Advices for a new (Gaming) PC

A

Aryiam

Weaksauce
Joined
Jan 27, 2005
Messages
87
Hi everyone!

I'm tired of gaming laptops, and to speak the truth I want to create a decent configuration for all currently launched games - that might still be okay in the next few years. I was thinking at:
Mainboard: Gigabyte Z77-DS3H Socket 1155
CPU: Intel Core i7 3770 IvyBridge 3.4 GHz Socket 1155 box
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX660 Ti 2GB DDR5 192bit
RAM: Corsair 2x4GB DDR3 1600MHz Vengeance RED Radiator
HDD: WD Caviar Blue 1TB SATA3 64MB 7200RPM
Power Supply: OCZ ZS Series 550W Sursa OCZ ZS Series 550W
Case: Thermaltake Commander GS-III

Any opinions? Any other recommendations?

In Romania, the system mentioned below will be around 1200 USD. So that's basically the maximum amount of money I'm willing to spend.

Thanks in advance,
Antonio
 
The biggest bottleneck of a gaming rig is often the video card and this is exactly the case in your configuration. I'd suggest replacing the i7 cpu with a less powerful i5 cpu, because frankly speaking, the extra processing power of the i7 isn't needed when it comes to gaming. This should give you the room to allocate more budget into a better graphic card, such as the GTX670. :)
 
Not really sure if that's spam, or an actual hint. Anyway, I'm going to buy the components from a retailer located in my current city.
 
Please answer the stickied "Answer These Questions First!" So that we can help you better.
 
My apologies, I thought the information I've already provided was enough. Below are the answers for all questions:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mainly gaming.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
1000 - 1200 USD, and yes - tax and shipping included.

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

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.
I want a brand new system, so all components are required (please see my initial post for what I've had in mind).

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
N/A

6) Will you be overclocking?
I don't really think so, stock values are okay I guess.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
I'll use the 1920x1080 resolution. My monitor has 24".

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
In the following week.

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.
I'm not interested in SLI or Crossfire. What I really want: USB 3.0 and SATA 3.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No, my Windows 7 key is not reusable. I'm planning to buy Windows 8 for this system.

Thank you!
 
All right then, since you're only gaming and not overclocking, what Zefiris said does apply: Drop the i7 and go for the Core i5 3470 or Core i5 3450 CPU, whichever is the cheapest. With the savings, definitely bump up the GPU to the HD 7950 3GB or GTX 670

For the PSU, the PSU itself is of good quality but the company behind it is known for relatively poor customer support. I'd recommend an Antec High Current Gamer series, Corsair TX series, or Seasonic's G series PSUs instead.

For the case, it's not that good of a case since it only comes with one 120mm fan and its cable management features are virtually non-existent. Go for the Corsair 200R, NZXT Source 210 Elite, or Coolermaster HAF 912 case instead.

Motherboard wise, I'd recommend the MSI Z77A-G43 or MSI Z77A-G45, whichever is cheaper, since they will have a better UEFI than Gigabyte.
 
I don't see a CPU cooler in your list. Take a good look at the reviews [H] have done. Something like a Corsair H60, H80, or H100 will serve you well. Since that case has top vents, you might also consider a Nofan if you're not overclocking.
 
Okay, I'll go for the MSI Z77A-G43 & i5 3470. Isn't the stock cooler OK since I won't OC?

Now comes the hard question - ATI or nVidia? I've read some reviews and while 7950 is a powerful card, it doesn't have proper drivers and in some games even the 660GTX Ti is actually performing better.

Also, the Antec High Current Gamer 520W is enough for this system? Or I require 600+ W?
 
Aryiam said:
Okay, I'll go for the MSI Z77A-G43 & i5 3470. Isn't the stock cooler OK since I won't OC?
Click to expand...
The stock cooler is ok. That is unless Romania is a hotter country than I imagine it would be.
Aryiam said:
Now comes the hard question - ATI or nVidia? I've read some reviews and while 7950 is a powerful card, it doesn't have proper drivers and in some games even the 660GTX Ti is actually performing better.
Click to expand...
Recently AMD drivers have gotten a whole lot better. Plus their game bundle deals are far better than Nvidia's game bundle deals. With that said though, I'd still recommend the GTX 670 2GB due to the better performance over the HD 7950 3GB.

