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New gaming PC

D

daraksharnah

Member
Hello everyone,
I've been working on lining up parts for a new pc. Intent is to be a (higher end) gaming pc. I honestly don't know what my expectations should be. Just want something that can handle anything i throw at it. I play D3, WoW, Crysis, pretty much anything I can get my hands on. My current system is an upgraded (added bit more ram, a gts 250 geforce vid card) HP pavilion a1610n system, that's still running on an AMD 64 dual core. So, pretty much anything will be a godly upgrade.

My budget is more of time than limit, initial investment is $1000 (give or take), I've justified a total cap (system, vid cards, water-cooling, etc) of about $2k, so, while I'm flexible, and willing to spend for quality, there is a theoretical limit. In other words I'm all about price/performance 🙂

current build:

Core items
  1. PSU: Not sure yet, I picked out the XFX P1-1000-BELX
  2. Case: NZXT Switch 810 (90% sure of this)
  3. Mobo: Asus P8Z77-V Pro
  4. CPU: (deciding between) i7 3770k, or i5 3570k
  5. fan/heat-sink: CM hyper 212
  6. Memory: 16 gb (4x4) G.skill ripjaw 1600
  7. Primary hard drive: WD 1TB (already own, eventually replaced with SSD)
  8. Primary optical drive: Blu-ray player, nothing specific yet
  9. Video card: currently Nvidia geforce gts 250(already own), looking at maybe 670's in sli/xfire later on.
  10. Operating System: Win 7 64-bit prof (already own)
  11. Snacks: Mountain Dew and Cheez-itz (looking for donations 🙂 )
So mainly the help I'm looking for is to finalize the system. I will be watercooling in the future (I'll give that a separate budget later on). Mostly I can't decide on a PSU and Mobo (that's the best I've found without spending an ungodly amount.

Thanks in advance for any help and advice 🙂
 
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1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing. Gaming, though i do tend to have a few games running...and about 12 tab Firefox...couple ventrillos...steam...half dozen other programs...yea I'm bad about closing programs >_>

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread. $1400-1600 for basic rig + vid cards, watercooling will be budgeted afterwards.

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

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.
I do like my AMD, but I'm building for quality, I don't care what brands I get, i hate the Intel vs AMD crud that pollute product reviews.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. Monitor, mouse, keyboard, harddrive (will upgrade to SSD soon after though).

*

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. Overclocking planned after I set up water-cooling

8. WHEN do you plan to build it? ASAP, though I know AMD is supposed to be looking to make an announcement within a month or so, but I haven't heard much about the piledriver line, you guys think it'll be worth the wait?
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.

*

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software ? Already own windows, not looking at any other software at this time.

All I care for is bang for my buck, and a future proof as possible while maintaining quality.
 
Pretty much what nsa said.

Is there a reason you snipped two questions? The monitor res is an important question is designing your build. For anything up to and including 1920x1080 I wouldn't bother with SLI.

I also don't see much point in buying a solid air cooler now and then replacing it with watercooling later. If you're dead set on doing that, save some money and just roll with the stock heatsink since you don't plan to overclock right away.

Even if you do go for water cooling, be prepared to get pretty into it and spend a good chunk of dough (over $100) if you want performance that actually beats air cooling by an appreciable margin. Otherwise just get a $25-50 air cooler, which is perfectly fine for tinkering with overclocking.

If you're sure you want 16GB of RAM then get 2x8GB instead of 4x4GB. It's probably not necessary anyway. Having vent and some extra browser tabs open is hardly taxing on a system. (Unless every one of those tabs is trying to stream a video, but if you're in the middle of playing a game...why?)

By the way, how is it that you have several games open at a time?
 
Thanks for the replies and advice. I'll be honest, I snipped the resolution question cause I wasn't sure what it meant, my bad, should have just asked :sneaky: I do tend to sit in the 1920 range, would I go higher resolution? probably, I haven't actually played around with it much, obviously I would if I did go sli/xfire. But, some food for thought, so thanks. 🙂

Also, another honesty: I hadn't actually finished my preliminary Intel build before posting. But, I did continue my research and made a few changes:

I did tone down my PSU: Corsair Gold AX750
Mobo: Gigabyte GA z77x-UP4 TH
CPU: Decided on the Core i5 3570k
Memory: I can't find it now, but I upgraded what i posted to G.skill 2x8 at 1600. Not sure why I chose 4x4 before, but yea, why not just make it 8's and leave room to upgrade?
Case: SilverStone RAVEN RV02B-W. I changed this, cause i'm in love with the 90-degree rotation, and I kinda like the design of the case.

To expand a bit on the change of case...You are right about "why invest in air-cooling just to go to watercooling?" Silverstones cases do lend themselves very well to air-flow (and not a fan of the looks of say the Haf series), and later on I can always dabble in watercooling (i know there's a pun there somewhere...) . Also, about an air CPU cooler, particularly in regards to the RV02. I looked up measurements, but I'm worried about something like the Hyper 212 or the Scythe Mugen 3 that Mfenn suggested, being able to fit in the case. Think they'll be any issue there? Also thought about just going with say, a Corsair H80 or something instead.

