Building a new Gaming rig, decent size budget

[Dricen]

Hey guys, I used this site about 7 years ago to build my current PC. It still plays most games on medium-high settings, but I'm looking to upgrade again. I know you aren't supposed to build a computer to lost 5-10 years, but with the right upkeep and upgrades I've managed fairly well =) Anyway here's the specs on my old PC if anyone is interested for any reference:

Operating System: Windows 2.6.1.7600
CPU Type: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 3800
CPU Speed (GHz): 2.22
System Memory (GB): 3.12
Video Card Model: NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
Video Card Driver: nvd3dum.dll
Desktop Resolution: 1920x1080
Hard Disk Size (GB): 232.88

Now with the new. I'm looking to spend around $1700, I don't really want to go over that if I can, I'd prefer to spend about $1500. I'm not very familiar with any of the new hardware, so I'll need help on almost every aspect. Here is what I have so far:

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ar/lj3

**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-2500 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor]
**Motherboard** | [Asus Maximus IV Extreme (REV 3.0) EATX LGA1155 Motherboard]
**Memory** | [Corsair Dominator GT 12GB (3 x 4GB) DDR3-2000 Memory]
**Hard Drive** | [Kingston SSDNow V100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
**Hard Drive** | [Western Digital RE4 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive]
**Video Card** | [PNY GeForce GTX 570 1.25GB Video Card]
**Case** | [Antec P193 ATX Mid Tower Case]
**Power Supply** | [Corsair 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply]
**Total**| (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.) | $1725.67

This is just something I threw together with preferences that I think I might like. I know I want an intel cpu. I know I want an Nvidia GPU. I will be using Windows 7 64 bit. I will be doing heavy gaming on it and would like games to run at max settings flawlessly for alittle while =P. I plan on playing at the highest resolution I can with one monitor. Right now that is 1920x1080. I will be buying all parts online, in the US. I will be using my current keyboard/mouse/monitors/router. I might overclock if I can get some help because I'm clueless when it comes to that as well. I plan on purchasing the hardware at the end of next week if all goes well.

So any advice you guys might be able to give me, or help me out with, will be much appreciated. This forum has helped me a great deal with my current PC and I hope I can continue this trend with my new PC =D Thanks guys!

 

[bntran02]

Without looking at prices, here is what i would change:

- Change CPU to 2500K instead of 2500 and overclock for a free 20% boost. The 2500 can only be overclocked a few hundred Mhz while the 2500K can be overclocked to 5.7Ghz or so (although nobody gets it that high). Overclocking is so easy it's just silly so you no longer need to be concerned about doing it right. All you have to do is change ONE option in your bios and you are set. 2500K can almost always be raised to 4.3Ghz without voltage increases. Mine runs at 4.5 Without upping voltage.

- Add aftermarket cooler, I like zalman but they are overpriced

- Change your motherboard if you want to save money. Unless you plan on buying 2 or 3 more GTX 570's and using all the other features then I would switch to save money. My own motherboard is an MSI p67A-G43 and I purchased it for $95 after rebates. Does not have every feature known to man but costs less than 1/3 of your motherboard but overclocks almost as well. So you just gotta ask yourself if you NEED all the features that comes with that motherboard. You may get more success overclocking into the 5GHz range with top end motherboards but so much also depends on the CPU you recieved.

- Downgrade to 1600Mhz or even 1333Mhz ram, high speed ram makes almost no difference in performance. The only thing that matters is the amount of total ram.Save yourself somemoney. In additional, the board you selected is only DUAL channel memory while the RAM you selected is a tipple channel kit. 8GB is plenty sufficient and also the only option if you want your system to run with two sticks of ram. However, if you must have more then I would get 16GB just so your RAM runs in a Dual channel configuration with 4 sticks. (vs the 3 sticks for 12GB)

- SSD change from Kingstone to Intel 320 - 120GB. The reason for this is reliability. Intel drives are by far the most reliable SSD drives. Ignore the MTBF number displayed by other drives. This number could easily be skewed in their favor

- Change power supply to a Corsair 750W of your choice. The difference in Corsair's PSUs within the same power envelope are features like modular cables and better efficiency. 750W is already enough for a dual or even tripple SLI configuration. So unless you plan on getting 3 or more cards in SLI then I would drop your PSU rating a bit to save money

Hope my opinions help =)

 

[Dricen]

Without looking at prices, here is what i would change:

- Change CPU to 2500K instead of 2500 and overclock for a free 20% boost. Overclocking is so easy it's just silly. All you have to do is change ONE option in your bios and you are set. 2500K can almost always be raised to 4.3Ghz without voltage increases. Mine runs at 4.5 Without upping voltage.

