New Gaming PC - Open to thoughts and suggestions

[Anime_Fan]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming mostly, some light video editing for gaming videos I will record using FRAPS.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1500 / no
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Just moved to Jacksonville, FL 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
CPU
Mobo
Video Card
RAM
Power Supply
HD
CPU Heatsink

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Just accessories like keyboard mouse and an old dvd burner
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Currently 24" 1920 x 1200 res
Thinking of going to 27+ perhaps...

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
In the next week or two probably

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.

Interested in SLI / Crossfire probably wont plunk down on two cards in initial build but most likely will for a cheap upgrade option later this year especially of prices drop.

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

Yes I purchased a 5 pack of Windows 7 64 Bit Enterprise Licenses


Hey guys, I have been out of the PC Gaming world for at least 2 or 3 years now. I've recently decided to make an entry back into the PC Gaming world after some recent life events have left me with a lot of spare time and some serious boredom

Diablo 3 arrives today on my door step and I have also been playing the crap out of TERA online and enjoying it a lot. Looking to upgrade to enjoy these games and future titles smoothly

After a bit of research this is what I have come so far:

CPU - Intel i7 3770k - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501

MOBO - Asus Sabertooth Z77 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131821

VID - EVGA 670 GTX - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130782

RAM - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233196

PSU - CORSAIR Pro Series HX750 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010

CASE - Corsair Carbide 500R - http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbi...e=UTF8&qid=1322568957&sr=8-1&tag=hardfocom-20

HD - Crucial M4 128GB SSD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448

CPU HSF - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065


Anybody have any alternative thoughts or suggestions?

 

[K1tty]

CPU - Intel i7 2700k - Not worth it over the 2600k and since Ivy Bridge is out go with the 3770k instead.

MOBO - Asus Sabertooth Z77 - This mobo is fine

VID - EVGA 570 GTX - This is an out-dated card. Go for a gtx 670.

RAM - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - Ok, but you might be able to find cheaper. As long as it's rated at 1.5v SB/IB doesn't care about differences in ram speed/latency much.

PSU - CORSAIR Gaming Series GS800 800W - The GS series aren't that great. Go with HX/TX/AX instead

CASE - Cooler Master HAF 922 - I would upgrade to the better HAF case or something else with better airflow and cable management. But, cases are indeed personal choice.

HD - OCZ Vertex 128GB SSD - I would avoid OCZ ssds as they are unreliable. Go with Crucial M4 I believe they're still on sale.

CPU HSF - Ok

 

[Anime_Fan]

CPU - Intel i7 2700k - Not worth it over the 2600k and since Ivy Bridge is out go with the 3770k instead.

MOBO - Asus Sabertooth Z77 - This mobo is fine

VID - EVGA 570 GTX - This is an out-dated card. Go for a gtx 670.

RAM - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - Ok, but you might be able to find cheaper. As long as it's rated at 1.5v SB/IB doesn't care about differences in ram speed/latency much.

PSU - CORSAIR Gaming Series GS800 800W - The GS series aren't that great. Go with HX/TX/AX instead

CASE - Cooler Master HAF 922 - I would upgrade to the better HAF case or something else with better airflow and cable management. But, cases are indeed personal choice.

HD - OCZ Vertex 128GB SSD - I would avoid OCZ ssds as they are unreliable. Go with Crucial M4 I believe they're still on sale.

CPU HSF - Ok

Thanks for the suggestions, I picked the 2700k because it was only $10 more than a 2600k. I read a lot of reviews that really seemed to vary in regards to gaming benchmarks, it seems like some games run slightly faster on the sandy bridge and others run slightly faster on the Ivy bridge. I guess there really isnt that much a difference in the performance so for a few bucks more I could throw down on a 3770k with the anticipation that future titles will run better on it.

