SOLVED Advice On new Gaming Rig

[Fantomf2]

Hi everybody. I currently have a decent gaming rig, but i know i can build a better one. I was wondering if someone can look over my list of items i picked out and tell me what i should change and why (i want to learn why to change them out so in the future i don't make the same mistake). I'm trying to work with a budget of $1550, but if it comes out less then i won't mind .
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Rosewill BLACKHAWK-ULTRA
ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77
EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-2662-KR GeForce GTX 660 2GB
SILVERSTONE ST85F-P 850W ATX
Intel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.9GHz Turbo)
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Kingston SSDNow V+200 KR-S3020-3H 2.5" 120GB
Seagate Barracuda STBD2000101 2TB 7200 RPM
LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM
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I will also buy parts to water cool my cpu, and maybe in a few months when i get more money, to wc my cpu. I have been looking at this case for a few months now so i'm buying it for sure, but i just wanted to make sure about the other hardware. Thanks guys.
P.S. I live in the US.

 

[Fearthe1337]

Okay i assume since you talk about water cooling you will over clock? If so you want the 3770k and the 3770 i would suggest getting the p8z77-v asus motherboard and upgrading you graphics card to a amd 7950 or nvidia 660ti.
Unless you plan on doing xfire/sli 850 is over kill you could still easily get away with a 750w psu even in sli/xfire.

 

[Fantomf2]

Thanks Fear. Now that i think of it, the 850W is a bit too much.
Anybody else? any advice would be helpful.

 

[atclaeys]

Similar comments to fear overall:

I expect one question will be whether you will utilize the increased cost of the i7 vs the i5. If you aren't taking advantage of the hyperthreading, I would recommend dropping to an i5 and saving that money for extra cash in the watercooling loop (note that custom loops can be very expensive, very fast). If you live near a microcenter, you can save money there on your processor either way. Also, it looks like you selected the 3770 and not the 3770K, that will severely limit your ability to overclock (as fear noted).

Does the $1550 include the water cooling? (My assumption was no as you're saving for the cooling still, but this will be important). What about an OS? These will let us really start to put together a detailed list with costs.

Depending on the above answers you can probably upgrade the GPU too with that budget. AMD cards are also very competitive with this generation - do you have a preference? Some people are anti-one or the other. Do you want to SLI/Crossfire in the future?

 

[azanimefan]

Just looking at your build i have a few suggestions

1) leave the CPU. The i5-2500k is still the price/performance champ of gamers everywhere. It will overclock better with a better cooling solution, so I'd put my cash in that direction.

2) you can leave the ram or pop it up to 12/16gb. either will probably be more then you'll need it. So you really don't need to play with that.

3) the i7 is overkill for "gaming"... as the i5-2500k isn't the bottleneck in your system... the GPU is/was and always will be the bottleneck at this point in pc development.

4) you don't need a 850w psu, your 650 is fine

5) get yourself a HD7990. Its the best GPU on the market. Make sure to add a waterblock for that beast to your waterloop.

6) spring for a 1+TB HD


In short I wouldn't change much. Save your money in most of your build. It has stood the test of time well. With no real competition from AMD the past few years Intel hasn't really pushed past your venerable i5-2500k. Use your cash on a good water system, a bigger HD, and an HD7990 GPU. You should be good to go. then spend whatever cash you have left laying around on a few high quality monitors to give yourself a 3 screen 3d gaming experience like no other.

 

[Fantomf2]

Alright. Thanks guys. I appreciate the help

 

[Ajay57]

Hey Fantom please do not buy that Mobo!! Buy this one instead i hope i caught you in time Bro. AJ.

1, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157330

This is a sweet board for a Sandy or Ivy bridge set up Regards!

 

[EarthDog]

Let's reel this thread in a bit... advice is all over the map.

Assuming you are gaming at 1920x1080/1200 I would:

CPU: 3570K
Mobo: Asrock Z77 Extreme 4
GPU: 7950 or if you are set on NVIDIA 660ti
PSU: Seasonic G series 550W

The PSU is for a single GPU setup. That will handle ANY single GPU and CPU with both overclocked heavily.

 

[Fantomf2]

Lol Dw ajay first I have to sell my current rig. And can somebody explain the difference between sandy and ivy bridge? Or direct me to some place that has a good explanation. Thanks to both of u though

 

[EarthDog]

IB is the new chip and is around 5% faster on average (some tests show more, some less). Its the newer CPU and would be my choice.

 

[Ajay57]

I would say with the your present CPU not a lot, the main Diff is the amount of heat to deal with when running Ivy which are hotter than Sandy. I will post you a comparison to look at, other members will say Different. But i happen to like Sandy Bridge CPU'S so i am a little bias LOL. AJ.

1, http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=701

ED you always beat me LOL.

 

[Knufire]

I don't understand why you're building new...what you have is extremely similar to what you already have and you'll take a loss selling your current rig. I'd upgrade your current GPU and expand your water loop to include it. Maybe another hard drive if you need more storage space than the 320GB you have.

 

[Fantomf2]

Because i already have 2 old cases from constant upgrading, and i would like to buy a new case with more room in it (Blackhawk-Ultra) and i have tried to sell my other two cases before, but i had no luck. I feel if i try to do that again ill just end up with a 3rd case just sitting in my room.

 

[Knufire]

How is the solution to that just buying an entirely new computer...then instead of just having an extra case you have an extra computer...that seems like a lot more money for basically the same result...

 

[Fantomf2]

No because i'm planning on selling the rig i have. I found a buyer that said he's going to buy it for $1600.

 

[EarthDog]

LOL really (sucker!)? Sell it and run to your new rig!

 

[Fantomf2]

yea. And plus i don't even like the kid, so its an even bigger win for me, because he's getting a nice computer with awesome blue lights and gets to say he has water going through his computer, and i get to say i got more money for the rig than i payed for it.

 

[azanimefan]

wow... if you're going to build from scratch with 1600... that changes things.

here is my suggestion-

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
MB: Asus Maximus V Extreme ($369.00 @ Amazon)
RAM: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 16GB DDR3-1333 ($52.99 @ Newegg)
HD: Seagate Barracuda 3TB ($129.98 @ Outlet PC)
SSD: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" ($109.98 @ Outlet PC)
GPU: Diamond Radeon HD 7970 ($414.99 @ Amazon)
PSU: SeaSonic 650W ($135.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1412.90

Don't bother with water this time around... just use the cash you'll save from using air for a cool case and that sweet GPU

 

[Fantomf2]

Alright. Thanks everybody for the help once again. I think i have all i need

 

[Ajay57]

Yeah take the money and run as they say, good luck with the new build! AJ.