mostly new build for gaming

b14z3

Gawd
Joined
Jun 14, 2003
Messages
601
Posting this to help out a friend with upgrading his computer. Looking forward to any advice that y'all can provide.

Thanks.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Web browsing (10-15 chrome tabs typ) and Gaming: Planetside 2, Dota2, Path of Exile, a large variety.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
800-1k with tax/shipping included. (I have shoprunner for newegg, free shipping and no sales tax here)

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Salem, Oregon

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU, Ram, Case, Mobo, Video card

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Reusing my Samsung 840 250GB SSD and a Seasonic X-850 PSU

6) Will you be overclocking?
Unlikely

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Currently using 21' 1680x1050 -- will be upgrading to 1080 and keep this one as a secondary monitor

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Before end of February

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
SATA III and USB3.0

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I have reusable W7 64bit
 
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Can ya narrow down that time frame? What I recommend now wont be what I recommend two weeks from now.

You have no need for a optical disk drive?
 
are you saying your recommendations change due to the Newegg deals/combos that change each month? or some other reason? If the prices are right though, he'll be buying sooner rather than later.

No, no need for optical drive - can use a thumb drive and/or secondary computer that has an old drive.
 
are you saying your recommendations change due to the Newegg deals/combos that change each month? or some other reason? If the prices are right though, he'll be buying sooner rather than later.
That and the fact that pricing and availability can change what parts we recommend. Just because one part is in-stock now doesn't mean it'll be in stock 2 months for now or at the price where it's worth buying.

No, no need for optical drive - can use a thumb drive and/or secondary computer that has an old drive.
So you'll be installing Windows 7 from a USB drive?
 
That and the fact that pricing and availability can change what parts we recommend. Just because one part is in-stock now doesn't mean it'll be in stock 2 months for now or at the price where it's worth buying.

I'll go ahead and pull in the purchasing timeline to within 2 weeks.

So you'll be installing Windows 7 from a USB drive?

Yes.
 
Define "future-proof" for us. What do you plan on keeping in, say, five years' time?
 
updated time-frame to be by end of Feb. and motherboard features to just include SATA III 6Gb/s and USB 3.0
 
Is that new 1080P monitor part of that $800 to $1000 budget?
Which edition of Windows 7 do you have? Home Premium? Pro?
 
Is that new 1080P monitor part of that $800 to $1000 budget?
Which edition of Windows 7 do you have? Home Premium? Pro?

no on the monitor, future purchase when the price is right - but I need the video card to support 1080 at respectable frame rates is why I included it.

Win 7 Pro 64-bit but I'm not sure why that matters
 
Then here's what I recommend:
$184 - Intel Core i5-3470 CPU
$78 - Asus P8B75-M/CSM Intel B75 mATX Motherboard
$42 - Corsair 8GB CMV8GX3M1A1333C9 DDR3 1600 RAM
$370 - MSI N670GTX-PM2D2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 670 2GB PCI-E Video Card
---
Total: $674 shippd.

Have him choose his own case. I recommend the following cases:
$65 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
$80 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$110 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$120 - Lian Li PC-7HX Black Aluminum ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002GR Black Finish w/Green Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White ATX Case
$126 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black ATX Case
$123 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black ATX Case
$125 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Black Pearl ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Arctic White ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Titanium Grey ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$168 - Silverstone TJ04B-EW ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$168 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B-USB3.0 ATX Case
$240 - Silverstone FT02S-W-USB3.0 ATX Case
$245 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW ATX Case
 
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thanks for the build, I'll look into it more :cool:

would there be any advantage to spending an extra 30 for a 3570 and/or upping the motherboard to something in the ~120 range? maybe more performance/reliability by doing so?
 
Since you're not overclocking, the 3570K is a waste of money for you. The regular 3570 is also a waste since its performance increase doesn't justify the additional costs. Upping the mobo to something in the $120 range would more than likely get you a higher quality mobo. But definitely not much of a dramatic performance increase. Something like the MSI Z77A-G43 or Z77A-G45 would do the job nicely, whichever is cheaper.
 
