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~$1.5k USD Gaming Build

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Bustos

Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2012
Location
KS, USA
Budget: ~$1.5k USD. I do have some wiggle room but would really like to be as close to target as possible.
Location: US, No MicroCenter nearby
Buying online: most likely getting everything from Newegg.com (since it carries everything I am looking at) unless the item is considerably cheaper from other online sites.

Primary Purpose: Gaming
Seconardy Purpose: Multitasking/Web Browsing/Music

1st Time Builder, VERY open to advice and tips. Many thanks in advance. Starting from scratch. Will be buying everything in a couple of months. I always do my research well in advance and wanted to hear what experienced builders/gamers had to say.

What I want out of my rig:
For Now:

Everything running at stock speeds; want the computer to work when all put together. :p
Running everything at 1920x1080 res or better
Good airflow, no intention to use water based cooling systems or anything extreme.
Lots of upgradability
Capability to overclock, nothing extreme

Long Term Future Goals:

Overclocking (Will get an aftermarket cooler when ready to take this step)
2/3/4 Monitors (Most likely only 2 monitors max, a 3rd if I dual gpu)
Dual GPU (Not for a few years or a signicant price drop, whichever comes first)
Total 32GB RAM (As needed over time in 8GB increments)

Concerns:

Not very familiar with brands for most parts. If there are better quality/priced parts, please do share.
Will my case be able to fit a 2nd GPU in the future?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill THOR V2 ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHDS118-04 DVD/CD Drive ($26.97 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VH232H 23.0" Monitor ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Full (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Raptor Gaming LK1 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($33.98 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Raptor Gaming M3 DKT Wired Optical Mouse ($39.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1490.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-30 23:05 EST-0500)
 
$1,500 rig with no SSD....

RAM drop down to a 2x4GB set.
SSD get one, 120GB minimum.

PSU is good, a bit overkill for that setup but if you plan for a potential SLI config its worth it.

Case why a full tower? I try not to get involved with peoples case decisions because alot has to do with personal taste, but you should be able to find something in your tastes in a mid tower format for under $100.
 
Looks pretty good. I would recommend getting 16GB of RAM, 2 sticks of 8GB. That will allow you to add 2 more sticks and have 32GB if you ever need it. As Knufire said, you won't need more than 8GB for gaming. That being said, the price difference from 8GB from 16GB is really minimal. I went with 16GB in my new build just because it was another $20. Jumping up to 32GB from 16GB is a lot more money though, and you seriously do not need that much unless you're doing some serious video editing or other professional imaging stuff.

If you're really wanting the Raptor gaming mouse and keyboard then given them a try. If you're open to other suggestions, I would recommend something more reputable like a Logitech or Razer mouse. For the keyboard, get something that you can save custom profiles to for your various games. Some people really like mechanical keyboards but those are pricey.

Your power supply is a good one but you can get a good power supply for less than $130. I got a really nice 750w power supply for 1/3 that price. Just watch for deals, rebates, etc. Check out slickdeals.net for that :)

If can shave some money off your RAM (get 16GB instead of 32GB), your power supply, and case then you could spend the extra money on getting a solid state drive. You definitely want one of those. The speed increase is amazing. You probably won't want to install all of your games on it but you can at least have Windows and a couple of your most frequently played games on there. Solid state drives make a big difference in a lot things. Once the game loads you won't notice a difference but load times will be way faster for any program.
 
More powerful GPU, better keyboard and mouse, a SSD, and aftermarket cooling:
(Note: All thees promo codes expire today, tomorrow, or the day after, so order quick.)

Screen Shot 2012-12-30 at 10.01.25 PM.png
Screen Shot 2012-12-30 at 10.01.39 PM.png
Screen Shot 2012-12-30 at 10.02.14 PM.png
 
In swoops the deal master. I wish I had the time to put together deals like you work man. Sadly I usually have to build a few parts at a time so I miss out on the best deals alot.
 
Do you guys not read the whole posts?

(As needed over time in 8GB increments)

He's starting with 8GB...

Not having 32GB to start with.

Everything looks good to me, SSDs are a waste of money IMO for the amount of performance given, but Windows 8 is garbage...

You're case will definately fit another GFX card.

I love my Zotac GTX 670 4GB, amazing performance and the extra VRAM helps futureproofing.
 
We saw but that, but:

1. Him wanting to go up to 32GB is probably unnecessary
2. In order to do that, he's stuck with 1x8GB, meaning that he's stuck in single channel mode, which isn't a huge deal but really isn't optimal.
3. SSDs are most definitely worth it as soon as you've used one.
 
Everything looks good to me, SSDs are a waste of money IMO for the amount of performance given

I completely disagree.

3. SSDs are most definitely worth it as soon as you've used one.

I completely agree.

I have some software that I use often that has a huge amount of resources and digital media that are indexed frequently and loaded each time I launch the software. I'm talking multiple gigabytes of digital media. On my laptop with 7200rpm HDD the program takes 1 min 34 sec to load and 1 min 9 sec to perform a search. On my desktop with SSD it takes 10 sec to load and 9 sec to perform a search. That's more than 10x faster. Obviously it all depends on what you're doing with your computer, but there are a lot of times when having an SSD makes a big difference. And, for the $75 that I paid for my SSD, it was well worth it.

