SUPER High-End $2400 Gaming PC Build (Updated 12/05/2013)

[mbarbantini]

Hey guys, new to the forums but already into computing and gaming deeply.
Today, out of boredom, I decided to create a build. This is not the average build you'd see everyday. It's a 2400$ build (as of 12/05/2013 with combos, shipping included and newegg-based purchases) with some of the most high-end but money-wise components out there.
This build will give you a SysMark 2012 Overall score of 227. Yes, two-hundred-and-twenty-seven. That's a really high score.

*If you just want to get straight to the build just skip this*
Yeah, pretty crazy...
Anyways, since I don't consider myself a tech expert but rather a tech user and troubleshooter occasionally, I'd like to know your opinion on this pc build.
I was aiming for a 1500$ build but things got a little out of hand and some combos took my mind away.
We're talking about a really high-end gaming station here; 2 GTXs for a 2-way SLI gaming experience, 4-Core i7 @ 3.5GHz, 16 GB of DDR3-1600 RAM, 2 storages, 120GB SSD and a 1TB 10,000 RPM HDD all boxed up inside a sexy Cooler Master case.

Here it goes...


To start off I decided to pick a motherboard that would fit well with a powerful CPU so I went with the Asus SABERTOOTH Z77 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard and the classic Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor. For the cooler I went with a Corsair H100 92.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler, the top-of-the-line but cheap solution for keeping the bad boy going.

This was 683$ right off the bat; a tough but solid decision for this power-station.

For the memory, I chose 16GB (8x2) of Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600. 16 GB is more than enough and will last forever. 170 bucks right there.

For the storage I decided to go with a 120GB SSD Samsung 840 Series as a gaming/OS boot storage and as of actual hard-drive storage I decided to get a Western Digital VelociRaptor 1TB 3.5" 10000RPM for some amazing storage capacities and performance. 322$ total.

Now here come they bad boys... Get ready... Here it goes.
For the graphics I decided to go with *TWO* MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Cards for some impressive 2-Way SLI performance that will be worth every penny you'll spend on them. 660 amazingly spent dollars.

For the case I picked the sexy Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case for just around 200$ and with it 2 Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition 62.7 CFM 120mm Fans for just 27$.

For the Optical Drive I chose a simple Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer for 19 bucks.

Now the heart of our computer, the power supply. I went for the top-of-the-line Corsair Professional 850W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX for just 156$.

Finally I'll just list the OS as a build component, even if it potentially isn't. I went for the master-king Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) which will cost around 180$.

That's it! That'll round up to almost exactly 2400$!

Hope you guys liked this and I would love to get some feedback and maybe someone could point out any mistakes I made and some tech-wise improvements,

Thank you,
Mario

Find below the PCPartPicker list with benchmarks...

Note that the price for this machine has fluctuated from 2200$ to 2600$ depending on the month, I will try and keep this post updated.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2fdOT
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2fdOT/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2fdOT/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100 92.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($137.27 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z77 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($232.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Storage (1): Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage (2): Western Digital VelociRaptor 1TB 3.5" 10000RPM Internal Hard Drive ($212.25 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($158.93 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm Fans ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 850W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.49 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($182.26 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2354.11
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Tags (ignore):
Gaming PC gaming 2400$ gaming build ssd asus corsair geforce gtx MSI gtx 770 2gb intel core i7 Intel i7 corsair vengeance Western Digital Velociraptor Ultimate Gaming PC December build budget

 

[sportfreak23]

Well with the same amount of money I would do the build below if prices don't fluctuate as much as a month is a long time. But currently this is what I would buy taking your build into consideration.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Trident X 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($144.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Mac Mall)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($158.93 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.49 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional (32/64-bit) ($182.64 @ B&H)
Total: $2240.47
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-04 23:14 EST-0500)

Relatively it remained the same instead I changed a few parts around like the 4770k so the board I switched to a VI hero which is a beast. Also the cooler, is the one I use currently use when I bought it on blackfriday. Its still pretty cheap at some places where I am also.

For RAM I picked the same speed, but atm a bit cheaper then and a CAS of 7 so why not. Your SSD I think could be better picked and as time goes by they will drop in price, maybe another sale in a month. But ATM I would go with the 250gb 840 EVO. As for the velociraptor, its overpriced, and not really worth it. I picked 2 WD blacks so you can put them in RAID0 which gives you a bit more performance then just 1 but 2tb of space.

