs 2gb.

Go with the i7 if you plan on doing editing, if majority of use is gaming go with the i5 3470k. Get a good aftermarket CPU cooler now so if you decide to OC later you will already have the cooling.


Thanks. The CPU cooler you listed in your last build - I take it that's good enough for now/OCing later? Also, does it include any thermal compound that I need to apply to the CPU (if so, is it relatively easy/difficult to do?)?

EDIT: Another question: As I stated before, my university offers Windows 8 to students for $15. However, I still have reservations about using W8 for gaming. Is this a legitimate concern? Should I go ahead and jump at this, or spend a little extra to stick with a more stable (and in my case preferable) Windows 7?


Thermal paste is pre-applied to the cooler. And for $15 go with the windows 8 OS, it is a steal!!!!!! should work great unlike vista, Ha-Ha!!

And the cooler I listed is a GREAT cooler so says Tomshardware!!!!!
April 2, 2013 4:50:17 PM

@rojodogg It depends how much you value quietness. The X40 does achieve something like 3C better temps than the Noctua in the TH review, but at the same time it's a full 10 dB louder (which is quite a big difference given that it's a logarithmic scale).

M
April 2, 2013 6:09:54 PM

marshallbradley said:
@rojodogg It depends how much you value quietness. The X40 does achieve something like 3C better temps than the Noctua in the TH review, but at the same time it's a full 10 dB louder (which is quite a big difference given that it's a logarithmic scale).

M


Are you referring to http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd14 ?

I'll look into it, comparing with the X40; I'm a little hesitant on embarking on a liquid-based cooler (X40) for my first build, but if it's worth the investment, I may try it out.
April 2, 2013 7:02:48 PM

Yes that's the one. Tom's Hardware did a review pitting the NH-D14 against a bunch of water-cooling units to see how they faired (including the X40, so it's probably of interest to you): http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/h100i-elc240-seidon...

Also if you're going to follow rojodogg's build, I'd recommend a K series CPU. The one he has is not overclockable so it's pointless to spend your money on stuff like expensive coolers and Z77 chipset motherboards (which allow for overclocking). If you don't want to overclock, then don't bother buying a CPU cooler. Unfortunately if you want to have the option for more than one GPU, Z77 is basically the only current chipset you can go for. If you decide you only want a single graphics card though (which is honestly all you need for 1080p) then get a H77 motherboard as well which will save you some money.

Since no one really explained the i5 vs i7 issue which you brought up, I'll mention it now: gaming performance between an i5 and an i7 is no different. The only difference between an i5 and an i7 (apart from the name) is Hyperthreading. Hyperthreading basically increases the the number of logical cores on an i7 from the 4 that there are on an i5, to 8. Since very few games use more than 2 cores and almost none use more than 4 (barring maybe Crysis 3) this really has no effect on gaming performance. Otherwise they are practically identical. The 8 logical cores (they aren't actually physically on the chip, physically the chip has 4 cores like the i5) are useful for things like video-encoding, so if you're interested in high-fidelity streaming it might be something to consider, but 95% of people on these forums will tell you for purely gaming, don't waste your money on an i7 over an i5. The i5-3570K is the one to go for if you're interested in overclocking (the i5-3470K mentioned before doesn't actually exist, and was a typo I imagine).

Another thing that hasn't been mentioned is choice of power supply. If you end up going with a single card (again this would be my recommendation for 1080p) don't waste your money on an 850W power supply, when 550W is plenty. Power supplies are also one of the most important components of a PC (which a lot of new people seem to miss) as if they malfunction, they can turn your computer into (in the worst) not much more than a burnt out husk (explosions are actually frighteningly frequent when reviewers decide to test lower class units for laughs). Here is a tiered list of power supply manufacturers/models: http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx The Raidmax recommended above is a Tier 5 unit for example, so personally I wouldn't really put my faith in it (even if it is just a rebranded better unit -- which I imagine it must be for the 80+ Gold rating). Personally I tend to recommend SeaSonic and Corsair, though XFX, Antec and PC Power and Cooling are all very solid Tier 1 picks, though Tier 2 is also very high quality.

