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Trying to build a Gaming Desktop

N

nyczalex

Junior Member
I'm trying to built a high end above average computer "gaming" desktop. It will primarily be for gaming. I do not do not adobe video/sound editing or such. The most I would do would be wanting to run more than 1 game. My budget lies around $1500 and i'm hoping it can last be around the next 4-5 years. I can upgrade it slowly along the years if needed. I would like it to be able to run and stay on pretty much 24/7 with my game/chat programs/downloads/websites/etc. left idling (probably let it rest once every 2 weeks when I go to sleep). I would like the PC to be making minimum sound, doesn't mean has to be completely silent but definately not the sound of a car running. The cheaper I am able to spend from my budget would be good (best bang for my bucks) and able to make it the best possible that I can afford.

Is there a place that can teach me how to put everything together as well or is it risky for someone like myself that doesn't know anything about this or never done it before? If it is, I can/will get someone that has experience and knows what they are doing like my local cafe owner.

Usage of PC: Primary Gaming (Most would run 2 games at once with all my regular programs. Chats/Browsers/Anti Virus/Livestream/etc.
Budget: $1500
Location: USA
Current parts: None. Making from scratch
Resolution: Not sure.. Does it matter? 😱
Purchase date: Around 30-60days


These are the parts I have after doing hours and hours of searching and browsing at newegg.

CPU CHIPSET - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K - $219
or
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I72600K - $299

MOTHERBOARD - ASRock Z77 Extreme6 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $160
or
ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $240

VIDEO CARD - GIGABYTE GV-R787OC-2GD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
or
EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1572-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $315
or
OVERCLOCK 2x video card or other high end single video card

POWER SUPPLY - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - $110

HARD DRIVE - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $140

FAN - octua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler - $86
or
taking other recommendations (Really would rather be safe than sorry and able to leave pc on 24/7 without any problems for 3-5years) will do upgrades slowly throughout years

MONITOR - ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) W/Speakers - $180

CASE - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Upgraded USB 3.0 - $100
or Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan - $50
or COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x 230mm front RED LED fan, 1x 140mm rear fan, 1x 230mm top fan, and 1x 230mm side fan - $150
or full towerCOOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case - $200

SDD - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - $150

What other parts do I need? I believe I need a SDD but i'm not sure what that is used for.. I searched and it seems like its just an alternative to an hard drive? Will my case fit everything? Do I need more fans? Not to sure about a lot of parts so my choices can be round and they may not go together so let me know 🙁

Some other questions I have are:
a) What exactly is SLI and do I need it? If so, how would I go about doing this? Buying double of the video card?
b) What exactly is overclocking? Do I need it? If so how would i go about doing this?
c) I'm pretty sure I need more fans then just the one I listed? Which others and for where/what?
*Keep in mind, I am a hardcore gamer with around $1500 budget*

Please give me any info you can to help.. Are my parts a bad choice? Is it not worth it? Any better recommendations? etc... thanks alot.. Sorry if i am not too well knowledged in this area.. I am in no rush of building this PC... Probably search around and learn more info and will built it in another 1-2 months.. so I will also be on the lookout and maybe find some super slick deals on some parts to save money.

Thanks, Alex
 
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Well, first, your links don't work, so it's hard to figure out some of the things you want to buy. Second, $1500 is alot; you can get a very good machine for that price. Though none of your parts seem really bad, I'd start with [thread=2192841]Mfenn's build here[/thread]. To keep things quiet you'll probably want a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo. Then add a monitor, anything else (Do you need an OS?), and consider upgrading your GPU at that point to up-to a GTX 670.
 
Ken g6 said:
Well, first, your links don't work, so it's hard to figure out some of the things you want to buy. Second, $1500 is alot; you can get a very good machine for that price. Though none of your parts seem really bad, I'd start with [thread=2192841]Mfenn's build here[/thread]. To keep things quiet you'll probably want a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo. Then add a monitor, anything else (Do you need an OS?), and consider upgrading your GPU at that point to up-to a GTX 670.
Click to expand...

