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Gaming Build - ~$1500 i7 base

L

leatherface7

Member
Hey guys, about that time again. Mostly will use this rig for gaming, watching movies, poker (20+ tables), and normaly daily stuff. Tend to do everything in max resolutions, live in the US, have no specific preferences, not worried about OC'in though the option is nice. I currently run 2 22" monitors but would like to get a large (30+) as a third sometime this year. With that being said, what do you think about the system below - any bottlenecks or things that stick out?

Processor Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz $280

Cooling Thermaltake Silent 1156 CLP0552 92mm $ 30

Video GIGABYTE GV-R587UD-1GD Radeon HD 5870 1GB $400

Motherboard MSI P55-GD65 LGA 1156 Intel P55 $160

Memory G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB DDR3-1600 X 2 $220

Hard Drive Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB $75

Optical Drive LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW $25

Case COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Steel ATX Full Tower $140

Power Supply CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W SLI Ready $110

Speakers Logitech X-540 70 watts 5.1 Speakers $85

Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium $100

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Total $1625


Prices and ordering will be from Newegg most likely. Perhaps I can find some combo deals or wait for things to go on sale to save some money though.

I will clean this up and hyperlink these items later when I get time! Any questions/comments appreciated!
 
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If you are willing to overclock, you can save some cash with the 5850 card and get near the same performance as an overclocked 5870. Also, the build from a parts perspective looks good, but if you shop around some, you can find better prices on some of those parts.
 
I'd ditch your cooler and grab a Hyper 212+. Same (or less) price and cools much better. If you have a Microcenter or Frys nearby you can get a better price on the mobo and processor. Other than that, the build looks fine.
 
HumblePie said:
If you are willing to overclock, you can save some cash with the 5850 card and get near the same performance as an overclocked 5870. Also, the build from a parts perspective looks good, but if you shop around some, you can find better prices on some of those parts.
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I was thinking about getting the 5850 to save some cash, but I might just get the 5870 and OC that down the road. I'll keep the option in mind.

I will definitely take your advice and shop around more as I am in no immediate rush. I would like to get everything within about 6 weeks or so though. I know tigerdirect has some decent combo deals so I might check there too.
 
modestninja said:
I'd ditch your cooler and grab a Hyper 212+. Same (or less) price and cools much better. If you have a Microcenter or Frys nearby you can get a better price on the mobo and processor. Other than that, the build looks fine.
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No micocenter around 🙁 (pittsburgh, pa). I will look into the cooler you mention though - I appreciate the feedback!
 
leatherface7 said:
No micocenter around 🙁 (pittsburgh, pa). I will look into the cooler you mention though - I appreciate the feedback!
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Well, if get kidnapped, escape and find yourself in Philly, make sure you pick one up at the Microcenter there (it's probably not worth the time/gas to go there to get one though).
 
modestninja said:
I'd ditch your cooler and grab a Hyper 212+. Same (or less) price and cools much better. If you have a Microcenter or Frys nearby you can get a better price on the mobo and processor. Other than that, the build looks fine.
Click to expand...

The Hyper 212+ seems to be getting pretty hard to find in recent weeks, I wonder if they are coming out with a new revision soon?

OP, the build looks good. You could probably save some money with no difference in performance or stability by going with a cheaper motherboard like the GA-P55A-UD3 (and get USB 3.0!) and a lower wattage power supply like a 650TX. Also, you can get a 1TB Samsung F3 which is just as fast as your WD Black 640GB and $5 cheaper.
 
mfenn said:
The Hyper 212+ seems to be getting pretty hard to find in recent weeks, I wonder if they are coming out with a new revision soon?

OP, the build looks good. You could probably save some money with no difference in performance or stability by going with a cheaper motherboard like the GA-P55A-UD3 (and get USB 3.0!) and a lower wattage power supply like a 650TX. Also, you can get a 1TB Samsung F3 which is just as fast as your WD Black 640GB and $5 cheaper.
Click to expand...