- Add aftermarket cooler, I like zalman but they are overpriced

- Downgrade to 1600Mhz or even 1333Mhz ram, high speed ram makes almost no difference in performance. The only thing that matters is the amount of total ram. **Save yourself lots of money** In additional, the board you selected is only DUAL channel memory while the RAM you selected is a tipple channel kit. 8GB is plenty sufficient and also the only option if you want your system to run with two sticks of ram. However, if you must have more then I would get 16GB just so your RAM runs in a Dual channel configuration with 4 sticks. (vs the 3 sticks for 12GB)

- SSD change from Kingstone to Intel 320 - 120GB. The reason for this is reliability. Intel drives are by far the most reliable SSD drives. Ignore the MTBF number displayed by other drives. This number could easily be skewed in their favor

- Change power supply to a Corsair 750W of your choice. The difference in Corsair's PSUs within the same power envelope are features like modular cables and better efficiency. 750W is already enough for a dual or even tripple SLI configuration. So unless you plan on getting 3 or more cards in SLI then I would drop your PSU rating a bit to save money

Hope my opinions help =)

Great! Thanks for the advice, I'll try and find some things that would better fit your description and update the post.

 

[Patrese]

bntran02 is spot on in my opinion. I only disagree with him on the motherboard choice, as I'd look for one with a Z68 chipset. The GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3-B3 seems to be a great choice for the money... if you want a little more bells and whistles, I have nothing but praise for my AsRock Z68 Extreme 4.

For the aftermarket cooler, I suggest the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ as it has awesome price/performance ratio.

 

[Dricen]

I managed to update it a bit, what do you guys think now?

[Part list permalink](http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ar/loz) / [Part price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ar/loz/by_merchant)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80623i52500k) | $216.98 @ Mwave
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rrb10212pg1) | $29.51 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz68ad3hb3) | $128.99 @ Amazon
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmz16gx3m4a1600c9) | $174.99 @ Newegg
**Hard Drive** | [Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-hd103sj) | $64.99 @ Newegg
**Hard Drive** | [Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct128m4ssd2) | $218.94 @ Mac Connection
**Video Card** | [PNY GeForce GTX 570 1.25GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/pny-video-card-vcggtx570xpb) | $289.99 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Antec P193 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-case-p193) | $178.80 @ Mac Connection
**Power Supply** | [Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cmpsu750txv2) | $99.99 @ Newegg
|| **Total**
| (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.) | $1403.18

 

[bntran02]

Wow that's a big drop in motherboard pricing! but as long as it has what you need and you are happy with it then it looks good to me. I would of picked one with more USB ports in the back but that's just me. That board also has overclocking presets which should make things even easier for you.

Everything else looks pretty good. Glad we found a way to save you over $300 =)

 

[Dricen]

Wow that's a big drop in motherboard pricing! but as long as it has what you need and you are happy with it then it looks good to me. I would of picked one with more USB ports in the back but that's just me. That board also has overclocking presets which should make things even easier for you.

Everything else looks pretty good. Glad we found a way to save you over $300 =)

Would you recommend any other motherboard?

 

[mnewsham]

I would not personally, that MB is the best at the moment for anyone looking to break into the new socket with a full feature set. It wont win you an OC award but you dont look like the type to water cool your motherboard, CPU, RAM, and GPU anyway.

 

[bntran02]

Would you recommend any other motherboard?

Well...I cant really recommend anything else because I don't know what USB devices you have. It is a perfectly fine motherboard but just doesnt work for me because I have too many USB devices. Not enough rear panel USB devices is the only reason that it wouldnt work for me. You just gotta ask yourself if it works for you.

 

[Dricen]

I think 6 ports will do for me.

 

[Dricen]

I think I have settled on this one.

[Part list permalink](http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ar/lyK) / [Part price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ar/lyK/by_merchant)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80623i72600k) | $299.99 @ Newegg
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rrb10212pg1) | $29.51 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz68ad3hb3) | $128.99 @ Amazon
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmz16gx3m4a1600c9) | $174.99 @ Newegg
**Hard Drive** | [Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-hd103sj) | $64.99 @ Newegg
**Hard Drive** | [Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct128m4ssd2) | $218.94 @ Mac Connection
**Video Card** | [Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn560so1gi950) | $259.99 @ Amazon
**Case** | [Antec P193 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-case-p193) | $178.80 @ Mac Connection
**Power Supply** | [Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cmpsu750txv2) | $99.99 @ Newegg
|| **Total**
| (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.) | $1456.19

I choose to go the 560TI because I had mixed feelings on the 570. I also decided to go with the i7 2600K from a few articles I read on it. seems that you really do get your bang for your buck there. Someone also informed me that my current dvd player will not work with this motherboard. So I need a new dvd player, I'm guessing any newer dvd player will work?

 

[mnewsham]

I also decided to go with the i7 2600K from a few articles I read on it. seems that you really do get your bang for your buck there.

