Higher End Build for Gaming, first time building it myself

[sefton]

I want to build a high end machine on my own to replace my 7 year old alienware. This is the build I've been looking at so far. I picked the i7-3820 because it had the second highest gaming benchmark score on cpuboss, its 10 mb cache and 3.6Ghz. I mostly play MMOs, RTS games and Civilization 5, as well as the occasional FPS. I have 2 screens and like to have multiple applications open at once while playing a game. This would be the first time building a PC so I am nervous about that and making sure everything is compatible. Also wondering if I should have an intel or Asus 2011 motherboard.

CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($284.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100 92.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($97.13 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: Intel DX79TO ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($207.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Dominator 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($259.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($85.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($705.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($85.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($186.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($56.23 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($83.88 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $2225.04
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-28 17:14 EDT-0400)

 

[Outlander_04]

That all looks like massive overkill for gaming on a single monitor , but if you have the money you can spend it any way you like .

It works .
Buy the ASUS board IMO

 

[ps3hacker12]

Thing is the 4770k beats the i7-8320 in pretty much everything:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/523?vs=836

if its a gaming rig, than anything more than an i5-4670k is a waste of money really. But if your doing it for bragging rights, then the i7-4770k would be the way to go.

even 8GB ram for a gaming rig is overkill, never mind 16GB

for the same gaming performance, you could get this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($73.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($165.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($85.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($613.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Green) ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-P14 FLX 65.0 CFM 140mm Fan ($14.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($88.00 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($83.88 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1705.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-28 18:36 EDT-0400)

same rig with the i7 for bragging rights:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($73.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($165.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($85.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($613.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Green) ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-P14 FLX 65.0 CFM 140mm Fan ($14.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($88.00 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($83.88 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1810.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-28 18:37 EDT-0400)

If your looking for the ultimate gaming rig:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($73.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($165.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($85.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($613.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($613.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Green) ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-P14 FLX 65.0 CFM 140mm Fan ($14.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($88.00 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($83.88 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $2319.76
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-28 18:36 EDT-0400)

ultimate build with a 4770k for bragging rights again:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($73.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($165.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($85.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($613.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($613.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Green) ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-P14 FLX 65.0 CFM 140mm Fan ($14.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($88.00 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($83.88 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $2424.76
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-28 18:37 EDT-0400)

 

[TheBigTroll]

a gaming build that is done right
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1xn9U

-more cache, higher clockspeed, and higher performance in a synthetic benchmark will tell you nothing about how well the CPU will do in things such as gaming. the 4670k is currently the best bet to kick off a gaming rig
-not a crappy liquid cooler. if you want something water based, get a custom kit
-gigabyte boards offer the most hardware for the money
-extra ram will not be needed for gaming.
-no point of a higher end SSD when in real life you cant even tell the difference
-if you want more storage, so be it
-the higher end models are a waste of time unless you either watercool or run LN2.
-a 750w will handle the rig no problem
-forget about blu-ray players unless you actually watch them quite often
-if you want windows 8 and their stupid start screen, be my guest. id highly suggest sticking to windows 7

 

[sefton]

That all looks like massive overkill for gaming on a single monitor , but if you have the money you can spend it any way you like .

It works .
Buy the ASUS board IMO

I have 2 monitors and I want to be able to run video on one and a game on the other simultaneously.

 

[TheBigTroll]

thats pretty easy.

if you have 2 months, why are you asking now? prices will be so different that half the list would have changed already. the U14s CPU cooler and the case should be bought however

 

[ps3hacker12]

thats pretty easy.

if you have 2 months, why are you asking now? prices will be so different that half the list would have changed already. the U14s CPU cooler and the case should be bought however

He said 2 monitors not 2 months.

 

[TheBigTroll]

ahh ok

 

[Outlander_04]

That all looks like massive overkill for gaming on a single monitor , but if you have the money you can spend it any way you like .

It works .
Buy the ASUS board IMO

I have 2 monitors and I want to be able to run video on one and a game on the other simultaneously.

Running a video is not challenging , its the gaming that is, and the more pixels the harder it gets . At 1080p you are in overkill territory with a GTX 780 . Two of them would be a pointless waste of money for that resolution .

Stick with Windows 8 . It has a whole bunch of new features , it has a much better license that lets you transfer it to another computer in the future , and it can be made to look and run just li8ke 7 [ or XP , or 98 ] with a free start button program called Classic Shell

 

[sefton]

That all looks like massive overkill for gaming on a single monitor , but if you have the money you can spend it any way you like .

It works .
Buy the ASUS board IMO

I have 2 monitors and I want to be able to run video on one and a game on the other simultaneously.

Running a video is not challenging , its the gaming that is, and the more pixels the harder it gets . At 1080p you are in overkill territory with a GTX 780 . Two of them would be a pointless waste of money for that resolution .

Stick with Windows 8 . It has a whole bunch of new features , it has a much better license that lets you transfer it to another computer in the future , and it can be made to look and run just li8ke 7 [ or XP , or 98 ] with a free start button program called Classic Shell

Thanks for the input. If I wanted to have the possibility of running 3 monitors and have surround gaming with 3 1080p monitors what would be the best way to do that? Probably couldn't afford that until 6-9 months after I build the PC.

 

[Outlander_04]

You will need to plan ahead . A pair of GTX 780's should work well .
Make sure your mb can SLI , your power supply is going to need to be the 850 watts


and check that the mb you are buying will run a newer Ivy Bridge E processor [ not even sure these have been released yet ???? ]

 

[TheBigTroll]

the x79 platform is pointless for gaming. the extra threads wont do anything nor will the extra lanes and extra memory capacity be of any use due to the fact that you cant even saturate the pci-e 2 bus with current cards nor will extra and faster ram do anything for gaming performance

as for multi-monitor, its a MMO or any RPG game, you wont require much horsepower to drive it. if you were talking about bf4, then 2 cards will be a good idea. but before anything, always go try out a triple panel setup and game on it for a couple of hrs. there is no reason to waste 600 dollars on panels when you know you dont like the expierence