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Gaming build critique ($1k-$2k)

R

Robertix

n00b
Joined
Jul 23, 2010
Messages
8
Long time lurker, first time poster.
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
The machine will primarily be gaming with occasional web browsing (when I feel the urge to surf before/after/during a gaming session).
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I am shooting for somewhere in the $1000 to $2000 USD before tax/rebates but with shipping. I would like to spend closer to $1000, but if tangible gains can be had in a proportional relationship to the increased spending, that is acceptable.
3) Where do you live?
Fairfax, VA (Microcenter, but no Fry’s)
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Complete new tower: CPU, RAM, Motherboard, GPU, PSU, SSD, Case, HSF, Fans
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
USB 2.0 DVD Rom (Only to be connected during OS installation)
U.S. Robotics USR5417 802.11b/g PCI (if a board with no PCI slots is suggested, a new wireless card must also be considered)
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes, however heat output and sound will likely be my limiting factors.
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
SAMSUNG 226BW 22 1680 x 1050
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Next 30 days
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
None are “needed”. Raid and SLI/Crossfire would be nice for later down the road, however they are far from required.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 Ultimate x64

Parts I am considering so far (based on my own google-fu research):
CPU $199.99 Intel i7 930
HSF $62.98 Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme
Mobo $239.99 Asus Rampage III Gene
RAM $169.99 G.SKILL PI 6GB DDR3 1600
Case $89.98 Antec P180 Mini
Fans $28.46 Nexus BASIC D12SL-12 x2
GPU $199.99 Nvidia GTX 460
PSU $109.99 CORSAIR 750W
Drive $312.99 Corsair Force 120GB

Total $1,414.36

My primary concern (other than cost) with this build is longevity (this being a computer, longevity is relative of course). I would like this build to last me 4+ years, with minimal upgrades along the way as needed (ideally only GPUs). This build will only be used for gaming, as I already have other computers to fulfill my other needs (Servers, Laptops, etc).
My secondary concern with this build is sound and heat output. I value my comfort over raw performance, so I would rather not have a noisy space heater. All parts I have picked so far were because of their price to performance/heat/sound ratio. About the mATX route: I choose the motherboard because of the price and features (SATA6, USB3, X-Fi Sound) and the case because of the price and features (good airflow and good noise isolation), so I am not married to mATX.

So [H], how far off am I from a solid build?
 
Thank you everyone for your feedback!
With my build I steered away from AMD because Intel processors perform better in games clock for clock and, from my reading, it appears that AMD and Intel have similar overclocking limits (3.5+ to ~4 GHz). Therefore, as games get more CPU hungry, it is likely that the Intel processors will stay competitive longer. This prediction is based on the assumption that it will take a couple of years for games to take full advantage of AMD's extra cores (given market penetration of >4 core processes and adoption rates source, I don't feel this is overly pessimistic). So given that line of logic, if I went AMD I would likely have to replace the processor much sooner, thereby negating the initial cost advantage.

HardwareGuru's RAM + PSU combo prompted me to take a closer look at my PSU (The XFX PSU in the combo had an unfavorable note about its noise in the [H] review). Based on numbers returned from the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator Lite v2.5, my recommended PSU requirement is 500W with a GTX 465 and only 530W with even a GTX 480. In light of that, I chose a PSU that is cheaper and less overkill while keeping good heat/noise efficiency.
The RAM from the combo is still cheaper than the RAM I selected. However it looks like they have slightly higher voltage (1.5-1.6 vs 1.5) and slower timings (9-9-9-24 vs 7-8-7-24). My google-fu is weak when it comes to chancing down the overclocking impact of these differences within a real world gaming context. Sure, I can find Super PI benchmarks but this machine will be gaming, not benching. I'll have to do more research to figure out which one really fits my needs.

Build Update:
CPU $199.99 Intel i7 930
HSF $59.99 Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme
Mobo $239.99 Asus Rampage III Gene
RAM $169.99 G.SKILL PI 6GB DDR3 1600
Case $ 112.99 Antec P180 Mini
Fans $28.46 Nexus BASIC D12SL-12 x2
GPU $199.99 Nvidia GTX 460
PSU $89.99 SeaSonic M12II 620W
Drive $312.99 Corsair Force 120GB
Total $1414.38
 
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I recommend at always looking at the combos on websites like Newegg. You can save a good amount of cash from them.
 
I wouldn't recommend the Mini P180.. Its just a beast of a mATX case & especially since your using a 460 you dont need a huge case.
 
Robertix said:
HardwareGuru's RAM + PSU combo prompted me to take a closer look at my PSU (The XFX PSU in the combo had an unfavorable note about its noise in the [H] review). Based on numbers returned from the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator Lite v2.5, my recommended PSU requirement is 500W with a GTX 465 and only 530W with even a GTX 480. In light of that, I chose a PSU that is cheaper and less overkill while keeping good heat/noise efficiency.
Click to expand...
Key thing that many people forget when buying a PSU: What about future expandability? As well as optimal longevity, noise, and temperature ranges? Straight from the PSU editor here at [H]:
Paul_Johnson said:
Yes and a quick search would turn up this topic a million times over. Here is the recap:

1) APFC can fool Kill-A-Watts into giving you abnormally low readings (some times giving better than 100% efficiency)

2) Power supplies derate with temperature anywhere from 2w/c above a nominal rated at value to 10w/c.

