New PC build, with some gaming in mind

[bpsg119]

Hi. I'm rebuilding my desktop computer from scratch, and giving my existing one to my inlaws as a christmas gift (after upgrading to SSD, Win 8, and a few other things).

I haven't gamed in year-- since I first got my Wii. I've decided that I'd rather drop in a decent video card into the new desktop and game on the PC, rather than buy an Xbox or PS3. I'm pretty excited about this, but expect that I'll find myself without as much time to play games as I hope. In the end this might just be a phase. Because of this, I think it would be best not to buy the top-end video card now incase I end up not really making good use of it. Instead, get a decent video card capable of playing everything out now, and hopefully anything released in 2013. I've been leaning towards the 7850 ~$200 + Far Cry 3 (which is supposed to be a good game). I'm also interested in games like Tribes: BF3, Planet Side 2 - though I've never played them myself.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

This will be a general use desktop. I'd like to get back into gaming. Its been a long time, and I've never been a hardcore gamer to begin with. This may just be a phase, so I want a video card that's good enough to play current and some future titles, but not necessarily top-of-line.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

in the $1000 price range. I've already

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've been favoring AMD/ATI, but I can be convinced to go Nvidia.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

I've already purchased several components for this build:
Corsair CX500 ($30)
Corsair 200R ($30)
Kingston HyperX 3K 240 gb ($150)
and several case fans

I've got some old hard drives sitting around to pair with the SSD.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

I may consider overclocking, but nothing serious. I will air cool this system.

8. What resolution will you be using?

I've got a new 27 inch 2550x1440 display.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

I'd like to buy CPU/mobo/RAM within the week. GPU within the month.

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?

I plan to run Win 8 pro. I've got my software taken care or or will pick up anything else I need.

 

[riversend]

So, is the $1000 in addition to what you have already spent? Do you still need to purchase Win8 Pro, or is that something you already have, or not a part of the $1000 budget?

Have you checked out mfenn's midrange build that is stickied at the top of the general hardware section? If not, take a look at that, and let us know about the budget that is still in play. Should be some good options out there based around that build.

 

[bpsg119]

The $1000 is the total approx budget of hardware. Don't include cost of software in your recommendation. I have a license for win 8 already.

I should say that I live close to a microcenter. I plan to buy a 3570k and mobo from them. What mobo though. Though I have an atx case, I'd rather build matx. Is the Asus maximus gene worth an extra $100 over the as rock pro4m?

It's the gpu that I need the most help deciding on. Is it worth the money for me to get a 79xx card, or is a 78xx good enough?

Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

 

[Insert_Nickname]

8. What resolution will you be using?

I've got a new 27 inch 2550x1440 display.

A little advice from someone who also has a 1440p monitor. You'll want AT LEAST a HD7870/GTX 660TI. Anything less will choke at that resolution the minute you add any form of AA... :\

The HD7950 seems the sweet spot for 1440p gaming...

 

[DSF]

Why is it that you want to put the microATX board in a full ATX case?

 

[lehtv]

1440p gaming is so demanding that it's unfortunate you already got a CX500. It's not Crossfire compatible. It'd be a better idea to get a 650W+ unit with 4 PCIe connectors and an ATX motherboard with x8/x8 PCIe compatibility, even if you didn't buy two graphics cards right off the bat.

Going with what you got...

3570K $170
Hyper 212 Evo $30 (can always buy it later, OC'ing is not really necessary yet)
Asrock Z77 Extreme4 $95
2x4GB Samsung 1600 $35
Sapphire 7970 $360
Kingston HyperX 3K 240 gb $150
Seagate 1TB $70 (need or not?)
DVD-RW $17
Corsair CX500 $30
Corsair 200R $30

$952 after rebates + MC tax + shipping

You can always swap the PSU to something bigger if you decide to go 7970 crossfire later, the mobo is crossfire compatible. Or you can return the CX500 and buy this: XFX 750W XXX $100 (more powerful, more efficient, modular, longer warranty)

 

[Termie]

1440p gaming is so demanding that it's unfortunate you already got a CX500. It's not Crossfire compatible. It'd be a better idea to get a 650W+ unit with 4 PCIe connectors and an ATX motherboard with x8/x8 PCIe compatibility, even if you didn't buy two graphics cards right off the bat.

