Considering a new build

[Terpfen]

Hey all,

With a flood of overtime at my job lately, I've had some spare pocket change. I think it's time to retire the gaming PC in my sig and go with an entirely new setup. I'm also considering a new Mac, so I may just wait until after WWDC to make a decision. For now, I just want to see what bang I can get for my buck.

Also, I currently have my gaming PC hooked up to a 32'' 1080p TV and a MacBook Pro that normally rests on a nearby desk. I'd like to consolidate the two, maybe by replacing the MacBook Pro with an iMac and using Target Display Mode to run the gaming PC. It's just an idea for now: if I go for the PC, I'll plug it in to the HDTV and worry about a new display in a few months.

With that said:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Primarily gaming, with the occasional video encoding/muxing/watching on the side.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Roughly $1250, tax and shipping included. Willing to go up to about $1500.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Miramar, FL
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.
Case, motherboard, CPU/HSF/thermal paste, PSU, RAM, GPU, SSD, HDD, Blu-Ray drive, CD/DVD RW drive (for EAC/Accuraterip CD ripping to FLAC), possibly a display
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Asus Xonar DG, WD6400AAKS HDD
6) Will you be overclocking?
Probably not, though as the system ages I may try to bump clock speed up a bit. Running cooler and quieter is more important to me than a mild FPS increase.
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
32'' 1080p Samsung LN32A550 HDTV.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within two weeks if I decide to build.
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.
USB 3.0, SATA 6b/s. No need for onboard audio/graphics.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No.

 

[Dangman]

So is a new Windows key part of your stated budget?

I generally recommend choosing your own case. I recommend these cases though:
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$118 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$120 - Fractal Design Define R3 Arctic White ATX Case
$120 - Fractal Design Define R3 Silver Arrow ATX Case
$125 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl ATX Case
$120 - Lian Li PC-9F ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$140 - Antec Performance One Series P183 V3 ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$150 - Silverstone TJ04B-EW ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$164 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$170 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$220 - Silverstone FT02S-W ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case
$270 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Full Tower ATX Case

 

[Terpfen]

Yes, a Windows key is part of the budget. A new display is optional; I can always pick one up later, or use a new iMac in Target Display Mode, or just keep using my TV.

I'm partial to the RV02B-EW, especially since it seems to be both quiet and cool. Ambient temperatures are a bit of concern, not only because I live in Florida but because all the tech equipment goes in one room.

 

[Dangman]

Prelim build list:

~$190 - Core i5 3470 or 3550. Maybe Core i5 2400 if neither of those other CPUs are in stock.
$135 - MSI Z77A-G45 Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
$76 - 2 x G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$358 - Asus HD7870-DC2-2GD5 Radeon HD 7870 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$138 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SSD w/ USB to SATA Adapter and Drive Cloning software
$17 - LG GH22NS90B DVD Burner
$63 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$100 - Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit OEM
---
Total: $1255 plus tax and shipping

Left out the blu-ray drive and the HDD since you already have a HDD.

 

[Terpfen]

Thanks. That build looks pretty good so far. I'd like to point out that I'm in the market for a new HDD, however, since my current is several years old. I'd like to move my data (several years of photos and music) over to a new HDD just to heighten the chances of keeping that data intact for a while longer. So I'd bring over my current HDD and add a second, preferably at least 1 TB.

But that build looks pretty solid, and now I'm strongly considering buying this build and selling off my old system for whatever I can get.

 

[Dangman]

In that case, grab this drive:
$120 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

 

[Terpfen]

Great, thanks. That build should fall within my budget and it looks like it'll last for a good while.

 

[Terpfen]

Necromancing this thread. I held out for the Retina MacBook Pro, but I've decided that $2200 is out of my price range. I'll wait until the Haswell revision next year, when prices come down below $2000.

In the meantime, I'm going to move forward with a new gaming PC. Danni Bui et al, do the prices quoted above still apply? Or are there better, more budget-friendly deals to be had now?

 

[Deleted member 88227]

Well some things are OOS.

Such as the DVD drive, go with this one.

$17.99 - Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner

You can save some money going with this version of the SSD, since you probably don't need the transfer cable.

