Gaming PC build - need help

exzander

Junior Member
Jul 9, 2011
9
0
0
Hey guys,

I'm in the market for a complete gaming PC upgrade, and being inexperienced in doing such a task, I need help.

Tasks - I will be doing gaming on this PC. It will be my main PC, so will be doing browsing/Photoshop as well, but the main usage will be for games. I want it to be able to max/ultra current games (The Witcher 2 for example), and future games (Battlefield 3, Skyrim for examples).

Price - my price range is $1,500. Will be paying US dollar. I was told $1,500 is enough to get a PC strong enough to do the tasks I want. If I was told wrong, then I will pay more (pay whatever build you guys agree can get the job done), but I really, really don't want to go over $1,500 if possible.

Country - America (or wherever I can get parts mailed to me).

Brand - I've almost always had nVidia cards and never had a problem. With that said, I want whatever the best card is to max the games (for my budget, if possible). If you have an nVidia card and another brand card that are exactly the same power, I want the nVidia one. However, if there is a card that's really good and it's not nVidia, then that's okay, I can go with that.

Basically, nVidia if it's a viable option, but if there are better cards that aren't nVidia, then I'm all for that. I'm not too picky on brand.

Current parts - I will be keeping my HDD. No need to replace that.

Read similar threads - I was told to come here for help with my build, I'm very inexperienced with this stuff and was told I could get help here. I'm not sure how to answer this one.

Overclocking - No.

Resolution - I'm not really sure. I've always done my gaming on 1280 X 1024, but that's part of the reason I'm upgrading. I want to play on higher resolution, with a new monitor. I can't really answer this one. I'll just say higher than 1280 X 1024, and the highest resolution you guys think a build in this price range will work well (with monitor not included in the budget, will buy that separately).

When I build it - I will be purchasing it in 3 weeks or so.

Added details - I don't care if it is build my own, or pre-built. If the PC is already fully built, then that is best, as I won't have to do it. However, if it's less expensive to build it on my own, or the parts are better that way or whatever, I can do that. No restrictions on that matter.

The budget is for hardware only (GPU, RAM, Mobo, processor, etc etc), not the case, not the monitor, not the keyboard/mouse. Now, if you can build a PC that can do the tasks I want while also including the case/monitor while staying in budget, that is best, but not required at all. The budget is just for hardware.

I will be using standard speakers/accessories, nothing special required for the PC outside of hardware.

Thanks everyone who helps me out, it is greatly appreciated and you are doing me a very huge favor.
 
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Nov 26, 2005
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2500K - if you have a microcenter nearby, buy it there
Coolmaster 212 HS&F
GTX 570, GTX 560 Ti, or AMD 6950 - if you go big monitor get a 2Gb card
Z68
4 or 8 Gb
120Hz gaming monitor
gaming grade mouse (i use a R.A.T. 7 Cyborg but there are other great mouses out there, e.g. Kinzu Steelseries)
gaming grade keyboard (one with Black Cherry MX switches) Definitive guide for gaming keyboards
XFX Core Pro 500w
 
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Dr.Bubbles

Junior Member
May 23, 2011
6
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Well good news, $1500 gets you a lot of PC. Build your own is pretty much always better, you will get better parts for less money.
Personally i prefer AMD's current offerings compared to Nvidia's but Nvidia still has some great cards.
1920x1080 is a very popular resolution for gamers, i'd suggest sticking with that.

I've thrown together a quick example of what you will likely be looking at. All the parts were take from newegg.com. It's a good site you should check around for good deals. Other good sites are;
tigerdirect
amazon
zipflyzoom
frys

Also check if there is a microcenter near you, they have great deals on CPU/mobos.

