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Anyone feel like looking over my parts list? (New gaming rig)

chihlidog

chihlidog

Senior member
Just throwing together the parts for my next build. Pretty standard, but I always like to put 'em out there for feedback.



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CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX850M 850W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Semi Modular High Performance ...Model #:TX850MItem #:N82E16817139029Return Policy:Standard Return PolicyIn StockMail in Rebate Card
$149.99 -$10.00 Instant $139.99

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CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9Model #:CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9Item #:N82E16820233143Return Policy:Memory Standard Return PolicyIn Stock $89.99 $89.99


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BitFenix Colossus Black / Red/Blue LED / Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer CaseModel #:BFC-CLS-600-KKLB1-RPItem #:N82E16811345002Return Policy:Standard Return PolicyIn Stock $169.99 $169.99


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ASUS Maximus V Gene LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel MotherboardModel #:Maximus V GeneItem #:N82E16813131830Return Policy:Standard Return PolicyIn Stock $209.99 -$10.00 Instant $199.99


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SAPPHIRE 21197-00-40G Radeon HD 7970 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video CardModel #:21197-00-40GItem #:N82E16814102961Return Policy:VGA Standard Return PolicyIn StockMail in Rebate Card
$429.99 $429.99



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Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570KModel #:BX80637I53570KItem #:N82E16819116504Return Policy:CPU Replacement Only Return PolicyIn Stock $229.99 $229.99

Subtotal: $1,259.9





I'll be using my current hard drives (2 1tb drives), I have no need of an SSD, and I'll be using my retail version of Win7 Ultimate for the OS.
 
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To get the most useful feedback you really should answer the questions in the sticky.

Speaking in generalities though, there's quite a bit that can be tightened up here.

1) Am I to guess that you're planning to go Crossfire in the future? If not there's no reason for the oversized PSU and overly expensive motherboard. Even if you are, there are far more cost-effective options, but unless your monitor is larger than 1920x1080 there's probably not much point anyway.

2) Why not get 2x8GB instead of 4x4 and leave room for future upgrades?

3) Why get a full tower case for what you yourself admit is a pretty basic build? (Again, unless you're planning to go Crossfire later on - but remember, Crossfire is not an upgrade path.) If you like the BitFenix look they just came out with a "silent" midtower called the Ghost.

4) Answer the sticky and you'll get the best feedback. 🙂
 
DSF said:
To get the most useful feedback you really should answer the questions in the sticky.

Speaking in generalities though, there's quite a bit that can be tightened up here.

1) Am I to guess that you're planning to go Crossfire in the future? If not there's no reason for the oversized PSU and overly expensive motherboard. Even if you are, there are far more cost-effective options, but unless your monitor is larger than 1920x1080 there's probably not much point anyway.
I might go crossfire in the future, I always like to leave open the possibility. For now I have no plans to. The 7970 should be more than sufficient. As far as the mobo, I have a Gene III now and I love it. It's a fantastic overclocker and I love the RoG line. I dont mind spending money for a good product and in this case based on experience with the Gene I want to stick with it.

2) Why not get 2x8GB instead of 4x4 and leave room for future upgrades?
Fair point.

3) Why get a full tower case for what you yourself admit is a pretty basic build? (Again, unless you're planning to go Crossfire later on - but remember, Crossfire is not an upgrade path.) If you like the BitFenix look they just came out with a "silent" midtower called the Ghost.
I like the look of the case, the choice of red and blue, and I MUCH prefer working with a large case for both building and for any future upgrades

4) Answer the sticky and you'll get the best feedback. 🙂
Click to expand...

The standard list questions: -

-Buying in USA, I'll source from wherever. I just use newegg wish lists to make it easier.

-Rig is used primarily for gaming, I'll be going 1920x1080. I enjoy all kinds of games and never know what I'll throw at it so my intent, as always, is to build a rig that will chew up any game I throw at it. MMOs, simulations, RTS, FPS, I enjoy games in all genres.

-Budget is not much of an issue, I'm just going for good performance without goigg over the top.

-Only preferences I have re: brands are AMD over nVidia.

