Building New Gaming PC

[Artyom]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
MOSTLY Gaming and everything else you do with a PC.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
2000$ U.S. Tax included, Shipping included.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Texas, Fort Worth.
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.
Tower, Motherboard, CPU, GPU, Power Supply, RAM (12GB).
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
My Hard Drive will be used in my new PC as well as my optical drive, 500GB SATA II Hard Drive, and DVD RW Optical Drive. I will also reuse my Headset for a sound system, my mouse and my keyboard, including my Monitor. I might reuse my RAM 12.0 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 532MHz (7-7-7-20) as well if it will fit the motherboard.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No, I will NOT be overclocking anything.
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
19" 1280x720
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I plan to build the PC ASAP, I would like to finish it at the start of March, I want to have the PC ready for Metro: Last Light.
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 am not interested in features at the moment but I will be using the PC for gaming mostly, but opinions are welcome.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I have a legit Windows 7, Home Premium on this computer now 64 bit, but will most likely use Windows 8 64bit on my new computer, opinions are welcome!

 

[Suprfire]

You should consider a new monitor, because building a PC that would drive 1280x720 resolution at Max settings would be at most ~$800.

In any case, you're looking at a 3570K (while you're not OCing, the difference is ~$10 from the reg 3570), some-brand Z77 Motherboard, HD 7870(overkill unless you change out your monitor), Antec/Corsair 500-600w PSU, and reusing 8gb of your RAM in dual channel.

and i'm sure Danny can chime in here with his list of Computer Cases for your choosing.

Let us know if you will upgrade your monitor, just go ahead and include it in your budget, as there is plenty for it.

 

[kumquat]

1) Get a new monitor. Yours is too small and the resolution is laughably low.

2) What other considerations are there besides speed? Size, volume, ports, etc.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

$2000 is a huge budget for a system with so little requirements. As others have suggested, I highly recommend going with a 1080P or 1440P monior. 1080P for anything less than 27" and 1440P for anything 27" or higher. You also have the budget to get a GPU that can power any game at any of those resolutions.

With that large budget, I would highly recommend replacing that 500GB hard drive and/or using that hard drive as a storage drive. Simply because that hard drive is probably a really old model and considerably slower than current hard drives. With your budget, I'd recommend at least a 256GB SSD and a 1TB storage hard drive for your setup. The SSD will be make your system seem a LOT snappier when opening programs, booting into Windows, opening files, etc..

Why 12GB? Triple Channel RAM is a thing of the past, therefore kits are 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB in size these days. I would recommend at least a 16GB kit with your budget; especially considering how cheap RAM is these days (Under $100 for a good 16GB kit) if you stick with your W7 Home Premium OS, then 16GB is the maximum however W7 Pro/Ultimate and I think all version of Windows 8 have a much higher limit.

 

[Dangman]

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

How far are you from these Microcenter locations?:
http://microcenter.com/site/stores/houston.aspx
http://microcenter.com/site/stores/richardson.aspx

I might reuse my RAM 12.0 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 532MHz (7-7-7-20) as well if it will fit the motherboard.

What's the model number of that RAM?

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I plan to build the PC ASAP, I would like to finish it at the start of March, I want to have the PC ready for Metro: Last Light.

Ok, when's the earliest that you can spend the $1500 to $2000 for this PC? People have widely different definitions of "ASAP".

 

[Artyom]

Right now I have at least 1200$ at my disposal right now, but can easily make more if need be and have it ready by my deadline. I would prefer to finish the computer first and then looking for a new monitor after, which kind of brand do you suggest would suit me that is considerably good and at a good price range?

 

[Dangman]

hich kind of brand do you suggest would suit me that is considerably good and at a good price range?

If you're talking about monitors, we go by specific models as some brands may have both good and bad monitors for a good or horribly expensive price.

Also, please answer my RAM question.

 

[Artyom]

1) I am 275 Miles from that store, 4 hours and 11 minute drive.

