$1500 Gaming Build

[CrazyMind]

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP

Budget Range: ~1500-1800 Before Rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Watching Movies, Using Internet, Word Processing,

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, Speakers

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com/microcenter.com

Parts Planned:

G.1 Sniper M3 Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128552

Intel i5-3570K Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504&Tpk=Intel%20i5-3570k

GTX 670 GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787

Rosewell Thor 2 EATX Case Full Tower: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147053

Corsair 120GB SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233191

Western Digital 500GB HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769

Country: USA

Parts Preferences:

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Yes

Monitor Resolution: 1600x900 (Minimum)

Additional Comments: I may expand later in the year if there is a good sale, and have up to three GTX 670's in a tri-monitor configuration. I am planning once HDD prices to lower expand to a few 1TB/2TB drives. PSU should be capable of withstanding overclocking and SLI configuration.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Graphics Card - I'd want the faster Asus model

http://www.guru3d.com/article/evga-geforce-gtx-670-sc-review/23
EVGA SC Boost Clock is 1046 outta the box....stable at 1200 Mhz
EVGA SC gets 3DMark Score of 8691 outta the box and 9443 OC'd
Idle temp is 29C / load temp is 78C
Noise is 37 dBA Idle / 43 dBA under load

http://www.guru3d.com/article/asus-geforce-gtx-670-directcu-ii-top-review/23
Asus TOP Boost Clock is 1137 outta the box .... stable at 1280 Mhz
Asus gets 3DMark Score of 9340 outta the box and 9839 OC'd
Idle temp is 30C / load temp is 72C
Noise is 37 dBA Idle / 38 dBA under load

That makes the Asus 7% faster outta the box than the EVGA SC, 6C cooler and almost 1/4 as loud under load (every 3 dBA is a doubling of sound level). The FTW is slightly faster than the SC, leaving the Asus model w/ just a 5% performance advantage

SSD - Ya don't want the "low end" Corsair .... ya want something with Toshiba premium toggle mode flash

Other than a few really oddball entries, SF-2281 'consumer' SSDs come in three flash flavors. Starting on the low end, you have IMFT 25nm asynchronous flash, a budget flash used in the Agility 3, Force 3, Chronos (non-Deluxe model) and a few other drives that in our testing perform at around the same level as last year's SF-1200 controlled drives when filled to 50 percent capacity. A majority of drives use IMFT 25nm synchronous flash; Vertex 3, Force GT, S511 and so on.

Synchronous flash, also called ONFi 2.x is really the first step for enthusiasts, especially now that prices have really dropped. The final flash type used is 3Xnm Toggle Mode flash from Toshiba, a form of ONFi 2.x without the JEDEC classification. 25nm IMFT is rated for around 5K P/E cycles and 3Xnm Toshiba Toggle Mode flash is rated for around twice as many. Even though we are talking about writing a lot of data for a very long time, the 3Xnm flash will still last even longer.

Save $10 and get something that kicks the Force 3's butt in both performance and longevity.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226318
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/4328/mushkin_chronos_deluxe_120gb_solid_state_drive_review/index6.html

I'd avoid the Blue drives.

For less money ($70) you could get a same size Momentus which has a built in SSD ($20 off w/ promo code FBSTXHD20, limited time)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148591

Or a 1 TB w/ 5 year warranty for $100 ($20 off w/ promo code FBWDHD20, limited time)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

You'll need at least a 850 watter for three 670's.....

nVidia says 840 watts .... 500+170+170
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-670/specifications

Guru 3D says 615 (293+161+161) for the Asus TOP model .... I'd add 30 watts per card of overlcocking them more yaself + 100 watts cushion for voltage stability and that's 805.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/asus-geforce-gtx-670-directcu-ii-top-review/8

When ya ready, these are the monitors I'd use .... (1) Asus VG236H and (2) Asus VG236HE (w/o glasses)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236092

Here's the Rosewill Thor 2 (9.1 rating) and Corsair 500R (9.25 rating) reviews. I'd get the 500R.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=791&Itemid=61&limit=1&limitstart=5
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=767&Itemid=61&limit=1&limitstart=5

 

[CrazyMind]

Jack, thanks for the info on those two hard drives. I am looking for the Desktop alternative of them, as they are both laptop hard drives, and not desktop versions.

Would this HDD be a good deal at all, instead of the Western Digital or not? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

Or, are laptop HDD's and SSD's the same for Desktops?

 

[azeem40]

SSDs are meant to be 2.5" drives.

 

[bigcyco1]

That would be a decent HD this would be a little better has 64MB Cache instead of 32MB Cache http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840#top but honestly if you are on a budget this is fine http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

 

[dkcomputer]

Your build is great, I'd go for a 680 though and never SLI. Using SLI gives you frame stuttering, and decreases the life span of every single part of your computer. Also, if you're going to overclock, just get sandy bridge - chances are its going to last longer than ivy if overclocked.

 

[Ironslice]

How about a GTX 680? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130769

 

[bigcyco1]

You can get the WD Caviar Black 1TB cheaper at amazon than newegg
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Internal-Desktop/dp/B0036Q7MV0/ref=sr_1_2?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1339911802&sr=1-2 $99.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache Internal Desktop Hard Drive Bulk/OEM - WD1002FAEX another thing is OP the case benchmarking you should take those benchmarks with a grain of salt they add Appearance into the overall score which makes it flawed as that is a matter of each individual personal tastes not up to a reviewer or tester to decide.

