Need a new build

[S!ck]

Hey there Folks, in the next couple of weeks I am looking to buy a new rig. I know nothing of building your own however I heard somewhere that it's cheaper if you do. I'm looking for build ideas with links and a total price so that I can get the most for my money. I want to somewhat future proof it if I can. I have a monitor that I will be switching out for HD later on but for now its ok. I have a Razor keyboard and headset. I have a steelseries mouse as well so I don't need any peripherals. It will be used exclusively for gaming and I need it to have a good cooling system as it gets quite hot in my computer room. I will need a great case as well. My goal is to be able to play the newest games on ultra with ease however I'm not sure if my budget will allow for that heh.

Budget is 2000$ however if i go over by a couple hundred it's no big deal if its worth it and I would like to use windows 7 as OS.

Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Dominion]

You will be able to build an incredible machine for under $2k if you play it smart.

For example, aim for an i5 3570k instead of an i7 3770k. Yes, an i7 will have better benchmarks but those aren't particularly realistic. The primary difference between the two CPUs is the presence of hyperthreading on the i7. In case you aren't familiar, hyperthreading creates an accompanying virtual core for each physical core (the OS will see 8 cores). Each virtual core is worth roughly ~30% a physical core in terms of performance in completely ideal situations (hint: games can almost never take advantage of this).

If you primarily game the i5 will give you almost all of the performance of the i7 at a fraction of the price. I personally use the i7 since I actually have a use for hyperthreading (compiling software). You may want to consider the i7 if you do anything that requires a lot of parallel computation (photo/video editing, software development, etc.).

 

[S!ck]

Yeah a friend told me I would be better off going with the i5 as well as I would get about the same performance as the i7. I don't do any compiling or video editing. The only thing I use is photoshop so I think it will be fine. Thanks for the recomendation!

 

[Cloakedsphere]

Yeah a friend told me I would be better off going with the i5 as well as I would get about the same performance as the i7. I don't do any compiling or video editing. The only thing I use is photoshop so I think it will be fine. Thanks for the recomendation!

It would be better in short term for it. Long term the i7 will later out perform the i5 and you will be stuck with a pretty slow CPU in the next few years since new technology comes along.

The H100i is a great liquid cooling unit. You will be impressed with it, along with the dual 660's for SLI to be able to play anything you want in the distant future and you should have ZERO issues even running any current game on ultra without getting a good 100+ FPS.

Factor in another 100$ or so for an OS unless you are using linux and it should be good to go. This computer - in my opinion - would be the best one you could build for the price point. You could add a fan or two later on if your computer idles a little warmer then desired.

Oh and the SSD is for your OS. Install it there and your boot up times will be excellent.

 

[Snipeye]

Cloaked, by the time the i7 outperforms the i5, we'll be on a new chipset standard and there'll be new CPU's that will be called something different than the i7 and i5. I'm with Dominion on this one, go with the i5.

Use some of the saved money to get an actual SSD that can hold something more than just the OS.

The only thing I like about your build is the HDD, though I think you should be able to get a larger one than that. I don't think your build is an optimum build for $2,000. Too much money spent on the CPU (i5), PSU (600-750 watts will suffice), lacking GPU (definitely can go higher), RAM is debatable (depending on the overall cost, you may be able to squeeze in 16GB vs just 8); motherboard looks too expensive for me, too small of an SSD, and the addition of the water cooler is debatable (and imo, not needed).

The only thing I cannot comment on is the case since I need to look at it more to get a better feel and understanding how it works.

Edit: Just a quick estimate; you'll save about $500 if you went with the i5-3570K and a compatible motherboard versus the expensive i7 option. You can EASILY spend that money on dual-GPUs, a bigger SSD, bigger hard drive, a 3rd party heatsink that'll be about $30 (saving another $75), more RAM, and a different tower if needed.