Win 7 Pro 64-bit but I'm not sure why that matters

The reason why we asked this is because Win 7 Home Premium artifically restricts the maximum amount of RAM it can address to only 16GB. Win 7 Pro can address up to 192GB.

If on the other hand you're going to run Windows 8, the plain (non-Pro) edition can address up to 128GB of RAM while the Pro can support up to 512GB.
 
The reason why we asked this is because Win 7 Home Premium artifically restricts the maximum amount of RAM it can address to only 16GB. Win 7 Pro can address up to 192GB.

If on the other hand you're going to run Windows 8, the plain (non-Pro) edition can address up to 128GB of RAM while the Pro can support up to 512GB.

Ah forgot about the memory restrictions in win7, though I suppose it doesn't matter too much since 8GB is enough for gaming typically anyway and what Danny recommended.
 
oh wait, I just realized it's just 1 8GB stick as well... is using dual-DDR not a big increase anymore?
 
WHAT?????

NO MENTION OF A POWER SUPPLY?????

WHAT POWER SUPPLY DO YOU HAVE NOW?

People are recommending high end graphics cards with no thought of a good power supply.

AHEM
 
WHAT?????

NO MENTION OF A POWER SUPPLY?????

WHAT POWER SUPPLY DO YOU HAVE NOW?

People are recommending high end graphics cards with no thought of a good power supply.

AHEM

Read the OP.

Seasonic X-850 PSU
 
Then here's what I recommend:
$184 - Intel Core i5-3470 CPU
$78 - Asus P8B75-M/CSM Intel B75 mATX Motherboard
$42 - Corsair 8GB CMV8GX3M1A1333C9 DDR3 1600 RAM
$370 - MSI N670GTX-PM2D2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 670 2GB PCI-E Video Card
---
Total: $674 shippd.

Have him choose his own case. I recommend the following cases:
$65 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
$80 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$110 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$120 - Lian Li PC-7HX Black Aluminum ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002GR Black Finish w/Green Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White ATX Case
$126 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black ATX Case
$123 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black ATX Case
$125 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Black Pearl ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Arctic White ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Titanium Grey ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$168 - Silverstone TJ04B-EW ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$168 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B-USB3.0 ATX Case
$240 - Silverstone FT02S-W-USB3.0 ATX Case
$245 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW ATX Case

I'm the OPs friend. Thanks for this detailed response Danny and everyone else for their input.

I am about to pull the trigger after making some changes.I had a couple follow up questions if anyone could answer.

First, the changes I made from the recommended spec:
1) Going to grab 2 sticks of 8GB corsair instead of 1. Probably not necessary, but I keep a lot of chrome tabs open while I game.
2) Going with an i5-3570K so I can OC in the future
3) Going with Z77A-G45 mobo (not much more expensive after savings code and rebate)

1) Galaxy 67NPH6DV5ZJX GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card has a 40$ rebate. Should I take this brand over MSI for the price saving? Will it hurt me in anyway?

2) I am actually thinking about getting the i5-3570K and OCing after I get an aftermarket cooler in the future. Would the mobo I mentioned in the changes above support this?

3) If yes to question 2. Can anyone suggest an after market cooler that would support OCing?

Thanks a lot guys!
 
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1) Galaxy 67NPH6DV5ZJX GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card has a 40$ rebate. Should I take this brand over MSI for the price saving? Will it hurt me in anyway?
While Galaxy has a presence here on the forums and does seem to be gaining a rep for decent service, I'm still not 100% sure about recommending a card from them just yet. With that said, it would not be a bad choice to go with Galaxy.
2) I am actually thinking about getting the i5-3570K and OCing after I get an aftermarket cooler in the future. Would the mobo I mentioned in the changes above support this?
If you're actually serious about overclocking, I'd recommend spending the extra cash for this better overclocking mobo instead:
$135 - Asus P8Z77-V LK Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
3) If yes to question 2. Can anyone suggest an after market cooler that would support OCing?
The budget HSF we generally recommend is this HSF:
$28 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156

Also, what case are you planning on buying?
 