How come the links dont work now? It worked before >_< it says bad request..
What is the cooler master hyper 212 evo? a case? How are the parts I picked out.. Do they all work together? Am I missing anything? I got windows at home
 
nyczalex said:
How come the links dont work now? It worked before >_< it says bad request..
What is the cooler master hyper 212 evo? a case? How are the parts I picked out.. Do they all work together? Am I missing anything? I got windows at home
Click to expand...

cause you didn't copy the entire URL, or the referral system is broken... the url is not complete (hover over one of them and see.. the last two are working okay, but not the first few)
 
1) hardcore gamer so you want ultra on everything or what?
2) two games at the same time so what kind of games?
3) sli/crossfire is when you get two of the are graphics card and connect them with a "bridge"
4) overclocking is when you push the CPU to work harder/clocking higher, its worth it, just don't pump too much voltage into the chip.
5)fans, nouctras are good buy you don't need that good of fans
 
Last edited:
paperwastage said:
cause you didn't copy the entire URL, or the referral system is broken... the url is not complete (hover over one of them and see.. the last two are working okay, but not the first few)
Click to expand...
Thanks

T_Yamamoto said:
1) hardcore gamer so you want ultra on everything or what?
2) two games at the same time so what kind of games?
3) sli/crossfire is when you get two of the are graphics card and connect them with a "bridge"
4) overclocking is when you push the CPU to work harder/clocking higher, its worth it, just don't pump too much voltage into the chip.
5)fans, nouctras are good buy you don't need that good of fans
Click to expand...
1.Yes, I want to run ultra(max settings on on without any problems.
2. At most, some sorta mmorpg and play some fps game.
3. What's the different between the two? Would I need it for my built? Would it be worth it for the extra price if I were to put 2 cheaper cards under $300 since i was planning to get a 300+ video card.
4. What is a recommended overclock for me? I want to be able to leave my computer on pretty much 24/7 without any problems and have the pc able to last me around at least 4 years. I will upgrade it slowly throughout the years if needed.
5. ^ this
6. What is a SDD? As much research as I did, I hear its just a alternative hard drive (space) to specifically install and keep the OS there. Please let me in on this. What is the advantage of this? Will it run better the computer?

Updated Links and added/updated more choices

thanks for the replies!! keep it coming 🙂
 
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Try and fix your links
1. Get a H77/Z77 mb instead of the Z68, the 77s are newer.
2. A 500W psu is good enough unless you're thinking of sli later on. Theres a 600W PC&C for $57 AR if you check in on the other threads.
3. SSD are all electronic harddrive, you should pick one up if you have the budget for it.
 
nyczalex said:
Thanks


1.Yes, I want to run ultra(max settings on on without any problems.
2. At most, some sorta mmorpg and play some fps game.
3. What's the different between the two? Would I need it for my built? Would it be worth it for the extra price if I were to put 2 cheaper cards under $300 since i was planning to get a 300+ video card.
4. What is a recommended overclock for me? I want to be able to leave my computer on pretty much 24/7 without any problems and have the pc able to last me around at least 4 years. I will upgrade it slowly throughout the years if needed.
5. ^ this
6. What is a SDD? As much research as I did, I hear its just a alternative hard drive (space) to specifically install and keep the OS there. Please let me in on this. What is the advantage of this? Will it run better the computer?

thanks for the replies!! keep it coming 🙂
Click to expand...

3. SLI is Scalar Link Interface (correct me if I'm wrong) and it is used on NVidia cards to run together, providing up to two times the performance (on a two way SLI set-up)
Crossfire is the AMD/ATI version of SLI
eg, 7870s in Crossfire, 670s in three-way SLI
You don't really need SLI or Crossfire unless you're going multi-monitor @ full 1080p
I think its more preferable to go single card as you can upgrade the card over time if need be, rather than swapping out two cards out. 7870 could suffice for 2+ years.

4. I'm guessing you're getting either an i5 2500k or i5 3570k? 4.4 GHz seems to be a sweet spot for overclocking.

6. Yes it's like an alternative to keep data that you want fast access and your OS.

An advantage of a SSD is that it helps with general system performance, like say opening your internet browser, it opens up a lot faster and it makes your system feel more 'snappy'.
Something among the range of Intel 520, Crucial M4 or Samsung 830..
 
bononos said:
Try and fix your links
1. Get a H77/Z77 mb instead of the Z68, the 77s are newer.
2. A 500W psu is good enough unless you're thinking of sli later on. Theres a 600W PC&C for $57 AR if you check in on the other threads.
3. SSD are all electronic harddrive, you should pick one up if you have the budget for it.
Click to expand...
1. looking at this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?
or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157295
2. Yeah, i'm thinking of sli later so im going for a stronger watt psu. got this in mind. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...7139011(better safe than sorry)
3. can't really decide on a sdd that seems stable and long lasting.. any recommendations? saw this or the consair http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo


CoDLolcopter said:
3. SLI is Scalar Link Interface (correct me if I'm wrong) and it is used on NVidia cards to run together, providing up to two times the performance (on a two way SLI set-up)
Crossfire is the AMD/ATI version of SLI
eg, 7870s in Crossfire, 670s in three-way SLI
You don't really need SLI or Crossfire unless you're going multi-monitor @ full 1080p
I think its more preferable to go single card as you can upgrade the card over time if need be, rather than swapping out two cards out. 7870 could suffice for 2+ years.

