High end gaming build

KentState

Diamond Member
Oct 19, 2001
8,397
393
126
I noticed you linked Microcenter for the CPU, but not MB. They had some good combo deals going on which may save you a few on the MB. I was able to pick up mine for $189 as part of the combo and would probably suite you well. I'm not familiar with the PSU so there may be better options. What CPU cooler will you be using? With a 4770k, I assume you will O/C and the stock one is not up to snuff. Also, consider going with a single 7970 with 3GB RAM.
 
Last edited:

Essence_of_War

Platinum Member
Feb 21, 2013
2,650
4
81
What games are you playing, and what is your current case?

Also, I don't see a HSF, are you planning on re-using or using the stocks?
 

Termie

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2005
7,949
48
91
www.techbuyersguru.com
A few things:

(1) for your budget, you're spending way too much on the motherboard. I'd aim for a $150 model.
(2) I won't recommend starting with two video cards - instead, buy one higher-end card. Also, the XFX 7870 Core is pretty bad. I've tested it and the cooler is ineffective and the card had almost no overclocking headroom.
(3) You don't need that much wattage for the power supply. You can save a lot of money going with a quality 650W unit.

Also, generally speaking, your budget range is actually too broad. There's a huge difference between $1000 and $1500. One is mid-range, one is high-end. And in case you didn't realize it, you're already at $1700.
 
Last edited:

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
4,902
0
71
At 2560x1600 SLI might actually be worth it from the get-go, but I agree with you the 7870 is not the card to choose for that.
 

Skott

Diamond Member
Oct 4, 2005
5,730
1
76
I wouldn't even call $1700 high end but its all about interpretation. I consider 'high end' $2000 or higher but that's just me.
 

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
Agree with DSF that SLI/CFX might be required, depending the games and settings.

OP, what type of games do you play and do you need to run them at all max? What do you consider to be an acceptable framerate?