New System 2k - 3k Budget

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Dark_Falcon

Weaksauce
Joined
Dec 30, 2006
Messages
67
It's been a few years since I built my last desktop based upon the great recommendations from this site. Well it's time again to build a machine that will hopefully stick around as long as this one did. Unfortunately, it's been a few months since I did any serious research. At that time I decided to wait for the end of the year and black friday etc. Therefore, I'm a few months back on what's hot and what's not.

Anyways, here are my requirements.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mostly light gaming (Supcom, Starcraft on max settings etc.), some photoshop, video editing/ripping. With the budget I have I want to make sure I have enough power to minimize time on video editing and also be able to multi task to my hearts content.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I was hoping to stick between 2k - 3k but I am flexible if there's a reason to increase my budget.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
US, California (I have a Fry's and Microcenter within easy driving distance :)).

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.
Its a full replacement build...excluding the Main monitor which is a Dell 2407WFP Wide-Screen Monitor.
I will need a new...
Case
CPU
GPU - single but may consider dual in SLI
Audio Card
Memory
SSD for OS (Windows 7 64bit ultimate)
HDD for storage (2-3tb)
Cooling (may consider liquid)
Power Supply
Sound Card and Speaker System

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
6) Will you be overclocking?
I'm not really planning on it. Would rather spend a little extra and avoid the necessity initially.
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
24" - Native 1920x1200
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I was hoping to take advantage of any Black Friday / CyberMonday deals.
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.
SLI support, Onboard raid and SATA 6Gb are must haves.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No. I will need a Windows 7 64bit Ultimate - Same as all the other machines in my house.

Here is the build I was originally looking at. However, I suspect it is out of date by now. Please feel free to rip it apart or give a thumbs up as the case may be. Please remember I don't mind spending the money if it makes sense. Thanks in advance for all you guys do to help us with these builds! It is appreciated. One more thing...I've been an EVGA fanboy in the past as they have really stood by their warranties/replacements. I would like to consider them up front for the GPU and MB if possible but it's not a requirement.

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced Blue Edition RC-932-KKN3-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower
Memory: Corsair CMZ16GX3MX1600C9G 16 GB matched set time 2 for 32 GB memory
PSU - Rosewill BRONZE Series RBR1000-M 1000W
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X79 TUF Motherboard
CPU Cooler : CORSAIR H100 (CWCH100) Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM
"GPU: SAPPHIRE 100311SR Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 - Not Available
GTX 670???"
SSD: Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F180GBGT-BK 2.5" 180GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
HDD: Seagate - Barracuda ST1000DN003 1 TB 3.5" Internal HD Sata III
DVD: ASUS 24X DVD Burner Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM
DVD2: Pioneer Black SATA Blu-ray Burner BDR-206DBKS
CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E 3.2GHz (3.8GHz Turbo)130W Six-Core Processor
Extra Case Fan Rosewill RFX-120BL 120mm 2 Ball Bearing Blue LED Case Fan
 
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That setup isn't that good.

Ditch that overpriced RAM and go with two or three of this RAM set as the below RAM set lets you use up to 64GB of RAM without having to replace any RAM and gets you more RAM for your money:
$71 - Corsair Vengeance LP CML16GX3M2A1600C10 2 x 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

You do not need anywhere near a 1000W PSU. You'll be fine with a higher quality 650W PSU even for SLI:
$130 - Seasonic X650 Gold 650W Modular PSU

GPU wise, go for the cheapest eVGA GTX 660 TI you can find.

SSD wise, go for the available Crucial M4 256GB SSD:
$200 - Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD1 2.5" 256GB SSD

CPU wise, make sure that you buy that CPU from Microcenter as it's the cheapest place to get it.

Case wise, I recommend looking at better bang for the buck cases like these:
$80 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$110 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Green Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR White Finish w/Red Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$123 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black ATX Case
$125 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Black Pearl ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Arctic White ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Titanium Grey ATX Case
$130 - Lian Li PC-7HX Black Aluminum ATX Case
$135 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$145 - Thermaltake VN300M1W2N Chase MK-1 ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone TJ04B-EW ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$175 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D 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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you dont really need a DVD and BR burner, one will do fine unless you plan to rip and burn on the fly..

you can burn DVD fine in your BR burner and no, it wont shorten it's life span by anything you would ever notice.

Als if you plan to do alot of video work, you will want some fast drives to work and save from.. either SSD's depending on how large your video files are, or say 2 SATA drives in raid 0 as a "working" drive.
 
Thank you both for your feedback/advice. I have updated by build accordingly (I bumped the PSU to the 750W because I will probably be adding several more HDDs plus SLI eventually).

I still need input on the soundcard/speakers if anyone has any suggestions. I have a full blown HTPC for extended movie watching/listening but I would like to have some decent sound from this new system for booming gaming and casual movie and all day music listening. I currently have some inexpensive Altec Lansing speakers which are very old and a Creative SB X-Fi Platinum card. Since I'm upgrading the system, I want to take the opportunity to upgrade my sound!