I'll check out the items you mentioned and when the time comes to buy, I'll keep that in mind!
 
mfenn said:
The Hyper 212+ seems to be getting pretty hard to find in recent weeks, I wonder if they are coming out with a new revision soon?

OP, the build looks good. You could probably save some money with no difference in performance or stability by going with a cheaper motherboard like the GA-P55A-UD3 (and get USB 3.0!) and a lower wattage power supply like a 650TX. Also, you can get a 1TB Samsung F3 which is just as fast as your WD Black 640GB and $5 cheaper.
Click to expand...


As for the motherboard, if I plan on running 2 GPU's will the one i selected be better, and if not then what are the key differences?

As for the Hard Drive you mentioned, if it is the same speed and specs, but 1TB rather than 640GB...for $5 more then looks like I will grab it!

I am still looking into the cooling that other people mentioned!

Any other suggestions?
 
leatherface7 said:
As for the motherboard, if I plan on running 2 GPU's will the one i selected be better, and if not then what are the key differences?

As for the Hard Drive you mentioned, if it is the same speed and specs, but 1TB rather than 640GB...for $5 more then looks like I will grab it!

I am still looking into the cooling that other people mentioned!

Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...

If you plan to Crossfire, then the UD3 isn't that good because it only runs its second PCIe x16 slot at x4. The MSI you linked runs x8/x8 in a Crossfire config, so yes that would be better. However, the is a first-generation P55 board and you're really missing out on the newer features like USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s. If you are sure that you want to go Crossfire, I would go with something like the ASRock Deluxe3 because you get x8/x8 operation along with USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s.
 
mfenn said:
If you plan to Crossfire, then the UD3 isn't that good because it only runs its second PCIe x16 slot at x4. The MSI you linked runs x8/x8 in a Crossfire config, so yes that would be better. However, the is a first-generation P55 board and you're really missing out on the newer features like USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s. If you are sure that you want to go Crossfire, I would go with something like the ASRock Deluxe3 because you get x8/x8 operation along with USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s.
Click to expand...

Makes sense, thank you for pointing this out. I do want to keep the Crossfire option open, as I think I will later this year. As for not going with the first-gen mobo, I agree and will go with the board you have recommended, thanks.


In the meantime (before I crossfire), If I want to hookup more than 2 monitors, what are some good routes to go? I hear EVGA makes some decent products to do so, though I honestly have never looked into anything; thoughts?
 
leatherface7 said:
Makes sense, thank you for pointing this out. I do want to keep the Crossfire option open, as I think I will later this year. As for not going with the first-gen mobo, I agree and will go with the board you have recommended, thanks.


In the meantime (before I crossfire), If I want to hookup more than 2 monitors, what are some good routes to go? I hear EVGA makes some decent products to do so, though I honestly have never looked into anything; thoughts?
Click to expand...

Any Radeon 5000 series will be able to do 3 monitors provided that you use a Displayport adapter or have native Displayport on one of them.
 
Eyefinity requires one of the monitors to be connected by DisplayPort.

Everything looks great, but I would personally make some changes to the:

Cooler: Bump it to the Hyper 212+ if you're gonna let turbo handle the OC'ing, otherwise a Mugen 2 can be a hassle to install but is the best cooling/$$, imo.

RAM: Usually 4GB runs fine for most people. Could shave a whole $110 with 1 kit instead of 2. I used to run 8GB, but recently bumped it down to 4 and haven't needed the extra set since. Could save the money for a monitor or better audio system.

Case: I dislike the size of full towers, but it's really personal preference here.

Speakers: Surround is overrated, imo. Get a really nice pair of Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 (or Logitech Z-2300) or some bookshelf speakers. I saw a pair of Jamos C401 bookshelves (sold by Vanns) for $70.
 
MisterDonut said:
Eyefinity requires one of the monitors to be connected by DisplayPort.

