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$3000 Budget Gaming/Media Build

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chruschef

Junior Member
I'm building a new gaming/media PC for college, I've previously built two PCs before but never anything with a budget like this. I will be doing some minor photo editing. Having been out of the hardware news loop for quite sometime now I was hoping to have my build reviewed by the pros. I already have a 1000w PSU and an unused copy of Windows 7 Ultimate. I plan on gaming at 2560x1600.


Intel i7 2500k http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115072

ASrock Z68 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157263

Ram already purchased

2 x HD6950 2gb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102945


Crucial M4 256GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148443

Samsung Spinpoint F3 1tb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152185

Corsair 800D Case - http://bit.ly/oYC3zc $279.99 <== I've been considering a Lian-Li for the aluminum construction, but the 800D is just so nice..

27" Samsung http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001474

Noctua NH-D14 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835608018




Thanks in advance for any and all assistance.
 
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Hi chruschef and welcome to AT forums,

You obviously have a big budget (does it include tax?). But as is often the case, a big budget for a gaming PC often may mean that much more money is spent than you actually need to spend to practically maximize the build's potential. Some of the components you've listed offer very little value over their cheaper counterparts. Let me give some examples:

CPU 2600K vs 2500K - nearly no difference in gaming. Not worth it for light photo editing either. (Can always upgrade to hyperthreaded Ivy Bridge if you decide to do something HT-intensive.)
Mobo EVGA Z68 - what does it offer that sub-$200 SLI boards don't offer, that you actually would benefit from?
RAM Do you actually need 16GB RAM? Highly unlikely. Any 1333MHz or 1600MHz CL9 1.5V 2x4GB kit will be perfect. 1600Mhz 2x4gb can be had for just $50, no need to spend $95.
Cooler: is your intention to overclock as high as it goes? 2500K at 4GHz will not bottleneck a dual-GPU setup (which I'd recommend on your resolution and budget). And even the cheapest aftermarket coolers will achieve 4.5Ghz on a good chip. If you just want a high OC though, Megahalems rocks 😉

As for GPUs, do you have NVIDIA preference or is AMD fine too? 6950 or 6970 crossfire would perform much better at 2560x1600 than 580 for not much more $.

Also swap the Samsung F3 into a Hitachi 7K1000.D, it's a new and fast single-platter 1TB drive for $5 more.
 
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What kind of college are you attending that starts this late in the year? o__O

In any case, basic reading around the forums again lately I see the 2500K being just as good as the 2600K in most fields aside from a few, gaming not being one of them so you could probably save $100 there.

Any particular reason you wanted that motherboard? From what I can see it's just got some flashy badges and a big price tag.

I'd like to note that your RAM choice isn't 2x2GB its 2x4GB and do you see yourself needing 16 GB of RAM? I can't imagine you using more than 8 tbh but maybe you like having a lot, and I mean a LOT of stuff open at once.

Thing about SLI and Crossfire, unless they've recently gotten tremendously better, is that when they work really well it's sometimes worth it. But for the majority of situations they won't be worth it for the scaling, cost, heat, etc. and will often be outdone by the best single card of the next generation. Better off looking at a card that has 2 GPUs as they don't normally have the same issues as running 2 cards has. (So a GTX 590 instead of 2x GTX 580s)

Are you getting the SSD for the pure speed, or just a fast but reliable boot drive? In either scenario I think there are more cost effective offerings out there.

Just 1 1TB drive? Having massive amounts of storage is so much more fun for marginally more money though D:

Not sure how to comment on the case, I like spending money on cases as they don't really wear down over time (unless you abuse them) and can be used for future systems most of the time without issue.

No comment on the TV tuner, I've never really used one myself just installed them.

Do you plan on heavily overclocking? That much money on air cooling is only necessary if you're planning on overclocking quite a bit otherwise the stock cooler should be fine for the most part (but you can buy a nice cooler if you just want your cpu to run a bit cooler [or a lot cooler depending on the conditions])

Do you care about the type of panel you use for your monitor? If you have no qualms about using a TN panel chances are you can get a 27" for quite cheap. Seems to be around $300 for what you're looking for in a 60Hz monitor (no 3d). However if the panel type is important to you I'm not sure if there are any non TN panel offerings for that kind of price (I don't see any offerings actually).

Might I ask if you're investing any decent amount of money in a good keyboard/mouse?
 
@Lehtv I'm by no means 'new', just a long time lurker. 🙂 My budget includes tax. You're right about the 2500k, I just checked the benchmarks. I plan on overclocking it pretty heavily, and hope to achieve 4GHz on air. I've opted for 16GBs of RAM so that I can RAMDrive and have a lot of things open. I have no bias regarding video card companies, whatever will provide the most stable viewing experience at high resolutions. Have ATi's drivers gotten any better?

