Building a Gaming/Entertainment PC, need recomendations to better performance and price.

[RobbieH87]

Not sure if this is the right location to ask this but, I am currently researching parts and accessories for a high end gaming pc one I will be able to OC and run all new and future high graphic games with excess frame rates to spare.

This is what I have currently on pcpartpicker.com --- http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Shzt

**CPU**- Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80637i53570k) | $219.99 @ Newegg

**CPU Cooler- Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr1) | $29.99 @ Newegg

**Motherboard- MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming ATX LGA1155 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z77agd65gaming) | $169.99 @ Newegg

**Storage- Intel 335 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-internal-hard-drive-ssdsc2ct240a4k5) | $187.00 @ Newegg

**Case- Rosewill THOR V2-W ATX Full Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-case-thorv2w) | $145.98 @ Newegg

**Power Supply- OCZ ZX 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/ocz-power-supply-oczzx850w) | $149.99 @ Newegg

**Optical Drive- LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lg-optical-drive-uh12ns29) | $51.98 @ Newegg

**Operating System- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-gfc02050) | $99.99 @ Newegg

**Total Pricing so far**
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. $1054.91


First off, I was given this link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1270850
to a combo from newegg.com for a Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor and a MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard for $334.98. To me it seems pretty good but for some reason i'm finding compatibility issues on pcpartpicker.com and I can't figure out if its the site itself or if this motherboard isn't that great, I would hate to invest so much money into this build to find that my MOBO is lacking....

I didn't include the GPU because they didn't have the one I chose even registered on PCpartpicker.com which is the( SPARKLE 700021 (CALIBRE -- GTX680) GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit Video Card) I found that this is one of the most powerful for the price you pay but that is only what I saw from a few days of research and there wasn't much spec/ buyer reviews for this card. Is it too much can i get away with a, EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-2662-KR GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card ?

Also, I haven't picked any RAM yet mainly because I am raging at how much in price they have gone up since last year...especially since i've been saving to build this pc and I should of just bought the memory back in october......So if you guys know a good quality brand of RAM that's compatible and a good price let me know plz? I need 2x4GB/ 8GB of RAM. Thanks

Oh and the reason for the overkill on the 850W PS is because I want to make sure I have the power for any future mods I do to this comp and from what I've learned from my electronics teacher "You can never have to much power." I can probably go with a 700-750watt but I found that one for a decent price, its fully modular, and Its 80 PLUS Gold certified which are all things I like but if you guys know of one similar with a lower wattage I will probably get that one. Please help me out thanks a lot in advance.

 

[Marcopolo123]

Gtx 680 has a very bad price/performance
Get a gtx670, its only ~5-10% slower but a lot cheaper.
For a singel gtx670 a 500w psu is plenty
If you want to do sli in future, 750w is good
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438006
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121093

Case is overpriced, low quality. There are better alternatives in this price range or cheaper
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352021
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139017
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139016
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235034
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119240

For memory, 2x4gb 1600 cl9 low profile

 

[ksham]

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 ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.25 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Other: Newegg Special Bundle (-$40.00 @ Newegg)
Total: $1232.14
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

- Would be nice to state a budget.
- Used a different bundle special.
- Don't know if you need 240GB of SSD space. I downgraded it to 120GB SSD + HDD.
- I don't know what mods you plan to do. Maybe Crossfire?

 

[batuchka]

ksham is on the right track - the HD 7970/GHZ is the only best buy in the high end GPU as per Toms monthly "Best GPU for the Money" articles for some months now. Higher end than that i would suggest awaiting the HD 7990 to come out before splashing the dough

 

[RobbieH87]

Thanks for the advice I couldn't find a good PS that was fully modular and the EVGA 750 watt looks good, lower wattage and a lower price. I will prob change my case as well but, do you think a mid tower will fit everything? I hate getting a tower and not having everything fit and I don't mind it taking up space. Also, im not a big fan of AMD GPU's i've always had bad experiences with them I would be inclined to buy one but I don't know how the new ones are performing it seems like the geforce GTX's are out performing them but they are the top end ones. Ksham that build price is about where I want to be if I can skimp in some areas to get a better GPU I would be up for it. Also, I've heard that Lk version of the ASUS MOBO has had some trouble with performance thats why I switched to the MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming ATX LGA1155 MOBO. Anymore thoughts maybe im wrong...

 

[ksham]

Too BIG PSU. 550w is enough. 650w is overkill for a one video card.
Take good PSU like seasonic or xfx.

Overkill whatever. I couldn't find a cheaper one at 550W outside of Corsair CX series, which I don't recommend for gaming.

 

[ksham]

Thanks for the advice I couldn't find a good PS that was fully modular and the EVGA 750 watt looks good, lower wattage and a lower price. I will prob change my case as well but, do you think a mid tower will fit everything? I hate getting a tower and not having everything fit and I don't mind it taking up space. Also, im not a big fan of AMD GPU's i've always had bad experiences with them I would be inclined to buy one but I don't know how the new ones are performing it seems like the geforce GTX's are out performing them but they are the top end ones. Ksham that build price is about where I want to be if I can skimp in some areas to get a better GPU I would be up for it. Also, I've heard that Lk version of the ASUS MOBO has had some trouble with performance thats why I switched to the MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming ATX LGA1155 MOBO. Anymore thoughts maybe im wrong...

The 7970 is already the best value buy. Obviously there are a few cards that beat it, but they cost a lot. Half of them are worth $1,000. Stick with the 7970. It will max out all current games.

 

[RobbieH87]

Alright thanks ill do that then lol, thanks for all the responses I really appreciate it and it helped me out a lot.