Building new gaming rig, appreciate input:

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b0r

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Jun 21, 2012
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1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing. Gaming

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread. USD $2000

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. USA

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc. At heart I was a Intel/ATI/WD/ASUS Fanboy.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. UEFI stock overclock

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using? No Idea

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it. This week.

I deleted the questions that didn't apply at all. My build so far:

Already ordered and shipped: Fractal Design Define R4

On the fence:

Intel Core i5 3570K
Noctua NH-D14
Gigabyte GTX 670 2GB
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD4H (New? Model to fit in between UD5 and UD3)
Corsair HX750
G.Skill Sniper 2x4GB DDR3 1600
Need help on a monitor
Razer Blackwidow Mechanical Keyboard
Already have a Logitech G600

This rig will play WoW: BF3 and the ever so sexy BF4 when it comes out.

I have not decided on an SSD or HD, but I've had one before and loading a map nearly 30 seconds before it started was fun.

While my budget is $2000, I'd rather use that on things like monitors/gpu's/etc. I don't need a Maximus V for $400. I am not really set on anything other than the Processor because I have also had one of those. My old board was an Asus P8z77-v PRO, so I've been here before. I sold the rig because my cat chewed through my $300 headset and I just didn't have the desire to replace it and just let go of gaming.

I've regretted my decision ever since as I lost about $500+ in resale. My last rig was similiarly specced, but had a Hyper 212 EVO, Antec 1100 and a Dell UD32hm IPS. I was on the fence with Gigabyte but I was looking for some value. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I DO tend to shy away from multiple negative reviews about a products failure, but I understand reviews can't be trusted or relied upon for all intents and purposes. For instance, the flimsyness of the ASRock Extreme4 led me to look elsewhere due to such a big heatsink in the Noctua. Thanks!
 
Revolution 11

Revolution 11

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Jun 2, 2011
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I am not very experienced with builds but here are some suggestions with your build from a newbie perspective. You don't need a 750W power supply if you only have one GPU. Save some money, get a good 500W power supply.

Do you need the Noctua, was something wrong with the Hyper 212 Evo you had?

Here is some low-profile low-voltage DDR3 RAM for the same price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148661

I am not sure what price you are getting that GTX 670 for but there is a deal in the Hot Deals section for a $270AR Sapphire Radeon 7950 3GB. Plus free coupons for Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, and Crysis 3.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2310462
 
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M

mfenn

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Jan 17, 2010
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The biggest question that pops to my mind is: do you have room/desire for a 27" 2560x1440 monitor? If so, you can use your $2k to build a nice SLI/Crossfire setup to go with it. If you'd rather just use a standard 1080p screen, I would take a look at my midrange builders guide for a $1000 machine.
 
B

b0r

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Jun 21, 2012
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Revolution 11 said:
I am not very experienced with builds but here's what I see wrong with your build from a newbie perspective. You don't need a 750W power supply if you only have one GPU. Save some money, get a good 500W power supply.

Do you need the Noctua, was something wrong with the Hyper 212 Evo you had?

Here is some low-profile low-voltage DDR3 RAM for the same price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148661
Click to expand...

I knew/know I don't need 750W, just like I didn't need 850W with my last build. I wanted the bigger PSU in the event I HAD to dual GPU or whatever. It just left a lot of room for comfort. I want the games I play maxed out on Ultra with whatever bells and whistles for my money. That is my ultimate goal as well as some SLIGHT future proofing. Replacing cards and PSU's in the future is inevitable, I would just rather mine last longer "content" wise.

nothing was wrong with my EVO, the Noctua was just listed as the best cooling piece next to water, so again, "future proofing" my build in the event I turn into a 4.0ghz OC nut. Ya never know lol. But I doubt it. I agree on the PSU. Any recommendations? Seasonic? PCPNC? I hear Corsair isn't worth the metal it's printed on but they just have a reputation of lasting. Any money savings will go toward monitors and other goodies so I am listening.
 
B

b0r

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Jun 21, 2012
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mfenn said:
The biggest question that pops to my mind is: do you have room/desire for a 27" 2560x1440 monitor? If so, you can use your $2k to build a nice SLI/Crossfire setup to go with it. If you'd rather just use a standard 1080p screen, I would take a look at my midrange builders guide for a $1000 machine.
Click to expand...

That's my question as well. I have the room. My desk can and currently does hold 4 17" laptops. Do I have the desire? I'd need to see the price in the cart.
 
B

b0r

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Jun 21, 2012
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I don't currently play any games that require such a monstrosity, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't. I want to stay away from any "mid range" listings unless they can hold solid at 60/120FPS no matter what's going on in either game I play.
 