2) I can't find the exact model number of my RAM without opening my computer and taking out my fan for my Graphics card, which is blocking it, but I can give you two URL's to exact replica's of what they are. (sorry about that, if you really need me to take apart my computer I can if it is necessary.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820103008 (this has a picture of one of the model stickers.)
http://www.amd.com/US/PRODUCTS/DESKTOP/RADEON-MEMORY/Pages/system-memory.aspx#4
3)The earliest I can spend 1500$ would be at the start of next month, I have a total of 1200$ at the moment, but if I need more money I could clock in some more hours to earn it.

 

[Artyom]

The other two cards of RAM in my Computer are standard 2GB DDR3 cards that equal up to 4GB, giving my computer 12GB of RAM.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

You're gonna need new RAM since the build we will recommend to you will be Intel based. That RAM is rated at 1.65V which could damage an Intel processor. Not to mention it's also AMD based RAM, so it's probably not even compatible anyway. Luckily a 16GB RAM kit is only like $80 or less.

If you intend to buy a monitor later, then that's fine. We wont include one with your current $1200 budget if you can buy it before the end of the month.

 

[Artyom]

Thank you.

 

[Dangman]

Ok do you want to build a PC now with $1200 or a PC next month for $1500?

I'm fairly sure we can spec out a PC that'll meet you needs for $1200. But $1500 would certainly get you higher performance but with some definite diminishing returns.

 

[Artyom]

probably 1200$, but if you could give me some options on upgrades in the future that would be fantastic.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

Been a little busy setting up me new toys and helping a friend get DayZ installed on his computer. However, if no one gives you a build list I'm gonna give you one, but I intend to leave some thing off the list since you can buy them later and it wont effect you now. Such as not including a monitor since you can easily get a 1080P monitor later and easily add it, thus not losing money with a part you don't need. I will also not include an HDD, since you can easily add one of those into your system after it's running, but I will give you an SSD initially so you can get it up and running. Will most likely be a 256GB SSD.

What kind of games do you intend on playing mostly? Anything specific? Will help narrow down a GPU more suited to your needs.

As it sits right now.

i5 3470 $200
~$100 motherboard, not sure which model yet will have to look
670, 660 ti, 7950 video card
16GB DDR3 1333 or 1600 RAM
256GB SSD
550 - 650W PSU
One of danny's cases

Then you can get a monitor and HDD at a later time

 

[Artyom]

as of now I will be playing DayZ with my buddies, but whenever Metro: Last Light comes out I will be playing that a lot, I would like to at least play on Normal settings on it, but if possible, play on Ultra. Maybe BF3 as well, not too sure on that one though because I already own it for the Xbox. Whatever can fit my budget though and whatever you consider is probably the best choice for me to choose.

 

[Artyom]

Is there any good monitors that you suggest to get? I am thinking about getting around a 24" 1080P Flat Panel Monitor.

 

[Dangman]

$189 - Intel Core i5-3470 CPU
$115 - MSI Z77A-G43 Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
$68 - Corsair CMX16GX3M2A1333C9 2 x 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$375 - eVGA GeForce GTX-670 2GB Video Card
$195 - Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 2.5" 256GB SSD
$76 - Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$18 - LG iHAS124-04 DVD Burner
$80 - Antec HCG-620M 620W Modular PSU
----
Total: $1116 shipped.

As for cases, I recommend any of the following:
$45 - Corsair Carbide Series 200R ATX Case
$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
$120 - 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

As for a monitor, check out this monitor:
$330 - Dell UltraSharp 24" LED IPS LCD Monitor

 

[Artyom]

Thank you, whenever I get it done, would you guys like me to send you some images?

 

[Deleted member 88227]

We always like build posts. Post in here or you can start a new build thread. Totally up to you.

 

[Artyom]

Ok guys, me and a friend changed around some items, here they are and see what you guys have to say.