$124.99 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD1 2.5" 128GB

The F3 1TB hdd is $80 now, so you'll be saving money there as well.

The motherboard costs more than it did before, but it's still one of the better options other than a couple ASUS motherboards that could save you a few bucks.

The GPU is a few bucks cheaper as well.

Still stick with either the 2400, 3450 or 3550 CPUs though.

 

[Terpfen]

Thanks for those. Since the Samsung HDD price is basically cut in half due to an instant rebate, that allowed me to upgrade the GPU a little bit. Here's where I'm now at:

$210 Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5 3550 3.3GHz
$150 MSI Z77A-G45 ATX Motherboard
$40 G.SKILL 2x4GB DDR3-1333 RAM
$125 Crucial M4 128GB SSD
$60 Antec Neo 520W PSU
$80 Samsung F3 1TB HDD
$410 MSI GTX 670 2GB GPU
$17 Samsung DVD±RW
$178 Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$99 Microsoft Windows 7 Home 64-bit OEM
Subtotal: $1369

I decided to upgrade from the Radeon 7850 to the GTX 670 since Nvidia does better in BF3 and ArmA 2 (and I anticipate that the performance difference will carry over to ArmA 3).

In doing so I sort of blew the $1250 budget a bit, so I'm wondering if/where I can trim. Case, perhaps? Is there a cheaper case that's just as cool and quiet as the RV02B-EW? Or is there a cheaper 670 version that I didn't see? I was tempted by the Twin Frozr IV edition, but that's pretty overpriced, IMO.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

That Samsung DVD drive isn't $17 when you factor in the shipping costs, the Sony drive I recommended is cheaper at $18 shipped.

Depends on your definition of quiet. With that 670 GTX in there, the fan cooling it will be louder than any one of the fans located in any case Danny recommended above.

You can also go with this MB to save a few bucks now..

$130 - ASUS P8Z77-V LX LGA 1155 Intel Z77

They also have three 670GTX GPUs that are $400, including this one that's factory overclocked.

$400 - GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 2GB

Those changes should save ya around $35.

Also going with the i5 3450 instead of the i5 3550 will save you another $10, or the i5 2400 which will save $20.

 

[Terpfen]

That Samsung DVD drive isn't $17 when you factor in the shipping costs, the Sony drive I recommended is cheaper at $18 shipped.

Unfortunately, for one of my purposes (FLAC ripping/encoding), the Sony drive you listed is less accurate at reading CDs than the Samsung drive. It's worth a few bucks' premium to me.

Depends on your definition of quiet. With that 670 GTX in there, the fan cooling it will be louder than any one of the fans located in any case Danny recommended above.

Will the Twin Frozr IV make significant temperature/noise difference over the stock MSI GTX 670? Remember, I'm using a Radeon 4850 X2 at the moment; ANYTHING will be quieter.

You can also go with this MB to save a few bucks now..

$130 - ASUS P8Z77-V LX LGA 1155 Intel Z77

They also have three 670GTX GPUs that are $400, including this one that's factory overclocked.

$400 - GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 2GB

Those changes should save ya around $35.

Any differences between the Gigabyte and MSI GPUs?

And thanks for the Asus motherboard, I see no reason not to get the MSI over the Asus.

Also going with the i5 3450 instead of the i5 3550 will save you another $10, or the i5 2400 which will save $20.

The i5-2400 isn't a consideration for me, and I felt like the extra Turbo Boost speeds were worth the $10 difference between the 3450 and 3550.

Looks like I'm going to wind up breaking the budget a little bit, but for roughly $100, that's fine.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

The Gigabyte has an aftermarket cooler, so it's probably quieter. It also has a higher core clock than the MSI, plus it's $10 cheaper.

So you're sticking with the MSI motherboard?

 

[Terpfen]

The Gigabyte has an aftermarket cooler, so it's probably quieter. It also has a higher core clock than the MSI, plus it's $10 cheaper.

Sounds good, onto the list it goes. Thanks.

So you're sticking with the MSI motherboard?

Strongly leaning toward the Asus motherboard. I'm still comparing the two, but I don't think the MSI offers anything over the Asus that I would want or need.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

The main difference is the MSI has two PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, where as the ASUS only has one. Not really a concern if you aren't planning to do multiple GPUs.

