Higher End Build

[mruiz]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I'd like to stay under 3k total.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Rockville, MD, USA
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.
Case, Fans, CPU, CPU/GPU Liquid Cooling, Motherboard, Memory, Video Card(s), Power Supply, Hard Drives(s), Blue-Ray/DVD
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?
Yes.
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Still undecided between a 24" or 27" and 1080p vs 1920 x 1200
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
No rush, probably in the next month or two.
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.
All of the above?
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No.


So I want to build a gaming PC which will run pretty much any game out there and be able to hold up pretty well for at least the next 2 years or so. It's been a good while since I've really been into the gaming scene so I've spent the past couple weeks catching up on the latest processors and video cards. I don't want to actually build it myself so I've been going to various PC builders, right now I'm leaning towards http://www.cyberpowerpc.com.

I'm still in the early planning stages but here's a build I've put together on their website...

Case: Azza Hurrican 2000 Full Tower Gaming Case with 4 Hot Swappable HDD Cage & (4) 230MM Fans [+40]
Internal USB Extension Module: None
Neon Light Upgrade: 12in Cold Cathode Neon Light [+10] (Blue Color)
Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Maximum Enermax 120MM Case Cooling Fans for selected case (Maximum Silent Operation) [+29] (500-1,200 RPM T.B. Silence Black Color with Blue LED Twister Bearing 8-14 dBA)
Noise Reduction Technology: Sound Absorbing Foam on Side, Top And Bottom panels [+29]
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-3820 Quad-Core 3.60 GHz 10MB Intel Smart Cache LGA2011 (All Venom OC Certified)
Performance Tuning Protection Plan by Intel: Intel® Core™ i7-3820 Performance Tuning Protection Plan by Intel [+29]
Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: Extreme OC (Extreme Overclock 20% or more) [+49]
Cooling Fan: CyberPower Xtreme Hydro Liquid Cooling Kit 240MM w/ Dual Fan(CPU & GPU Liquid Cool Capable, Extreme Overclocking Performance + Extreme Slient at 18dBA) [+63]
Coolant for Cyberpower Xtreme Hydro Water Cooling Kits: High-Performance Coolant powered by Koolance [+19] (Clear Color)
Motherboard: (SLI/CrossFireX) Asus P9X79 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX w/ UEFI BIOS, 7.1 HD Audio, Intel GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI
Memory: 8GB (2GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Quad Channel Memory (Corsair Vengeance [+22])
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card (ETA 5/20) [+381] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
Freebies: None
Video Card 2: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card (ETA 5/20) [+620] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
Video Card 3: None
Power Supply Upgrade: 1,000 Watts - Azza Titan 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply [+66]
Hard Drive: 60 GB Intel 520 Series SATA-III 6.0Gb/s - 550 MB/s Read & 520 MB/s Write [+5] (Single Drive)
Data Hard Drive: 2TB (2TBx1) SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+110] (Single Drive)
USB Flash Drive: None
Optical Drive: LG UH12LS28K 12X Blu-Ray Player & DVDRW Combo Drive (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: None
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

Internal USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)

The total of that build would come out to about $2600 not including a monitor. I understand having someone else build your computer is more expensive but at the end of the day I'm ok with paying a little more to save myself a few headaches. At the same time if I can save a little money by swapping out some parts and get the same result, why not.

For example one thing I've been battling with is whether to get a single GTX 680/690, or SLI 680. As of now I'm leaning towards SLI 680. The other things I'm battling with is whether to go with a 24 inch monitor or bigger, and if I should stick with a 1080p or go with 1920 x 1200.

Any thoughts/suggestions on this build or of any better PC builders?

 

[Prav]

1) any better PC builders?

http://www.pugetsystems.com
http://www.maingear.com
http://www.avadirect.com

 

[Dangman]

I don't want to actually build it myself so I've been going to various PC builders, right now I'm leaning towards http://www.cyberpowerpc.com.