Here is the updated build for reference...
Note: I have done some additional research on prices etc. and updated accordingly. Most of the prices are from Amazon w/ the CPU coming from Microcenter. Before I make a final purchase I will double and triple check again. If anyone knows of any black friday/Cyber Monday deals that may impact prices on these items, please feel free to speak up.

Thanks again to all for your insight and assistance.

Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW ATX Case 1 $244.96
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP CML16GX3M2A1600C10 2 x 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM 3 $71.00
PSU: SeaSonic 750W Power Supply X750 Gold 1 $140.00
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X79 TUF Motherboard 1 $314.99
PSU Cooler: CORSAIR H100 (CWCH100) Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler 1 $107.49
Fans: Fan kit for Hydro Series H80/H100 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler 1 $24.99
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-bit - OEM 1 $188.88
GPU: EVGA SuperClocked 03G-P4-2666-KR GeForce GTX 660 3GB 192-bit GDDR5 1 $269.99
OS Drive(s): Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD1 2.5" 256GB SSD 2 $195.72
HDD - Storage: Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive 1 $89.99
Bluray Drive: Pioneer Black SATA Blu-ray Burner BDR-206DBKS 1 $76.95
CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E 3.2GHz (3.8GHz Turbo)130W Six-Core Processor 1 $499.00
Soundcard: ???
Speakers: ???
 
In case you forgot, Amazon now charges CA residents taxes. But the build looks solid.
 
I'm currently looking for a good sound card/speaker set up too. From what I've read the Corsair SP2500 speakers are amazing if you use them with a decent sound card. I'm thinking about getting the ASUS Essence STX. It's on higher side of what I would like to pay for a sound card but the quality and performance seems to be worth it. I do not own these products but I have researched them a lot and am planning on buying them soon.
 
Thanks for the feedback/input. Anyone else have any input on soundcards/speakers. I'm really out of the loop on these.
 
I apologize for second guessing my final 'approved' build, but I was doing a little more research and I'm wondering if I should upgrade the video card I selected. I don't do a lot of gaming but I do some and I want to make sure that I can play any new games on the highest resolution with no issues. In addition, I want to make sure I'm as future proofed as possible. With all that said, is there any value in going for a 670 or 680 instead of the 660. What would be the primary pluses and minuses?

This was the deal that really got me thinking...(I also like the included games).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1122995
 
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Dark_Falcon said:
I apologize for second guessing my final 'approved' build, but I was doing a little more research and I'm wondering if I should upgrade the video card I selected. I don't do a lot of gaming but I do some and I want to make sure that I can play any new games on the highest resolution with no issues. In addition, I want to make sure I'm as future proofed as possible. With all that said, is there any value in going for a 670 or 680 instead of the 660. What would be the primary pluses and minuses?
Click to expand...
Future proofing is a poor reason to spend more money on hardware. Only in a few situations would spending more money on a certain part would extend the life of the PC that much longer. In this case, the only two games you've mentioned is SupCom and SC2. Both games can be maxed out on a $150 video card let alone a $270 video card like the GTX 660 TI. You haven't mentioned any other game where spending the extra cash for the GTX 670 would be worthwhile (BF3, Skyrim with HD texture packs, etc). Not to mention that you don't do a lot of gaming. As such, an extra $100 for something you don't do that often is a pretty poor idea IMO.

The GTX 680 is only for those who want the most performance possible without ZERO care to cost. Your link doesn't work.
 
With those two games, yes it would be worth it to get that GTX 670 GPU.
 
Get the biggest power supply you can to future proof the system... I have made that mistake one too many times
 
Magiashkii said:
Get the biggest power supply you can to future proof the system... I have made that mistake one too many times
Click to expand...

The Seasonic X750 that Dark_Falcon (the OP) chose is more than enough for his system. And with the improved thermal design of the Nvidia Kepler GPUs, the X750 can easily run a dual-GTX 660 Ti SLI setup.
 
Well...I'm going to be pulling the trigger on this build this weekend (Monday evening at latest).

I wanted to wait until all the BF and Cyber Monday deals were revealed. If anyone sees anything out there that would improve either the overall price or the quality of this build, please speak up. Please note, I do NOT want to sacrifice the quality of this build. However, I am willing to pay more if there is something that is a really good deal and increases the overall quality of this build.

As usual I want to make sure I get the best bang for the buck. :D

Thanks again to all of you that help us all get the best bang for our bucks!!!
 
I first want to confirm that the following makes up your final list:

Dark_Falcon said:
Case: Corsair 800D CC800DW - $244.96
Memory: 3x Corsair Vengeance LP CML16GX3M2A1600C10 2 x 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM - $71.00
PSU: SeaSonic 750W Power Supply X750 Gold - $140.00
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X79 TUF - $314.99
PSU Cooler: CORSAIR H100 (CWCH100) - $107.49
Fans: Fan kit for Hydro Series H80/H100 - $24.99
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-bit - OEM - $188.88
GPU: EVGA 02G-P4-2678-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 - $379.99
OS Drive(s): 2x Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD1 2.5" 256GB SSD - $195.72
HDD - Storage: Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" - $89.99
Bluray Drive: Pioneer Black SATA Blu-ray Burner BDR-206DBKS - $76.95
CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E 3.2GHz (3.8GHz Turbo)130W Six-Core Processor - $499.00
Soundcard: ???
Speakers: ???
Click to expand...