 

[CrazyMind]

The GTX 680 doesn't seem worth it right now. I will probably keep with the GTX 670.

Jack, thanks for that info! Really benificial. However the reviews on the ASUS GTX 670 GPU were atrocious. I think the EVGA GTX 670 at 419.99, is better, because the reviews seem higher, and less problems with shipping the GPU's, as I do not want to deal with problems on this. This is the one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787

Also I'll be going with the SeaSonic X Series X-850W right now. Would that be good, or is there a better design available? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151102

About the case, I'll stay with the Rosewild. The Motherboard is an EATX factor, and wouldn't fit with the Corsair design, thusly, I am staying with the Rosewild. The monitors, are good quality, I may get them in the future however.

The Seagate Hard-drive is a very good deal, and would be perfect with the Mushkin SSD. However, the Amazon 1TB version shows up for me as 112 dollars, do you have Amazon Prime at all?

 

[bigcyco1]

I wonder why it says 112 dollars at Amazon now yesterday was 99.99 guess they up the price already lol oh well the Seagate Hard-drive is good just get that your choice of PSU is solid no need to change it IMO.

 

[bigcyco1]

Just found you a killer deal if your interested you get double the amount of hard drive space for 20 bucks more i am ordering two myself lol http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245 $119.99 for 2TB

 

[CrazyMind]

Seems good actually. Didn't notice this deal. One thing however is the 3GB/s speed. So far I'll be having two set up for both ports. Also is the Mobo and processor a good setup, or should I switch with a different CPU?

 

[bigcyco1]

The motherboard is a great mobo i have it actually on my other rig i personally love it only thing i don't like is the color lol... for CPU there is just to many things to consider and you should do some research and then make a choice what's best for you.

 

[Why_Me]

How about a GTX 680? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130769

The guy that gave the advice on getting a 680 instead of a 670...he's out there. The 670 runs $100 cheaper and for a simple o/c with no voltage added it runs head to head with the 680. The 680 is a waste of an extra $100 that can be applied to a larger SSD or something of that matter.

 

[bigcyco1]

The guy that gave the advice on getting a 680 instead of a 670...he's out there. The 670 runs $100 cheaper and for a simple o/c with no voltage added it runs head to head with the 680. The 680 is a waste of an extra $100 that can be applied to a larger SSD or something of that matter.

+1 From what i understand the GTX 680 only preforms 5% better than GTX 670 how does that justify an extra $100 plus the GTX 670 can be overclocked to make that difference up! :lol:

 

[CrazyMind]

So does anyone know of a good after-market CPU cooler? I have currently taken note of the components, and need to figure out what after-market CPU cooler would work with this processor. I have no clue at all on it.

 

[nafoni]

You'll probably want to go with the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO or Noctua NH-D14. Hyper 212 will do for most overclocking. Go Noctua if you will be doing higher overclocking.

These two are really the best and popular CPU fans out there for their price.

 

[bigcyco1]

Here you go mate take your pick some are mid level heat sinks some are high end heat sinks CPU Cooler:Noctua 6 Dual Heatpipe with 140mm/120mm Dual SSO Bearing Fans CPU Cooler NH-D14 - Retail
http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-Heatpipe-Bearing-Cooler-NH-D14/dp/B002VKVZ1A/ref=pd_cp_e_1

:
PHANTEKS PH-TC14PE_BL 5 x?8mm Dual Heat-Pipes Dual 140mm Premium Fans and Quiet CPU Cooler with Patented P.A.T.S Coating
by Phanteks
http://www.amazon.com/PHANTEKS-PH-TC14PE_BL-Heat-Pipes-Premium-Patented/dp/B005OQJVP0/ref=pd_cp_pc_1/178-7594657-4819959

CPU Cooler:COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

CPU Cooler:COOLER MASTER V6 GT RR-V6GT-22PK-R1 120mm DynaLoop CPU Cooler w/ Universal bracket & Dual Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103089#top


NZXT HAVIK CPU Cooler with Dual 140MM Fans - Silver/Black
https://www.google.com/url?url=http://www.amazon.com/NZXT-HAVIK-Cooler-Dual-140MM/dp/B005869XYK&rct=j&sa=X&ei=mZ3fT42FNano2gXrqoHiCA&sqi=2&ved=0CHUQ_ggoADAB&q=NZXT+Havik+140&usg=AFQjCNGc6IxA2piashcNZopZEVwu80oHCw&cad=rja


CPU Cooler:Noctua NH-U12P SE2 CPU Heat Sink With 2 Noctua Fans
http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NH-U12P-Heat-Sink-With/dp/B002N2JVEE/ref=pd_cp_e_0

 

[CrazyMind]

You'll probably want to go with the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO or Noctua NH-D14. Hyper 212 will do for most overclocking. Go Noctua if you will be doing higher overclocking.

These two are really the best and popular CPU fans out there for their price.

I am going to go with the Hyper 212 EVO because it is in my local micro-center, and it is only half-a-mile away by walking.

 

[bigcyco1]

I am going to go with the Hyper 212 EVO because it is in my local micro-center, and it is only half-a-mile away by walking.

o.k.