 

[Snipeye]

Heatsink: Hyper 212 Plus or Evo ($30)
GPU: Dual EVGA Geforce 660 TI @ $295 apiece ($590 total) Or Geforce 680 ($490)
SSD: Intel 520 series 240GB ($270)
CPU: Intel i5-3570K @ $220
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UDH LGA 1155 ($160)
Total: $1270

Cloak's build total
Heatsink: $106 (+76)
GPU: $490 (-100)
SSD: $65 (-155)
CPU: $570 (+350)
Motherboard: $370 (+210)
Total: $1601

Difference: $331 in savings

Parts not upgraded/changed:
PSU
RAM (G.Skill Ripjaw Series 4x4GB 16GB $130 or 2x8GB for $125
Larger HDD (2TB @ $200, or dual 1TB for $180, even the new SSHD 1TB for $120)

Other parts you can add:
DVD-/+RW ($20)
Blu-Ray Drive ($60 for a drive, about $90-100 for burners)
OS ($100)

 

[Cloakedsphere]

Cloaked, by the time the i7 outperforms the i5, we'll be on a new chipset standard and there'll be new CPU's that will be called something different than the i7 and i5. I'm with Dominion on this one, go with the i5.

Use some of the saved money to get an actual SSD that can hold something more than just the OS.

The only thing I like about your build is the HDD, though I think you should be able to get a larger one than that. I don't think your build is an optimum build for $2,000. Too much money spent on the CPU (i5), PSU (600-750 watts will suffice), lacking GPU (definitely can go higher), RAM is debatable (depending on the overall cost, you may be able to squeeze in 16GB vs just 8); motherboard looks too expensive for me, too small of an SSD, and the addition of the water cooler is debatable (and imo, not needed).

The only thing I cannot comment on is the case since I need to look at it more to get a better feel and understanding how it works.

Edit: Just a quick estimate; you'll save about $500 if you went with the i5-3570K and a compatible motherboard versus the expensive i7 option. You can EASILY spend that money on dual-GPUs, a bigger SSD, bigger hard drive, a 3rd party heatsink that'll be about $30 (saving another $75), more RAM, and a different tower if needed.

Personally, I say go with the liquid cooler. Its a much better system even though it will take more maintenance. I did choose a very expensive CPU and motherboard. Thats where it really cut the budget down. If you want I can go back over and make the changes.

In my honest opinion I think the i7 would still be a better buy in the long term. The SSD really isnt meant for anything else other then the OS and maybe 1-2 other things. I dont expect him installing all his games to the OS as that would be somewhat... stupid? Dont get me wrong, I am not saying its a terrible idea but for a computer that can already handle the game at max settings why would you need on something to make it even faster then before when you wont even notice the difference?

I missed the ram. Sorry. Factor in another 100$ max for ram.

 

[Snipeye]

The point remains the same. The cost for the additional power doesn't make sense to get an i7, much less THAT i7. And by the time the i7 is used fully, we'll be on a new chipset with new and better CPUs, which will be 3-7 years down the road by the time he may get the upgrade bug for the i5. Bang for the buck dictates the i5-3570K IS a better buy than the i7-3930K.

 

[Cloakedsphere]

The point remains the same. The cost for the additional power doesn't make sense to get an i7, much less THAT i7. And by the time the i7 is used fully, we'll be on a new chipset with new and better CPUs, which will be 3-7 years down the road by the time he may get the upgrade bug for the i5. Bang for the buck dictates the i5-3570K IS a better buy than the i7-3930K.

In your build I would go with the samsung SSD more then anything. Samsung makes some awesome SSD's that are very nice and high quality. Ive heard good things about intels too. But Samsung is a cheaper one that I would say is easily on par with the intel SSD.

 

[Snipeye]

The difference between the Intel one I picked versus your Samsung is about 120GB. The Intel is 240GB vs Samsung's 120GB.