Links please. I am guessing the only ones that do are saying it is in video encoding and actual work NOT gaming as everything i have seen says you gain maybe 5% performance for YOUR 100 bucks over the i5-2500k.

 

[mfenn]

I managed to update it a bit, what do you guys think now?

[Part list permalink](http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ar/loz) / [Part price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ar/loz/by_merchant)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80623i52500k) | $216.98 @ Mwave
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rrb10212pg1) | $29.51 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz68ad3hb3) | $128.99 @ Amazon
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmz16gx3m4a1600c9) | $174.99 @ Newegg
**Hard Drive** | [Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-hd103sj) | $64.99 @ Newegg
**Hard Drive** | [Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct128m4ssd2) | $218.94 @ Mac Connection
**Video Card** | [PNY GeForce GTX 570 1.25GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/pny-video-card-vcggtx570xpb) | $289.99 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Antec P193 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-case-p193) | $178.80 @ Mac Connection
**Power Supply** | [Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cmpsu750txv2) | $99.99 @ Newegg
|| **Total**
| (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.) | $1403.18

This is a lot better than your first build, but I'll bet that we can cut the price by quite a bit more without changing the overall performance.

- CPU: Good
- HSF: Good
- Mobo: Good
- RAM: Way too expensive for what it is. The tall heatspreaders are also just a pain when you have a big cooler like the 212+. I'd start off with one of these G.Skill 8GB kits for $65 unless you know for a fact that you need 16GB, in which case just get 2 of those kits. You can always add more memory later for less money.
- HDD : Good
- SSD : Good
- GPU: Good
- Case: I'd probably swap it to the P183 for $100 AP AR. They're basically the same thing without the ridiculous side fan that just gets in the way.
- PSU: Still more than you need. You can drive GTX 570 SLI on 550W if you really need to. This XFX 650W for $60 AR is more than enough for any single GPU.

 

[Dricen]

This is a lot better than your first build, but I'll bet that we can cut the price by quite a bit more without changing the overall performance.

- CPU: Good
- HSF: Good
- Mobo: Good
- RAM: Way too expensive for what it is. The tall heatspreaders are also just a pain when you have a big cooler like the 212+. I'd start off with one of these G.Skill 8GB kits for $65 unless you know for a fact that you need 16GB, in which case just get 2 of those kits. You can always add more memory later for less money.
- HDD : Good
- SSD : Good
- GPU: Good
- Case: I'd probably swap it to the P183 for $100 AP AR. They're basically the same thing without the ridiculous side fan that just gets in the way.
- PSU: Still more than you need. You can drive GTX 570 SLI on 550W if you really need to. This XFX 650W for $60 AR is more than enough for any single GPU.

I updated my list with a few more things after what you put. I think im still going with the same PSU because the one you linked is only $10 less. Also the case you linked had a few comments that people were complaining about fan noise, cable problems, and longer video card issues, so I'm sticking with my current case. Here is my final setup (hopefully)

[Part list permalink](http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ar/lzL) / [Part price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ar/lzL/by_merchant)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80623i72600k) | $299.99 @ Newegg
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rrb10212pg1) | $29.51 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz68ad3hb3) | $128.99 @ Amazon
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9q16gbrl) | $119.99 @ Newegg
**Hard Drive** | [Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-hd103sj) | $64.99 @ Newegg
**Hard Drive** | [Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct128m4ssd2) | $218.94 @ Mac Connection
**Video Card** | [Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn560so1gi950) | $259.99 @ Amazon
**Case** | [Antec P193 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-case-p193) | $178.80 @ Mac Connection
**Power Supply** | [Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cmpsu750txv2) | $99.99 @ Newegg
|| **Total**
| (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.) | $1401.19

 

[Dricen]

Links please. I am guessing the only ones that do are saying it is in video encoding and actual work NOT gaming as everything i have seen says you gain maybe 5% performance for YOUR 100 bucks over the i5-2500k.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/core-i5-2500k-and-core-i7-2600k-review/

 

[mnewsham]

http://www.guru3d.com/article/core-i...-2600k-review/

Farcry 2- difference 5FPS (125 i5, 130 i7)
Battle field bad company 2- Difference 0FPS (71 i5, 71 i7)

Those are directly from YOUR LINK's gaming performance at 1920x1080.


Where are you seeing this big difference worth 100 bucks?

 

[Dricen]

Farcry 2- difference 5FPS (125 i5, 130 i7)
Battle field bad company 2- Difference 0FPS (71 i5, 71 i7)

Those are directly from YOUR LINK's gaming performance at 1920x1080.


Where are you seeing this big difference worth 100 bucks?

It may not be a 100 bucks worth of a difference. But after a few years, it will hold up better than the other, so I can spend money on other things to upgrade imo.