I wouldn't bother with CyberpowerPC or its cousin iBuypowerPC. I understand you want to go for a high-end build but going with either of those companies would be like having the world's freshest, tastiest, and flavorful food ingredients being prepared/used by the world's shittiest cook. So in addition to the builders that Prav listed, there's also:
Digital Storm Online
Velocity Micro
Dell
Maingear

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-3820 Quad-Core 3.60 GHz 10MB Intel Smart Cache LGA2011 (All Venom OC Certified)
Motherboard: (SLI/CrossFireX) Asus P9X79 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX w/ UEFI BIOS, 7.1 HD Audio, Intel GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI
Memory: 8GB (2GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Quad Channel Memory (Corsair Vengeance [+22])

Several problems with this:
- The 3820 performs roughly the same as socket 1155 Core i7 CPUs like the Core i7 3770K and Core i7 2600K. So from a CPU standpoint, no reason to go with the 3820. If you're going for socket 2011, the hex-core Core i7 3930 is the only real choice.
- Socket 2011 CPUs are more sensitive to RAM than socket LGA 1155 CPUs. They need RAM rated at 1.35V and below. That RAM is rated at 1.5V.
- No point in socket 2011 unless you have a legit need for the hex-core Core i7 3930 and/or mass amount of RAM. Gaming isn't a legit need for socket 2011.
- For just gaming, you'll be fine wih a Core i5 CPU.

So your best bet would be a socket LGA 1155 motherboard using the Intel Z77 chipset (from Gigabyte or MSI), a Core i5 2500K, Core i5 3570K, or Core i7 3770K CPU, and RAM rated at 1.5V and at speeds of DDR3 1333 or DDR3 1600.

Power Supply Upgrade: 1,000 Watts - Azza Titan 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply [+66]

No on this PSU. Fairly low quality. Besides even with GTX 680 SLI and heavy overclocking, you should be fine with a solid 750W PSU. 850W at most if you want overkill.

Hard Drive: 60 GB Intel 520 Series SATA-III 6.0Gb/s - 550 MB/s Read & 520 MB/s Write [+5] (Single Drive)

Considering your high budget, go for a 128GB SSD at least. Maybe 256GB if you're feeling spendy. Go for the Crucial M4, Samsung 830, Intel 520, or Plextor M3 series SSDs. Don't go with an OCZ SSD.

Operating System: Microsoft® Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)

If you're planning on getting 32GB of RAM, upgrade this to Windows 7 Pro.

For example one thing I've been battling with is whether to get a single GTX 680/690, or SLI 680. As of now I'm leaning towards SLI 680. The other things I'm battling with is whether to go with a 24 inch monitor or bigger, and if I should stick with a 1080p or go with 1920 x 1200.

If you're only going for a 1920x1200, a single GTX 680 will be enough. The GTX 680 is more than enough for most games at 2560x1600 at high settings. So 1920x1080/1200 will be easy for it. GTX 680 SLI is really only needed if you're going for a higher resolution, multiple monitors or one of those freaks that needs 300+ FPS at the lowest settings possible. .

 

[mruiz]

Thanks for the advice. Based off that I put a build together on Maingear...

Chassis: MAINGEAR SHIFT Chassis with Advanced Vertical Heat Dissipation
Motherboard: Asus® Sabertooth Z77 TUF Featuring Thermal Armor, Lucid Virtu MVP
Processor: Intel® Core™ i5 2500K 3.3GHz/3.7GHz Turbo 6MB L3 Cache GT2
Processor Cooling: MAINGEAR EPIC 180 Supercooler
MAINGEAR Redline Overclocking Service: YES! - Redline™ Overclock My System!
Memory: 8GB Corsair® Vengeance™ DDR3-1600 1.5V (2x4GB)
Graphics and GPGPU Accelerator: NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 680 2GB GDDR5 w/PhysX
Power Supply: 850 Watt Seasonic® X-850 80+ Gold Certified Modular Power Supply ROHS
SSD Caching For Faster System Response: 60GB Corsair® Accelerator™ SSD Caching Drive
Hard Drive Bay One: 1TB Seagate® Barracuda™ 7200rpm 64MB Cache SATA 6G
Optical Drive One: 24X Dual Layer DVD RW Drive w/ LightScribe Technology
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Product Subtotal: $2,771.95

Hows that look?

 

[Prav]

I briefly looked at their Super Stock build config which it appears you are using. You should be able to swap your CPU from the 2500k to the 3570k at no additional charge. You will want the Ivy Bridge CPU to pair with the Z77 motherboard.
Also, SSD caching drive will not perform as well as having an SSD as your primary drive. You may want to drop the cache drive altogether and add at least a 128gb SSD for your OS and key applications while using another 1TB or more drive as additional storage.

My build came to 2858 after SSD changes..Config#FGLGK

 

[Dangman]

I concur with Prav's recommendations to the tee.

