$2000 Gaming PC

[Siyko]

I'm upgrading from my four-year-old rig which had a good run. I'd like to keep it under $2000.

Parts I already have:
Keyboard/Mouse/Speakers/Other Accessories
HDDs (SSD for system) / Cd drive

The system will be primarily used for gaming. No idea what the next gen of hardware will bring, but I want to go as long as possible without seeing an FPS drop.

I really would like this to be SILENT or near-silent. If my computer sounds like a leaf blower I have failed. For this purpose I believe it would be better to get watercooling.

The main issue I'm having in trying to put together the parts is keeping my hardware in sync. If I get a 6-core CPU with 16 gigs of ram and a 660 TI video card, will that video card be holding me back? Will my motherboard support next year's video cards? Stuff like that. It'd be easy to take a $800 gaming rig and spend an extra $1000 on the GPU, but that's not smart.

Brands:
I have no real preference between AMD and Intel (I have had fine luck with both in the past), but I have heard that Intel is 'in the lead' right now.
I definitely want NVIDIA over ATI. My ATI cards have given me so many driver issues that I want nothing more to do with them.
I have had really bad luck with ASUS motherboards in the past as well, so I would want to go for a different brand.

Case:
Mid tower or full tower is fine. I like working on a full tower case, but I don't like carrying it around. I'm not sure which size better supports liquid cooling, but I wouldn't mind sticking with a full tower.

I'm also considering upgrading my monitor as well - I'm open to any suggestions about what kind of resolution would fit the power of my PC.

I don't need any software or anything other than a pre-formatted hdd.
I'm in the US buying these parts.

 

[Siyko]

I put together a custom PC on IBuyPower just to get a feel for my options, and here are the parts I hastily came up with:

Case: NZXT Phantom Full Tower
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7 3930K Processor (6x 3.20GHz/12MB L3 Cache)
Memory: 16 GB [4 GB X4] DDR3-2133 Corsair Vengeance Memory Module
Video: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti - 3GB - EVGA Superclocked - Core: 980MHz
Mobo: ASRock X79 Extreme9 -- 5x PCI-E x16, 8x SATA 6Gb/s, 4x USB 3.0
PSU: 750 Watt - Corsair CMPSU-750AX

I think the video card here is the weakest link, but it's also the easiest to upgrade in a year or so.

 

[Termie]

You'd be paying a pretty significant premium to run a 3930k and x79. A 3770k or even 3570k would perform very similarly in most games, especially with a card at the level of the 660Ti. You'd need at least two of them to begin pushing a 3570/3770 beyond its limits. And at that point you'd really have far more processing power than you need for 1080p.

Basically, I think you'd be better off with something like a 3770k and a 670 or 7970 now and for the foreseeable future, and it would cost slightly less than the system you are looking at.

Also, if you're going for quiet, you should know that an all-in-one water cooler may run at lower temps than a large air cooler, but it's almost guaranteed to be louder:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/h100i-elc240-seidon-240m-lq320,3380-12.html

 

[dmoney1980]

You shouldn't have to spend $2k on a gaming PC if you already have an SSD/ HDD storage and you play at 1080p. With that in mind, I recommend an ASrock extreme 4 mobo, an i5 3770k, and Fractal define R4 case (it's quiet), and a Thermalright Macho CPU cooler for $40 to start off (http://www.nansgaminggear.net/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MACHO-REV-A-BW).

A 2GB GTX 670 should keep you gaming at 1080p for a while, but you really should consider a Radeon 7950 and overclock it. I had driver issues with AMD before but have been problem free for over a year with my Radeon 7950.

 

[Siyko]

I thought the i5s were all older than the i7s, like the pentium 2 and pentium 3 of older days? I must have my facts wrong about that. What is really the difference between i5 and i7?

 

[Siyko]

If $2000 is too much for this, maybe I should get a new monitor of higher resolution? My 23" is working fine, but something shiny and new would certainly not go to waste

 

[dmoney1980]

I thought the i5s were all older than the i7s, like the pentium 2 and pentium 3 of older days? I must have my facts wrong about that. What is really the difference between i5 and i7?