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I was planning on this case: Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case.
As it has a nice rebate and promo code.
 
And actually, if I go with your suggest Asus mobo, it comes with a single stick of 8GB Corsair Ram

So I might as well just buy 1 more stick of it and go with that. If its a compatible/good type of Ram to buy.

Would this be recommended?
 
And actually, if I go with your suggest Asus mobo, it comes with a single stick of 8GB Corsair Ram

So I might as well just buy 1 more stick of it and go with that. If its a compatible/good type of Ram to buy.

Would this be recommended?

if you want 16GB you usually go with a matched pair from factory... not recommended to buy them separately

of course this is based on my old PC days when memory affected everything more
 
if you want 16GB you usually go with a matched pair from factory... not recommended to buy them separately

of course this is based on my old PC days when memory affected everything more

Hmm, so not only same brand/model, but purchased at same time?

Can anyone confirm this is still the case?
 
I was planning on this case: Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case.
As it has a nice rebate and promo code.
Solid case.
And actually, if I go with your suggest Asus mobo, it comes with a single stick of 8GB Corsair Ram

So I might as well just buy 1 more stick of it and go with that. If its a compatible/good type of Ram to buy.

Would this be recommended?
That's not the same free RAM that comes with the Asus P8Z77-V LK. It's this RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233218

$50 for essentially 16GB of RAM is a pretty phenomanal deal. But the problem with that Corsair RAM is that its tall heatsinks will interfere with most air-coolers out there. So you would have to go with one of those liquid cooling kits to avoid that interference. But those liquid cooling kits do cost significantly more:
$60 - Corsair Hydro H60 Liquid Cooling System

So in the end, it'll cost you more but would provide a pretty cool WOW factor to the system.

EDIT:
Hmm, so not only same brand/model, but purchased at same time?

Can anyone confirm this is still the case?
As long as the RAM have similar timings and voltage, it doesn't matter what brand or model you get or when you get the RAM.
 
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Oh, good catch Danny - would have been embarassing buying the wrong type.

I think I will do two sticks of that RAM, as long as what bl4z3 mentioned is not an issue.

I don't mind going with liquid cooling in the future, as it seems like a fun thing to do and will not affect my immediate budget.
 
seems the latest build is:

ASUS P8Z77-V LK
i5-3570K
CORSAIR 16GB (in some form or fashion)
Galaxy GTX 670
Corsair 600T case

comes out to ~880 with buying the extra 8GB stick of ram, after $75 in mail-in rebates, $954 total without rebates... still within budget!
 
So you would have to go with one of those liquid cooling kits to avoid that interference. But those liquid cooling kits do cost significantly more:
$60 - Corsair Hydro H60 Liquid Cooling System

So in the end, it'll cost you more but would provide a pretty cool WOW factor to the system.

That's the one I was mentioning last night when Logan brought up OC'ing and additional cooling.

Danny, do they still do OEM processors then for cheaper, that is without the retail box and stock HSF if he went the H60 route?
 
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I don't factor in MIR until I receive them. But at $954 shipped, that setup isn't bad for the money.
 
I also just saw the case you're looking at on newegg has a combo deal available, might compare the prices or maybe sell the extra free stick of ram that was with the motherboard.

case+ram combo

Also, if you're buying today then - look for any combo deals newegg might offer before you put it all together, you can sometimes save 10-30 bucks or more on a system that way on top of the other rebates. (the combos will be listed after the 'overview' section on the items page)
 
wow that cpu/mb at microcenter together is only 285.17... some deal after adding the mb to cart it drops to $75 and a $15 rebate, cpu is $190 there.

too bad you're not near a Micro Center store lol, but it's tempting me to upgrade :p
 
As far as graphics go, your timing would be perfect to grab a pair of GTX 660 GCs from TigerDirect for a total cost of $384 after rebates:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4368424&CatId=7387

For about the cost of a high end GTX 670, a pair of 660s in SLI will give you about 25% more performance than a single 680 and let you easily max out Planetside 2 when paired with a good CPU. As I've mentioned a dozen times before on this forum, I've run a pair of these cards myself and performance was awesome with none of the heat issues often associated with running SLI in a compact space. The GTX 670 is a good card too, but I think you'll really be impressed with this option for the price.
 