A bit on the parts i chose;

Case is a Silverstone FT02, and it's an expensive one. The case is in my opinion one of the best in the world but i understand you might feel it's not worth it. Other great and cheaper alternatives are;
Coolermaster 690 II
Lian Li PC-k62
HAF X
Silverstone RV03
Antec 1200

Monitor is a very well priced Asus, it has pretty much anything you'll need. 23" 1920x1080, low response times. Now monitors are not my strongest suit (haven't gotten one in years) so there could be great alternates i'm missing.

The 570 is Nvidia second most powerful GPU (and upper level of sane price IMO) It will fly through just about everything on the market.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/306 For details on how it will perform. It comes with gigabyte's excellent cooler to keep it (relative) quiet and cool.

PSU is a XFX. It's a seasonic rebadge, 80+ silver, semi modular and pretty well priced. I think it's great.

RAM is RAM, it's all much the same. For gaming you don't even really need 8Gb but it doesn't hurt to have more.

CPU is Intel's excellent 2500k, you are not going to find a better CPU for that price.

Mobo is a good MSI. Loads of features (that you probably won't need, but they don't hurt).

unledono.png


This is Just a guide, change it as you want. It's a bit under budget so you can add anything you think you might need. Optical drive? Small SSD boot drive? Extra HDD? But the price can also be brought down if you fell it's a bit much.

Like i said, shop around, you might find deals i didn't.
 

exzander

Junior Member
Jul 9, 2011
9
0
0
Nice guys, this has been a lot of help.

Just a question about the video card. Is a GTX 580 better than the ones you mentioned? I'm willing to move up to the best card if it's $100 or so more.
 
Nov 26, 2005
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It's better than a GTX 570 but not buy much. And nowadays it depends on the game you are going to play. Some cards do better in games than their competitors counter-parts.
 

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
Well, there isn't a gaming PC around that will fully max out The Witcher 2, so let's forget about that for now. I imagine that patches will even out the rough spots in good time.

$1500 is definitely enough of a budget to include everything from the CPU itself to the OS, monitor, and peripherals. Here's what I would do:

i5 2500K $220
GA-Z68A-D3H $130
G.Skill DDR3 1333 8GB $60
GTX 570 $290 AR
Corsair Force GT 120GB $255
Existing HDD $0
Samsung DVD Burner $20
XFX Core 550W $50 AR
Fractal Design R3 $110 - Feel free to swap with any other case on Dr. Bubbles list that you like better
Core System: $1135

For monitor, you have 3 choices:

  • cheap but gets the job done (the ASUS that Dr. Bubbles suggested),
  • fluid 120Hz for gaming (Acer 23" 1080P 120Hz)
  • good color accuracy for Photoshop (Dell U2311H)
 

Maverick6969

Member
Feb 10, 2010
154
0
71
For monitor, you have 3 choices:

  • cheap but gets the job done (the ASUS that Dr. Bubbles suggested),
  • fluid 120Hz for gaming (Acer 23" 1080P 120Hz)
  • good color accuracy for Photoshop (Dell U2311H)

There are far many more choices than just 3. Why would you recommend such an expensive monitor?

This Samsung model is over $100 cheaper than the Acer model you linked to above. It has similar specs (minus the 3D capability) and has a fast 2ms GTG response time. If the OP wants something even faster, there is a Samsung model with a 1ms response time and it's still $50 cheaper than the Acer monitor you recommended.

XFX Core 550W $50 AR
Fractal Design R3 $110 - Feel free to swap with any other case on Dr. Bubbles list that you like better
Core System: $1135

XFX power supply? I built all my systems with Antec. I have a XFX video card and I like it. But IMHO they have not established themselves in the PSU market long enough for me to trust their reliability or longevity. Just because they know how to make good video cards doesn't mean they know how to make quality PSUs. Antec has been around forever (by computer standards) and they are a giant in the industry.
 
