New gaming/CAD build

R

repeatx3

n00b
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
Messages
62
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Primarily a gaming machine but some AutoCAD/Civil 3D work, web browsing and general tomfoolery.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Looking to spend $700 max including tax and shipping. Would prefer purchases from Amazon due to no tax and free super saver shipping for my location. Plus, HardForum supports Amazon :) :)

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
USA, Honolulu, Hawaii. Really, really, really dig Amazon's super saver shipping to Hawaii!!!

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.
Will need: CPU, RAM, memory, and graphic card.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I'm upgrading from a Core2Duo machine that I built in 2006/2007 and am planning to reuse my CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-520HX 520W modular PSU. I will be reusing my monitor, DVD-RW, Cooler Master Praetorian case, and hard drives.

6) Will you be overclocking?
Don't plan to.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1920 x 1200 on a 24" monitor.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Between now and ending of February.

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.
Would like the option of RAID, but this is not absolutely necessary. No Firewire, no Crossfire/SLI. Yes to USB 3.0, would like some future proofing. Yes to SATA 6Gb/s. Haven't kept up to date with technology so not sure if I'll need eSATA. Onboard video is not necessary. No idea what UEFI is, don't think I'll need it?

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Purchased a builder's DVD of Windows 8.

I took a look at Amazon and did a preliminary build to see the costs.
EVGA GeForce GTX670 FTW 2048MB GDDR5 256bit, Dual Dual-Link DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, 4-Way SLI Ready Graphics Card Graphics Cards 02G-P4-2678-KR - EVGA
$389.99

Corsair XMS3 8 GB (2 x 4GB) 1333 MHz PC3-10666 240-Pin DDR3 Memory Kit CMX8GX3M2A1333C9 - Corsair
$46.98

MSI LGA1155/Intel Z77/DDR3/CrossFireX/SATA3 and USB 3.0/A and GbE/ATX Motherboard Z77A-G41 - MSI Computer Corp.
$89.15

Intel Core i5-3470 Quad-Core Processor 3.2 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I53470 - Intel
$188.79

Comments, suggestions welcome and appreciated. Thanks!
 
Last edited:
repeatx3 said:
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Between now and ending of February.
Click to expand...
What's the likelihood of you being able to buy everything before January 31st?

Though off the bat, I definitely see room for improvement.
 
FWIW, I would consider spending more on the processor. AutoCAD, Revit, & 3DsMax need all the CPU you can give it. I would get I-7. I would also consider an Autodesk approved video card, not the gamer GTX card.
 
I plan to purchase in late February unless there are stellar deals to take advantage of that expire in January.

Okay, I'll look into a faster processor. As for my GPU, this will primarily be a gaming machine and very light AutoCAD/Civil 3D. Have no plans on rendering in 3dsmax. Are Autodesk approved cards decent for gaming??

For the GPU, I'm also biased towards EVGA because I have had multiple positive experiences from EVGA and they stand behind their product. Even though I've seen terrific pricing for 7950s, I haven't had experiences with those vendors and would like to remain loyal to EVGA.

Danny, what components do you recommend for me to look at for maximum bang for buck? Thanks!
 
repeatx3 said:
I plan to purchase in late February unless there are stellar deals to take advantage of that expire in January.
Click to expand...
Well the SSD you should buy as soon as you read this post as that's a sales price and a good one at that.
repeatx3 said:
Okay, I'll look into a faster processor. As for my GPU, this will primarily be a gaming machine and very light AutoCAD/Civil 3D. Have no plans on rendering in 3dsmax. Are Autodesk approved cards decent for gaming??
Click to expand...
Not really: Those are generally quadro and FirePro cards which don't have drivers for gaming.

repeatx3 said:
Danny, what components do you recommend for me to look at for maximum bang for buck? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Well my specfic recommendations will change in February. So please come back when you're 1-2 weeks awy from buying the parts and bump up this thread for my specific hardware recommendations.

But the CPU, mobo, RAM, case, and PSU aren't terribly great choices even if you were buying today.
 
0810 said:
What changes once Feb rolls around exactly?
Click to expand...

What do you mean by that?

repeatx3, the OP, plans on making his order in February. Danny Bui is recommending the Samsung 840 Pro SSD that's on sale this weekend. If I understood you correctly, then there's no guarantee that the SSD's sale price will carry over to next month.
 
And the super-cheap Windows 8 upgrade pricing expires next week too.

The OP could save some money by buying a Geforce 660 Ti.
 
Bump, updated my OP.

Looked around a little and saw that the 7870 is quite a decent card for the price. Liking the game bundle that AMD provides, nvidia seems meh currently. Looking to make my purchases within the next two weeks, thanks! If I do decide to go with a 7950 or a gtx 670, my 5 year old 520 watt PSU should be sufficient? Not planning to do SLI or crossfire. Games that I'm planning to play: Witcher 2, SC2, D3, Simcity, and Bioshock Infinite.
 
Assuming that's an updated build list in your OP, I would not go with that RAM since it can be run at 1.65V, well above the max recommended RAM voltage for Intel CPUs. Unfortunately, RAM availability and pricing at Amazon.com for desktops is pretty crappy right now so Newegg will be your best bet here:
$42 - Corsair 8GB CMV8GX3M1A1333C9 DDR3 1600 RAM

That mobo didn't fare too well under HardOCP testing. I would take a look at these mobos instead:
$75 - Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H Intel B75 mATX Motherboard
$78 - Asus P8B75-M/CSM Intel B75 mATX Motherboard

As for the video card, I'd go with the GTX 670 due to the arguably better and easier to understand Nvidia driver releases.

Yes your Corsair 520HX will be enough. However I have concerns about your case: I don't think it'll provide sufficient cooling for a modern setup.
 
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The 300R is a solid case. As for the RAM, only the Corsair set you linked is ok since it's rated at 1.5V. That Kingston RAM is rated at 1.65V which makes it unsuitable for Intel CPUs.
 
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