M
April 2, 2013 7:33:27 PM

marshallbradley said:
Yes that's the one. Tom's Hardware did a review pitting the NH-D14 against a bunch of water-cooling units to see how they faired (including the X40, so it's probably of interest to you): http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/h100i-elc240-seidon...

Also if you're going to follow rojodogg's build, I'd recommend a K series CPU. The one he has is not overclockable so it's pointless to spend your money on stuff like expensive coolers and Z77 chipset motherboards (which allow for overclocking). If you don't want to overclock, then don't bother buying a CPU cooler. Unfortunately if you want to have the option for more than one GPU, Z77 is basically the only current chipset you can go for. If you decide you only want a single graphics card though (which is honestly all you need for 1080p) then get a H77 motherboard as well which will save you some money.

Since no one really explained the i5 vs i7 issue which you brought up, I'll mention it now: gaming performance between an i5 and an i7 is no different. The only difference between an i5 and an i7 (apart from the name) is Hyperthreading. Hyperthreading basically increases the the number of logical cores on an i7 from the 4 that there are on an i5, to 8. Since very few games use more than 2 cores and almost none use more than 4 (barring maybe Crysis 3) this really has no effect on gaming performance. Otherwise they are practically identical. The 8 logical cores (they aren't actually physically on the chip, physically the chip has 4 cores like the i5) are useful for things like video-encoding, so if you're interested in high-fidelity streaming it might be something to consider, but 95% of people on these forums will tell you for purely gaming, don't waste your money on an i7 over an i5. The i5-3570K is the one to go for if you're interested in overclocking (the i5-3470K mentioned before doesn't actually exist, and was a typo I imagine).

Another thing that hasn't been mentioned is choice of power supply. If you end up going with a single card (again this would be my recommendation for 1080p) don't waste your money on an 850W power supply, when 550W is plenty. Power supplies are also one of the most important components of a PC (which a lot of new people seem to miss) as if they malfunction, they can turn your computer into (in the worst) not much more than a burnt out husk (explosions are actually frighteningly frequent when reviewers decide to test lower class units for laughs). Here is a tiered list of power supply manufacturers/models: http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx The Raidmax recommended above is a Tier 5 unit for example, so personally I wouldn't really put my faith in it (even if it is just a rebranded better unit -- which I imagine it must be for the 80+ Gold rating). Personally I tend to recommend SeaSonic and Corsair, though XFX, Antec and PC Power and Cooling are all very solid Tier 1 picks, though Tier 2 is also very high quality.

M


He has not decided if he is going to SLI now or in the future.
He has not decided if he is going to overclock now or in the future. I also lean twords the i5-3570k for a gaming PC (yes typo :( ) He wants options and if he is never going to OC then the i7 is a great option for his other uses, it is what he wants we are just trying to help him and give him options.
Nice job on the PSU but as I said before he may go SLI now or in the future so he will need a quality PSU and 500 or 550 is perfect for 1 GPU but not sufficient for SLI. Didnt know about that PSU will adjust for a better brand. Thanks for the input.
I love the NH-D14 and I like that as a option, noise should not be a problem in a HAF X case with all of those fans. Are both around the same price. Will update for that option.
April 2, 2013 7:51:07 PM

Updated with SLI for $1995.07 under budget.

Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $209.99

Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM $82.53

ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 $134.98

Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $139.99

Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM $124.99

Crucial V4 128GB 2.5" SSD $94.68

EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB $349.99

EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB $349.99

Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower $179.99

Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V $116.99

Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer $15.98

Asus VE248H 24.0" $159.99

Keyboard Rosewill RK-8100 $34.98

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/rOjOdogg/saved/1fbm
April 2, 2013 8:32:42 PM

I like particular elements from both of your suggestions (everyone's, actually; the outpouring of help on this thread is amazing). rojodogg is correct in that I'd like to leave the option to do SLI open in the future. I would also like to make sure I have the proper PSU and motherboard to do it, which is why 850 seems suitable (unless too much power will fry a system that doesn't need it).