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Maverick6969

Member
Feb 10, 2010
154
0
71
Here's my recommendation:

CPU
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K $315


MB
GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $190



RAM
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $75 ($10 rebate)


PSU
Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply ($100)



GPU
EVGA 012-P3-1571-KR GeForce GTX 570 HD w/Display-Port (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $315 (rebate $25)



Monitor:
Samsung PX2370 23" 2ms Full HD LED BackLight LCD Monitor Slim Design 250 cd /m2 DCR 5,000,000:1 (1000:1) $240


Case
Antec Performance One Series P183 V3 Black Aluminum / Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $140
(rebate $20)



DVD burner
Pioneer CD/DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R Black SATA Model DVR-219BK - OEM $24


Total Price: $1,399.00

Less Rebates: $55

Net Price: $1344.00

Edit: I found an overclocked GTX 570 card that is currently selling for $330. However, there is a rebate on it, which makes it $300. IMO it is a good value considering it's only $10 more than the non-overclocked version of this same card. You won't have to experiment with the 'ideal' settings to get a good overclock - it's already overclocked from EVGA and secondly, the power supply that I linked to above has 4 x 12 volt rails with 40 amps. it is more than capable of taking on this card plus accommodating the other components inside your case.

Not sure how long the price on the card will last, but the rebate expires 7/31.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-622-_-Product
 
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mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
14,539
428
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^
triple channel RAM...? AND 2000mhz...Really...? (he has a dual channel motherboard...THIS RAM makes much more sense.)

2600K? Why? it doesn't add anything for gaming... the 2500k has the same performance for most games and when it isnt the same OC will make up for it.

190 bucks for a motherboard? Any reason why he cant get this for 130?

A 750w PSU for a 500w build? Why? This would be better, yes it is about the same price, but it is better quality and MODULAR :D
 
Nov 26, 2005
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If you want all out balls to the wall top end PSU performance, I recommend this already nostalgic PSU. Most people disagree with this but with a budget to work with this PSU would be in my build if I weren't going for dual GPU.

EDIT: 160$ but find a better 500w PSU review Kingwin Lazer 550w
 
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Nov 26, 2005
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^
triple channel RAM...? AND 2000mhz...Really...? (he has a dual channel motherboard...THIS RAM makes much more sense.)

2600K? Why? it doesn't add anything for gaming... the 2500k has the same performance for most games and when it isnt the same OC will make up for it.

190 bucks for a motherboard? Any reason why he cant get this for 130?

A 750w PSU for a 500w build? Why? This would be better, yes it is about the same price, but it is better quality and MODULAR :D

:thumbsup:
 

Maverick6969

Member
Feb 10, 2010
154
0
71
^
A 750w PSU for a 500w build? Why? This would be better, yes it is about the same price, but it is better quality and MODULAR :D

Get over it - Seasonics are not "better quality" than Antecs. So you're a fan of modular PSUs - great. And just what is so great about it? I have a modular Antec PSU and I haven't realized one single benefit in my case. I ended up using all the cables due to installing additional hard drives and upgrading my video card earlier this year.

You're recommending a $100 PSU and for the same amount of money he can get a 750 watt Antec. So what's your point?
 

zi0n.

Member
Apr 18, 2010
146
0
76
Maverick, you do notice that monitor mfenn linked its 120hz right?

Also, your build is so unbalanced, a $1500 build with no SSD? REALLY? a 2600k which makes no sense for gaming. Triple channel memory....? really... don't give bad advice.

As for the PSU you do know that Antec's PSUs are rebranded seasonics too? LOL so getting an XFX or a Seasonic over an antec would be almost the same.

OP; please just follow mfenn's build.
 
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Maverick6969

Member
Feb 10, 2010
154
0
71
Maverick, you do notice that monitor mfenn linked its 120hz right?

Alright so it's 120 hz - what's the big deal?

Also, your build is so unbalanced, a $1500 build with no SSD? REALLY?

Uhhh dude.... YOU are unbalanced. The OP did say he is keeping his hard drive and never once mentioned he wanted a SSD. If he said so, then I would have configured the build differently.

a 2600k which makes no sense for gaming. Triple channel memory....? really... don't give bad advice.

