PC gaming build

[stitchmanz]

I would like some help in figuring out what parts to get for a PC I will be building.


1: What will you be doing with this PC: Gaming (RPG – not online, action/ adventure), watching videos, lots of photo editing

2: What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included: $2,000 includes tax and shipping

3: Which country do you live in: WA, USA

4: What exact parts do you need for that budget: Case (front USB 3.0 ports), CPU, Motherboard, Memory, PSU, Video card, Cooler, Hard drive (1 SSD, 1 other), DVD Drive/burner, Windows 7 Home, keyboard

5: If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing: N/A

6: Will you be overclocking: probably not

7: What is the max resolution of your monitor: 24-inch, 1920x1080

8: When do you plan on building/buying the PC: By the end of the month

9: What features do you need in a motherboard: USB 3.0, not sure of any other features

10: Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license: No.


As I live in WA state, I would prefer to buy at New Egg since I would have to pay sales tax (almost 10% !) at Amazon.

Thanks for your help

Stitchmanz

 

[Dangman]

Case (front USB 3.0 ports), keyboard

$217 - Intel Core i5 2400 + Corsair CMV8GX3M2A1333C9 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM Combo Deal
$40 - Corsair CMV8GX3M2A1333C9 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$130 - Asus P8Z68-V LE Intel Z68 ATX Motherboard
$295 - eVGA 012-P3-2066-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores FTW 1280MB PCI-E Video Card
$190 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SSD
$126 - Hitachi Desktar 7K1000.D HDS721010DLE630 1TB SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$18 - LG iHAS124-04 DVD Burner
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
$90 - Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU
$100 - Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit OEM
-----
Total: $1236 plus tax and shipping


Cases wise, I recommend the following cases:
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$120 - Lian Li PC-9F ATX Case
$137 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case

 

[Tyler582]

When I built my PC last year I had a much smaller budget. I went with a GTX 580 for the GPU and even though it accounted for half of what I wanted to spend I was happy that I did. I know you're not only gaming but if you go for say a Radeon 7970 (kind of hard to recommend a GTX 580 w/the small price difference and massive performance advantage in the Rad) you will (a) not have to worry about buying another vid card for years and (b) be able to play games like Skyrim and Witcher 2 with max settings. Oh, and if you do play Skyrim, getting a i5 2500K and overclocking it will make a massive difference.

All that being said, if you don't mind gaming a lower graphics settings and/or are not concerned about being able to play any game beautifully in the next 3 years w/out upgrading your vid card (and if you do upgrade in that time frame chances are you'll be close to $500-600 range anyways when all's said and done) you'll be okay with a cheaper GPU. I only even make this suggestion b/c you said your budget is $2k and a gamer spending that much really should have a serious graphics card under the hood!

 

[stitchmanz]

Danny Bui: how does the Intel Core i5 2400 compare to the i7 series - I want a CPU that will last 3-4 years.

If I upgrade the memory to 16RAM, would I need to get 4x4 or do they have 2x8. I saw in another note that memory was not compatable with a heat fan. How do you know what is or is not compatable?


Tyler582: Yes, I will be playing Skyrim and Witcher 2, on my monitor I would like to play maxed out or close to maxed out, would a 570 or 6970 be enough?

what type of power supply would future proof me for 3-4 years?

Do either of the cards run hot or loud?



Thank you


Stitchmanz

 

[Dangman]

Danny Bui: how does the Intel Core i5 2400 compare to the i7 series - I want a CPU that will last 3-4 years.

For your current usage and apps, the COre i5 2400 is a good CPU. However, I can't forcast what your usage will be like in 3-4 years.

If I upgrade the memory to 16RAM, would I need to get 4x4 or do they have 2x8.

2x8 do exist but they're fairly expensive and may not work with certain motherboards

I saw in another note that memory was not compatable with a heat fan. How do you know what is or is not compatable?

It depends on how tall the heatsink of the RAM is and how tall the HSF is. That's how you can tell.

Tyler582: Yes, I will be playing Skyrim and Witcher 2, on my monitor I would like to play maxed out or close to maxed out, would a 570 or 6970 be enough?

Either card will be enough. However the GTX 570 is a poor buy considering that the GTX 560 TI 448 Core offers 97% of the GTX 570 but at 85% of the costs.

what type of power supply would future proof me for 3-4 years?

Do either of the cards run hot or loud?

The HD 6970 2GB and GTX 570 run fairly hot but noise levels depends on which card you're getting.

 

[stitchmanz]

Which card is quieter, the 6970 or the 570

Thank you

Stitchmanz

 

[Dangman]

Which card is quieter, the 6970 or the 570

Again, the GTX 570 is a poor buy. And again, it depends on which HD 6970 and which GTX 570 or GTX 560 TI 448 Core card you're talking about. There are certain HD 6970/GTX 570 models that are loud and some that are very quiet.

 

[stitchmanz]

Could you please list which ones are quieter.

Thank you


Stitchmanz