New builder/gaming pc

[Juddsan18]

Hi all ... I haven't used these forums before, but I figured I would ask you guys about my new build seeing as how the people here seem knowledgeable, and I'm fairly new to all of this. This computer will be used for gaming almost entirely. Here goes ...

Approximate Purchase Date: Within a week

Budget Range: $1500-1750

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, internet surfing, movies occasionally

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, speakers, OS, PSU (Corsair HX Series 1000W 80 Plus), case (HAF X)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, amazon.com, wherever is cheapest

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: any major manufacturer

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Not right now, but I would like to be able to have two 680's in SLI sometime in the future

Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1200

Additional Comments: I have been researching these parts for a while. I have been going back and forth between an x79 i7 3820 build, a z77 i5 3570k, and a z68 i5 2500k build ...

Here's what I'm looking at:

CPU - i5 3570k/i7 3820/i5 2500k

Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

or

ASUS Rampage IV Gene LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

or

ASUS P8Z68 DELUXE/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Vid card - EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-2682-KR GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
(I was lucky enough to find one of these online today - I will get it on Friday. Probably try to get a second ~ six months.)

Memory - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM

HD - Kingston HyperX SH100S3B/120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive

CPU cooling - CORSAIR H80 (CWCH80) High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler

Monitor - Dell UltraSharp U2412M Black IPS Panel

I was 100% sure I was going with Ivy Bridge until I started reading the not-so-great reviews about high temperatures. I want an overclockable (mid 4 GHz range) and stable system that will be able to last at least 2 - 2.5 years. I want to play all sorts of games, from BF3 to SC2 to Sims 3. So what does everybody think?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Hi and Welcome to the Anandtech Forums :thumbsup:

 

[azeem40]

Hi all ... I haven't used these forums before, but I figured I would ask you guys about my new build seeing as how the people here seem knowledgeable, and I'm fairly new to all of this. This computer will be used for gaming almost entirely. Here goes ...

Approximate Purchase Date: Within a week

Budget Range: $1500-1750

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, internet surfing, movies occasionally

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, speakers, OS, PSU (Corsair HX Series 1000W 80 Plus), case (HAF X)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, amazon.com, wherever is cheapest

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: any major manufacturer

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Not right now, but I would like to be able to have two 680's in SLI sometime in the future

Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1200

Additional Comments: I have been researching these parts for a while. I have been going back and forth between an x79 i7 3820 build, a z77 i5 3570k, and a z68 i5 2500k build ...

Here's what I'm looking at:

CPU - i5 3570k/i7 3820/i5 2500k

Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

or

ASUS Rampage IV Gene LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

or

ASUS P8Z68 DELUXE/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Vid card - EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-2682-KR GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
(I was lucky enough to find one of these online today - I will get it on Friday. Probably try to get a second ~ six months.)

Memory - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM

HD - Kingston HyperX SH100S3B/120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive

CPU cooling - CORSAIR H80 (CWCH80) High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler

Monitor - Dell UltraSharp U2412M Black IPS Panel

I was 100% sure I was going with Ivy Bridge until I started reading the not-so-great reviews about high temperatures. I want an overclockable (mid 4 GHz range) and stable system that will be able to last at least 2 - 2.5 years. I want to play all sorts of games, from BF3 to SC2 to Sims 3. So what does everybody think?

Thanks in advance for your help!

You used Tom's Hardware's template, didn't you?

 

[Juddsan18]

Haha, yes ... yes I did.

And I'd do it again

 

[Ken g6]

I have been going back and forth between an x79 i7 3820 build, a z77 i5 3570k, and a z68 i5 2500k build

3820 don't overclock. That should narrow things down a little. Unless you were planning to upgrade to Ivy Bridge-E for ~$1000 in about a year.

With liquid cooling I'd probably go 3570k. You're not guaranteed 5GHz on a 2500k anyway (unless you get one that's been tested), and IB is basically heat-limited, while having better IPC than SB. Plus I still think a few techniques might be found to improve IB heat. (How comfortable are you with, say, soldering?)

I didn't look closely at the rest, but...
- I suggest a Crucial M4 - or Samsung 830 if you want to pay more - over a Kingston or anything else with a Sandforce controller.
- Are you sure you want an IPS panel mainly for gaming? Colors are better, but response time is a little slower than cheaper TNs.

 

[mfenn]

I highly doubt that you will want or need a second GTX 680 for a middle of the road resolution like 1920x1200. That and the lack of overclocking on a 3820 as Ken pointed out, means that you won't need to go for X79. Given that Ivy Bridge processors are selling for well over MSRP right now and that they're not likely to come down to MSRP within your week timeframe, I would say to go for Sandy Bridge.

Here's a good cost effective parts list, excluding what you've already bought:

i5 2500K $220
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 $135
Patriot DDR3 1600 8GB $42
Crucial M4 128GB $125
Scythe Mugen 3 $55
Total: $577

 

[lehtv]

3820 don't overclock. That should narrow things down a little. Unless you were planning to upgrade to Ivy Bridge-E for ~$1000 in about a year.

Yes they do overclock. It's just a partially unlocked CPU - the multiplier is limited to 43. Multiplier and base clock adjustments combined commonly achieve post 4.5GHz overclocks on the 3820