Looking to build a nice gaming computer.

[psykedOut]

I haven't built a machine or really paid attention to the new technology in probably 5 years so I'm extremely out of it as to what's good these days. If anyone has some extra time and want's to throw something together or find a nice well priced preconfigured machine for me it'd be much appreciated. Looking to spend 1,000-1,500ish, not super firm on that as long as I'm getting the best bang for my buck. I will be mostly playing newer video games (I like running all optimal settings) as well as streaming video and gameplay. I currently have dual monitors, but would like to be able to possibly add a 3rd in the future.

Also had a quick question as far as SSD's go, I know they're faster than regular drives, but what kind of a setup do people usually use? Install OS and programs on SSD while using another regular drive for storage or what?

Thanks in advance!

 

[notredameguy10]

I am currently building my own as well, and thus not an expert, but this is what I have gathered from research and other's comments:

CPU: Intel Core i5 3570k 3.4Ghz LGA 1155
Motherboard: AsRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 115 ATX Intel
HD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 7,200RPM 64MB Cache
HD: Samsung 840 PRO 250GB Solid State Drive
GPU: EVGA GTX 670 FTW
Cooling: Cooler Master Seidon 120mm Water Cooling
Sound: Sound Blaster Z
Case:Corsair 600t
RAM: Corsair Vengence Series 8GB DDR3-1600
Optical: Lite-ON 24X SATA DVD Burner
PSU: Corsair Enthusiast Series 650 Watt 80 Plus Bronze
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 24-Inch Full-HD LED-Lit Monitor

Through different sales and specials I got all this for ~$1100. If you have extra money to spend, get a better motherboard (Asus Sabertooth / $125 more), a a second GPU (2 GTX 670 FTW SLI / $270 more), or get a better monitor (27" & 2560x1600 resolution / $300+ more).

Also, Operating system and most used/intensive programs on the SSD (Crysis, Bioshock, etc...)

 

[wolfeking]

Do not touch that motherboard if you plan to overclock at all. Gigabyte UD3H at a minimum there.

Otherwise, solid build.

 

[spirit]

Spend a bit less on your case and get a Phantom 410 or something, then put the saved money towards a better motherboard like the Z77X-UD3H or something.

The GTX 670 is good, but the Radeon HD 7950 tends to be cheaper and performance is just as good for gaming.

But yeah, otherwise notredameguy's build is great.

 

[notredameguy10]

Sorry to thread steal, but why do you guys not like the AsRock extreme4? From reviews on newegg, amazon, and pc sites it seems like it is a great board for the price (I got it for $75, retails $140).

 

[spirit]

Yeah customer reviews aren't really the best reviews to go by.

ASRock boards in general are usually quite cheap and not great - I tend to only recommend ASUS, Gigabyte and MSI.

For overclocking, the UD3H is a better board than the Extreme4.

 

[wolfeking]

Sorry to thread steal, but why do you guys not like the AsRock extreme4? From reviews on newegg, amazon, and pc sites it seems like it is a great board for the price (I got it for $75, retails $140).

1. Voltage regulation is a joke.
2. It misreports voltage. Open CPUz (or your monitoring tool of choice) and not the voltage at load. Then take a multimeter and check the readings. Then be amazed at how far off it is.
3. It can not deliver the specs it claims.
4. NOT ATX compliant.
5. Horrible support. They can not even send the right part to fix the board, or take it upon themselves to admit the error and fix it.
6. Cheap quality. Compare it to a Gigabyte of the same price and you will be amazed just how bad it is.
7. run unstable far too easily. Same settings that booted on my Z77E4 will not even post on my P8P67 with the same CPU, RAM, PSU, GPU, and cooling.

 

[psykedOut]

Thanks Notredame, and everyone else, I appreciate the input!

Will a machine like that stay current/be up gradable to stay current for a while? I already have my monitors, so would you guys suggest just going with a better mobo for overclocking and an additional graphics card to cover what I would've spent? I've never worked with liquid cooling, is it difficult to install or is it just a plug n play type thing? Also, as far as i5 vs i7, did you chose the i5 just because you can't really tell a difference vs the i7 except in price? Or would it be worth it to go i7?

 

[spirit]

For gaming there is very little difference at all between the i5 3570K and the i7 3770K. Go for the 3570K and put the money towards a nice graphics card, which is what matters most for gaming.

 

[Shane]

Just throwing out my opinion on the Asrock situation,I have the Z77 pro 4 and its been no problems at all,Not sure what wolfeking means in terms of "Cheap quality",Seems pretty well built to me,Solid caps,Nice layout etc.

For the price they're not bad boards,Of course everyone's entitled to their opinions.

Gigabyte do make some really nice boards too though.

 

[psykedOut]

For gaming there is very little difference at all between the i5 3570K and the i7 3770K. Go for the 3570K and put the money towards a nice graphics card, which is what matters most for gaming.

Thanks, will do. Does it matter whether you get 1 amazing card or 2 good cards run in SLI? Will one way perform better than the other? Is the 680W PSU Notre posted enough power to run cards in SLI?

 

[wolfeking]

what I meant by cheap quality is that it is flimsy compared to other boards in its price range. It is not a sturdy. I am not sure how else to say it.

Not bad boards, if that is your opinion, god help you, but you are entitled to it. I just don't see buying a cheap quality ASrock, when for teh same price you can get a UD3H that is 10x better quality.

 

[psykedOut]

I also had a question about BigFootNetworks Killer NICs, are they actually worth it or is it all just hype? Would a regular integrated gigabit NIC give the same quality/speeds?

 

[spirit]

Thanks, will do. Does it matter whether you get 1 amazing card or 2 good cards run in SLI? Will one way perform better than the other? Is the 680W PSU Notre posted enough power to run cards in SLI?

I'd advise buying one powerful card over two weaker ones. Reason being is the drivers will be more stable, less power will be consumed, and less heat will be produced.

680W is more than enough for one power card, yes.

 

[psykedOut]

I'd advise buying one powerful card over two weaker ones. Reason being is the drivers will be more stable, less power will be consumed, and less heat will be produced.

680W is more than enough for one power card, yes.

Thanks man I appreciate the help!

 

[notredameguy10]

Thanks Notredame, and everyone else, I appreciate the input!

I've never worked with liquid cooling, is it difficult to install or is it just a plug n play type thing?

There are two types of water cooling (in general). One where the coolant is already in the system and it just reuses it over and over. This is much safer, although will not be quite as good. The other method is to have cold water coming from an outside source and pumped back out. This is much more difficult and dangerous, although apparently very good. The item I put is the first, and thus I feel better option. Not any harder than a CPU Fan to install really