medium gaming box advice

[temancl]

I haven't build a real PC myself in probably 8 years… Oh boy has stuff changed.

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

Gaming, Video transcoding, Web browsing, Development. Play the new counterstrike. Play skyrim and the witcher 2 properly (but not necessarily max).

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

$1500 (incl shipping/tax)

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

Seattle, WA, 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, PSU, GPU, CPU, Motherboard, memory, 1 HDD, Bluray Burner

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

Intel 320 128GB SSD
Dell 2007WFP 1680x1050 Monitor
Mouse, Keyboard, Gamepad

6) Will you be overclocking?

No

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

1680x1050 21" today, 1920x1200 24-28" in the future.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Next 3 months.

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)? etc.

Just UEFI and USB 3.0 is sufficient. Don't really care about onboard video, but want to experiment with new transcoding features on Core i5/i7 so Z68 is interesting.

Not super interested in debugging SLI configurations, but could be convinced.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Windows 7 64-bit Ultimate

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I priced the following for ~1200 + shipping on Newegg.

Fractal Design Define R3
G.SKILL Ripjaws X 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600
ASUS P8Z68-V LE Motherboard
Intel Core i5-2500K
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB HDD
EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280MB
OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W
LG WH12LS38 BluRay Burner

I'd be interested in knowing what the best (1920x1200) gaming bang for my buck is on the remaining ~300$ (given I've already got a decent SSD to use). I've got some nvidia / intel bias.

Go to 16GB RAM? (cheap)
Go up to the GTX 580?
Go "down" to the 560 Ti and SLI them? (need a better MB then and maybe a bigger PSU)
Wait a few months and get the next medium-great set of things that's a bit more expensive across the board? (Core i5 2500k has been out a while)

 

[E4g1e]

I haven't build a real PC myself in probably 8 years… Oh boy has stuff changed.

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

Gaming, Video transcoding, Web browsing, Development. Play the new counterstrike. Play skyrim and the witcher 2 properly (but not necessarily max).

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

$1500 (incl shipping/tax)

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

Seattle, WA, 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, PSU, GPU, CPU, Motherboard, memory, 1 HDD, Bluray Burner

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

Intel 320 128GB SSD
Dell 2007WFP 1680x1050 Monitor
Mouse, Keyboard, Gamepad

6) Will you be overclocking?

No

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

1680x1050 21" today, 1920x1200 24-28" in the future.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Next 3 months.

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)? etc.

Just UEFI and USB 3.0 is sufficient. Don't really care about onboard video, but want to experiment with new transcoding features on Core i5/i7 so Z68 is interesting.

Not super interested in debugging SLI configurations, but could be convinced.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Windows 7 64-bit Ultimate

-----

I priced the following for ~1200 + shipping on Newegg.

Fractal Design Define R3
G.SKILL Ripjaws X 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600
ASUS P8Z68-V LE Motherboard
Intel Core i5-2500K
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB HDD
EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280MB
OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W
LG WH12LS38 BluRay Burner

I'd be interested in knowing what the best (1920x1200) gaming bang for my buck is on the remaining ~300$ (given I've already got a decent SSD to use). I've got some nvidia / intel bias.

Go to 16GB RAM? (cheap)
Go up to the GTX 580?
Go "down" to the 560 Ti and SLI them? (need a better MB then and maybe a bigger PSU)
Wait a few months and get the next medium-great set of things that's a bit more expensive across the board? (Core i5 2500k has been out a while)

There are quite a few poor choices for the money:

1) The OCZ PSU. The ModXStream Pro series PSUs are not one of OCZ's better PSUs in terms of quality. In fact, the 700W model really cannot handle more than 575W in realistic internal operating temperatures (inside the PSU itself). If the 600W model is any indication, it's still over the 575W practical limit for the Sirfa (Sirtec/HighPower) platform it's based on. And the closer to the maximum practical limit the PSU operates at, the higher the risk of early hardware failure.