Going with what you got...

3570K $170
Hyper 212 Evo $30 (can always buy it later, OC'ing is not really necessary yet)
Asrock Z77 Extreme4 $95
2x4GB Samsung 1600 $35
Sapphire 7970 $360
Kingston HyperX 3K 240 gb $150
Seagate 1TB $70 (need or not?)
DVD-RW $17
Corsair CX500 $30
Corsair 200R $30

$952 after rebates + MC tax + shipping

You can always swap the PSU to something bigger if you decide to go 7970 crossfire later, the mobo is crossfire compatible. Or you can return the CX500 and buy this: XFX 750W XXX $100 (more powerful, more efficient, modular, longer warranty)

Great suggestions. I agree he limited himself a bit with his PSU choice, but the 7970 should more than make up for it. That being said, he has confessed that he is not a big gamer and might not stay with it. For that reason, I would highly recommend that he save some money and get the HD7950 for $280: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202006

It comes with not one, but three games (unlike the 7850/7870), and is at the sweet spot of price/performance for his resolution. A 7870 is sub-optimal at 1440p and I'd cross the 7850 off the list entirely.

 

[mfenn]

1440p gaming is so demanding that it's unfortunate you already got a CX500. It's not Crossfire compatible. It'd be a better idea to get a 650W+ unit with 4 PCIe connectors and an ATX motherboard with x8/x8 PCIe compatibility, even if you didn't buy two graphics cards right off the bat.

Going with what you got...

3570K $170
Hyper 212 Evo $30 (can always buy it later, OC'ing is not really necessary yet)
Asrock Z77 Extreme4 $95
2x4GB Samsung 1600 $35
Sapphire 7970 $360
Kingston HyperX 3K 240 gb $150
Seagate 1TB $70 (need or not?)
DVD-RW $17
Corsair CX500 $30
Corsair 200R $30

$952 after rebates + MC tax + shipping

You can always swap the PSU to something bigger if you decide to go 7970 crossfire later, the mobo is crossfire compatible. Or you can return the CX500 and buy this: XFX 750W XXX $100 (more powerful, more efficient, modular, longer warranty)

:thumbsup: Looks good to me. Obviously you could save ~$80 with a 7950 3GB instead of a 7970, but it's not necessary at the OP's budget.

 

[Termie]

:thumbsup: Looks good to me. Obviously you could save ~$80 with a 7950 3GB instead of a 7970, but it's not necessary at the OP's budget.

Yea, but he stated he's considering a $200 7850. There ought to be a very good reason for us to suggest a $360 7970. Perhaps his monitor is that reason, but he should know all the options.

 

[bpsg119]

First why mATX? I had a few weak reasons that really don't matter now that I picked up an ATX case. The deal on the C200R was just too good to pass on. I'm open to ATX. I can almost certainly get more bang for my buck with an ATX, or save some money.

I did look at mfenn's budget build list. I just wanted to post on here, mostly for GPU advice.

As for the PSU, I saw the deal and jumped on it. Originally I was just rebuilding my desktop w/o gaming in mind, so the CX500 is plenty for that. I doubt I'll return it, but could pick up another if its needed, but I thought a 7850 would work find with it. How about the 7950?

As for gaming resolution. I guess since I've got the real estate, I might as well use it. I wanted to get the 1440p for occasional photo editing, and high desktop resolution. I bought it long before I decided to put a gaming machine together. In truth, I was thinking of gaming at a lower resolution, but if a 7950 can handle 1440p, I'm interested.