GPU is your choice, but if your staying on the 2gb VRAM maybe consider a MSI lightning GTX 770 if budget permits. Case same thing, your choice. PSU I picked is cheaper then yours and is platnium atm so seems like a better alternative atm. And I just picked Windows 8 because I use it. ;p

 

[ssddx]

is there a real point to this build (are you building it) or is it just a discussion? parts change so frequently that what is good this month can be bad a few months from now.


CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
--better off with a 4770k now
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100 92.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($137.27 @ TigerDirect)
--still relevant but there are b etter ones out there
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z77 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($232.98 @ SuperBiiz)
--is now the z87, but max iv hero is a good choice also.
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($149.99 @ Amazon)
--a bit overkill with 16gb but relevant. you could afford 1866 for this price likely.
Storage (1): Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.98 @ OutletPC)
--too small. you want a 250gb minimum if you want to actually store files on this. you lose 20% off the top so trim works (dont want to fill past 80%) then you lose 30gb for os. this leaves you a small hdd if less than 250.
Storage (2): Western Digital VelociRaptor 1TB 3.5" 10000RPM Internal Hard Drive ($212.25 @ B&H)
--worthless. go with caviar blacks with 5 year warranty. having velocis for data drives is not a good use of cash.
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
--its a toss up between overclocked titans, 770, 7990 and dual 280x
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($158.93 @ Amazon)
--haf isnt the best case. there are many others which can also work depending on exact config.
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm Fans ($27.99 @ Newegg)
--average fan nothing special. there are better fans.
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 850W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.99 @ Amazon)
--you would want fully modular if you can manage it. not a bad choice though (i have a hx1000)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.49 @ OutletPC)
--anything will work.
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($182.26 @ OutletPC)
--absolutely no need for ultimate. home premium is fine for most users at $99

 

[Executeorder66]

There is indeed a point. I myself am building a high end pc for January tenth and it users like you or others whom I watch and see what you suggest to base my build off.
Currently tho my build is priced at $3300 tho not like the op's $2400.

 

[mbarbantini]

is there a real point to this build (are you building it) or is it just a discussion? parts change so frequently that what is good this month can be bad a few months from now.

Just a discussion, I just want to see if the machine is up-to-date and money-worthy.
I'll take your suggestions into consideration, thank you!

 

[mbarbantini]

There is indeed a point. I myself am building a high end pc for January tenth and it users like you or others whom I watch and see what you suggest to base my build off.
Currently tho my build is priced at $3300 tho not like the op's $2400.

$3300 worth of PC parts is, in my opinion, overkill. $2500 and above already don't really make much difference since GPU's and other core components are still currently under development and time will show us what companies are up to. Since this build didn't really get the best feedback ever, I'd consider checking out some other threads. Maybe with those extra 800$ laying around from the $3300 budget you could get some speakers... A nice mice... A keyboard... It's up to you really

 

[mbarbantini]

Well with the same amount of money I would do the build below if prices don't fluctuate as much as a month is a long time. But currently this is what I would buy taking your build into consideration.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Trident X 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($144.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Mac Mall)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($158.93 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.49 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional (32/64-bit) ($182.64 @ B&H)
Total: $2240.47
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-04 23:14 EST-0500)

Relatively it remained the same instead I changed a few parts around like the 4770k so the board I switched to a VI hero which is a beast. Also the cooler, is the one I use currently use when I bought it on blackfriday. Its still pretty cheap at some places where I am also.

For RAM I picked the same speed, but atm a bit cheaper then and a CAS of 7 so why not. Your SSD I think could be better picked and as time goes by they will drop in price, maybe another sale in a month. But ATM I would go with the 250gb 840 EVO. As for the velociraptor, its overpriced, and not really worth it. I picked 2 WD blacks so you can put them in RAID0 which gives you a bit more performance then just 1 but 2tb of space.

GPU is your choice, but if your staying on the 2gb VRAM maybe consider a MSI lightning GTX 770 if budget permits. Case same thing, your choice. PSU I picked is cheaper then yours and is platnium atm so seems like a better alternative atm. And I just picked Windows 8 because I use it. ;p

I'll take your suggestions into consideration, thank you!