 

[mnewsham]

It may not be a 100 bucks worth of a difference. But after a few years, it will hold up better than the other, so I can spend money on other things to upgrade imo.

In a year ivy bridge will be released, so you should be upgrading by then anyway, 100 bucks is 1/3 of your CPU cost. Save it now and use it to upgrade to ANOTHER ~$200 CPU down the road. This savings now will net you 1/2 of your upgrade cost. (keep the same motherboard) So spend 300 now and not have to upgrade for 4 years or spend 200 now upgrade in 2 or 3 years and not have to upgrade for another 2 or 3 years (6+ years of use vs. 4)

 

[dmoney1980]

great advice guys, go for the i5 now and pocket the savings for a future cpu upgrade. The i5 can handle all games anyway

 

[Dricen]

But the thing is, I don't upgrade often like most people. It's been 7 years since I last built a PC. The only thing I've done to this PC is got more ram, and a new video card. I still run games at med-high depending on the game. I'm looking for something that will last, for the least amount of work and upgrades. If you guys really feel that an i5 would still be better, I'll consider it. But at this point, I just think the $100 is worth it for less trouble for awhile =)

 

[mnewsham]

But the thing is, I don't upgrade often like most people. It's been 7 years since I last built a PC. The only thing I've done to this PC is got more ram, and a new video card. I still run games at med-high depending on the game. I'm looking for something that will last, for the least amount of work and upgrades. If you guys really feel that an i5 would still be better, I'll consider it. But at this point, I just think the $100 is worth it for less trouble for awhile =)

You are spending 100 bucks to be lazy for an extra year? IF that....

 

[mfenn]

I updated my list with a few more things after what you put. I think im still going with the same PSU because the one you linked is only $10 less. Also the case you linked had a few comments that people were complaining about fan noise, cable problems, and longer video card issues, so I'm sticking with my current case. Here is my final setup (hopefully)

Regarding the PSU, the one I linked is $40 less after rebates. Actually, I also found out that the Neo ECO 620C is on sale for $40 AR AP, which is a steal.

I'm also really confused about your comment on the case. The P183 and P193 are the exact same thing with a different side panel! They are both very good cases IMHO (I have a P182 myself), but there is no way that the P193 is worth nearly twice as much as the P183.

Also, the memory you picked out, while a lot better, still has the same issue with tall heatspreaders. And I still think that 8GB is a good starting place considering how easy it is to upgrade RAM.

But the thing is, I don't upgrade often like most people. It's been 7 years since I last built a PC. The only thing I've done to this PC is got more ram, and a new video card. I still run games at med-high depending on the game. I'm looking for something that will last, for the least amount of work and upgrades. If you guys really feel that an i5 would still be better, I'll consider it. But at this point, I just think the $100 is worth it for less trouble for awhile =)

I don't think you're quite getting it. Processors are not fine wines; they do not get better with age. The performance difference between the i5 2500K and i7 2600K will be the same 2, 5, 10, or 100 years from now.

 

[Dricen]

Regarding the PSU, the one I linked is $40 less after rebates. Actually, I also found out that the Neo ECO 620C is on sale for $40 AR AP, which is a steal.

I'm also really confused about your comment on the case. The P183 and P193 are the exact same thing with a different side panel! They are both very good cases IMHO (I have a P182 myself), but there is no way that the P193 is worth nearly twice as much as the P183.

Also, the memory you picked out, while a lot better, still has the same issue with tall heatspreaders. And I still think that 8GB is a good starting place considering how easy it is to upgrade RAM.



I don't think you're quite getting it. Processors are not fine wines; they do not get better with age. The performance difference between the i5 2500K and i7 2600K will be the same 2, 5, 10, or 100 years from now.

Ok, I'll get the other case then, I did not know this. Like I said, I'm pretty misinformed =)

I thought I got the same memory you linked. How do I check for tall heatspreaders? And I want 16GB. 12-16 is a MUST. It's for personal reasons and I have to have it that way =)

I want to get the better processor because in 3-4 years, the processor will still run well, and the performance advantage will still be there. Yes $100 is worth an extra year for me. I said my budget was around 1700, this is at 1400 so I'm still well within my budget.

 

[Dricen]

Also I never realized it but the case I'm getting is a ATX Mid tower case, shouldn't I get a ATX full tower case?

 

[StrangerGuy]

Well, you still ain't getting the message. You simply cannot future proof a PC in the face of rapid technology advancements no matter how much money you throw into it now.

A 2600K 4 years into the future will be like what the original Core 2 Duos is now today; smoked by current Intel's lineup at a fraction of the price. An Asus ROG S1155 board will be near worthless when the next chipset or socket arrives.

You should build the most cost-effective PC now and use the leftover cash from the original budget to set aside for future upgrades plus selling of the old parts to recoup some of the cost. This what we are getting at: getting the best for your money.