2) The Samsung F3 hard drive is still relatively fast, but it is now a bit past its prime: Both Hitachi (with its 7K1000.D series) and Seagate (7200.14 series drives over 750GB) have newer-design hard drives with 1TB platters (the Samsung F3 1TB still uses two 500GB platters).

3) The GTX 570 is not so good of a value considering that you can get 97% of its performance and save $50 to $60 by opting for a GTX 560 Ti 448-Core card (the regular GTX 560 Ti has only 384 cores).

4) The Blu-ray burner is only useful if you're going to be frequently using BD-R and/or BD-RE discs to author high-definition optical discs that are compatible with most set-top Blu-ray players. It is a total waste of money right now if you're going to be using only DVD media. In other words, why waste the money if you're not going to utilize that pricey optical drive to anywhere near its full capability?

 

[temancl]

Thanks. 2 & 4 - good points will dig into those components to see what's newer.

For 1, is there a good FAQ for selecting an appropriate PSU for a given config? I'm really just eye-balling Nvidia recommendations with NewEgg high-rating components. Not so scientific.

For 3, that makes sense, but I'm wondering if I'm getting into an area of price resistance here for gaming performance -if I get 80% of the way with the 560 Ti 448, then is the only real alternative to go SLI to get a decent bump?

In essence, I'm out of window I can play with in this space before I shoot over $1600 or so (due to increased PSU, better MB, + additional GPU + complexity).

If so, that's great - I'll save 300$ on my plan and buy a kindle or something.

 

[E4g1e]

Thanks. 2 & 4 - good points will dig into those components to see what's newer.

For 1, is there a good FAQ for selecting an appropriate PSU for a given config? I'm really just eye-balling Nvidia recommendations with NewEgg high-rating components. Not so scientific.

For 3, that makes sense, but I'm wondering if I'm getting into an area of price resistance here for gaming performance -if I get 80% of the way with the 560 Ti 448, then is the only real alternative to go SLI to get a decent bump?

In essence, I'm out of window I can play with in this space before I shoot over $1600 or so (due to increased PSU, better MB, + additional GPU + complexity).

If so, that's great - I'll save 300$ on my plan and buy a kindle or something.

Actually, performance-wise the GTX 560 Ti 448 is far closer to the GTX 570 level than 80%. It is actually closer to about 97%.

And if you do select a Seagate hard drive, be aware that Seagate has recently reduced its warranty on its bare (OEM/bulk) Barracuda series drives to only 1 year (on drives that shipped to OEMs and resellers after December 31 of last year).

And don't rely on Newegg user reviews at all for PSUs: Nearly all of the "positive" reviews on those PSUs come from people who either have absolutely no reference at all whatsoever for a PSU comparison (this includes people who bought that particular PSU in question as their very first PSU and/or in their very first build as well as people whose only prior experience with PSUs being something from the likes of Apevia, Deer, DiabloTek and Powmax) or who have the rest of their system configurations that do not draw even one-third of the labeled wattage rating of the PSU in question.

So, to be safe, if you're going to go with a GTX 570 (as originally planned), go with a Corsair TX650 v2 PSU unless you really need a modular or partially modular PSU. And then, the least expensive worthwhile modular PSU in the 650W range costs at least $100. Decent modular PSUs in the 550W to 650W range do not cost anywhere close to $75 - but actually cost much more than that.

 

[Dangman]

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Next 3 months.

If you can't narrow down that time frame any further, please come back and ask for advice when you're 2-3 weeks away from purchasing the parts. Our hardware recommendations tends to change monthly and sometimes even weekly due to parts becoming out of stock, out of date, overpriced, or outperformed fairly quickly in the PC hardware world. In fact, in the next three months we can expect new Intel CPUs and new Nvidia GPUs to hit the market. So in other words, it does not help you at all to plan a build so early. Especially when said build already has many issues to begin with.

So please come back when you're 2-3 weeks away from buying and ask for advice then. You'll get up to date advice that way.