@krnmastersgt My school year has already started, but I'm building a new rig for gaming at college. I attend bentley university in Boston.

I'll be picking up the 2500k instead then!

The 2x2GB was just a typo, I intend to have 16GB for the purpose of RAMDriving and leaving lots of stuff open all the time.

I just chose the GTX580 because it's the quickest single GPU, is it worth it to go the SLi route? I'm considering jumping up to the GTX590.

I'm getting the SSD for quick boot up and storage of programs/files that I use frequently. I chose this specific SSD because the reviews say that it's rock solid right out of the box, I have friends who have serious issues with their SSDs or had went through firmware updates from hell.

You have a very good point, but don't larger HDDs have slower access times? If I go for more storage I'll probably opt for just more 1TB drives. I will be needing lots of storage for recording HD tv.

I am spending money on a case haha, mines almost $300. I like the cable management options of the 800D especially.

I plan on overclocking, at least up to 4GHz.

I do care greatly about the monitor I use actually, but I haven't any clue what to look for in a monitor.

I currently own a deathadder gaming mouse, which my hand absolutely loves. I have already ordered a brown cherry sensor keyboard. It should arrive tomorrow. I'm extremely excited about that.

@Ken g6 I will get the second PC tuner, it looks like exactly what I need. (dual tuners to watch and record.)

I really appreciate all the criticism, exactly what I've been looking for.
 
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Ah RAMDisk, such a neat idea that's not used all that much. In any case I don't believe the price you're paying for the better timings is really worth it with the Mushkins you've chosen. I'm not sure just how large the timings will make a difference in real world performance, but when I fiddled with timings before it made little difference (but perhaps I was doing it wrong). It could lead to better theoretical performance but I don't think you're really into benchmarking, just for the sake of benchmarking.

Right now there's a 2x4GB Ripjaws set as the Shellshocker for today if you can purchase them right now, you could pick up 2 sets for about $80 total, you still get your 16 GB but for less than 1/3rd the cost! If not, you can always just look into cheaper 4x4GB sets which are about $100 on Newegg.

In regards to the access timings on larger capacity hard drives, more or less the answer is yes they have higher access timings. But you already have an SSD which was made to address access timings and quickly loading decently large apps that are used a lot. Storage hard drives don't need fast access timings, you usually just want a lot of capacity to store a lot of data. And while they are a tad bit slower, for the most part you'll be loading them with files where a second or two more load time won't matter. So I suggest going for some of the reputable 2TB drives or something, but that might just be my opinion.

Since you plan on overclocking I guess a nice air cooler is good, but keep in mind that the temperature in the room will be affected/affect the temperature at which your computer will be running at. Not sure what to say of the cooler as I haven't looked into coolers at all since buying my 212+ which serves me well enough.

Now monitors are a bit tricky as people have different levels of tolerance to "annoying" things. Some people cannot stand TN panels (which most LCD monitors are) as they don't have the same color gamuts or contrast ratios that better panel types do. Also viewing angles are significantly lower on TN panels, what this means is that if you're not looking head on into the monitor, the colors will seem quite different on certain parts of the screen depending on where you're sitting. For a more detailed description on monitors you really should visit this thread: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=39226 as the thread is an excellent resource with tons of information about monitors.

Aside from those points, hope you build your system soon and enjoy it!
 
@chruschef

4GHz is a mild OC for a 2500K, it can be done by simply setting the multiplier to 40 and leaving the voltages on default. Even the stock cooler is OK for that. A standard Cooler master 212+ or 212 Evo will get to 4.5. For something like 4.8 it'd make sense to get a Megahalems, but that sort of OC requires quite a bit of voltage increase and isn't really worth it except for the sake of getting a high OC. Power consumption and heat increase more than the extra 300Mhz are worth.

The 590 isn't a great card, I'm sure many here agree. IIRC the issue is that it's just not a reliable piece of hardware. Dual GPUs on a single PCB isn't the best idea anyway IMO, as such a card tends to make much more noise than two separate cards with non-reference coolers.

At 2560x1600, a single GTX580 won't run everything smoothly on high settings, and the resolution also demands quite a bit of VRAM. Hence the 6950/6970 crossfire recommendation. For some average fps figures (and some minimum fps ones) check out http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/299?vs=305. I can't help with the AMD driver question.

krnmastersgt said:
I'm not sure just how large the timings will make a difference in real world performance, but when I fiddled with timings before it made little difference (but perhaps I was doing it wrong)
Click to expand...

It doesn't make much difference at all: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sandy-bridge-memory-scaling-choosing-the-best-ddr3/4
 
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I agree with the advice you've been given so far. Spend a lot less on the CPU, mobo, RAM. SSD (get an M4 128GB), and potentially case.

I don't like CFX/SLI as a solution, but you pretty much need it go game effectively at 2560x1600 (that's 30" territory BTW). 6950 2GB CFX is pretty much your most cost-effective option in that space. You can get two of the Twin Frozr II 6950 2GB cards for just shy of $500.