I know I want a 3570k + mobo from microcenter-- its a fantastic deal. I still need to pick the mobo, but that's not such a big deal. My main question is whether it makes sense in my situation to spend $100, $200 or $300 on a video card, especially when it wasn't originally on my radar a month ago. Its VERY tempting to get the 7950 that Termie pointed out, especially with the 3 games. So convince me, What do I lose by getting the 7850 vs the 7950 (or 7970 for those who think its worth it)? With the free games offered by AMD, is there any reason I should be looking at Nvidia? How long should I expect a 7950 to stay relevant?

Thanks again.

 

[riversend]

Here is some benches between the 7950 and 7850. At 1440 I would go with the 7950 at a minimum, but given the fact that you are not concerned with highest settings and are willing to scale down I do not think you need to go any higher than that. (You may want to give some consideration to the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 or similar Crossfire board in case you get hooked and need to drop in another card to keep gaming performance up, but again, given your usage description I don't think that is worth it.) The three games that AMD offers are only of use to you if either 1) you are interested in them and will play them, or 2) you are certain that you will resell them and pocket the cash. In general AMD has great deals and bang for buck performance. That said, the nVidia products are very capable but they continue to want you to pay a premium for a couple of extra percent performance (that said, I have an nVidia card because I was not going to OC, the price was competitive with the rebate at the time).

 

[lehtv]

Yea, but he stated he's considering a $200 7850. There ought to be a very good reason for us to suggest a $360 7970. Perhaps his monitor is that reason, but he should know all the options.

It seems to me he doesn't have a terribly good idea of what graphics card he should be buying. Of course, that's fine - he's the one asking for advice here. If his monitor was 1080p, then a 7850 would fit the notion of wanting a video card "good enough to play current and some future titles, but not necessarily top-of-line." On 2560x1440 though, 7950 is the minimum I'd recommend for GPU-intensive FPS. If he's going to overclock, that evens the performance between 7950 and 7970, and if he's not, I think the 7970 is appropriate.

 

[Eureka]

Definitely get a 7950/7970 for 1440p. Sounds like OP isn't on a tight budget, so what's an extra $80 from the 7850 to not have headaches? And the CX500 should be fine for one 7970 plus an i5.

Use mfenn's guide for everything else:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2192841

 

[bpsg119]

Thanks. I'll be getting a 7950 or 7970. I'm going to keep the cx500 for the moment, and pair a 3570k with asrock z77 extreme ( most likely) and 8 GB ddr3 1600.

That should be about all that I need.

Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

 

[bpsg119]

I just saw an article posted today at Tech Report comparing the 7950 and the nvidia 660TI, where they claim the 660 outperforms the 7950 handily. Should I put any stock into this?

Link to article: http://techreport.com/review/23981/radeon-hd-7950-vs-geforce-gtx-660-ti-revisited

 

[mfenn]

I just saw an article posted today at Tech Report comparing the 7950 and the nvidia 660TI, where they claim the 660 outperforms the 7950 handily. Should I put any stock into this?

Link to article: http://techreport.com/review/23981/radeon-hd-7950-vs-geforce-gtx-660-ti-revisited

Nope. Especially not when AMD is offering 3 good games and Nvidia is offering a single mediocre one.

 

[riversend]

OP, If you look at the benches mfenn passed you can see that some titles based on Anandtech's testing actually do better with the 660ti. So, really it depends. The 7950s are generally preferred for those with no specific gaming preferences, those who will overclock, or for whom the 3 game bundle is attractive (want to play them or will sell them). If you have specific preferences (like I do) then the nVidia cards may make sense. My 2 cents anyway.

 

[bpsg119]

Thanks for the recommendations and advice.

I ordered a the sapphire 7950 last night along with 8 gb of samsung ram in mfenn build.

