$1500 - 2000 Gaming PC - First Time Building a Computer

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N

Nubcake

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Approximate Purchase Date: June 30, 2011 (closer the better)

Budget Range: $1500 - $2000 (I'm okay if it goes somewhat over $2000)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, surfing the web, music, movies, schoolwork.

Parts Not Required: Mouse.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: www.newegg.com

Country of Origin: I am in the U.S.

Parts Preferences: Intel processors, Nvidia cards, ASUS motherboards

Overclocking: Yes, not too extreme. I'm somewhat of a computer noob, so I don't think I'll be able to handle too much overclocking.

SLI or Crossfire: Yes, eventually.

Monitor Resolution: I don't know.

Additional Comments: I want this computer to last about 4 years, not sure if that's too much to ask for, haha! I don't want the PC to be unreasonably loud. I want it to have sufficient cooling. I don't think an SSD is necessary. Feel free to explain to me as to why I should get one, because I am kind of a noob about computers (I don't see the benefit compared to the price). If someone could suggest some nice, surround-sound gaming headsets and a mechanical keyboard (preferably backlit), that would be nice. I don't have to have all the video cards right away. I'm thinking about starting with a single card, and steadily adding more. I have chosen a lot or parts already. Please tell me if they are incompatible or if I made a bad decision and should choose something else. Matching colors are nice, too.

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Motherboard:
ASUS MAXIMUS IV EXTREME (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard
OR
ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard


CPU:
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor


RAM:
G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBSR


Video Card:
ASUS ENGTX580 DCII/2DIS/1536MD5 GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card


Storage:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive


Thank you, for your time.
 
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M

mosox

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Mar 31, 2010
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You can get the i-5 2500K it's just as fast for your needs.
Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128507
All the RAM will work at 1333 so:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231440
The latencies matter, the lower the better

You can get a HD 6970 (slightly slower, much cheaper)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102918&cm_re=hd_6970-_-14-102-918-_-Product

he GTX 580 has a bad performance/price ratio. For one monitor you can get a GTX 570 if you want Nvidia.
 
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mjmjpfaff

mjmjpfaff

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a true fps pusher:

this is a build that i built for this competition: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/312826-31-bestconfigs-high-intel-gaming

Intel i5 2500k: 220$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072&cm_re=i5_2500k-_-19-115-072-_-Product

SAPPHIRE PURE Black P67: 230$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813154018

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB): 75$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445&cm_re=gskill_ram_8gb_1600-_-20-231-445-_-Product

MSI R6950 Twin Frozr II Radeon HD 6950 2GB: x3=840$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127588&cm_re=6950-_-14-127-588-_-Product

Samung Spinpoint F3 1TB HDD: 60$ http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1308753807&sr=8-2

Corsair Force Series 3 120GB: 210$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233181&cm_re=force_3-_-20-233-181-_-Product

IN WIN Ironclad: 120$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108230&cm_re=full_tower_case-_-11-108-230-_-Product

PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W: 150$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703028&cm_re=pc_power_and_cooling-_-17-703-028-_-Product

CORSAIR CWCH60 Hydro Series H60: 70$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181015&cm_re=h60-_-35-181-015-_-Product

ASUS 24X DVD Burner: 21$ http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1308845145&sr=1-1&condition=new

Total: 1996$

change ram to this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145324&cm_re=8gb_1600-_-20-145-324-_-Product -19$ the other ram is faster. just trying to keep it under 2000$

that ssd is out of stock: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227726&cm_re=agility_3_120gb-_-20-227-726-_-Product -15$

+20$ for the case's shipping

-20$ for the psu's rebate

change the cpu cooler to the noctua nh-d14 +13$- http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-Heatpipe-Bearing-Cooler-NH-D14/dp/B002VKVZ1A/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1308793391&sr=1-1

change the motherboard to this one- http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-8P67WS3&c=FR&pid=3b62c1f83100b7c9009b869e1fe8c6389f82ab2d7196881ae47393d5c72278b7 +25$

 
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mjmjpfaff

mjmjpfaff

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ok so you want a multi monitor setup. scale back on the motherboard get a gigabyte z68- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128512&cm_re=gigabyte_z68-_-13-128-512-_-Product

change your gpu to 2 6970's.

make this your cpu cooler- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185168&cm_re=scythe_mugen-_-35-185-168-_-Product

make this your psu- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207011&cm_re=xfx_power_supply-_-17-207-011-_-Product

change the case to this one- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108395&Tpk=in%20win%20buc it was rated very highly by jonny guru

and here is a monitor you can buy 3 of- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236063
 
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Why_Me

Why_Me

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Jan 17, 2008
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This build includes dual HDMI Full HD LED 2ms gaming monitors, dual MSI 6950 2GB vid cards, after market cpu h/s (thermal paste included), Windows 7, etc...