As far as the multi-games open thing. I haven't played WoW in fullscreen for years, simply cause it takes forever to alt tab if i need to look info up, so I stick it in windowed or windowed full screen, especially when I'm not doing much, like farming or something. I then end up running other such games that I don't need full screen for, like binding of isaac. If I play a system intensive game, such as crysis, that runs alone, I close most of what I can so it runs smoothly.

The issue is, my system is near maxed for upgrades short of motherboard/cpu. Capped at 4gig of ram, plenty of HDD space, and a video card that can do it's job well enough. But...I promise, that with the power of something greater, it won't be lost on simply dabbling at mini-games, or mediocre graphic details.

Sorry I'm being so long winded in these posts, and thank you guys again, sooo much for the advice. Looking to start the build in the next week or so, so i'll definitely be learning as much as I can till then.
 
Well if you're using an LCD monitor it's built with a given native resolution that you're going to want to use. You can't go above it, and going below it degrades image quality.

If your monitor is built for 1920x1080 you can't increase that even if you go SLI.

So, the question then remains whether you intend to pursue SLI or not. If you're sticking with your current monitor I would say don't bother. You could then save over $100 total (close to $200) on the motherboard and PSU without losing any performance.

On the other hand, you have a large enough budget to buy a larger monitor if you really want to.
 
Even HDTVs aren't great for reading text.

If you intend for this to be an HTPC then of course a TV makes a natural display, but if not I would stick with a monitor. They're much less strenuous on your eyes for actual computer tasks.
 
daraksharnah said:
I did tone down my PSU: Corsair Gold AX750
Mobo: Gigabyte GA z77x-UP4 TH
CPU: Decided on the Core i5 3570k
Memory: I can't find it now, but I upgraded what i posted to G.skill 2x8 at 1600. Not sure why I chose 4x4 before, but yea, why not just make it 8's and leave room to upgrade?
Case: SilverStone RAVEN RV02B-W. I changed this, cause i'm in love with the 90-degree rotation, and I kinda like the design of the case.
Click to expand...

The number one priority in a gaming rig is always the GPU setup. The parts you've picked here, with the exception of the CPU, are all detrimental to your goal of building a high-end gaming rig because they take money and put it into places that don't matter. You have a good budget, but it's not infinite.

Here's the standard midrange build as it stands now. Can you point out any and all specific parts that you don't like and (most importantly) the reasoning behind those preferences?

i5 3570K $220 AP
ASRock Z77 Pro3 $95
Crucial DDR3 1333 8GB $35
XFX 7950 3GB $290 AR
Samsung 830 128GB $100
Samsung F3 1TB $70
Lite-ON DVD Burner $17
Silencer Mk III 600W $57 AR AP
NZXT Tempest 210 $44 AP
 
I suppose i have no reason to not like that build. I had issues with ASRock in the past. I have been out of the industry for a number of years, that's why I'm doing as much research as i can, a lot of changes and a lot I'm relearning after all this time. In the end, all I'm wanting in a gaming system that can plow through anything I throw at it, but also lends itself well to future upgrading (socket changes and what not aside).
 
The Socket 775 days of upgrading from a Pentium 4 single core to a Core 2 Quad on the same board are long gone. With the way that Intel changes the socket every 2 years, pretty much anything with a PCIe slot is as upgradeable as anything else. Motherboards are essentially commodity items at this point, no reason to spend a lot of money on something that will go out the window with the next processor.

For somebody looking to spend more than $1000, I would recommend the following as effective upgrades to the build above:

GTX 670 $400
Samsung 830 256GB $217
Fractal Design R4 $110
Scythe Mugen 3 $55

How does that look?
 
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mfenn said:
The Socket 775 days of upgrading from a Pentium 4 single core to a Core 2 Quad on the same board are long gone.
Click to expand...

I think that effectively dates the last time i truly upgraded PC's lol. Must have been a good 8 or so years ago 😀

For somebody looking to spend more than $1000, I would recommend the following as effective upgrades to the build above:
GTX 670 $400
Samsung 830 256GB $217
Fractal Design R4 $110
Scythe Mugen 3 $55

How does that look?
Click to expand...