Aryiam said:
Also, the Antec High Current Gamer 520W is enough for this system? Or I require 600+ W?
Click to expand...
520W is more than enough.
 
For the moment I have:

Mainboard: MSI Z77A-G43 - 130 USD
CPU: i5 3470 3.20GHz box - 240 USD
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Red 8GB DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Dual Channel Kit Rev. A - 85 USD
HDD: Western Digital 1TB SATA-III 7200 rpm 64MB Caviar Blue - 88 USD
PSU: Antec High Current Gamer 520W - 98 USD
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus - 110 USD

With the components mentioned above (around 750 USD), I won't be able to go for a GTX670 (it's over my budget since the cheapest card in Romania is around 540USD).

I guess I'll have to stick with a GTX660 Ti or 7950?
GTX660 Ti - around 395 USD for the cheapest card (EVGA? Asus? Gigabyte?)
7950 - around 390 USD for the cheapest card (MSI is a good idea?)

Once again, thanks for all your suggestions & feedback!
 
It matters what manufacturer I choose?

By the way, I've seen these tests: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crysis-3-performance-benchmark-gaming,3451-5.html

They seem to indicate the GTX660 Ti as a (slightly) better card. Even so, it's just one game after all... Maybe the benchmark is not that relevant, but I'm just trying to be 100% I'll take the right decision (hehe, I also have to buy furniture & stuff for the living room in a few months so I won't upgrade this PC for 1-2 years).
 
The cards are very comparable and it is equivalent of arguing over 2 5 dollar bills or 1 10 dollar bill. Either will work just fine for gaming. Go for the cheaper option or the better bundle. If you can squeeze it try finding a good deal on an ssd drive and add that. Makes a huge difference in day to day performance.
 
I actually found a deal, Gigabyte 7950 at 372 USD. I also get the Crysis 3 + Bioshock Infinite bundle (I don't really trust the retailer, but it's the best price I've seen in Romania until now).

-le-

I still don't understand how these two cards are very close regarding gaming performance; the ATI seems so much more powerful (specs wise).
 
This may be a dumb question but why are you getting a 3470 for $240 when you can get a 3570k for $219? Gives you the option to overclock if you want and it's cheaper. Am I missing something here?
 
Maverick1337 said:
This may be a dumb question but why are you getting a 3470 for $240 when you can get a 3570k for $219? Gives you the option to overclock if you want and it's cheaper. Am I missing something here?
Click to expand...

Ya where he lives.
 
Thanks Climber, I'll take a look right now.

Maverick: The 3570k is somewhere around 280-300 USD in here.
 
Yeah, we tend to have overpriced "values" for everything in here (VAT is 24%, hehe).

Still, it's a better CPU? I might go for it if the performance boost is notable. I found it a few moments ago at around 265 USD (an extra 25 dollars won't be a problem).
 
For $25 more than ya go for the upgrade. The 3570k is a great gaming CPU and it is a great OC.
 
Aryiam said:
Still, it's a better CPU? I might go for it if the performance boost is notable. I found it a few moments ago at around 265 USD (an extra 25 dollars won't be a problem).
Click to expand...

The Core i5 3570K is only worth it if you overclock. If you don't overclock, then the Core i5 3570K performs almost the same as the cheaper Core i5 3470.
 