135.99$ - Corsair Professional Series AX 750 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Gold (AX750)
399.99$ - GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 Windforce OC 2048MB GDDR5 256-bit PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Graphics Card
$89.99 - Corsair Carbide Series Black 400R Mid Tower Computer Case (CC-9011011-WW)
$188.79 - Intel Core i5-3470 Quad-Core Processor 3.2 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I53470
$199.99 - Crucial m4 256GB 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT256M4SSD2
$79.99 - G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-1333C9D-16GAO
$184.99 - GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UP4 TH LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with Dual Thunderbolt
1279.73$ total

I am reusing my Hard Drive and my Optical Drive
ATAPI DVD A DH16AAS ATA Device
488GB Western Digital WDC WD5000AAKS-08V0A0 ATA Device (SATA)

And for my monitor later on..
Asus VS247H-P 24-Inch Full-HD LED Monitor - $178.99

I will also buy Windows 8 as well, what do you guys think?

 

[Dangman]

You haven't mention SLI or Crossfire at all. Nor are you overclocking or have mentioned plans to connect 20+ hard drives to the PSU. So you don't actually need that 750W PSU. You would be fine with a solid 550W PSU. But since that 750W PSU is so well priced, it's not a bad choice per se.

As for the motherboard, similar situation as the PSU (haven't mention SLI or Crossfire at all nor are you overclocking) but with one difference: Unlike the PSU, that motherboard is not well priced at all. There's no good reason for you to go with that motherboard unless you're 100% sure you'll be using the Thunderbolt feature. So why did you choose that GIgabyte?

I'd hold off on Windows 8.

 

[kumquat]

Ok guys, me and a friend changed around some items, here they are and see what you guys have to say.

135.99$ - Corsair Professional Series AX 750 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Gold (AX750)
399.99$ - GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 Windforce OC 2048MB GDDR5 256-bit PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Graphics Card
$89.99 - Corsair Carbide Series Black 400R Mid Tower Computer Case (CC-9011011-WW)
$188.79 - Intel Core i5-3470 Quad-Core Processor 3.2 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I53470
$199.99 - Crucial m4 256GB 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT256M4SSD2
$79.99 - G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-1333C9D-16GAO
$184.99 - GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UP4 TH LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with Dual Thunderbolt
1279.73$ total

I am reusing my Hard Drive and my Optical Drive
ATAPI DVD A DH16AAS ATA Device
488GB Western Digital WDC WD5000AAKS-08V0A0 ATA Device (SATA)

And for my monitor later on..
Asus VS247H-P 24-Inch Full-HD LED Monitor - $178.99

I will also buy Windows 8 as well, what do you guys think?

So let's see.

$55 more to get 130 more watts in your PSU you will never use.
$25 more to get the same graphics card.
$11 more to get the same RAM
$70 more to get an equivalent motherboard

Well done. You just increased your cost by 15% for zero functional difference. For just a little more of a price increase than you spent on worthless components you could have stepped up to a GTX 680.

You guys are good at this.

 

[Artyom]

So let's see.

$55 more to get 130 more watts in your PSU you will never use.
$25 more to get the same graphics card.
$11 more to get the same RAM
$70 more to get an equivalent motherboard

Well done. You just increased your cost by 15% for zero functional difference. For just a little more of a price increase than you spent on worthless components you could have stepped up to a GTX 680.

You guys are good at this.

it's over 1,000 gaming PC, a couple more dollars is not going to effect me, the graphics card is much better than the standard card that Danny Suggested me, plus they have had problems with it in the reviews, this new card is overclocked, has a 3-year warranty, it is cooler, a much better card and is quieter for 25$ more. The PSU he suggested to me had horrible reviews, saying that it burned out, the fan made noises, etc. The RAM had bad review's as well, unstable, DOA, reboot loot cycle, etc. The GSkill RAM had much better reviews on it which seems like better standards for 11$ more, The $70 motherboard is a higher quality, I also might think about doing SLI eventually, higher quality board for a little more money.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad Danny Bui suggested these components to me, it gave me a starting point on which I wanted, I am still using most of the ones he did suggest to me.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

it's over 1,000 gaming PC, a couple more dollars is not going to effect me,

It's more than "a couple" dollars.

the graphics card is much better than the standard card that Danny Suggested me, plus they have had problems with it in the reviews, this new card is overclocked, has a warranty, it is cooler, a much better card and is quieter for 25$ more.

About your only good argument here is that it's quieter. If that's worth the $25 to you, then get it. Otherwise, no other reason to.