Revolution 11

Revolution 11

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Jun 2, 2011
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b0r said:
That's my question as well. I have the room. My desk can and currently does hold 4 17" laptops. Do I have the desire? I'd need to see the price in the cart.
Click to expand...
I think you need to decide if you want SLI/Crossfire or not. I am not pressuring you but a lot of your build depends on this choice. If you want to remain open to this possibility, you should get the bigger PSU. If you are sure that you don't want to use dual GPUs, use Mfenn's mid-range build.

It would be unfortunate if you went for a SLI/Crossfire build but decided to keep it mid-range and your build is now unbalanced. Or you got a smaller monitor and then realized that SLI/Crossfire is something you want and now a new monitor is needed.

What is the newest/most demanding game you do play (plan to play) and what resolution/settings you expect?

Seasonic does have good PSUs, most reputable companies like Corsair use their layouts or designs. A 500W PSU from Corsair is not that expensive but their higher-tier products do have premium pricing.

EDIT: Disregard my RAM choice, Mfenn's build has a equal product for cheaper.
 
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b0r

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Jun 21, 2012
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Looking at the midrange builders guide, it actually looks like I fall into that category. I thought those included monitors and such but a second look shows they don't. Safe to say for right now, Dual GPU wasn't in my plans. I wanted to play BF3 and WoW at 60 FPS (Which was what my 60hz Dell with Vsync on) and not go below 50 for any reason at all.
 
B

b0r

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Jun 21, 2012
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I suppose the real question now is, what monitor would complement the midrange build? Price is not really a concern.
 
J

jaedaliu

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Feb 25, 2005
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The highest resolution single monitor screen you will typically find is 2560 x 1440. They can be found at 27" or 30" sizes, for quite a bit of money from Dell or Apple. Alternatively, you can take a little risk and buy them off ebay for ~$400. I know plenty of people that have had success paying the small premium for the pixel perfect monitors.

As for the video cards you need to play at that resolution, I have no clue. But the VPR sticky is probably a good place to start. You can probably follow that up with some google action.
 
M

mfenn

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Jan 17, 2010
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b0r said:
I suppose the real question now is, what monitor would complement the midrange build? Price is not really a concern.
Click to expand...

The midrange build is build around the assumption that you are going to be playing at 1920x1200 or 1920x1080. It will hold solid 60 FPS at those resolutions. If you want to go to a higher resolution (2560-wide), then you need Crossfire/SLI.

As for monitor, gaming will benefit from a 120Hz screen like this 24" BenQ.
 
B

b0r

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Jun 21, 2012
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mfenn said:
The midrange build is build around the assumption that you are going to be playing at 1920x1200 or 1920x1080. It will hold solid 60 FPS at those resolutions. If you want to go to a higher resolution (2560-wide), then you need Crossfire/SLI.

As for monitor, gaming will benefit from a 120Hz screen like this 24" BenQ.
Click to expand...

I settled on this monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236313

I chose that over the BenQ. Would I be making a mistake in that regard?
 
TY-1

TY-1

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Mar 27, 2013
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b0r said:
I settled on this monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236313

I chose that over the BenQ. Would I be making a mistake in that regard?
Click to expand...

No, that is a good monitor. I've got a friend who bought it right when it came out and absolutely loves gaming on it (Crysis 3, Farcry 3, and Bioshock Infinite all look amazing on it), so much so that he is already planning on buying two more go 3-way Monitor setup and replace the old Acer 23" he had for his 2-way setup.

I'm looking at them for my new build come this summer.
 
lehtv

lehtv

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Dec 8, 2010
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VG248QE is better than BenQ XL2420T due to 144hz functionality and support for NVIDIA LightBoost 2 (which can be used for zero motion blur in 2D).

BenQ XL2411T however has the same panel as VG248QE and it's a slightly better monitor I would say, but it is not currently available in the US.
 
B

b0r

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Jun 21, 2012
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lehtv said:
VG248QE is better than BenQ XL2420T due to 144hz functionality and support for NVIDIA LightBoost 2 (which can be used for zero motion blur in 2D).

BenQ XL2411T however has the same panel as VG248QE and it's a slightly better monitor I would say, but it is not currently available in the US.
Click to expand...

The LightBoost 2 feature on the ASUS, would I need an Nvidia based card for that or will it work with the 7970 I chose.
 
lehtv

lehtv

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Dec 8, 2010
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You would need NVIDIA. I can't comment on the difference between lightboost 2 on or off, but I imagine that the switch to an NVIDIA GPU just for that is not worth it for the majority of users.

I have the XL2411T monitor myself and may be able to get to test it in an NVIDIA system in the next few weeks.
 
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M

mfenn

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Jan 17, 2010
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