Cool then. In theory - this should be the final configuration:

Mainboard: MSI Z77A-G43 - 130 USD
CPU: i5 3470 3.20GHz box - 240 USD
GPU: MSI Radeon HD7950 OC 3GB DDR5 384-bit - 483 USD
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Red 8GB DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Dual Channel Kit Rev. A - 85 USD
HDD: Western Digital 1TB SATA-III 7200 rpm 64MB Caviar Blue - 88 USD
PSU: Antec High Current Gamer 520W - 98 USD
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus - 110 USD

TOTAL: ~1230 USD

The only question I still have, I can't decide what manufacturer I'll choose for the GPU. MSI? Sapphire? Gigabyte? I've seen on the web that Asus had some cooling issues (solved by the v2, which is a lot more expensive).

Thank you, I really appreciate your interest and advices!
 
I'd go with the Gigabyte since it has a better looking cooler :cool:
 
...aaaaaand it's finished! I'll make the order in the next few days. Hopefully that PSU will be more than enough (520W seems a bit less than required in my mind, I don't know why).

Thanks a lot for all your help m8! Much appreciated.
 
My apologies for the double post, but I didn't want to start a new thread just for this question. Do you guys recommend Windows 7 or Windows 8?

I'd be more than eager to try a fresh new breeze, like Win8. Though, I'm not very sure it will handle all new games the same as Win7.

As a note, both cost around 170 USD at our local retailers - so I just need to choose one.
 
Aryiam said:
My apologies for the double post, but I didn't want to start a new thread just for this question. Do you guys recommend Windows 7 or Windows 8?

I'd be more than eager to try a fresh new breeze, like Win8. Though, I'm not very sure it will handle all new games the same as Win7.

As a note, both cost around 170 USD at our local retailers - so I just need to choose one.
Click to expand...

I just built a new computer for a friend back in december. I put windows 8 on his computer and the only game that he's had issues with to date is skyrim. I can't remember the exact process but there were a few mods that I had to turn off from the latest patch in order to get the game to run. Once I did that though, it worked great.

If you're up for new things then I say go for Windows 8. To me, it's basically windows 7 with a new face.
 
Okay, I just wanted to say that my new PC is here! I'm now starting to install the components.

The only changes I've made:
- instead of the i5, I've bought an i7 3770k 3.5 Ghz
- the PSU is a modular Seasonic 520W

By the way, the HAF 912 Plus looks simply amazing.

I went a bit over my planned budget, but it worth it.

Thanks everyone!
 
Hi guys,

I'll post here so I won't make another thread.

My CPU is around 43-47 degrees Celsius in idle, with the stock cooler. I've done a few quick searches on the internet, and I've noticed it should be somewhere around 30-37. Should I worry? Do I really need a new/better cooler for it?

The thing is something weird happened last night. I was playing Bioshock Infinite and after about 40 min the mouse movement wasn't smooth at all (even after I alt+tabbed - the same behavior occurred in Windows). When I'll come from work tonight, I'll also test the GPU temperatures...
 
Note that your temperatures are also influenced by your choice of case, the airflow layout in your case, how secure the HSF is to the motherboard, and your ambient temperature. In other words, when you see others with "30-37 degrees", they may have better cases, better airflow layouts, or live in a cooler area than you do.

As for the Bioshock issue, see if it occurs with any other game.
 
Silly me, it's from the mouse pad... I have this sweetie, and the mouse simply "jumps" when its sensor reaches white areas. :(
 
Aryiam said:
Hi guys,

I'll post here so I won't make another thread.

My CPU is around 43-47 degrees Celsius in idle, with the stock cooler. I've done a few quick searches on the internet, and I've noticed it should be somewhere around 30-37. Should I worry? Do I really need a new/better cooler for it?

The thing is something weird happened last night. I was playing Bioshock Infinite and after about 40 min the mouse movement wasn't smooth at all (even after I alt+tabbed - the same behavior occurred in Windows). When I'll come from work tonight, I'll also test the GPU temperatures...
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry so much about temps if you aren't overclocking. Unless you attach the HSF wrong I wouldn't be worried.

There is thermal protection built into the chips and the scaling will be noticeable, not just in the mouse movement.

The problem with comparing temps is that many times software can report different temps and even the board depending on the location of the sensor can report temps that are actually different than if taken by a actual laser temp thingy.
 
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