 

[temancl]

If I don't order something in the next week or two I'll come back closer then - you can let the thread die at this point, this was the kind of advice I was looking for. I've got some more legwork to do before I can decide.

Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Dangman]

If you do end up trying to order something within the next week or two, post a final build list before you buy for another onceover.

 

[temancl]

I was snowed in and went over the details today, I think I'm ready to pull the trigger.

Priced @ 1183 + shipping on newegg.

Fractal Design Arc Midi
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650M 650W
ASUS P8Z68-V LE Motherboard
Intel Core i5-2500K
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO Fan
G.SKILL Ripjaws X 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 1600
EVGA 012-P3-2066-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 FTW 1280MB
HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.D HDS721010DLE630 (0F13180) 1TB 7200 RPM SATA
LG WH12LS38 BluRay Burner

Pretty much took the recommendations - shrunk the case slightly, switched the HDD & PSU, upped the ram, went with the 560Ti 448, confirmed I wanted the bluray burner. Got a big CPU fan.

 

[temancl]

Minor correction - low-profile memory based upon fit concerns around the heatsink.

CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML16GX3M4A1600C9

 

[Dangman]

Fractal Design Arc Midi

Not the best choice in terms of best bang for the buck value. I'd look at this cheaper (once you factor in shipping) but better cooling, roomier, and quality case instead:
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case

If you want 8 drive capability, I'd recommend sticking with your original choice of the Fractal Design R3 since it's $7 more for the white version:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352015

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650M 650W

Not a good choice for the money considering its quality and how limited its modular cables are.

I'd go for this modular PSU instead if you're sticking with a single GPU:
$85 - PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK III PPCMK3S600 600W Modular PSU

If going for SLI, I'd go with this modular PSU at a minimum:
$140 - NZXT HALE90-750-M 750W Modular PSU

I should also add: While I'm not recommending the following PSU due to OCZ's poor history of customer service, barring that, this particular OCZ PSU is actually a good PSU from a design and performance standpoint:
$110 - OCZ ZT Series 750W Modular PSU

G.SKILL Ripjaws X 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 1600
....
Minor correction - low-profile memory based upon fit concerns around the heatsink.

CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML16GX3M4A1600C9

Fair point on the RAM. However that Corsair isn't the best choice considering that you can get two of these similarily performing Patriot RAM sets for $20 less:
$70 - 2 x Patriot Signature PSD38G1600KH 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM

 

[temancl]

thanks all, order was placed. Final price was $1176.64, inclusive of shipping and rebates.

Corsair 400R ATX Case
CORSAIR HX750 750W PSU
ASUS P8Z68-V LE Motherboard
Intel Core i5-2500K
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO Fan
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile
EVGA 012-P3-2066-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 FTW 1280MB
HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.D HDS721010DLE630 (0F13180) 1TB 7200 RPM SATA
LG WH12LS38 BluRay Burner

Changes from the last post:

Corsair 400R case as suggested. Agree it's a bit better looking that the Arc Midi, better price.

Corsair HX750 PSU was on sale for $110 today, agreed that the TX650M did not stand up well under closer examination, but the HX750 did and was on sale. Probably don't need quite that much, but will err on the side of extravagance here (and a better warranty).

Stayed with the Corsair RAM, even if I never use it I liked the idea of the XMP support. More acronyms == better.

Thanks again for all the suggestions - I looked much closer at the components than I would have otherwise.

 

[Dangman]

Good luck with the build then!

 

[temancl]

Everything came last Friday and I assembled it without trouble.

a few random comments others might find useful if they read this thread - The 400R case is pretty good and well laid out, but I think I would have preferred something without a grill on the top, it seems like an invitation for little bits of crap to fall in.

The CPU fan / heatsinks are HUGE and somewhat more challenging to install. I had no idea it was so large till I opened the box. Works very well though keeping the system cool. Total system fan noise is also very acceptable.

This spec was definitely what I was looking for in terms of performance, I'm very satisfied.

 

[Dangman]

Good to see all went well with the PC!