I gave careful thought to the 7970, but considering that I started out with the intention of using onboard video for this build only a few weeks ago, I've slowly crept up the ladder of GPUs, stopping one notch from the top end gaming card that many (most) people are currently buying. Though I could afford the 7970, Its hard to justify since I'm not a serious gamer, will likely have far less time than I wish to play games, and from what I have read (here and elsewhere), I the 7950 should be plenty capable. I save ~$80-100 and still get 3 free games. I have yet to decide if I will keep the games or sell them (what's the best way/place to do that btw?). IT looks like I can expect about $50 if I decide to sell, and if so then my total cost is around what I would spend on a 7850/7870, as someone pointed out above.

In the end, this is going to be a computer that will see most of its time being used to browse the internet, light personal photo/video editing, and tasks related to work (which can be quite intensive at times). I'm excited to get back into gaming, but the reality of it all, I'll have far less time for gaming than I'm hoping right now. My hopes and excitement got me up to a 7950, but the reality of the situation is mostly what kept me from splurging on the 7970.

Thanks again for your help and advice. Hopefully the build goes smoothly and I won't need it again for this build though.

 

[mfenn]

OP, If you look at the benches mfenn passed you can see that some titles based on Anandtech's testing actually do better with the 660ti. So, really it depends. The 7950s are generally preferred for those with no specific gaming preferences, those who will overclock, or for whom the 3 game bundle is attractive (want to play them or will sell them). If you have specific preferences (like I do) then the nVidia cards may make sense. My 2 cents anyway.

My point was that a the blanket statement that the OP read ("The GTX 660 Ti outperforms the 7950 handily") is demonstrably false. As you stated, there are some games where the GTX 660 Ti is better and some where the 7950 is better. Overall, it is pretty much a toss-up.

 

[mfenn]

I the 7950 should be plenty capable. I save ~$80-100 and still get 3 free games. I have yet to decide if I will keep the games or sell them (what's the best way/place to do that btw?). IT looks like I can expect about $50 if I decide to sell, and if so then my total cost is around what I would spend on a 7850/7870, as someone pointed out above.

They are Steam keys, so you can sell the key as long as you don't activate it on your Steam account. All three games (Hitman: Absolution, Far Cry 3, and Sleeping Dogs) are really good though. If you don't want any of them, I would question why you're getting a gaming GPU in the first place.

Thanks again for your help and advice. Hopefully the build goes smoothly and I won't need it again for this build though.

You're welcome! Let us know how it turns out.

 

[riversend]

My point was that a the blanket statement that the OP read ("The GTX 660 Ti outperforms the 7950 handily") is demonstrably false. As you stated, there are some games where the GTX 660 Ti is better and some where the 7950 is better. Overall, it is pretty much a toss-up.

Your point was understood by me, I just wanted to make sure the OP understood what he was looking at. As it stands the techreport review based on potential smoothness of gameplay varies so far out of the normal conversation of benchmarks and performance as to not translate easily into a forum discussion , so your use of the AT bench was a good way to get back on track. Maybe I need to read the techreport article closer :\, but it seems to be looking for differences in the margins. IMHO anyway.

 

[bpsg119]

Any opinions about CPU cooler? I was planning to use the Cooler Master Hyper 212, but mfenn's post also suggested the TPC 812, which I know little of. Is there any reason to spend nearly double for this other (and I'm guessing newer, cooler?)

 

[Termie]

Any opinions about CPU cooler? I was planning to use the Cooler Master Hyper 212, but mfenn's post also suggested the TPC 812, which I know little of. Is there any reason to spend nearly double for this other (and I'm guessing newer, cooler?)

The 812 is more advanced than the 212, and will lead to lower temperatures. See review: http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2654&page=5

That being said, it's not particularly quiet, it's really large, and in your case, its additional cooling capacity isn't necessary. I'd probably go for the 212+ for $25, as long as you don't mind it was $15 during Black Friday sales.

 

[mfenn]

Any opinions about CPU cooler? I was planning to use the Cooler Master Hyper 212, but mfenn's post also suggested the TPC 812, which I know little of. Is there any reason to spend nearly double for this other (and I'm guessing newer, cooler?)

Either one is fine now that the 212 is back to $25. My latest midrange builder's guide update was written in the context of a $35 212.