4. I'm guessing you're getting either an i5 2500k or i5 3570k? 4.4 GHz seems to be a sweet spot for overclocking.

6. Yes it's like an alternative to keep data that you want fast access and your OS.

An advantage of a SSD is that it helps with general system performance, like say opening your internet browser, it opens up a lot faster and it makes your system feel more 'snappy'.
Something among the range of Intel 520, Crucial M4 or Samsung 830..
Click to expand...
Not going multi-monitor. Is it only worth using it for that? I'm getting either the i5 2500k or i7 .. I posted links above and updated so it should work.. It opens general system performance because it takes faster to find? I need an recommendation for a SDD drive thats stable and fast.. Can't seem to find the right one..

Thanks for the replies guys! keep it coming
 
Your linked are still jacked up, so its hard to tell exactly what you're looking at. Can you just copy any paste the exact model name and price?
 
CoDLolcopter said:
IMO, SLI or Crossfire on the single monitor isn't really worth it, a 7870 can handle most games on high or above by itself.

The i5 2500k is a better option, you don't need hyperthreading on the i7 for gaming really.

As for the SSDs, I recommend these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148442

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820167093

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147163

These are known to be stable and reliable.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply, I think i'm going with the i5 2500k and Crucial M4 SDD. I figured the i7 is only $100 more and a new cpu won't come out for a while so was thinking futureproof.

mfenn said:
Your linked are still jacked up, so its hard to tell exactly what you're looking at. Can you just copy any paste the exact model name and price?
Click to expand...
Sorry, I thought I fixed it.. it worked for me but i guess it didn't for others.. I edited the post and pasted the exact model with price... LMK what you think..

I see a total of around $1600 which is fine ... probably will be cheaper since I won't be purchasing this for another month or so.. Gonna hang around and look for some slick slick deals where I don't even need to think twice about it.

Some things to keep in mind:
* I am hoping this computer can last 4-5 years with upgrading throughout the years.
* I am hoping to run sli/crossfire later on if i decide to use multiple monitors.
*I am hoping this can last all games coming out in the next few years on high-max settings.
*I would rather be safe than sorry. *example - more cooling than less.*

Anyone else have any recommendations on comments on my built as to which choices and path I should, please do comment. Thank you.
 
CoDLolcopter said:
I reckon going with the i5 2500k, ASRock Extreme6, Gigabyte 7870 would be great.
Don't get the Caviar Black if you're going to get a SSD, go with a Green instead.
If you're looking for silence, Antec and Fractal Design are some options to consider.
Click to expand...

Thanks for reply..

Yeah, right now i'm looking at the i5 2500k, ASRock Extreme6 and the gigabyte 7870.. What do you think about my other parts? Whats the difference between the caviar black and the green that you listed? As for the case, is the sound proof from the cases you suggested a noticeable difference in sound with the cases I put? I don't really like the look of those cases =P
 
nyczalex said:
Some things to keep in mind:
* I am hoping this computer can last 4-5 years with upgrading throughout the years.
* I am hoping to run sli/crossfire later on if i decide to use multiple monitors.
*I am hoping this can last all games coming out in the next few years on high-max settings.
*I would rather be safe than sorry. *example - more cooling than less.*

Anyone else have any recommendations on comments on my built as to which choices and path I should, please do comment. Thank you.
Click to expand...

Thank you, the exact descriptions makes things a lot easier to figure out.

If you're going to be upgrading through the years (which is perfect), there are a lot of ways to make this build better:
- CPU: i5 3570k $240 - 10% more money gets you 10% better performance along with PCIe 3.0 (which doesn't matter now, but will matter in 3-4 years
- Mobo: Z77 Extreme4 $130 - the Extreme6 or Sabertooth don't offer enough extra value
- GPU: GTX 670 $400 - In pretty much every game except for Crysis, the GTX 670 offers tremendous value compared to the GTX 570 or 7870. Reducing the mobo to a more reasonable option that still maintains the same performance (which I have done), easily frees up enough budget.
- PSU: XFX 650W $82 AR - $110 is way out of whack for a TX650. At any rate, the XFX 650W will easily drive GTX 670 SLI.
- HDD : Seagate 1TB $100 - The Cav Black just costs way too much for what it is.
- HSF: Mugen 3 Rev. B $55 - The D14 is a good cooler, but is by no means required for stable operation.
- Monitor: Good
- Case: Eleven Hundred $80 AR - Pretty much a Nine Hundred that has been improved in every way.
- SSD : Samsung 830 $130 - Good, but the Samsung is faster and about the same price.
 
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