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Enforcer-Interior-SGC-1000-KWN1/dp/B004WK3KKQ/ref=sr_1_10?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1309083820&sr=1-10 $79.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Storm Enforcer USB 3.0 Mid Tower ATX Case with Window and Black Interior (SGC-1000-KWN1)

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Computer-Cooling-R4-LUS-07AR-GP/dp/B002LE8BJA/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_b $14.76 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master Computer Case Cooling R4-LUS-07AR-GP 200mm Red LED Case Fan

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049 $99.99 - $84.99 after mail-in rebate FREE SHIPPING
Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.674958 $188.98
GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.656677 $266.98
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G1YPH0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER $29.51 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127588 $279.99 FREE SHIPPING
MSI R6950 Twin Frozr II Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127588 $279.99 FREE SHIPPING
MSI R6950 Twin Frozr II Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289 $18.99 FREE SHIPPING
LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 $99.99 FREE SHIPPING
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236099 $169.99 - $154.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
Asus ML228H 21.5" 1920X1080 2ms Full HD LED BackLight LED Monitor Slim Design 250 cd/m2 10,000,000 :1 (ASCR)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236099 $169.99 - $154.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
Asus ML228H 21.5" 1920X1080 2ms Full HD LED BackLight LED Monitor Slim Design 250 cd/m2 10,000,000 :1 (ASCR)

Total: $1,699.15 *not including shipping, mail in rebates, etc...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126087 $64.99 FREE SHIPPING
Logitech G110 Black USB Wired LED Backlighting Gaming Keyboard

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PC-350-Collapsible-Microphone/dp/B0012XFDWO/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1309087763&sr=1-3 $170.60 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Sennheiser PC 350 Collapsible Gaming Headset with Vol Control & Microphone Mute

http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?category_id=19&product_id=3038 <----- more pics, specs, and professional reviews on that CM case.
 
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F

flong

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Why Me, this is a really thoughtful and interesting build.
 
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mjmjpfaff

mjmjpfaff

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you always have to outdo us huh? ;)
 
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N

Nubcake

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Would this single monitor set-up work well? Will it have any heat problems or lack of performance? I chose the GTX 580 (starting with one), because I don't have the patience to wait until the GTX 590s are back in stock. I didn't get two Radeon HD 6970s, because dual SLI GTX 580 would preform better. Please, correct me if I'm wrong.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.662162 $339.97
COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series RSA00-80GAD3-US 1000W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Blue RC-932-KKN3-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.674836 $234.98
GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.656677 $266.98
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233147 $86.99
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130590 $489.99
EVGA SuperClocked 015-P3-1582-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 $19.99
ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007 $11.98
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G1YPH0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=vglnk-c1001-20 $29.51
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 $99.99
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826402014 $92.54
Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 3.5mm/ 6.3mm Connector Circumaural Open-Air Dynamic Headphone

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XQE040/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller= $126.09
XARMOR-U9BL Backlit Keyboard Illuminated Mechanical Keyboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=24-254-052&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo $269.99
Hanns-G HZ281HPB 27.5'' 3ms Full HD 1080P HDMI WideScreen LCD Monitor 400cd/m2 X-Contrast 15,000:1(800:1)Built-in Speakers

Total: $2,069.00 *not including shipping, mail in rebates, etc...


I know that I will not be able to use the ATH-AD700 headset to its full capabilities with the on-board sound card, so I hope someone can suggest a good quality sound card that is not too expensive, preferably under $150 (unless it's REALLY good). I will be using the headset mostly for gaming (including FPS) and music (a lot of genres). Also, please tell me if I left something essential out of my build.
 
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puttsy

puttsy

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I know this may be late and take my reply with a grain of salt. Ignore if you wish...your option but

If this is your first build, I wouldn't sink >$1000. There are millions (Yes, look at motherboards. They have millions---BILLIONS of possible problems) of things to go wrong and, as a first time builder, you may run into 1, 2, 7+ of these. I would buy the case and PSU that wou want, the buy a cheap Celeron/mobo combo and get the basics of building a machine. This would also give you a unit to bench test possible faulty equipment for your future builds and upgrades.

I always sigh when I see first time builder dumping LOADS of money into a new computer. All the forums you read and questions you post and reviews you read do not make up for experience working with parts. If you want my suggestions for test builds on the cheap, I can point you to eBay and Newegg for super cheap parts to learn the basics.

Good luck, ask MANY questions and HAVE FUN!!

I will ALWAYS recommend a <250 first build that will move to a crap case for component testing. It would be MUCH more worth the cost of this than to purchase another graphics card. That way you won't damage your GOOD computer.
But go on as you wish. If you want, I'll post specs for a beginner build. (usually i3 systems now.)
 
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F

flong

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That is a very interesting viewpoint. Do you think it has changed because of the ease of which new mobos offer step by step guidance? I have a friend who knows nothing about building computers and he just built a 2600K rig with an aftermarket cooler. He took a long time (about two days working off and on) and stopped to ask questions but he got through it with no problems. The Asus Pro Z68 was very user friendly and he just carefully followed the instructions.

It appears the the K CPUs are easier to build with than the I-7 9xx CPUs, especially when it comes to overclocking.
 
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