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Help with a $2000 Gaming build

B

Brett741

n00b
Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
7
I've had my current system for almost 6 years. Built it with the help of this forum and it has performed wonderfully. Now it's time to start over. I haven't really kept up on things though...so I was hoping to get some general assistance

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

Gaming. I play a broad range of games. Here is what I'm currently playing... MechWarrior Online, World of Tanks, Battlefield 3, Borderlands 2, PlanetSide 2.

I also have been recording my gameplay with FRAPS for a while, and while I can manage 30-45 fps normally with settings managed...running FRAPS really drags down my frame rate. So I would love a build that can play all the above games at 1900x1200 while running FRAPS to record at 45+ FPS. (not sure what's possible)


2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

$2000 is my upper limit. I'd like to stick to $1500 but know it's not likely since it's a full replace.


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

United States, Des Moines Iowa


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.

This is a complete build. My current computer is being re purposed for my kids
Case
CPU
Motherboard
CPU Cooler (never used water before...but i'm open to it..otherwise big ass heatsink with a fan will work)
Graphics Card(s)
Memory (preferably 16GB)
HDs (I'm thinking 1 SSD for OS/game installs and 1 SSD for fraps video targets...and 1 normal large HDfor music / video / pics etc)
PSU
DVD Drive
Monitors - I'd like 2 monitors if possible...same brand around 24inches but will be happy with 1
Keyboard
Mouse
Speakers


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

No parts being reused


6) Will you be overclocking?

I would like to overclock a little, but nothing significant


7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

I'm hoping to run games at 1900x1200 on around a 24' screen, but I would like to have 2 monitors to have up my game on one as well as the internet or teamspeak etc on the other.


8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

With the next 6 weeks


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.

No need for RAID. SLI support, USB 3.0 SATA III 6.0GB, onboard sound (decent sound would be nice)


10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Will need a new copy of 64bit windows. Home version is sufficient
 
First, thank you Hawkeyes for beating Sparty this past weekend, haha!

Second, I'm not too familiar with monitors but looking at Newegg you have lots of options for a 24" 1920x1200 monitor under $350. That said, you can get lots of 1920x1080 monitors for under $200. Are you dead set on 1920x1200? Also, does your secondary monitor also need to be a 24" 1920x1200 screen or would something smaller (cheaper) suffice for internet, teamspeak, etc.?

Finally, you can get a very solid gaming machine for $1k, so spending closer to $2k even including some nice monitors and a W7 license means you'll have a LOT of options. $1.5k for everything is a good price point, IMHO.

Let me know about the monitors and I'll work something up.
 
Brett741 said:
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

With the next 6 weeks
Click to expand...
Can you narrow down that time frame any further? We tend to use Newegg combo deals to help save you money but those expire at the end of the month they're introduced in. So if you want to save some money, please bump up this thread next month. If you don't want us to save you money via those Newegg combos, let us know now and we'll come up with a build.
 
my current monitor runs 1920x1200...but I don't really need to have that...1920x1080 would be fine too.
 
I would love to get the purchase done within the next 2 weeks...so October is a completely doable timeframe. So combo away with current offers. I simply put 6 weeks because my Bday is 6 weeks away..and that's what I'm getting this for. But i'll buy it sooner of course :)
 
$276 - Intel Core i5-3570K CPU + Corsair CWCH60 Hydro Series H60 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler Combo
$240 - Asus P8Z77-V LK Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard + Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit OEM Combo
$68 - 2 x G.Skill Value Series F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$511 - eVGA 02G-P4-2670-KR GeForce GTX 670 2GB PCI-E Video Card + Corsair HX750 750W Modular PSU Combo
$110 - Samsung 830 128GB SSD (for OS)
$110 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SSD (For FRAPS)
$89 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$21 - Samsung DVD Burner
$308 - 2 x Acer V233HAJbd Black 23" Widescreen LCD Monitor
-----------
Total: $1733 shipped

Choose your own case, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. I recommend the following cases:
$80 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
$95 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$105 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Arctic White ATX Case
$105 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Titanium Grey ATX Case
$110 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Black Pearl ATX Case
$110 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$110 - Fractal Design Define R4 Titanium Grey ATX Case
$110 - Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$119 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Green Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR White Finish w/Red Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White ATX Case
$130 - Lian Li PC-7HX Black Aluminum ATX Case
$140 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$160 - Silverstone TJ04B-EW ATX Case
$160 - Thermaltake VN300M1W2N Chase MK-1 ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$162 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW-USB3.0 ATX case
$180 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02S ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case
$240 - Silverstone FT02S-W-USB3.0 ATX Case
$245 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW ATX Case
 
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Only thing I would change on Danny's build is going with a 256GB primary SSD since you play a lot of games. Granted you can move/transfer games to the HDD; why? When you have the budget to go with a 256GB SSD.

$190 - SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256N/AM 2.5" 256GB

It will only add $80 to the total cost, but give you twice the space for your operating system, primary software and games.

Danny, you might want to check the prices/availability of your case list. Discontinued cases and higher prices.
 
Skillz said:
Danny, you might want to check the prices/availability of your case list. Discontinued cases and higher prices.
Click to expand...

Hmm, it is probably a tad out of date. I'll fix that when I have the time.
 
I only noticed it because I was considering the White R4, but I don't wanna spend $135 on it as I don't think it's worth that much.
 
Thanks for all the input guys. One question for Danny.

Why the Samsung for OS and Games....but the Cruicial SSD for Fraps? Does Crucial support better write performance?
 
Brett741 said:
Thanks for all the input guys. One question for Danny.

Why the Samsung for OS and Games....but the Cruicial SSD for Fraps? Does Crucial support better write performance?
Click to expand...


Because it will run best with the least impact to your games if you are recording to a separate drive. Most HDD are not fast enough to write a decent frame rate, but you would suffer a performance impact in the game plus eat up all of your primary drive space using the OS/games drive.
 
Brett741 said:
Why the Samsung for OS and Games....but the Cruicial SSD for Fraps? Does Crucial support better write performance?
Click to expand...
Because the chance of you getting a bad SSD from two different companies is low. Not to mention it's easier to figure which SSD is suppose to do which. Either SSD can be used in either role
 
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