 

[Dominion]

Heatsink: Hyper 212 Plus or Evo ($30) You cannot beat this heatsink for the price! Unless you're planning on massive overclocks this will last you through the life of the computer.
GPU: Dual EVGA Geforce 660 TI @ $295 apiece ($590 total) Or Geforce 680 ($490) You can easily get away with a single 660 or 670 here if you want to save money. Highly recommend EVGA due to their warranty.
SSD: Intel 520 series 240GB ($270) Top-end SSD, highly recommended. Drop down to a 120gb to save money if this will only be your OS drive.
CPU: Intel i5-3570K @ $220 Highly recommended that you get the i5.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UDH LGA 1155 ($160) You can consider Asus alternatives here but this is a solid motherboard. You might also consider the ASRock boards if you want something less expensive (they're great boards). Make sure you get the Z77 chipset!
Total: $1270

Cloak's build total
Heatsink: $106 (+76)
GPU: $490 (-100)
SSD: $65 (-155)
CPU: $570 (+350)
Motherboard: $370 (+210)
Total: $1601

Difference: $331 in savings You will save more by going with a single GPU / smaller SSD.

Parts not upgraded/changed:
PSU The SeaSonic PSU is fantastic, I personally use the Corsair AX variant. Do not skimp on the PSU quality!
RAM (G.Skill Ripjaw Series 4x4GB 16GB $130 or 2x8GB for $125 Corsair Vengeance is another alternative here. Be careful of heatsink clearance if you get tall RAM with an aftermarket cooler (Corsair Vengeance Low-Profile is awesome).
Larger HDD (2TB @ $200, or dual 1TB for $180, even the new SSHD 1TB for $120) A million times yes, get separate OS and data drives.

Other parts you can add:
DVD-/+RW ($20)
Blu-Ray Drive ($60 for a drive, about $90-100 for burners)
OS ($100)

Comments above.

The i7 is simply not worth it in your situation. There's almost no chance that hyperthreading will be fully utilized by games anytime soon. Games are also not typically CPU-bound so hyperthreading is even more pointless if all you do is game.

Remember: the i5 3570k and i7 3770k are effectively identical apart from the hyperthreading.

 

[I'm your huckleberry]

Heatsink: Hyper 212 Plus or Evo ($30)
GPU: Dual EVGA Geforce 660 TI @ $295 apiece ($590 total) Or Geforce 680 ($490)
SSD: Intel 520 series 240GB ($270)
CPU: Intel i5-3570K @ $220
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UDH LGA 1155 ($160)
Total: $1270

Cloak's build total
Heatsink: $106 (+76)
GPU: $490 (-100)
SSD: $65 (-155)
CPU: $570 (+350)
Motherboard: $370 (+210)
Total: $1601

Difference: $331 in savings

Parts not upgraded/changed:
PSU
RAM (G.Skill Ripjaw Series 4x4GB 16GB $130 or 2x8GB for $125
Larger HDD (2TB @ $200, or dual 1TB for $180, even the new SSHD 1TB for $120)

Other parts you can add:
DVD-/+RW ($20)
Blu-Ray Drive ($60 for a drive, about $90-100 for burners)
OS ($100)

Build looks good. Only recommendations I would make is:

Samsung 256gb 840 pro or vertex 4 256gb are both cheaper and reliable options that are as fast if not faster (not that it will be noticeable so the cheaper option is really the only concern).

Single gtx 680 would be the route to go at the moment and save your money to either add a second one down the road or to upgrade to the next best thing when it arrives (but the single 680 will be more than enough to handle games at 1080p). Single cards are always smarter choices as dual cards have other problems associated with them. They win in the fps benchmark, but that is not the only factor that comes into play.

Drop down the gold 850w seasonic (if it is significantly cheaper, I know it was just on sale for $100 AR which is an amazing deal). That or the Corsair AX850 which is the exact same unit. You will usually pay a fairly high premium for the latest platinum rating. Even the 750w units would be enough if you end up adding a second card in the future, but the 850w would give you a little more breathing room.