-I'll overclock at some point down the line, and at that point I'll buy an aftermarket cooler but for now I see no reason that 3750 wont satisfy me at stock.

Your questions specifically are answered above - I agree on the RAM, I should just go 2x8 Gigs. The overkill PSU and higher end motherboard were deliberate choices to leave myself room in the future.
 
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Mind organizing it so it's not such an eyesore to look at? 😛

I can see a few improvements though in terms of cost efficiency, will post back in a bit.
 
Ok, so you are pretty happy with all your choices for personal preference reasons. I would just ask why not the SSD if you have the budget? Most folks do not have a "need" for it, but it is a nice addition to the system.

Are you thinking room for the future about a much higher resolution gaming setup, so it might require Crossfire to run? Just trying anticipate other questions.
 
riversend said:
Ok, so you are pretty happy with all your choices for personal preference reasons. I would just ask why not the SSD if you have the budget? Most folks do not have a "need" for it, but it is a nice addition to the system.

Are you thinking room for the future about a much higher resolution gaming setup, so it might require Crossfire to run? Just trying anticipate other questions.
Click to expand...

They're quite expensive in my mind. I know what they can do, but arent worth the extra cost to me. Could say the same about the 7970 I guess, but that rtranslates directly to FPS which to me is much more important than load times.

I'd love to go triple monitor in the future, but that WOULD just plain be too expensive. Possibly next year. That plus I can never count on having the budget to build a rig, so maybe 2 or 3 years down the line adding a second 7970 will be a cost-efficient option for more performance if I dont have the cash to throw at a whole new rig.
 
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My suggestion: keep the 3570K CPU, and change everything else.
1. A 600 or 650 watt PSU should be more than adequate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139028
2. Samsung 1.35 volt 2x 4 GB DDR3.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147096
3. Lian-Li aluminum PC-7B plus II mid-tower case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112099
4. Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H ATX motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128545
Note: includes a 2-port USB 3.0 front bracket.
5. Gigabyte Windforce GTX 670
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125423
 
It seems to me that if you don't plan on throwing a second card at the system for another 2-3 years then it would be better to plan on Crossfire then (and having the cash to pay for it) by saving some cash now for a more optimal set up bang for the buck. Crossfire is usually only useful right when you get it for a high res solution you need to support immediately. Just a thought.

SSDs are definitely not a requirement, so no issue there although I am quite happy with mine.
 
riversend said:
It seems to me that if you don't plan on throwing a second card at the system for another 2-3 years then it would be better to plan on Crossfire then (and having the cash to pay for it) by saving some cash now for a more optimal set up bang for the buck. Crossfire is usually only useful right when you get it for a high res solution you need to support immediately. Just a thought.

SSDs are definitely not a requirement, so no issue there although I am quite happy with mine.
Click to expand...

Well, like I said I'd love to go triple monitor maybe next year, but that isnt a guarantee. If I do then slapping another 7970 in there would be nice. And as silly as it sounds, if my mb and PSU werent up to the task, even if I never use it, it will niggle at me that I am unable to do it.

I had a 5830 in my machine (along with the 5850 which has never been removed) for a month or so and while my current case was a PITA to squeeze it into the mobo and PSU never complained. I didnt plan on it, I just took advantage of the bitcoin thing for a while. I like knowing I have a stout enough rig to handle whatever I might decide to do. That's actually also part of the reason for the huge case. Squeezing both cards in this one was a real pain and it's aggravating, that plus heat management got to be annoying too....

But in the back of my mind, I've wanted a triple monitor setup for a while for things like DCS A-10 and just havent prioritized it enough to throw the cash at it. One day before long I will hopefully so it's worth the extra money knowing I can go for it anytime.
 
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Alright few things before I nitpick specific parts (since you're wildly overpaying for most of them), CF is a no-go at 1920x1080, there just simply is no need for it. There are numerous cards out right now that by themselves can handle EVERYTHING at 1920x1080 so Crossfiring weaker cards is actually the less cost effective way of managing this, not to mention the added heat and power consumption.