This is not the case since the i5 / i7 are part of intel's latest Ivy Bridge architecture..the new gen i5 and i7 are neck and neck in terms of gaming performance. The primary difference between the CPU's is hyperthreading; i7 has it, i5 does not. For gaming, the i5 can do pretty much everything the i7 can.

 

[Siyko]

This is not the case since the i5 / i7 are part of intel's latest Ivy Bridge architecture..the new gen i5 and i7 are neck and neck in terms of gaming performance. The primary difference between the CPU's is hyperthreading; i7 has it, i5 does not. For gaming, the i5 can do pretty much everything the i7 can.

Interesting. i5 would probably be fine for me then. I have an i7 now (4 cores 8 threads) but I never really do anything that would benefit from that.

You shouldn't have to spend $2k on a gaming PC if you already have an SSD/ HDD storage and you play at 1080p. With that in mind, I recommend an ASrock extreme 4 mobo, an i5 3770k, and Fractal define R4 case (it's quiet), and a Thermalright Macho CPU cooler for $40 to start off (http://www.nansgaminggear.net/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MACHO-REV-A-BW).

A 2GB GTX 670 should keep you gaming at 1080p for a while, but you really should consider a Radeon 7950 and overclock it. I had driver issues with AMD before but have been problem free for over a year with my Radeon 7950.

My current case is a
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119138 - the Fractal define R4 doesn't look like it'd compare in terms of quietness, but the pictures might be misleading.

 

[Termie]

If $2000 is too much for this, maybe I should get a new monitor of higher resolution? My 23" is working fine, but something shiny and new would certainly not go to waste

Money spent on a monitor often has a bigger long-term payback than money spent on CPUs/GPUs, so yes, spending some of your budget on that might make sense.

Interesting. i5 would probably be fine for me then. I have an i7 now (4 cores 8 threads) but I never really do anything that would benefit from that.

What CPU do you have now? I ask to make sure that you're not buying something that's only a small upgrade.

 

[Siyko]

Money spent on a monitor often has a bigger long-term payback than money spent on CPUs/GPUs, so yes, spending some of your budget on that might make sense.

What CPU do you have now? I ask to make sure that you're not buying something that's only a small upgrade.

Alright, then I'll add a nice monitor to the list. I'll probably replace my 22" secondary and make my 23" main my new secondary.

My current CPU is
Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601920
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202

 

[lehtv]

Is it overclocked? Do you have a motherboard and an aftermarket cooler capable of overclocking? What GPU are you upgrading from?

 

[Siyko]

Is it overclocked? Do you have a motherboard and an aftermarket cooler capable of overclocking? What GPU are you upgrading from?

It's not overclocked. My motherboard is an Intel DX58SO I won at PAX, and all my overclocking attempts have been unsuccessful.

I'm running one of these behemoths as a CPU cooler with 2 big silent fans:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835242001

 

[dmoney1980]

My current case is a
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119138 - the Fractal define R4 doesn't look like it'd compare in terms of quietness, but the pictures might be misleading.

you should probably keep that case since it'll cool everything just fine. It's big and a little outdated at this point but who cares!

 

[Siyko]

you should probably keep that case since it'll cool everything just fine. It's big and a little outdated at this point but who cares!

I normally would, but if I upgrade everything else, I can also upgrade the case and give the old PC a good home to a friend.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Micro Center near-by?

I swear ^ should be a sticky

 

[Siyko]

There's one like 20 minutes away, but usually I just buy all the parts online and assemble it at home when they ship.

 

[lehtv]

A 20 minute trip to Microcenter is definitely worth it. You can get a 3770K for $230 and -$40 on any Z77 motherboard combined with it (+ tax). Buy everything else online.

 

[SFC_Mac]

I just recently purchased my i7 3770k, and the -40 was only for an i5. Has this changed?

 

[Termie]

A 20 minute trip to Microcenter is definitely worth it. You can get a 3770K for $230 and -$40 on any Z77 motherboard combined with it (+ tax). Buy everything else online.

That's not correct, at least not officially.

I just recently purchased my i7 3770k, and the -40 was only for an i5. Has this changed?

Nope: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/88faafeb#/88faafeb/33

 

[lehtv]

That's not correct, at least not officially.

Ah you're right, I just assumed it. The shopping cart doesn't show the $40 reduction for the motherboard with the 3770K in the cart.