I would probably get a slightly better cooler than evo such as the thermalright TS140

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-True-Spirit-140-officially/dp/B00629G1PG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1368154169&sr=8-2&keywords=thermalright[/ame]

Not sure the H100i would even fit in the RV03 from what I would guess. If you put it at the bottom, it would simply be dumping hot air into the case unless you make it exhaust from the bottom which would completely mess up the airflow the case was designed for.

 

[S!ck]

1
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
Item #:N82E16820231428
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$66.99

1
Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Item #:N82E16819115233
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
$214.99

1
WD Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" SATA Internal Hard Drive -Retail kit
Item #:N82E16822136830
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$209.99
$189.99

1
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
Item #:N82E16832116986
Return Policy: Software Standard Return Policy
$109.99
$99.99

1
Intel 335 Series Jay Crest SSDSC2CT240A4K5 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #:N82E16820167128
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
$229.99
$214.99

1
NVIDIA Coupon Metro: Last Light
Item #:N82E16800995159
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
$59.99

1
ASUS GeForce GTX 680 GTX680-DC2-4GD5 Video Card
Item #:N82E16814121705
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
$569.99

1
GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD4H ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Item #:N82E16813128583
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$191.99
$190.99


1
LG 24X DVD Burner - Bare Drive Black SATA Model GH24NS95
Item #:N82E16827136259
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$20.99


1
Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow Edition VN10006W2N White&Black Computer Case
Item #:N82E16811133192
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$289.99



Grand Total: $1,858.91

This is what I've come up with based on some recommendations. Comments? other suggestions? Am I missing something? hehe

Thanks again everyone!

 

[I'm your huckleberry]

Love the gpu, even though 4gb is likely overkill for 1080p. The dual slot design is definitely advantageous over the huge 3 slot coolers on the 2gb models. The asus cooler is also one of the quietest and coolest available, so win-win there.

For the price difference, I would upgrade to this ssd over that Intel model:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147193

The ud4h is fairly pricely on the canada site for some reason. The ud3h or even ud5h would be fine.

There are some slightly cheaper ram models you could get with the same specs:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186

You don't specifically need to get g.skill. Corsair would be fine as well.

That case is fairly pricey for what you get. There are definitely cheaper options that you could do that would provide the same benefit. However, reviews of that particular model show it is actually very cool and quiet running, it is just quite expensive for what you get. However, if you want to splurge a little on that piece, definitely go for it as that is the one component you will really be seeing all the time.

You forgot to include a power supply.

This one has a $50 promo code atm.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151102

The 750W version should get the job done as well:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087

You also picked the non K version of the 3570. This does not allow you to overclock, so if that is not something you care to do (though it is quite easy on these models and is basically free performance), you can save the $20 and go with the model you chose.

You also forgot the aftermarket cpu cooler which will keep your cpu running nice and cool. However, given you are in Canada, not sure how "hot" it is actually getting in your computer room. Better cooling will actually make it hotter in your room, not cooler. This is because it is simply dumping the heat more efficiently from your computer components into the surrounding air of your room. On the otherhand, given that the newer computer components run cooler and use less power, they will also not generate as much heat.

 

[Yolobot]

Here are some tips you should take in account when building a pc.

1) Intel is coming up with the Haswell i7 4770k on June 3rd, wait for that! Performance has increased by over 15% compared to the 3770k, and it would be at the same price.
2) It depends if you want to go overkill for the GPU. Either a GFX titan, radeon 7990, or gtx 690. If you don't want to spend 1grand on a graphics card, get the Gtx 680, or wait a couple more days for the GTX 700 series to come out.
3) If you're going to just use your computer for gaming, don't buy over 8GB of ram. Also, you won't need more than 1600hz, so don't go around buy a 2000+ mhz ram, which costs 40$ more.
4) Don't get watercooling, it's a big rip off. Get heat sink instead.
5) Don't get Asus for the motherboard. Gigabytes are by far the best out there, and cheaper than Asus.
6)Get a 256 GB SSD, or 512GB if you can afford. Install Windows 7 and some games, you'll notice a big change. Also, you'd be surprised how fast your SSD fills up, so don't buy a smaller size than 256 GB.

