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Gaming build

  • Thread starter Deleted member 88227
  • Start date
D

Deleted member 88227

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1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
I will be mostly gaming on this system. SC2, BF2, UT, UT3 and other modern FPS games. LFS and iRacing as well. I will also be doing some photography work on it from pictures I take with my Canon Rebel XT. I do plan to eventually get a 50D and get into editing video with it. The system I build will probably eventually end up doing those edits.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1500 total
3) Where do you live?
Mississippi (I do not think we have any big name computer stores close by) With that being said, I tend to like to order my parts all from Newegg, just so I can keep track of it all easily.
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, Motherboard, RAM, Case, Optical Drive, hard drive, monitor, mouse, keyboard, Windows 7 license, PSU, video card. I think that's all.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
My desk? :p
6) Will you be overclocking?
I love overclocking.
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Plan to go with a 22"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Hopefully this month.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.
I think I want/need HDMI so I can play a PS3 on it. (Monitor input wise)
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Nope


This is an i7 build that I put together, for under $1500.

Combo Deal: $414.99
Intel Core i7-870 Lynnfield 2.93GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I7870
ASUS P7P55D-E LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Combo Deal: $211.98
ASUS VH232H Glossy Black 23" 5ms Widescreen Full HD 1080p LCD Monitor w/Speakers & HDMI
Logitech MK520 USB RF Wireless Ergonomic Desktop

Combo Deal: $189.98
COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN2 CM690 II Advanced Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

$49.99
LITE-ON Black 4X Blu-ray Reader SATA Model iHOS104-06 - OEM

$124.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL

$109.99
Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ...

$244.99
GIGABYTE GV-N470UD-13I GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

$149.98 (Two of these)
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Total: $1,506.55

Some notes:
  • I went with 8GB of RAM in two 4GB modules so if I do get the 50D and start doing HD video editing, I can upgrade to the motherboards max memory of 16GB by just purchasing two more 4GB sticks.
  • I know BluRay isn't needed, but I was able to squeeze it in under the budget and it would be nice to watch BR movies when I want.
  • I went with two 1GB hard drives because I plan to make one mostly data storage (photography stuff mostly)
  • Wireless kb/mouse for gaming? Are you crazy! No, I have USB powered kb/mouse that I will be using when gaming, but I want a wireless kb/mouse.Basically when I am playing racing SIMs I can't pull out my keyboard tray due to the steering wheel being mounted. (Driving Force GT) I can pull the wireless kb/mouse off the top of the hutch and place it on the top of the desk to use it when I need it for those games.

I really hope that I will be able to order this system before the end of the month.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Go with this significantly better quality PSU instead:
$115 - Antec Truepower New TP-750 750W PSU

Besides that, looks good to me.
 
Thanks Danny, now lets hope I can be putting this thing together here soon.
 
Just put the order in for this today. Should get here probably this time next week due to Thanksgiving.

I also managed to add a tube of AS5 and the price shipped was only $1448.74. So essentially I am $51.26 under my budget. Just wanted to go ahead and thank Danny Bui for his advice, although not all of it was in this thread directly, I did read other builds he recommended parts for and went based off that for most of my build. Thank you!!!

PS
I was trying so hard to wait until the beginning of next year, but temptation got the best of me. Time to retire my aging AM2 build.
 
Good build. Just a small side note, the Lite-On blu ray drive you picked out doesn't burn CDs/DVDs, in case you didnt know.
 
Good build. Just a small side note, the Lite-On blu ray drive you picked out doesn't burn CDs/DVDs, in case you didnt know.

Thanks for pointing that out. Though I am aware that it doesn't, I hardly ever burn media anymore. MagicISO for the win!

With that being said, should I need to burn a DVD/CD I have a laptop with a burner than I can transfer the information too, should I need too. :cool:
 
What would be a good aftermarket CPU cooler for my setup? I talked myself out of over clocking this one too far, but after reading around about the 870, I wanna push it now. LOL
 
What do you think of the Noctua NH-D14, while looking to see if the 212 would fit, I found someone using it in my case as well. It's only $93 for this cooler and it seems to be a beast.
 
What do you think of the Noctua NH-D14, while looking to see if the 212 would fit, I found someone using it in my case as well. It's only $93 for this cooler and it seems to be a beast.

It's a good HSF but freakishly overpriced.
 
It's a good HSF but freakishly overpriced.

Well since I was able to save ~$50 in my build, I got the money to get it easily. Is it worth it (being the best air cooler) or is their something that provides better cooling, for less money?
 
Well since I was able to save ~$50 in my build, I got the money to get it easily. Is it worth it (being the best air cooler) or is their something that provides better cooling, for less money?

$65 - Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler
 
:confused: That cooler will cool better or as good as NH-D14 without any fans?

Of course not, you just need a single fan. Fans are cheap. A good one isn't more than $15. So $10 cheaper but quieter and provides the same level of cooling.

With that said, both HSF don't cool that much better than the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ HSF I posted earlier to justify the higher costs.
 
I read a review done between the two here thanks for the suggestion.

I'm gonna wait until I get the system up and running before I make a decision, but all in all I think I might end up going with the 212+ anyway. The case you, indirectly lol, picked out for me should provide aqueduct cooling to aid the 212+ anyway.

I guess my main concern is I don't want to be able to reach a higher clock speed with one of the other coolers, so if the 212+ can get me the same over clock results as the other two mentioned, then their really is no other reason to get them, other than bragging rights.

DarkKiller one of your AEs? lol
 
I'm not sure what's worse. Waiting to get the money to buy the parts or waiting for the parts to arrive on your door step!
 
I love Newegg. Parts were supposed to be delivered on the 30th and 1st, respectively; But arrived on my door step today! Currently in the process of installing Windows 7, and she looks beautiful. My first time I actually took care in trying to hide the cables out of sight so it looks pretty. Pictures will be up later tomorrow, as I'm getting ready to go celebrate a friends birthday. Thanks again Danny! You are the man!
 
Here are a couple pictures, no overclocking just yet with it. Got this score on my first run of 3DMark06, using the drivers that were shipped with the video card, 20k might be possible with updated drivers.

This is also my first time using Windows 7, other than doing occasional spyware/virus removal on friends computers and such. Really not liking how it keeps treating me like a idiot asking me "Are you SURE you want to do that." when I try to run programs and such, but overall I am pleased with it.



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Ran 3DMark11 earlier today.

My score: P4177 3DMarks

Results and config here: http://3dmark.com/3dm11/38280

Once I start overclocking, I'll do the tests again.

Got a question though that I'm not too sure about, I know my motherboard has a PCI express x4 slot, can this be used for a PhysX card?
 
What's a good card to use as a PhsyX card for under $100?
 
What's a good card to use as a PhsyX card for under $100?

Don't bother with PhysX as it does not come in handy that much to justify purchasing a brand new card for it. Most people with PhysX setups are reusing their old GPUs.
 
I didn't think I could, it's like two cards in one. Will one of them just be disabled?
 
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