I had chosen the 570 because I was hoping to pick up another one in a few months at a reduced price for SLI. I think 2 570s in SLI would give me much better performance than a single 670. Although I suppose 670s might come down in price when the next gen GPUs come out and make for a cheap SLI upgrade...hmmm.....

Regarding the PSU how is this one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010

Thanks for the tip on the SSD, i'll check it out for sure. I see a few models of the M4. This one is cheaper than another one but as far as I can tell they're the same drive. Does this look correct? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448

 

[K1tty]

I believe you'd be much better off with a single 670 than SLI 570. 680 is basically as good as 580 SLI in newer games.

If the 2700k is only $10 more than 2600k then might as well. But I'd still recommend the 3770k especially with that z77 board.

That M4 is it. There are different packages, some with transfer cable etc... just get the cheapest of the size M4 you want.

That PSU is good. It will be plenty for SLI as well. I'm not sure on the price, you might be able to find something as good for cheaper,
but if you're like me and love those braided PSU cables, then the Corsair is worth it just so you can buy the premade cables

 

[Anime_Fan]

I updated my OP, I made budget

 

[Dangman]

RAM - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144

Not a good choice due to the tall heatsinks. They will interfere with the HSF. If you really want Corsair, at least get the low-profile versions:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233196

CASE - Cooler Master HAF 922 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

Not really a good case these days considering its lack of cable management and its lesser quality compared to similiarily priced cases. I recommend these cases instead:
$76 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$115 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$120 - Lian Li PC-9F ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case

 

[Anime_Fan]

Good catch on the ram heatsinks, appreciate the heads up!

That Corsair 500r is growing on me

 

[K1tty]

I like my 500R. For air cooling I love it. My only gripes with it involve water cooling so not really applicable.

 

[Anime_Fan]

Thanks for the input guys, I updated my OP Out of curiosity does anybody have a 27" monitor they would recommend?

 

[K1tty]

Seems like the best bet right now are those Korean models that use the same panel as the Apple Cinema Display. Otherwise you're looking at $800-ish. If you're going dual 670s why not go for surround?

 

[Anime_Fan]

Seems like the best bet right now are those Korean models that use the same panel as the Apple Cinema Display. Otherwise you're looking at $800-ish. If you're going dual 670s why not go for surround?

So I actually own an iMac 27" at the moment and I did a google search and it appears I can use this as a display using a mini display port cable to mini display port cable. Problem is I don't think the 670 uses mini display port does it?

I think this would answer that problem....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815158233

 

[Sn0_Man]

So I actually own an iMac 27" at the moment and I did a google search and it appears I can use this as a display using a mini display port cable to mini display port cable. Problem is I don't think the 670 uses mini display port does it?

Technically no, it doesn't, but mini-DP to DP cables are exactly the same as mini-DP to mini-DP cables, so it shouldn't exactly be a problem.

Ninja edit in response to your ninja edit: Pretty much. If you have any kind of fry's/microcenter location nearby they are certain to stock such cables.

 

[Anime_Fan]

Technically no, it doesn't, but mini-DP to DP cables are exactly the same as mini-DP to mini-DP cables, so it shouldn't exactly be a problem.

Ninja edit in response to your ninja edit: Pretty much. If you have any kind of fry's/microcenter location nearby they are certain to stock such cables.

LOL sorry about the ninja edit! Yeah I am totally going to try this, just watched a youtube video looks incredibly simple to pull off. This is like windows bootcamp on steroids! Hopefully place my order later this week or next!

 

[Anime_Fan]

Got my order placed today, it was damn hard to find a GTX 670 in stock! EVGA has a few left for sale directly from their website if anybody is scouring the internet looking for one. Thanks for the good discussions everybody.

 

[Anime_Fan]

Turned out nice

 

[Dangman]

Nice work!

 

[KENNYB]

I really like Corsair case. I recently bought a Fractal Mini, but I would have chosen a Corsair 300R if not for the size. Gimme a mATX-only version and I would have swooped. And you have a 500R which is gigantic.