Everything looks great, but I would personally make some changes to the:

Cooler: Bump it to the Hyper 212+ if you're gonna let turbo handle the OC'ing, otherwise a Mugen 2 can be a hassle to install but is the best cooling/$$, imo.

RAM: Usually 4GB runs fine for most people. Could shave a whole $110 with 1 kit instead of 2. I used to run 8GB, but recently bumped it down to 4 and haven't needed the extra set since. Could save the money for a monitor or better audio system.

Case: I dislike the size of full towers, but it's really personal preference here.

Speakers: Surround is overrated, imo. Get a really nice pair of Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 (or Logitech Z-2300) or some bookshelf speakers. I saw a pair of Jamos C401 bookshelves (sold by Vanns) for $70.
Click to expand...

I think I will be changing the cooler since everyone recommends to do so. As for the RAM, perhaps I will settle for 4GB now and can upgrade later if i choose so.

Do you have any suggestions for a nice air flowing mid size tower?
 
The Antec 300/Illusion is always a favorite. It's great for the price. Otherwise a Lian Li K62, CM 690II, Antec 900, HAF, etc. are always good. It's really up to how you want your case to look though. The P183 looks badass, and it's great for noise.
 
MisterDonut said:
The Antec 300/Illusion is always a favorite. It's great for the price. Otherwise a Lian Li K62, CM 690II, Antec 900, HAF, etc. are always good. It's really up to how you want your case to look though. The P183 looks badass, and it's great for noise.
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Thanks for the ideas. I have to say my preference is:

Antec 900 > HAF 922 > Lian Li K62

I assume all would do fine for air flow and whatnot as that is my # 1 concern, with looks being a distant 2nd.

Thanks for all these suggestions so far guys, much appreciated!!!!!!!!
 
Just a heads up on the 900. You'll have to put some time into it and dremel some holes. Otherwise, the cable management is terrible. Didn't take more than a few hours, and after the mod is done, the airflow is ridiculously good. My 9550 @ 3.6 loads @ 49c. TRUE with 1 Scythe GT.
 
MisterDonut said:
Just a heads up on the 900. You'll have to put some time into it and dremel some holes. Otherwise, the cable management is terrible. Didn't take more than a few hours, and after the mod is done, the airflow is ridiculously good. My 9550 @ 3.6 loads @ 49c. TRUE with 1 Scythe GT.
Click to expand...

I'll keep that in mind! Still haven't decided yet but I'll probably go with the 900.
 
Also, as the Hyper 212+ cooler seems to be hard to get ahold of right now (out of stock everywhere), what are some good alternatives? Perhaps Hyper N520 ? I'm not too familiar with good cooler's so sorry for any ignorance.
 
leatherface7 said:
Also, as the Hyper 212+ cooler seems to be hard to get ahold of right now (out of stock everywhere), what are some good alternatives? Perhaps Hyper N520 ? I'm not too familiar with good cooler's so sorry for any ignorance.
Click to expand...

Judging by the fan size, it looks like the N520 is a new revision targeted between the old TX3 and 212+. Haven't seen any reviews on it though.
 
I'll keep a look out for other cooler's and try to find a well reviewed one other than the 212+ (or find somewhere that this is not out of stock). If anyone else has any in mind though, post it! 🙂
 
leatherface7 said:
I'll keep a look out for other cooler's and try to find a well reviewed one other than the 212+ (or find somewhere that this is not out of stock). If anyone else has any in mind though, post it! 🙂
Click to expand...

The Scythe Mugen 2 is a few dollars more, more of a pain to install, and HUGE, but cools better than the Hyper 212+ and is pretty close to the top air coolers on the market. They usually run between $30-40 online.
 
Well it seems the Hyper 212+ is back in stock, so as long as I can get ahold of it when I order (~July 10th), I'll pick that up. I see a lot of people are having problems fitting it in their case so does anyone know from experience if it would fit just fine in an antec 900 or any other concerns I should have?


I though my build was looking good but I have taken about 3-4 changes from you guys so far and am really looking forward to this purchase/build!
 
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