(I did swap out the GTX 660 Ti for the GTX 670 FTW.)

Danny Bui already gave his initial blessing on your build, so I'm not going to deviate far from that. But I do have a few nits to pick...

- Where are you buying particular parts from? I see a few price discrepancies, but I didn't want to make any assumptions.

- You have two 256GB SSDs. What are you going to use the second drive for? Why didn't you consider a single 512GB SSD?

- The Blu-ray burner you chose is out-of-stock at NewEgg. Were you buying the OEM or retail version of the drive? Do you already have some Blu-ray playback software on hand?

- Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like you are ordering three 2x8GB sets of Corsair Vengeance LP RAM (for six sticks or 48GB of total memory). X79 uses a quad-channel RAM design with eight DIMM slots. Do you need two sets of RAM (four DIMMs/32GB) or four sets of RAM (eight DIMMs/64GB)?

- How serious are you about your sound? Would you consider yourself an audiophile? Do you want your computer's sound system to be able to "compete" with the sound system you use for your HTPC?
 
I guess I should have consolidated/updated my list before posting that last request. Here is the 'final' build list, along with updated prices (as of Saturday).

Case Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW ATX Case (1) 244.96
Memory Corsair Vengeance LP CML16GX3M2A1600C10 2 x 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM (2) 70.99
PSU SeaSonic 750W Power Supply X750 Gold (1) 99.99
Motherboard Asus Sabertooth X79 TUF Motherboard (1) 314.99
PSU Cooler CORSAIR H100 (CWCH100i) Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (1) 119.99
OS Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack (1) 179.99
GPU EVGA 02G-P4-2678-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (Plus Assassins Creed III and Borderlands 2) (1) 379.99
OS Drive(s) Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD1 2.5" 256GB SSD (2) 195.72
SSD Converter BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive Bay or Enclosure (2) 4.74
Bluray Drive ASUS Black Blu-ray Burner SATA BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS - Combo w/Media (Purchased) (1) 79.98
CPU Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E 3.2GHz (3.8GHz Turbo)130W Six-Core Processor (1) 499.99
Soundcard ASUS Xonar Essence STX Virtual 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface 124 dB SNR / Headphone AMP Card (1) 185.99
Speakers Corsair SP2500 (Purchased) (1) 189.99
Fans Scythe DFS123812H-3000 ULTRA KAZE 120mm Case Fan (2) 13.37

- I already purchased the Bluray Drive and the Speakers as they were on special for BF/CM.
- Most of the items are coming from Amazon or Newegg, depending on best price/shipping etc. (yes, I put way too much time and analysis into these builds to just save a few bucks - It's the principle though :)).
- I was going to get 2 SSD's to run in Raid 0.
- I modified the memory. My understanding is that this is now setup as two sets of RAM (four DIMMs/32GB). Please correct me if I'm wrong. I figured I would be okay, at this point, with 32GB and I can upgrade later if I feel the need.
- Sound - I wouldn't consider myself an audiophile, but I have a lot of music and I work from home. As such, I either listen to music or watch movies 'in the background' almost the entire day as I'm working. Therefore, I would like to have something with decent quality and that I can really put some volume to, if I want feel the need (I own my own home so I don't have to worry too much about apartment neighbors etc.). Since I only had the one recommendation, I went ahead and did the research and purchased the Speakers that were recommended as they appeared to be decent quality/price and had good reviews. I have not purchased the sound card yet.
BTW - Are these drives any good???

OCZ Technology 256GB Vertex 4 Series SATA 6.0 GB/s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive (SSD) With Industry's Highest 120K IOPS And 5-Year Warranty - VTX4-25SAT3-256G (159.99 @amazon).

Thanks for the input...
 
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I guess there weren't anymore recommended changes. I'm going to pull the trigger on all these parts in a couple of hours. If anyone has any last minute recommendations, based upon Cyber Monday deals, please let me know.

Thanks again to all for the help.
 
Shit totally forogt about this thread:
- I would not go with that OCZ SSD at all due to OCZ's poor customer support and past SSD track record

- This probably would have been the better bang for the buck choice in regards to the speakers:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1730013

- The sound card also seems to be very overkill since you're not an audiophile. I would go with the ASUS Xonar DSX if you can find it in stock or the ASUS Xonar DGX.

- That Corsair RAM isn't good of a deal since this G.Skill set is $26 cheaper yet provides the same performance:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231507
 
You will not need the 2.5" to 3.5" brackets with the 800D Case.

Asus X79 boards do not tolerate Mixed memory sets, even if they're the exact same sets. So get a single set of ram sticks the size that you want now and expect to replace them all if you you upgrade, or max it out now with a single set of ram sticks.

Don't waste your time with raid 0 on two 256 M4's, I did and ended up getting a single 512 M4, my real world performance seems better and not all the raid headaches
 
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