3) Kill-A-Watt's and most power meters sample too slowly to catch transient loads (the Transient load from our tests is 117w and is COMPLETELY missed by Kill-A-Watts).

4) Power supplies last longer if you stay in the 40% to 60% range of their output.

5) power supplies are quieter if you stay in the 40% to 60% range of their output.

6) Power supplies are cooler if you stay in the 40% to 60% range of their output.

The power meters in UPS software are just as bad. You have to spend some change before you get anywhere near an accurate power meter when your PSU has APFC.
Click to expand...

So might want to keep that mind.
Robertix said:
The RAM from the combo is still cheaper than the RAM I selected. However it looks like they have slightly higher voltage (1.5-1.6 vs 1.5) and slower timings (9-9-9-24 vs 7-8-7-24). My google-fu is weak when it comes to chancing down the overclocking impact of these differences within a real world gaming context. Sure, I can find Super PI benchmarks but this machine will be gaming, not benching. I'll have to do more research to figure out which one really fits my needs.
Click to expand...

There's really zero real world difference between the two timings. However the voltages does matter a bit as the higher voltage leaves less headroom for an OC due to the max RAM voltage for Core i CPUs being 1.65V.
 
bastage said:
I wouldn't recommend the Mini P180. It's just a beast of an mATX case, and especially since you're using a 460, you don't need a huge case.
Click to expand...
Haha, bastage, you are just reaming all of my favorite cases today! I have this one right next to me. True it is somewhat large for an mATX case, but if you are looking for an ATX-sized case, does that really matter? You can fit a 5970 in there with three hard drives! Cooling, cable management, low price. I absolutely love it. The front panel seems a bit on the weak side, but I've never had an issue.
 
Last edited:
TheQuestian said:
Haha, bastage, you are just reaming all of my favorite cases today! I have this one right next to me. True it is somewhat large for an mATX case, but if you are looking for an ATX-sized case, does that really matter? You can fit a 5970 in there with three hard drives! Cooling, cable management, low price. I absolutely love it. The front panel seems a bit on the weak side, but I've never had an issue.
Click to expand...

& if the OP was using a 5970 then it would be jsutified to have such a large mATX case.. but a standard length 460 is about 8.25 inches puts it slightly smaller then the motherboard. Thus Nearly ANY case will have the space needed.
 
Well, I don't know what's considered "large", I guess. But it's probably 20% smaller than the RC-692 I just gave my parents. And I think the Cooler Master case is a fairly "average-sized" case. That said, I recognize the mATX vs. ATX issue is a big one for some people. Not me, I guess. :D
 
Yea its about average sized for an ATX.. But its just large for a mATX.. If you dont mind the space though then it is a good case..
 
The only reason I am going with mATX is because I like the features and price of the motherboard. Case size is not a concern for me, but price is. If I could find a regular ATX board with the same features (LGA1366, SATA6, USB3, X-Fi 2, overclockable) for a similar price ($240), I would consider it.
I picked the case because I like the sound isolation and airflow it offers for ~$100, but I would gladly pick up an ATX case if was better at those two things for the same price or less.
 
Robertix said:
The only reason I am going with mATX is because I like the features and price of the motherboard. Case size is not a concern for me, but price is. If I could find a regular ATX board with the same features (LGA1366, SATA6, USB3, X-Fi 2, overclockable) for a similar price ($240), I would consider it.
I picked the case because I like the sound isolation and airflow it offers for ~$100, but I would gladly pick up an ATX case if was better at those two things for the same price or less.
Click to expand...

$210 - GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
 
You may be interestingly surprised by the quality of onboard audio these days. Do you have a super high quality audio setup? If not, onboard will be perfectly fine.
 
I wouldn't pay extra for audio untill you have tried the normal onboard and found it lacking. For the most part onboard is every bit as good.
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
 
My audio setup isn't super high quality by any means, just a set of audio-technica ATH-D40fs headphones and a philips amp. Given that my audio setup is many years old, I was hoping that the onboard SupremeFX X-Fi 2 would offer good enough quality. Realistically speaking, any onboard audio would have to be severely lacking for me to justify the $50-$150 required for a dedicated setup.
 
Yep, exactly. Plus onboard audio has really gotten better over the years, many people have scrapped their older soundcards for space and convenience of onboard.
 
Well, with the updated info, and the nice ATX motherboard recommendation, I'd say if you want to go ATX, the Cooler Master RC-692 is another amazing deal. But if you're still interested in mATX, the Mini P180 is a great value.
 
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