The PSU he suggested to me had horrible reviews, saying that it burned out, the fan made noises, etc.

Where did you see these reviews? They are wrong, but I'd like to know where you're getting this information from, so I can avoid it. Not that the PSU you chose is wrong, but you're just getting a false sense of security here.

The RAM had bad review's as well, unstable, DOA, reboot loot cycle, etc. The GSkill RAM had much better reviews on it which seems like better standards for 11$ more,

Where did you see those reviews? They are yet again, wrong. So I'd like to know who I need to avoid. Even though the RAM you chose isn't really bad, just expensive for a false sense of reliability.

The $70 motherboard is a higher quality, I also might think about doing SLI eventually, higher quality board for a little more money.

The quality of the board is no different than the board Danny suggested. Just because you're paying more, doesn't make it better quality. There are also good quality boards that support SLI/Crossfire for much cheaper. Either way, that board is not worth the money at all.

Either way, the build Danny suggested to you will perform almost identical as the system you claim is "better" only you're paying more.

 

[Artyom]

I don't want to have a fight, I just want to build my own PC to the things I want to build it with, I am very grateful on the support and opinions you guys have given me. I will be posting images when finished.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

I don't want to have a fight, I just want to build my own PC to the things I want to build it with, I am very grateful on the support and opinions you guys have given me. I will be posting images when finished.

Who's fighting? Just trying to pinpoint this false information you have is all.

 

[kumquat]

I don't want to have a fight, I just want to build my own PC to the things I want to build it with, I am very grateful on the support and opinions you guys have given me. I will be posting images when finished.

No fighting. You asked for opinions.

You changed many components to significantly more expensive ones for no apparent reason other than you think they are fancier. It is my opinion that all the money you're wasting on those components could go into upgrades that actually impact performance. For the same premium, you could move from the i5-3470 to an i7-3770K.

 

[Dangman]

I don't want to have a fight, I just want to build my own PC to the things I want to build it with,.

I'm sorry but the things you want are not worth it. The only reasons to get those parts is if you want to spend more money. As Skillz and Kumquat have aptly shown, not all of the parts you chose are good for the money.

The way I see it, if you're going to go against our recommendations, please at show proof to back up the reasons for your chosen parts.

 

[El_Capitan]

Ok guys, me and a friend changed around some items, here they are and see what you guys have to say.

135.99$ - Corsair Professional Series AX 750 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Gold (AX750)
399.99$ - GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 Windforce OC 2048MB GDDR5 256-bit PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Graphics Card
$89.99 - Corsair Carbide Series Black 400R Mid Tower Computer Case (CC-9011011-WW)
$188.79 - Intel Core i5-3470 Quad-Core Processor 3.2 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I53470
$199.99 - Crucial m4 256GB 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT256M4SSD2
$79.99 - G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-1333C9D-16GAO
$184.99 - GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UP4 TH LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with Dual Thunderbolt
1279.73$ total

Does no one buy used anymore?

Don't need Thunderbolt. Just extra for something one doesn't need. You can get some good used ASUS P8Z68 motherboards for around $120 or less.

The Samsung Extreme Low Voltage 2x4GB's are still around $40 (no longer for sale for $32), that overclock up to 2400MHz at 10-11-11-28-1T with 1.59V's.

You should be able to find the Crucial M4 256GB on sale for $165.

For $188.79, you can get a used i7 2600K. Something that you can overclock. With the savings on the Motherboard and Memory I suggested, that can get you a Corsair H100 or TT Extreme 2.0. Take that i7 2600K up to 4.6GHz - 4.8GHz 24/7 easily. Otherwise, you can find an i7 2600 for around $160 used if you don't want to overclock.

The case is solid, but on 11/7/2012 I got a Corsair Carbide 500R for $48 after $30 MIR (applied two valid promo codes at Newegg). You can find other great cases in the $40 - $65 range to save even more money.

Might as well get the Corsair AX850 for $135 after MIR if you're going to spend that much for an AX750. You can always find a Seasonic 750X for $100 pretty often.

Anyways, that's what you can do to trim down your build, and maybe go for a GTX 680 instead.