New Build for Gaming and All-Around Use. (Take 2)

[ADozer]

After doing a ton of research after my first thread (http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1686973/build-gaming.html), re-evaluating my needs and what I will be working on with the machine, I have put together another system and shaved some dollars off, while putting upgrades where I want them for future overclocking experiments and whatnot.

I came up with the following system:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/115dJ

I am still on the fence now with windows 7 and windows 8. But I think I have a solid system lined up there, especially considering that I'm getting a relatively large monitor with decent specs and plenty of options for expansion and tweaking for a good price.

Comments/suggestions are always appreciated. Thanks in advance for all the help.

 

[bigshootr8]

I believe I can alter your build to give you something better then what you have

 

[X79]

Dayum son, PSU too strong.

Here's a Win 8 video to help you decide:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi8NpwiEuzc

 

[bigshootr8]

CPU: unchanged
Memory: I feel you don't need more then 8 for what you are doing. For gaming and general use 8 will suffice however if you want 16 that is fine I've supplied a build for both.
Storage: Changed to a single 2 TB HDD and 1x Samsung 840 Pro which is a stronger drive then the one you have listed.
PSU: Changed the PSU because you don't need a 80 plus Platinum Unit you will be fine with 80+ Bronze
Monitor: I changed the monitor to a Benq 120 monitor which has wicked fast response time. I felt that the monitor you were looking into because it was only 60hz was overpriced at the price it was at 1ms response time or not. With a 120hz monitor your monitor will be able to keep up to 120 FPS without having lagging issues on the interface side. Also because its 120 hz you can do 3D in the future.

Motherboard: If you are doing heavy overclocking I can see you using that board however if you are you will want something more then a 36 dollar air cooler. A Noctua NH-D14 for example or a one of the higher end closed loop water coolers as a start.

Windows: I would recommend Windows 7 64 bit home premium or pro just for the fact that compatibility wise things are easier to deal with. And having to deal with Metro is kind of a pain. I would get Windows 7 because it has quality of life things that Windows 8 just fails on.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.69 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.98 @ PCM)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($359.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Thermaltake Armor Reveo Snow Edition ATX Mid Tower Case ($110.96 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: BenQ XL2420T 120Hz 24.0" Monitor ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1670.55
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-29 16:23 EDT-0400)

and if you insist on 16 gigabytes of memory

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.69 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($359.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Thermaltake Armor Reveo Snow Edition ATX Mid Tower Case ($110.96 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: BenQ XL2420T 120Hz 24.0" Monitor ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1735.56
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-29 16:25 EDT-0400)

 

[g-unit1111]

Don't even think about going FX on a budget over $1500. Yeah, as was stated 1KW is way overkill for a single GPU setup.

This would be a far better use of your money:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($230.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($91.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($128.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($663.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($134.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1632.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-29 16:27 EDT-0400)

- Way better case (Thermaltake makes a lot of crap)
- Got rid of the second 1TB hard drive
- You don't really need a 256GB SSD
- Stronger GPU
- Better CPU
- You don't need 16GB of RAM for a gaming rig
- Downgraded the PSU (you don't need 1KW for even a dual 780 setup)
- I didn't include monitor, keyboard, or mouse, but you can add whatever you want there.

 

[ADozer]

Ok, poked around, read around, took everything into consideration, came to some of my own decisions and I'm looking at this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/11b1E

As I said in the linked first thread, this is for gaming, and doing some coding/development work as well, and probably some baking/rendering/encoding etc.

I might consider some other things when Haswell comes out, but as of now, I'm really happy with this setup.

 

[bigshootr8]

Wow, quite the research you did there wasn't aware that you could buy a custom water cooling loop for that price WoW that isn't bad at all. I would use distilled water instead of cooler coolant its supposed to last longer and won't gunk up like some cooler coolants will.

Yea I really can't complain about your build. A 8350 is fine it will do a good job with what you are after as well as that 7970