CF and SLI should only be used for truly high end rigs, that have to deal with very high resolutions which 1920x1080 used to be but isn't anymore, it's more like the standard res for gaming at this point so don't plan on adding in cards into a CF configuration unless you get a truly high res monitor, instead just sell the older card and upgrade to its modern equivalent as you will likely get better performance on average this way and keep costs much lower.

As for the specific parts:
CPU: Fine, pretty standard choice for any mid-range or higher gaming rig unless you really like to tinker.

RAM: I'd suggest against the RAM you chose, while there is nothing wrong with the Vengeance line of RAM but the heatspreaders are massive and will interfere with just about any mass air cooler on the market. For a gaming build I don't think you'll need more than this Crucial Ballistix 8GB for $35, but if you REALLY want 16 GB then get this G.SKILL Value 16GB for $70.

PSU: Massive overkill on the unit you chose, something like this Seasonic S12II 430W for $51 AP is more than enough to power your system with a single card configuration.

Motherboard: I see no reason to go beyond this ASRock Z75 Pro3 for $85, it's got all the features you're looking for in a board (aside from good support for multi-card configs).

Video Card: I'd recommend spending the literally $5 extra to get this ASUS 7970 3GB from the card you've chosen, it's got a better name behind it, a much better cooler design, and it's only a tad bit more. Well worth it imo.

As for the case, I think you're massively overpaying for it but I think money spent on a good case is well spent, regardless of the cost most of the time as it's what's most likely to transition between builds and such.
 
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Anybody who thinks you can run an oced CPU and oced 7970 ghz with a 430 watts psu is highly mistaken. It is cutting it too close. Even at stock you will get into trouble sooner or later. With a 7850 it may be acceptable but not with a 7970 and ESP not if oced even a bit. Anything less than 650watts isn't going to help you saving a buck or two. 650 watts is comfortable for a single card, 550 is cuttable but risky with very high ocs and many hdds and fans. 650 watts is the ideal balance of power and money.
 
I would get a cheaper board. Also I would use the Samsung memory.

Plus you say no need for an SSD, yet you dont have any. SSDs are basicly the biggest revolution since 3D accelerators. 😵

Also I would get a GFX card with a different cooler. Since AMD blower cards are very loud.
 
aaksheytalwar said:
Anybody who thinks you can run an oced CPU and oced 7970 ghz with a 430 watts psu is highly mistaken. It is cutting it too close. Even at stock you will get into trouble sooner or later. With a 7850 it may be acceptable but not with a 7970 and ESP not if oced even a bit. Anything less than 650watts isn't going to help you saving a buck or two. 650 watts is comfortable for a single card, 550 is cuttable but risky with very high ocs and many hdds and fans. 650 watts is the ideal balance of power and money.
Click to expand...

If you bothered to read the OP stated he would not be overclocking currently. Not to mention even if you did overclock them both, it'd have to be a pretty substantial overclock to seriously push the limits on the 430W I listed, would there be enough overhead for another card? Most definitely not, but could it run the system in the described set-up? Yes, very easily.
 
chihlidog said:
-Budget is not much of an issue, I'm just going for good performance without goigg over the top.
Click to expand...

chihlidog said:
They're quite expensive in my mind. I know what they can do, but arent worth the extra cost to me. Could say the same about the 7970 I guess, but that rtranslates directly to FPS which to me is much more important than load times.
Click to expand...

chihlidog said:
Well, like I said I'd love to go triple monitor maybe next year, but that isnt a guarantee. If I do then slapping another 7970 in there would be nice. And as silly as it sounds, if my mb and PSU werent up to the task, even if I never use it, it will niggle at me that I am unable to do it.
Click to expand...

As has been pointed out, you're picking really cost-inefficient components. To demonstrate, for less money, you could get:

i5 3570K $230
ASRock Extreme4 + G.Skill DDR3 1333 8GB $135
Sapphire 7950 3GB Crossfire $600 AR
Samsung 830 128GB $100
Rosewill Hive 750W $72 AP
Antec Eleven Hundred $100
Total: $1237 AR AP

I don't necessarily suggest you do this for a 1080p machine, but the point is that you could double your graphics performance and get an SSD for less money.
 
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