Regarding using a RAMdisk, are you sure that you've thought that through? What exactly were you planning on using it for? Most things that need to be super fast can either be (a) cached by SuperFetch and/or (b) need to be persistent anyway. It's not like an SSD is slow storage by any means.
 
The 800D has terrible air flow.

The Hitachi 1Tb disk uses a 1platter design. Not sure if it's 500Gb top plate & 500Gb bottom of plate accessing but it's advertised as a 1Tb dense platter which will be the fastest 7.200 rpm drive around. Link

EDIT: oops, you already have a PSU, my bad
 
Your choice of RAM is very pricey. I paid $99 for 16gb of 1600mhz corsair vengeance ddr3 modules.

I don't understand why you picked such a pricey board. Looking at the feature set, I don't see any reason why it costs $150 more than a good midrange gigabyte board.

I personally would buy two smaller ssd drives and raid-o them rather than a single ssd but up to you. Either way, I would avoid the premium spent on intel and would consider sandforce as they just addressed the BSOD bug.

Also not sure where you live but if you can get to a microcenter, for a limited time they are offering 80 dollars off any z68 board if you buy a 2600k at 279 USD.
 
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i wouldn't skimp on the monitor. a) you're going to be looking at it a lot; b) you're probably going to be keeping it a lot longer than any other components.


buying super high speed overclock ram is pointless with current sandybridge offerings. ram doesn't get overclocked on SB anyway and added bandwidth seems to add nothing to performance beyond the regular 1333 stuff.
 
some updates:

Intel i7 2500k - http://bit.ly/nFhw2Z

Crucial m4 SSD - http://bit.ly/oTkXDa

I purchased the 2x4GB Ripjaws RAM on newegg yesterday after looking at the performance differences. 16GB for $80 was just to good to be ignored.

ATi HD6990, because it'll handle my high resolutions and if I ever want more performance I can just buy another. http://bit.ly/q0TWQc

Gigabyte Z68 motherboard - http://bit.ly/ozLORA <== is this any good?

I'm going to stick with the spinpoint f3 harddrives because they have a good track record already, and the price difference is negligible. I'd rather be safe than sorry on hard drives, I actually owned some hitachi deskstars. Two out of three failed in a year of use.

@krnmaster, regarding the cooler I could use an extra heater in my room.. It's gonna get cold here in boston ha.

@biostud, I already own multiple pairs of audiophile headphones, 7.1 gaming headphones, and audioengine A5 bookcase speakers. 🙂

I still really can't decide on a monitor, but I don't think I'm going to be able get a 2560x1600 monitor - i measured my dorm's desk and I really shouldn't be getting anything larger than 27". As of right now with my current newegg total, including tax+shipping I have roughly ~$750 to spend on my monitor.
 
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At that price point, i would seriously consider H20 cooling (both CPU and GPU) and I would probably get a 580 now and SLI it later when the price drops. If you like the Corsair case (I do too), why not couple it with an H series hydrocooler setup?

I can hit 4.5 Ghz on a 2500k in a tight HTPC case on air cooling. Overclocking is so easy with Sandybridge/Z68/Asus UEFI bios.

for mobo I would definitely seriously consider either one of these:

ASRock Gen3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157264

Asus Gen3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131790

The price premium for the Gen 3 isn't that much and you have a huge budget.

For a little more, you could get this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157263

At least one guy hit 4.7GHz with a Corsair H100 on that board. I still think the other Asrock is a better deal, but that's just me.

Also, I would absolutely not skimp on a monitor. Buy a nice one. It's the single best use of your money in any build.
 
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TheAdvocate said:
Also, I would absolutely not skimp on a monitor. Buy a nice one. It's the single best use of your money in any build.
Click to expand...

This. Consider Samsung 27" 120hz. That refresh rate is amazing for gaming.

For motherboard, I would consider Asus P8Z68-V Gen 3 (non-pro). I don't really see the Pro version offering anything significant over that.

About the 6990 - are you sure you want to go with that one? For the same price you could get GTX570 SLI or 6970 Crossfire with non-reference cooling. Or 6950 2GB crossfire and overclock to 6970 speeds. 6990 Crossfire (in effect, quadfire) isn't the best idea, as by the time a dual-GPU setup needs upgrading, we'll be well into 28nm GPU territory (7000 series and GTX600 series). You PSU may also be inadequate for 6990 Crossfire.

As stated previously, a dual-GPU card with a reference cooler will make more noise and run hotter. However, if you decide to water-cool it, a single 6990 doesn't sound too bad.

The CPU, SSD and RAM you chose are all great 🙂
 
This-
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11..._Kit_-HOT.html

Took my 2600k to 5ghz relatively easily, I would say you should look into it, especially with your case choice.