As far as graphics go, your timing would be perfect to grab a pair of GTX 660 GCs from TigerDirect for a total cost of $384 after rebates:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4368424&CatId=7387

For about the cost of a high end GTX 670, a pair of 660s in SLI will give you about 25% more performance than a single 680 and let you easily max out Planetside 2 when paired with a good CPU. As I've mentioned a dozen times before on this forum, I've run a pair of these cards myself and performance was awesome with none of the heat issues often associated with running SLI in a compact space. The GTX 670 is a good card too, but I think you'll really be impressed with this option for the price.

The only problem with that route is that there will be absolutely no increase whatsoever in the total usable amount of graphics RAM with SLI. (As in 2GB + 2GB will not equal 4GB - but will still equal just 2GB.) And that's 2GB of slower RAM whose overall bandwidth is also 25% lower than the RAM on the GTX 670. And since not all games take advantage of more than a single GPU, SLI would be a waste in those games which do not scale well in performance with more than one GPU.
 
***EDIT UPDATE: CPU Cooler added***

Final build:
- Component/Link - Name - Price before MIR
- Memory: 2x CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M1A1600C10 - 1 Stick free with Mobo, 1 $45
- CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K - $230
- Case: Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $145
- Motherboard:ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS - $150
- GPU: Galaxy 67NPH6DV5ZJX GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $360
- CPU Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro Series H60 (CWCH60) High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler - $48

Free Perks:
NVIDIA $150 value in-game coin coupon

MIRs:
$85 Total MIR
- $15 for MOBO
- $40 for GPU
- $20 for Case
- $10 for CPU Cooler

Total cost before MIR:
$978 (Went entirely through newegg to keep process simple / take advantage of shoprunner, could have shaved a few dollars)

Total cost after MIR:
$893

Future purchases / Plans:
- Monitor

Thanks all for the great input!
 
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The only problem with that route is that there will be absolutely no increase whatsoever in the total usable amount of graphics RAM with SLI. (As in 2GB + 2GB will not equal 4GB - but will still equal just 2GB.) And that's 2GB of slower RAM whose overall bandwidth is also 25% lower than the RAM on the GTX 670. And since not all games take advantage of more than a single GPU, SLI would be a waste in those games which do not scale well in performance with more than one GPU.

He'll be running in 1080p, so I don't see memory being an issue here. I'm only speaking from personal experience. Gaming in 1080p I saw very noticeable gains from a single GTX 680 GC 4GB to a pair of GTX 660 GC 2GB. Tech specs aside, I'm basing my recommendation off of my own hands on experience playing actual games with the cards.

That being said, I had quite a few games to work with but I did not play Dota 2 or Planetside 2 when I tested, so I did some further research on it. What I found is that Planetside 2 works excellent with SLI, but it does look like Dota 2 is still having some teething issues with it for some people. It'll probably be worked out in a future game update, but that's something to keep in mind for now.

By the way, I'm hearing rumors about some possible good deals right around the corner that might be a good fit for this topic, so let's see if tomorrow brings any new specials that might change things up bit.
 
Might want to update your signature Galaxy.

You don't like my signature? I like my signature.

Kidding aside, I don't keep all the cards I test. The GTX 680 GC 4GB is still my mainstay so my sig is accurate. I do have other machines with other cards, but for my main rig I put the 680 back in after I'm done taking the new releases for a test drive.
 
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