Though gaming is the top priority, this computer will essentially be at the center of most of my electronic recreation, so I imagine the HT capability of the i7 would be a decent investment (so long as it doesn't actually hurt gaming performance vs the i5). I could spend a little more and pick out a K series CPU should I OC in the future; I just don't want to do it until I'm comfortable with using my own build for a while after it's been assembled. One step at a time.
April 3, 2013 4:55:24 AM

On the software front I would go for the windows 8 deal. For 15$ you can't go wrong. People often think that Windows 8 Has a completely new UI. This is a wrong assumption as in fact the only difference is the start screen. The whole metro is only a place where you can access all your applications. What everyone overlooks is that the desktop for windows 8 is just the same as windows 7. This is where all your productivity comes from. The start menu is only there for accessesing your programmes, which you can just place on the desktop.
April 3, 2013 5:27:00 AM

I understand. And no, using too big of a power supply has no real effect, it will only use the amount demanded of it by the system.

Well what I'm trying to say is that the difference between a K and non K i7 is maybe $30. That's really nothing, esp. given that you're already spending quite a bit money on stuff that is purely for overclocking (like an expensive CPU cooler and to a lesser extent the Z77 motherboard). It would be foolish therefore not to have the K series CPU, but all the other hardware, and have to buy a completely new CPU should you want to overclock. What I'm trying to say that $30 is not much of a long term investment given the possibility that you would like to overclock at some point. It's maybe a 1/10th the cost of buying a new CPU. So by that reasoning if there's a greater than 1/10 chance that you'll want to overclock, buy the K series :) 

It's not as though you are forced to overclock or anything with a K series, it runs just fine at stock settings :)  (exactly the same as a 3770 basically).

M
April 3, 2013 8:55:10 AM

Just summarizing everything in the thread..

CPU:If doing video editing or similar work:i7
If only gaming:i5
Get a K series one for overclocking
:no: EDIT:Get a K series one either way as you are getting a Z77 mobo

GPU:If you want to SLI 2xGTX 670
Otherwise a single 670
Asus,*XFX*,Gigabyte and MSI are good manufacturers
:no: EDIT:XFX doesn't make nvidia cards anymore

Mobo:If overclocking Z77 mobo else *H77* one
:no: EDIT:Seeing that you are going to SLI get a Z77 one

Sound card:Not really needed unless you have REALLY high end speakers.

RAM:8-16GB recommended.Speed doesn't make a difference.

PSU:Seasonic,Corsair,XFX,Antec,etc are the ones you should go for.750-850w is good for future-proofing.

Monitor:Single or triple-the choice is yours.5-2ms response time recommended for gaming.

DVD Drive:Any drive from a good manufacturer will do.

Storage:A 7200RPM HDD along with a SSD (Storage capacity your choice) is recommended.

Overclocking:Again,your choice.Here's a good guide for getting started:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/198882/overclocking_for_...

Case:Get one which is big enough and has decent cooling Coolermaster(HAF),Antec,Silverstone are good manufacturers

Credit for the changes goes to marshallbradley :) 
April 3, 2013 10:23:19 AM

@max_payne XFX don't actually do nVidia cards any-more. Unlike their power supplies, their current series of video cards is also pretty awful as far as noise and temperature is concerned (at least anything with the Double D cooler). Check out: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5476/amd-radeon-7950-revi...

Also H77 doesn't support SLI, and even if they don't start out buying SLI 670s, OP has said they definitely want the option to do so at a later date (which brings in my point about the K series chip -- if you're already going to buy a Z77 regardless, you might as well get a K series to boot).

Otherwise a good summary! +1 :)  (this thread is getting fairly long so it's good to sort of collect all the stuff mentioned).

M
April 3, 2013 11:26:01 AM

Thanks for the summary; I didn't even realize the thread had gotten this long. Thanks to everyone who chipped in!

I guess at this point I need to sit down, read some more, and weigh out my options. I'll probably come back with an initial build list in a week to see what the community thinks, and ask if there are any quirks regarding those specific parts that I should keep in mind.
April 3, 2013 6:02:43 PM

marshallbradley said:
@max_payne XFX don't actually do nVidia cards any-more.

Also H77 doesn't support SLI, and even if they don't start out buying SLI 670s, OP has said they definitely want the option to do so at a later date (which brings in my point about the K series chip -- if you're already going to buy a Z77 regardless, you might as well get a K series to boot).

Otherwise a good summary! +1 :)  (this thread is getting fairly long so it's good to sort of collect all the stuff mentioned).

M

Thanks,didn't know about the XFX cards and the H77.:) 
!