Anyways... my point is that I think the OP would benefit from having an SSD.
 
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Or just grab a SSD Cache drive and wait till they become more affordable as I think they are too much per Gig still imo. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171667

Overall that list from Knufire is pretty good but have to move on those before the grouped up package deals are out.

Edit: As for Vram, if you're going more than 1080p (multi-screen for gaming) I would at least get the 3GB (ATI) or 4GB (Nvidia) GPU.
 
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Take it from me

SSD's = waste of money WASTE I sold my samsungs ssd's not even using them for a full year. i went with a raptor 600gb. the difference? non, boot times are the same in windows 8. if not faster.
 
+1 to SSD's get one, if people dont see the difference of a SSD to a HDD then they did something wrong or had a bad drive. before SSD's were affordable i used raptor's myself i have them in an external storage bay now,compared to SSD's they are slow,noisy,ad heat to a case,and use more power and cost about the same.
 
Response

Let me answer the questions before I ask more of my own...

Knufire: Just. Wow. Unfortunately I wont be making any purchases until Feb-Mar, but your choices have definitely made me rethink my build. And to spend more time on Newegg for better pricing and deals once I am ready, rather than relying on PCPartPicker. Wouldn't think I be able to afford a 3GB GPU although I am a bit of a intel/nvidia fanboy, getting a 3GB card vs a 2GB card has me reconsidering my inclination to nvidia.
32GB RAM: I thought it was more practical to go 8GB at a time rather than buy 4GB sticks I would eventually stop using and buy 8GB sticks later. I also tend to jump back n forth between programs, multiple internet windows with multiple tabs within each, and have music (either from my library or youtube/vevo) playing at the same time. I was told doing that takes up RAM, as well as any background programs on top of that. Depending on the game, I often prefer my music library over the game's. Realistically was going to stop at 16GB total (2, 8GB sticks) to ensure no bottleneck with the RAM. The 32GB option is more for future proofing.


ssjwizard: My $1500 is to cover everything, not just the desktop itself. Knufire's build has opened my eyes quite a bit though.
SSD: I originally had a 120GB SSD with a GTX660 but got rid of the SSD to get the better GPU. I definitely see the SSD's value, just thought the money was better spent on the GPU and that I could always buy one later.
FullTower: Basically future proofing (are we seeing a theme, here? ;)) I wanted to be sure I had room for a 2nd future GPU and good airflow to keep everything cool. I often read about how some had to modify their case to make room for their parts and I didn't want to have to worry about that. If I can go with a smaller (i.e. cheaper) case and still have the space for another GPU and good airflow, sure. I do not care how it looks as long as it performs the job. If you have any suggestions, I am all ears.

juane414: I'll look around slickdeals.net for options. The Raptor choices were recommendations from a friend. I've never had a gaming keyboard or mouse before. Wanted to make sure I had a good quality PSU and strong enough to handle a 2nd GPU (again, futureproofing) I only planned to have 8GB to start as Culbrelai pointed out. And it does look like I'll be able to get a SSD drive with my initial build.

Culbrelai: Thanks for pointing the 8GB out to the others. A 4GB GPU is definitely more money than I am willing to spend. A 3GB GPU looks like a possible option though.

GTXJackBauer: Hopefully similar deals will come around again when I am settled on my build and ready to make the purchases.

My questions will have to come later. I want to review Knufire's build more closely and his picks.

Thanks to everyone for their input.
 
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16GB, it might be better to just get the kit all at once (2x8GB). That way you know their identical sticks and are tested together for compatibility, and you take advantage of dual channel mode.

Case modding is rarely ever necessary (not counting full custom water loops), but it's something that many people enjoy doing.
 
Definitely spend some time learning about your hardware in the mean time. If you play your cards right youll halfway be an expert before the thing is on your doorstep. When time to buy happens definitely post about it again, Im sure there will be equally killer deals available then!
 
Well my first question is the PSU. I have heard across the board OCZ is a cheap brand and one to stay away from. Why did you choose it?

And second, no optical drive?

My third was going to be about the 4GB sticks but I'll grab a 16GB kit (2x8GB).
 
Bootable USB stick. Microsoft has official downloads of all their OS's in ISO form. You can then use a tool like YUMI to make a flash drive bootable from the ISO image. OS installs WAY faster from a USB stick than from a CD.

You then use the activation key you got when you bought the OS to activate, and then you're done.

http://www.w7forums.com/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-image-downloads-t12325.html

Microsoft also has their own tool to make an ISO bootable but I haven't had much luck with it:
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool
 
Just so I am clear, I go out and buy a USB stick. Download the respective OS ISO. Download YUMI. Then put the OS ISO onto the USB stick using YUMI, creating a bootable USB stick.

Once my desktop is built, plug the stick in at start up and it'll detect the stick and the ISO file to install the OS?
 
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