That looks great there. I did allocate about $400 on sli/xfire, so either of the suggested work just fine price-wise to go with single card.

so here's what I have so far:

i5 3570K $220 AP
ASRock Z77 Pro3 $95
Crucial DDR3 1333 8GB $35
XFX 7950 3GB $290 AR
Samsung 830 256GB $217 ("I'll take extra space for $100, Alex")
Lite-ON DVD Burner $17 ahh, good ol' lite-on <3
Silencer Mk III 600W $57 AR AP
NZXT Tempest 210 $44 AP
Scythe Mugen 3 $55

Last question I would have is: Is there another brand motherboard out there with similar features at the price range? Just not the biggest fan of ASRock, but if this is my best option then that's what i'll go with. Unfortunately my build has been pushed back by 2 weeks. So, I'll keep checking in to update the list with new recommendations. I'd also like to thank everyone for all the help in this, I've learned A LOT in the past few weeks hanging around these forums 🙂

p.s. is it wrong to be just a little scared of the Mugen 3?
 
daraksharnah said:
Last question I would have is: Is there another brand motherboard out there with similar features at the price range? Just not the biggest fan of ASRock, but if this is my best option then that's what i'll go with. Unfortunately my build has been pushed back by 2 weeks. So, I'll keep checking in to update the list with new recommendations. I'd also like to thank everyone for all the help in this, I've learned A LOT in the past few weeks hanging around these forums 🙂

p.s. is it wrong to be just a little scared of the Mugen 3?
Click to expand...
So, there's the whole issue of Newegg (and online in general) reviews. You don't know the technical expertise of the poster, consumers with bad experiences are more likely to post, etc. That said, there aren't many other metrics that compare all the different options out there, so they're worth considering, albeit with a large grain of salt.

With the disclaimer out of the way, no Z77 motherboard less than $150 has a 5-egg rating, and even most above that price point don't either. The ones that do have very few reviews, so there's a sample size issue. Gigabyte, MSI and Biostar all have boards in the $100-120 range, so there are plenty of other options, but there doesn't seem to be anything to suggest that they're any better than the Asrock models. There doesn't seem to be anything to suggest that they're any worse either, but they are slightly more expensive.

As far as the Mugen, what are you worried about?
 
daraksharnah said:
Thanks for the info 🙂

Mugen 3: nothing, bad joke 😛
Click to expand...

Another :thumbsup: to ASRock boards. They're a younger company that doesn't spend as much on advertising as the ASUS's of the world, so they can afford tighter margins on equivalent boards.

As for the Mugen 3, once you see it, you will realize that you were right to be afraid. 😎
 
mfenn said:
Another :thumbsup: to ASRock boards. They're a younger company that doesn't spend as much on advertising as the ASUS's of the world, so they can afford tighter margins on equivalent boards.

As for the Mugen 3, once you see it, you will realize that you were right to be afraid. 😎
Click to expand...

Had horrible experience with their customer service in the past, but there's always room for 2nd chances. 🙂

and I see that the mid-range build change, i too jumped on that mobo/memory bundle, now to finalize my build and order before the deal's gone >_>

I see in the mid-range build the ssd is 128....so, would it make a difference with 2x128, or 1x256? (assuming i would, now or later, get a 2nd 128)

Sorry, I'm close to finalizing the build, now i'm nitpicking :3
 
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daraksharnah said:
I see in the mid-range build the ssd is 128....so, would it make a difference with 2x128, or 1x256? (assuming i would, now or later, get a 2nd 128)
Click to expand...

A single 256GB drive is better because it's a lot easier to manage and there's less chance of incompatibility in terms of RAID, etc.. Two 128GB drives would theoretically give better performance, but you wouldn't notice it.
 
Thanks again mfenn 🙂

And here it is, the final build, ready to order:



total: $852

Couple things to note: Video card will probably be the XFX 7950, but I have to wait 2 weeks to order it, but i can use my GTX 250 till then. 🙂 And I think I might dump the mugen and just go straight to a corsair H100, though if I wait, the mugen won't go to waist as a friend'll use it in his system. But, I totally can't wait to get the parts!

I want to again send my thanks to the Anandtech forums for all the help and patience you've given me and my rambling this last week. 🙂

Edit: ok, i lied, already changed case even before hitting the send order button. I know I could get a much cheaper case with a fair number of similar features...but, like a lot of people, this case will last me for many many years. As to why: easily removable dust filters, front and top 220 mm fans with easily adaptable top mounted WC points, easy open side panels, fairly clean/slick design, and a window...i don't know why exactly the window attracts me, but it does >_>
 
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No prob. 🙂

If you like the 650D, look at the 550D for $106 AR AP. It's like the 650D but less expensive and with a newer design.

As for the H100, that isn't water-cooling. That's big air cooler with the heatsink connected by a tiny amount of liquid instead of a copper heatpipe. Definitely not worth it in terms of price/performance. If you want good bang for the buck, you get a tower cooler. If you want all-out performance, you get a real custom water cooling setup.
 
That does look like a nice case 🙂

I did get my parts in today, save for the dvdrom, cause i was $5 short (stupid tacobell -_-). Unboxed the 650D to take a look and very pleased with it. As for the H100, I do plan to play with a full water cooling setup eventually, so I just went with a hyper 212 for now. Gonna put the build together saturday afternoon, so I'll let ya all know how it goes. 🙂
 
:thumbsup: You might building right now, so I am thinking good thoughts for you. Let us know how it goes.
 
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