 

[mruiz]

Thanks again. Now I have to ask, am I grossly overpaying? If I were to do a little research and learn to build it myself how much do you think a similar build would cost me?

 

[K1tty]

Significantly less if you shop around or if you live near a MicroCenter.

i5 3570k + z77 Sabertooth - $402.78
8GB ram about $45
680 GTX $500
Quality PSU - $75-$125
Case $75-$150 (really just taste)
SSD about $1 per GB now for Crucial M4
CPU Cooler Hyper212 around $30
Optical drive around $20

Really you'd be around $1500 for the same type of build.

 

[Dangman]

Thanks again. Now I have to ask, am I grossly overpaying? If I were to do a little research and learn to build it myself how much do you think a similar build would cost me?

As K1tty showed, you can save roughly $1000 (if you add the cost of OS and hard drive to K1tty 's list) on the PC if you build it yourself.

 

[mruiz]

Well after doing some research it doesn't look so hard after all, and the fact that I can save a thousand dollars doesn't hurt... I do have a Micro Center nearby. I went on their website and put together a wish list...

ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard (still haven't done much research on the motherboard, may change)
Corsair Obsidian Series 800D ATX Gaming Computer Case
Corsair Vengeance Series 16GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL9 Dual Channel Desktop Memory
Crucial m4 CT128M4SSD2 128GB SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7,200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
Galaxy 68NPH6DV5ZGX NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2048MB GDDR5 PCIe 3.0 Video Card
Intel Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz LGA 1155 Processor
LG 22x DVD±RW Super Multi Dual Layer Burner - OEM
OCZ Technology ZX Series 850 Watt ATX Modular Power Supply

For a grand, pre-tax total of about $1850. I do intend on looking into OCing the CPU, at what point is liquid cooling necessary?

 

[Prav]

am I grossly overpaying? If I were to do a little research and learn to build it myself how much do you think a similar build would cost me?

You should be able to build a similar system for roughly $2000 with water cooling and custom sound options.

Boutique PC system builders definitely charge a premium for the work they do. The amount they charge varies depending on how extreme you want to customize your rig but you should expect to pay $500 minimum surcharge for a quality basic build with a three year warranty from a boutique. Almost anyone below this is offering poor warranty support or craftsmanship far below what you would expect. The best builders can produce PCs that at times compare to work of art but the price reflects this quality.

Selecting the perfect builder is really dependent on your needs. Do you want a custom case? Custom water cooling? Custom cabling? The highest Overclocks? Small form factors? Different builders may be more competitive at one or more of these things and some offer better value than others in each area. Without knowing which is more important to you if any, it it hard to say if you are overpaying for a particular configuration from a builder or if that build provides competitive value versus alternative boutiques. With the Maingear rig you selected as an example, you are certainly paying a premium for their custom water cooling and audio solutions, if these are not as important to you then a different configuration or even another builder may offer better value even if you chose not to build for yourself.

edit: I guess I took to long typing this but I will leave it for others

I do intend on looking into OCing the CPU, at what point is liquid cooling necessary?

Only for extreme OCs, although Ivy Bridge does seem to make better use of high end water than SB since it is more heat limited.

 

[mruiz]

I decided to go from the Corsair Obsidian Series 800D ATX to the Corsair Obsidian Series 650D Mid Tower ATX, no huge change there and saving $100. I also decided to get a Noctua 6 NH-D14 CPU cooler. The only things I'm still slightly on the fence about is the motherboard (ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard) and the power supply (OCZ Technology ZX Series 850 Watt ATX Modular Power Supply). Other than that I'm pretty happy with what I've put together.

What do you guys think?

 

[K1tty]

I'd personally go with a cheaper Gigabyte z77 board. I haven't had a chance to test a z77 board but their z68 line was very reliable and did well with overclocking.
Asus has had terrible RMA and QA issues lately and since this is your first build I'd try to avoid that.
Also, I'd recommend a better power supply. The Corsair HX/TX/AX series is good. Look at the [H] PSU reviews and see which 600-800 watt unit is the best price.

 

[Dangman]

I'd go with the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H motherboard instead. PSU wise, the OCZ ZX series are good but I don't trust OCZ due to their past customer service or lack thereof. I also recommend the Corsair HX or AX series if wanting to go really high-end. If you're not planning on SLI, you'll be fine with a solid 650W PSU. If going SLI, then go for a 750W PSU.