Yet another Gaming build...

[zzglenn]

Hello,

I am hoping to have some time this Christmas to enjoy my hobby at the fullest (high\ultra settings in BF3, Skyrim, Diablo3, MW3, ME3 one deck to be played). I would like to enjoy them on Ultra if possible. I am looking to spend around $800 to $1000 on a gaming box. I would like the option to stream and hook up to my HD TV as well. Any thoughts to help save money or give me a boost in performance. I already have hard drives and 27in LCD.

Crucial M300 128GB SSD
Samsung Spinpoint 750GB.
Samsung 27 inch LCD 1900x1080

Below is what I have picked out from the posts here already. Please advise. I am stuck mostly on motherboard choice, PSU, and Video card, but open to all options.

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner -
$18.99

IN WIN Dragon Rider Black 1.0 - 0.8mm SECC Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case Item -
$159.99-$25.00 Instant = $134.99

XFX HD-697A-CNFC Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity Item
$349.99 $30.00 Mail-in Rebate Card

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power
$139.99$ - -$35.00 Instant - $15.00 Mail-in Rebate Card = 104.99

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B
$46.99

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate
$129.99 - -$5.00 Instant = $124.99

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
$219.99

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler
$29.99 - $4.00 Instant = $25.99


Grand Total $1,026.92 - $55 in rebates = $972

Questions on build.

1) Motherboard - I have never gone with ASROCK should I go with the more fully featured board to handle future upgrades?
2) Video Card - Should I stick with the 6970 or go for the sweet spot of 6950? Does manufacture matter? XFX, HIS, Powercolor?
3) PSU - I would like something that can handle 2 cards in the future, but I don't need 1000W.
4) Cooler - I picked a cheap cooler is there another one that is better?

Thanks for all your help and advice.

 

[mfenn]

The chances of you actually upgrading to SLI in the first place are something like 5%. If even if you do, the $50 XFX Core 650W will handle 6950 CFX no problem. The 6970 falls into (not worth the extra money) territory IMHO, and right now the unlockable Sapphire 6950 2GB is in stock for $240 AR (grab it now!).

Finally, the case is a bit of personal preference, but I don't see how the Dragon Rider is worth $135. I'd much rather have an R3 (paying less is a bonus).

 

[zzglenn]

Thanks Mfenn.

I'm stuck with ordering from newegg. Any other options on PSU? I will take a look at the cases again.

 

[lehtv]

Why are you stuck with ordering from newegg? If you're sure about that, the same XFX unit is $66 AR. However, a 750W unit would be safer in terms of overclocking dual 6950's. E.g. OCZ ZT fully modular $90 AR.

I agree with mfenn about the 6950. But for a gaming setup, I'd recommend the Fractal Arc Midi over the R3, the stock cooling is just that much better. The R3 is nice though but I had to add a few extra fans to get the cooling performance I wanted. You should also take a look at Cooler Master's HAF and Storm series cases, they generally offer very good airflow at a good price point; personally, the looks aren't for me but you might like them if you like In Win.

 

[zzglenn]

Thanks for update lehtv.

I would rather go higher, but the XFX unit is cheaper. Back when I did this before you had to be careful what PSU you bought. I can see many brands with good ratings out there now. Does it matter on manufacture for PSU?

Case wise I went with the dragon as it was big for more drives and large fans to keep things cool. Plus I liked how it looked. In the end though I would rather have functionality over looks. I have never heard of Fractal, but are they the best for airflow at the moment? Any other case recommendations?

 

[lehtv]

Does it matter on manufacture for PSU?

Do you mean 'does the manufacturer of the PSU matter'?

Fractal Design is relatively new in the case market but they've already gained a good foothold as their cases strike a good balance between price, functionality/features, cooling/quietness and design (their signature minimalistic look and black/white coloring). In terms of airflow only, there are plenty of cases that are better - however that shouldn't be your only metric for choosing a case. Airflow is important only up to the degree that you need it, and an Arc Midi would certainly have enough airflow for your purposes (plus you can later add more fans).

 

[chimaxi83]

PSU manufacturer should definitely be considered. XFX is a solid choice, I have a Core 850w and it's served me great, handled a highly clocked 2500k and two 6950s, and it's more than I needed.

 

[zzglenn]

Thanks for the input.

I will take a look at the XFX PSU again. I may go with the 750w just to be on the safe side.

Case wise I'm at a loss now. I just went for looks and space. I would like to save some more money, but also looking for something snazzy. Any recommendations for a good solid peforming case with some flare around $100 or less?

Thanks

 

[lehtv]

Rosewill Thor V2 $130, full tower, pretty much the best stock cooling (3x 230mm) at that price but it's huge
CM Storm Sniper $130, mid-tower, 3x 200mm
In Win Buc $85, mid-tower, 5x 120mm
Antec 902 V3 $90AR, mid-tower, 200mm + 3x120mm

etc. etc. just search newegg, not that hard

 

[chimaxi83]

I've got a HAF 922, should be around that price. A lot of room for cooling and long video cards. It won't fit extended ATX though if you were ever looking to go that route.

 

[zzglenn]

Thanks for posts. I have been searching newegg and there are so many options. I guess like you guys said its also a personal choice as well.

Thanks for the feed back.

 

[mfenn]

I've got a HAF 922, should be around that price. A lot of room for cooling and long video cards. It won't fit extended ATX though if you were ever looking to go that route.

That is something that 99.9% of people will never do though.

OP, lehtv and chimaxi83 are right on with regard to the cases. I will reiterate that you should not spend a bunch of money trying to plan for a Crossfire upgrade in the future. It doesn't make any financial sense when you consider that you are very unlikely to do so. They way it usually goes is:
1. Your current machine is feeling slow, so you go and look at a bunch of benchmarks.
2. You say, "Wow, look at those Crossfire numbers, I better make my system ready for that!"
3. You buy a new system and are blown away by the single-GPU performance and promptly forget about upgrading.
4. A year or two passes and you are starting to feel like you want to upgrade again. You say, "Aha! Now I can make use of that Crossfire board and PSU that I bought!".
5. Looking at GPU prices, you realize that getting a second GPU would cost you about the same as getting a new-generation GPU (high-end GPUs do NOT drop in price).
6. You realize that you wasted $50-100.

I'm trying to short circuit you to #6 here (I've been around the block a few times).