What exactly is wrong with using triple channel memory on a gaming rig? OK so I didn't pick the right motherboard. It was effing 2 AM when I put that together so excuse my fault for not looking at that closer. I'll fix that shortly to keep you happy.

don't give bad advice.

And just who are you to say I"m giving bad advice. What sort of experience and credibility do YOU have to make such judgements?

As for the PSU you do know that Antec's PSUs are rebranded seasonics too? LOL so getting an XFX or a Seasonic over an antec would be almost the same.

You are full of water or whatever it is you're drinking. Yes, some Seasonics are rebranded Antecs. The point is that if you're going to spend $100 for a power supply - why not get the 750w versus the 550w. Makes NO SENSE.
 
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mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
14,539
428
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120hz, allows for 3D gaming and/or 120FPS gaming (smoother)

The OP shouldnt have to say he needs an SSD for you to recommend one, he is asking for advice for a build he obviously doesnt know exactly what he wants or he wouldnt need advice.

And what is wrong with using triple channel 2000mhz RAM? Well for starters you are building a sandy bridge build which has a dual channel memory, ALL socket 1155 boards use dual channel, also 2000mhz RAM is crazy because it wont give any added performance that you can see over 1333mhz.

He isn't the only one to say you are giving bad advice, I am too. And who am I to say it? Well i have 3,400+ posts 95% of which are in general hardware and most of which concern builds for people. You currently have 128 posts... sorry but I think currently i have more credibility, and Mfenn who will no doubt be in here later to comment on your "build" has 7,000 posts, I will back his opinion 90% of the time even if I thought the opposite.

And lastly you have it backwards, some Antecs are rebranded Seasonics, not seasonics are rebranded antecs (lol) And why not get 750w over the 550w Well PSU's are more efficient in the 40-75% load range (about that anyway) the build he should be getting will be using probably 450w MAX however most of the time it will be closer to 100-150w maybe 200w so a smaller PSU allows him to save energy and heat. Also modular PSU's are a godsend for some cases, and if you dont want that there is a 520w for about 75 bucks from seasonic that isnt modular.
 
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exzander

Junior Member
Jul 9, 2011
9
0
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Thanks for all the replies guys, helped me greatly.

So far, from what I have found in all your advice, this is the current build I have listed:

----------------

Processor - Intel Core i5-2500k Sandy Bridge 3.3 GHz
Motherboard - GA-Z68A-D3H
RAM - G-Skill DDR3 1333 8GB
PSU - XFX Core Edition PRO550W
GPU - GTX 580 / GTX 570
Case - LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62
Samsung DVD Burner
Monitor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009222

Total = $1,469 (with GTX 580)
Total = $1,256 (with GTX 570)

----------------

If this is right, then the only thing I need to figure out is if I plan on buying the GTX 570 or the GTX 580.

Do you guys think it is worth the extra $200 to upgrade to the 580? I'd like the GPU to last as long as possible in terms of keeping up with quality games, but if there's minimal difference then I'll save myself $200.
 

mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
14,539
428
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If going with the 580 i would up it to a 600-650w PSU, OC'd it can draw quite a bit of power. But i honestly dont think it is worth the price :p
 

Hblackheart

Member
Apr 1, 2011
26
0
66
Please remember fella's ... This guy just needs a reliable and fast rig. If you go for a 580 gtx... get a bigger power supply. I could not in good concience recommend anything under 650 watts period. Leave your self some head room so the psu is not overworked and doesn't get noisy. This will help you in the long run too if you decide to learn how to make your Rig faster. (AKA Overclocking) in the near future

Loose the infighting and keep it helpfull for this guy. Thats what he is asking for... help....
 

mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
14,539
428
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FYI, the GTX 580 pulls 490w under full load (in furmark) with an overclock i7-920 @3.33Ghz (more power then the i5 2500k or i7-2600k) 550w or 600w is plenty of headroom IMHO. 50-100w worth.