EDIT:

1
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
Item #:N82E16820231428
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$66.99

This is good.

1
Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Item #:N82E16819115233
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
$214.99

Good, if you want to upgrade in about 18 months.

1
WD Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" SATA Internal Hard Drive -Retail kit
Item #:N82E16822136830
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$209.99
$189.99

Let me ask you a question, do you NEED 2 TB? You could knock off about 60$ for a 1TB and get better SSD with it.

1
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
Item #:N82E16832116986
Return Policy: Software Standard Return Policy
$109.99
$99.99

Good, but Windows 8 is better for gaming. The background processes are less heavy.

1
ASUS GeForce GTX 680 GTX680-DC2-4GD5 Video Card
Item #:N82E16814121705
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
$569.99

780 is coming out some time in May. If you really can't wait for it, the 680 is good too. 780 didn't have a ridiculous performance boost, so it's nothing to worry about.

1
GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD4H ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Item #:N82E16813128583
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$191.99
$190.99

Great motherboard.


Do you already have a monitor?

 

[| Sam Hain]

Thanks for the insight, folks. I like the suggestions you posted about the hard drives Cronus and I'm your Huckleberry. The official build is soon to come.

 

[S!ck]

Thanks for the insight, folks. I like the suggestions you posted about the hard drives Cronus and I'm your Huckleberry. The official build is soon to come.

My RL friend helping me with the build

 

[S!ck]

First of all I would like to thank everyone for their input with regards to my new gaming rig. I appreciate it. Here is the final version that I went with for my very first build. You'll notice that I did not include any aftermarket cooling. Being in Canada, it does not get TOO hot here so I don't think I will require anything more then the fantastic airflow and stock cooling from my new case. I will keep an eye on the temperatures though just in case and make the leap if needed. At first I wasn't looking for a monitor but decided to pick up the Benq after hearing great things. All the parts are already purchased and in my computer room.. Tomorrow it will come to life! I will post pictures in the appropriate section when completed!!



G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1866MHz CL9 Dual Channel Kit

Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Socket LGA1155, 3.4Ghz, 6MB L3 Cache, 22nm (Retail Boxed) Gen3


Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow Edition (WHITE) Super Gaming Modular Tower Case


LG (GH24NS95B) Internal 24x DVD-Writer, OEM| Black, SATA


WD Black (WD1002FAEX) 1000GB (1TB) SATA3 7200RPM 64MB Cache (OEM)


Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H Socket 1155 Intel Z77 Chipset | Dual Channel DDR3 2400(O.C.) MHz, 3x PCI-Express x16 | Dual GLAN, 4x SATA 3.0Gb/s, 5x SATA 6.0Gb/s, 1x eSATA 6.0Gb/s, 4x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 | DVI/D-Sub/DisplayPort/HDMI, ATX


Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W 80PLUS Bronze Certified Power Supply


Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive


ASUS (GTX680-DC2-4GD5) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 4GB GDDR5 | 1006 MHz Clock, 6008 MHz Memory | PCI Express 3.0, DVI, DisplayPort, HDMI


Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium with Service Pack 1 64-Bit - 1 PC License and Media - OEM English


BenQ RL2450HT 24" Widescreen LED Monitor | 1920 x 1080, 12M:1 (DCR), 2ms | DVI, HDMI & VGA w/Height Adjustment

 

[| Sam Hain]

/envy

 

[Simon]

Cannot recommend the 3570 enough, its a solid processor! I got the non-k version but it's tanked through every little thing I've thrown at it without a whine.