Also for LCD-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254052

I have that one and I like it. I would love a 30" Dell, but for the price savings I decided to spend it on other stuff.

Also,
College=need sound=spend the saved $500 on a good setup. I had some nice polk equipment (PSW 505 + fronts), and then the z5500s in Undergrad.
 
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Why are you using URL shorteners? AnandTech Forums use referral links for major sites like Newegg to help the forums running.

chruschef said:
You're right about the 2500k, I just checked the benchmarks. I plan on overclocking it pretty heavily, and hope to achieve 4GHz on air.
Click to expand...

4GHz is child's play. Any $20-30 air cooler can get you to 4.4GHz or higher, with minimal noise.

chruschef said:
I'm building a new rig for gaming at college. I attend bentley university in Boston.
Click to expand...

How much room do you have in your dorm/apartment? The 800D is ginormous. Will you be moving much? You can easily build your rig in a micro ATX case for smaller size and portability, without sacrificing any performance whatsoever.

chruschef said:
I just chose the GTX580 because it's the quickest single GPU, is it worth it to go the SLi route? I'm considering jumping up to the GTX590.
Click to expand...

Is your 27" monitor going to be 1080P? 590 won't be worth it.

chruschef said:
I'm getting the SSD for quick boot up and storage of programs/files that I use frequently. I chose this specific SSD because the reviews say that it's rock solid right out of the box, I have friends who have serious issues with their SSDs or had went through firmware updates from hell.
Click to expand...

Your friends must be using OCZ Vertex/Agility 3 SSDs. 😛

How about Crucial m4 256GB? Save a few bucks elsewhere like on the case/CPU/mobo which don't give you any benefits, and use that money on the m4 256GB. It is often available for around $400, and is somewhat equivalent to the Intel 510 (uses same controller). 256GB is big for holding games.

chruschef said:
You have a very good point, but don't larger HDDs have slower access times? If I go for more storage I'll probably opt for just more 1TB drives. I will be needing lots of storage for recording HD tv.
Click to expand...

How about a nice 3TB HDD? HD video needs a lot of space and the 3TB HDDs give that to you, plus are still very fast for sequential transfers. In fact, the 5400RPM Hitachi 3TB transfers as fast as some 7200RPM drives like the WD Blue series.

EDIT:
chruschef said:
i measured my dorm's desk and I really shouldn't be getting anything larger than 27". As of right now with my current newegg total, including tax+shipping I have roughly ~$750 to spend on my monitor.
Click to expand...

Current HOT deal on Planar 27" 1080P monitor for half price!
 
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@TheAdvocate, I'm really sold on the asrock z68. I will most likely upgrade to watercooling at some point in the future.

@lehtv That monitor is now my top pick, covers all the bases. 3D is an added benefit. heat and noise won't bother me much on the HD6990 won't bother me.
 
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@Zap, I didn't realize they helped the website. I'll start using the normal links, I just always use them because they're less nasty looking 🙂

I have plenty of room for my the case, I've measured everything out. It will be moving once a year, I'd like a large case to leave the door open for water cooling down the line.


@max347, I looked at that specific set up and decided for now it'd be easier to just go with air cooling. If I go the watercooling route I'm going to a nice 120x3 radiator and cool both the GPU and CPU.
 
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A couple things I'd like to point out:

1. There's no sense getting a Megahalems and a Noctua fan for $95 when you could just get a Noctua NH-D14, which comes with two fans and performs better for $85.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...a&#37;20nh-d14

2. With that kind of budget, I think you'd be better served with a high quality IPS monitor like the Dell U2711. It doesn't have the 120Hz functionality but it does have professional colour reproduction and superb viewing angles. It would be much better for everything other than gaming... which is important since it seems you want to use this system as a media computer. Its list price is $1100, but Dell has frequent monitor sales. It's available for $750 right now on their Canadian site and will no doubt be available for a similar price in the US site if you're patient.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...=baynoteSearch
 
I'll get the noctua cooler then.. I kind of like how the megahalems looks, but i'm not going to be able to see it anyways because of how my PC will be set up.

Gaming is my main priority, my other media related needs are secondary. I am a very competitive gamer.
 
chruschef said:
ATi HD6990, because it'll handle my high resolutions and if I ever want more performance I can just buy another. http://bit.ly/q0TWQc

Gigabyte Z68 motherboard - http://bit.ly/ozLORA <== is this any good?
Click to expand...

I definitely would not get a 6990. It's essentially halfway between 6950 2GB CFX and 6970 CFX, but a lot more expensive. You can get two 6950 2GB Twin Frozrs for $510 and not see a difference in performance. Also, quad-CFX scaling is pretty bad, so I don't think that you'd ever want to get a second 6990.

As for the mobo, it's fine, but check out the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 as a slightly less expensive alternative.
 
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