In any case, the trip is worth it whichever CPU you're getting

 

[Insert_Nickname]

My current CPU is
Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601920
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202

Why not get something like a GTX670, and wait for Haswell. The 920 is still pretty potent if a little long in the tooth. Since you didn't specify what you're currently using, other then it being 4 years old, it is a MAJOR upgrade from a HD38xx/48xx or Geforce 8800/9800...

Anandtech has a nice little GPU benchmark section, that allows you to compare cards from different generations.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU12/372

As others have wrote, forget about LGA-2011 for gaming. Too expensive to be worthwhile. That PSU you picked is also a bit overkill. The Corsair AX-series is focused on professional users. A quality 550-600W unit is plenty powerful.

 

[loki993]

If $2000 is too much for this, maybe I should get a new monitor of higher resolution? My 23" is working fine, but something shiny and new would certainly not go to waste

Yeah definitely a bigger monitor. 23" is almost small nowadays, coming from a guy that uses a 19 nice he got free from a friend lol. Seriously though when I upgrade it will be 27 inch minimum.

Micro Center near-by?

I swear ^ should be a sticky

That's seriously like one of the first questions I see in these threads.


Microcenter is awesome the 20 minute drive is well worth it. They have a lot of stuff that's the same price as places like newegg and you usually cant beat their processor deals. The 3750k is 170 right now at Microcenter, its 219 at newegg. They call it a "sale" but its always that price, but they do that with processors. Add in the savings on a motherboard and your saving 80 bucks.

That's almost the difference in a 670 right there or a nice new monitor.

They also have some good RAM deals and power supply deals right now too.

 

[Siyko]

Why not get something like a GTX670, and wait for Haswell. The 920 is still pretty potent if a little long in the tooth. Since you didn't specify what you're currently using, other then it being 4 years old, it is a MAJOR upgrade from a HD38xx/48xx or Geforce 8800/9800...

Anandtech has a nice little GPU benchmark section, that allows you to compare cards from different generations.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU12/372

As others have wrote, forget about LGA-2011 for gaming. Too expensive to be worthwhile. That PSU you picked is also a bit overkill. The Corsair AX-series is focused on professional users. A quality 550-600W unit is plenty powerful.

I'm using dual Radeon HD 5770s. The power is ok, but not great. I have so many issues with games that require me to disable crossfire, or ATI drivers giving me problems between multiple monitors though. I used my friend's GTX470 for a couple weeks and I didn't have any of those issues, so I want to go back to NVIDIA.

Just upgrading the card and nothing else is something I considered - I in fact tried to upgrade to a GTX 660 TI but my motherboard wouldn't work with it (see the thread I started in the video card section).

Microcenter is awesome the 20 minute drive is well worth it. They have a lot of stuff that's the same price as places like newegg and you usually cant beat their processor deals. The 3750k is 170 right now at Microcenter, its 219 at newegg. They call it a "sale" but its always that price, but they do that with processors. Add in the savings on a motherboard and your saving 80 bucks.

That's almost the difference in a 670 right there or a nice new monitor.

They also have some good RAM deals and power supply deals right now too.

I will check it out.. very interesting

 

[Termie]

I'm using dual Radeon HD 5770s. The power is ok, but not great. I have so many issues with games that require me to disable crossfire, or ATI drivers giving me problems between multiple monitors though. I used my friend's GTX470 for a couple weeks and I didn't have any of those issues, so I want to go back to NVIDIA.

Just upgrading the card and nothing else is something I considered - I in fact tried to upgrade to a GTX 660 TI but my motherboard wouldn't work with it (see the thread I started in the video card section).



I will check it out.. very interesting

Bummer about that 660ti not working in your motherboard. How annoying!

Given that your upgrade path on your i7-920 system seems to be at least somewhat problematic (I'm guessing it's PCIe 3.0), you might want to take this opportunity to upgrade. I don't think waiting for Haswell is the right call in your situation - you're having platform issues that the current gen will solve. You could pick up a 3570, motherboard, and GTX670 for about $650 or so.

 

[Siyko]

My issues aren't large though, and are mostly related to video card.

Maybe I should get a new video card right now, and in six months or so, upgrade the rest of my PC.

I just read about Haswell, I hadn't heard about it until now.