 

[Terpfen]

The main difference is the MSI has two PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, where as the ASUS only has one. Not really a concern if you aren't planning to do multiple GPUs.

Actually, there is one major difference now that I notice: the MSI doesn't have any PCI slots, but my Asus Xonar DG is a PCI card. Going with the MSI means paying $20 more for the board plus $60 for a PCI-E version of the Xonar.

Asus board it is.

 

[Prav]

Before you purchase, be sure to check out the various combo specials for the CPU and motherboard you prefer. The 3550 is also bundled with many motherboard options. M4 SSD has combos including the Asus mobo Skillz listed above. Too many options to list here but one combination I saw that may interest you and save a few dollars:

$340 3570k + Asus P8Z77-V LK

 

[Terpfen]

Before you purchase, be sure to check out the various combo specials for the CPU and motherboard you prefer. The 3550 is also bundled with many motherboard options. M4 SSD has combos including the Asus mobo Skillz listed above. Too many options to list here but one combination I saw that may interest you and save a few dollars:

$340 3570k + Asus P8Z77-V LK

That combo deal includes the LK, not the LV, version of the motherboard. The LK is a step down from the LV from what I can tell. The CPU bump in the combo is nice, but I can live without it.

 

[E4g1e]

That combo deal includes the LK, not the LV, version of the motherboard. The LK is a step down from the LV from what I can tell. The CPU bump in the combo is nice, but I can live without it.

Actually, the LK is an upgrade over the LX. There is no LV model. In fact, the LX is the most basic model in the standard ATX P8Z77-V lineup. The P8Z77-V LK adds to the features of the P8Z77-V LX:

1) The P8Z77-V LK has two PCI-e 3.0 x16 slots that run in x8/x8 mode when both slots are used. This enables official SLI support, especially since NVidia will never certify any board that runs an imbalanced dual-slot PCI-e configuration for SLI.

2) The onboard audio chip on the LK is slightly better than the one on the LX. However, since you're going with a discrete PCI sound card, onboard is irrelevant, especially since you still have two PCI slots open on the LK.

 

[Prav]

That combo deal includes the LK, not the LV, version of the motherboard. The LK is a step down from the LV from what I can tell. The CPU bump in the combo is nice, but I can live without it.

The motherboard linked earlier was the LX.

$130 - ASUS P8Z77-V LX LGA 1155 Intel Z77

What I linked was a step up in both CPU and mobo for $20 less. Since the 3570k is only $10 more this weekend, I don't see why you wouldn't consider it.

If you really like the LX you can bundle it with the M4 and save $15 then get whatever CPU you like.

 

[Terpfen]

Okay, looks like Google led me astray. I'll take that combo deal, then. Thanks, you two.

 

[Terpfen]

Spent last evening building, installing, updating, and migrating. This thing is incredible, it's the quietest full tower PC I've ever been around. Handles whatever I throw at it without breaking a sweat. The fans don't even spin up!

Thanks to everyone for all the help. I'm extremely satisfied. Bring on ArmA 3.

 

[AP514]

So what was the final Build parts/cost ?? and did you get any Pic of your build ?

 

[Terpfen]

So what was the final Build parts/cost ?? and did you get any Pic of your build ?

$220 Core i5-3570k
$145 Asus P8Z77-V LK Z77
-$25 Newegg combo
$40 G.SKILL 8GB DDR3-1333
$400 Gigabyte GTX 670 Windforce OC
$80 Samsung F3 Spinpoint 1TB
$125 Crucial M4 128 GB
$60 Antec Neo ECO 520W
$100 Microsoft Windows 7 x64 Home SP1
$20 Samsung SH222BB DVD±RW
$178 Silverstone RV02B-EW
$28 Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus
$35 Shipping
—
$1406

$150 over budget, but that's my own doing since I bumped up the GPU due to Nvidia's performance in the specific games I want to play, and also because I added the Hyper 212 Plus since the combo deal upgraded me to a 3570k. I'm pretty happy with this, though I'm sure I could have saved a few bucks here or there.

And I don't have any pics. There's nothing special about my cable management or case layout. Huge mess behind the motherboard tray, generic black interior, etc.