2000$ Gaming desktop - (Quiet/cooling abilities)

[mini austin9]

So after 3 years of using my laptop (Asus G50vt-a2), I think it is time to upgrade. So I decided to build a desktop (with the help of a tech friend of mine). Now some of you will ask: "Why not ask your friend how to build your pc" And my answer to that would be, because he mostly builds small computers and I'd like the input of many experienced gaming computer builders.

On to the build, to do this in an organized manner, here is the template, this will be followed by what I already had in mind for the components.

Approximate Purchase Date: 2 weeks from now, I would prefer this to get done before december (if some INCREDIBLE things are coming out january, it could wait a little but...)

Budget Range: 1800-2000 CAD

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, web browsing, movies (ability for pc to run 24/7 would be preferred)

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, tigerdirect.ca (tech friend will get from various suppliers, looking for component models more than locations to buy).

Country of Origin: Canada

Parts Preferences: Intel, nVidia, Asus, EVGA, corsair (for power supply and tower).

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 monitors will come later, for now will be using a 1920x1080 and tv plugged in with hdmi.

Additional Comments: Need the pc to be quiet while staying extremly cool while running extremely long periods of time. (Had bad overheating problems, do not want a repeat).


Now, here are some of the parts that I had picked out according to some builds on here, reviews here/newegg and another extreme computer mods website I will not name cause I'm not sure of the rules.

Here we go!

Case :
Corsair Obsidian Series 800D
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139001

[strike]Corsair Obsidian Series 650D (CC650DW-1) Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811139006[/strike]

Motherboard:
ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z Extended ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813131760

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
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070

[strike]Intel Core i7-2700K 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819115095[/strike]

PSU:
CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX850 (CMPSU-850AX) 850W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139015

[strike]CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W High Performance Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817139021[/strike]

Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820233143
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory

Video Card:
EVGA 03G-P3-1584-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 3072MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130655

[strike]EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) HD 012-P3-1573-AR Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814130622[/strike]

SSD (system + 2-3 main games):
SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128D/AM 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Desktop Upgrade Kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820147134

Hard drive:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

CPU cooling (comes with 2 fans aswell):
CORSAIR H80 (CWCH80) High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181016

All of this brings the new total to about 2240$, a little over budget.

As for fans (case, cpu, gpu, not too sure, was looking at the noctua brand in general, heard they were decent without too much justification) and others, I'm not so sure, would like your suggestions. I'm pretty "picky" about the case, don't like many of them out there, I like the simplicity of the corsair obsidian, was looking at the 650d because of the lower price but might go with the 800d to be able to upgrade more easily (also plan on going watercooling, good rig for that). Would you suggest water cooling it right now? Anyways, throw in any suggestions, as detailed as possible.

Thanks in advance, will be following this closely.

 

[Guest]

Try less on CPU, more on GPU

 

[peanut_316]

Great Build but i'd drop the 2700k to a 2600k is 50+ worth .1ghz increase and change the PSU to 1000W...dont ask why...

I bought my PC once x58 came out..i wanted 850 PSU but i needed more power for OCing and adding more GPUs...

 

[GGTY]

Agreed. Go i5 2600K for gaming. Spend more money on GPU and get 1200W PSU

What kind of games are you going to play?

How many GPUs do you want? Consider the PCIe slot arrangement of that motherboard. You're most likely not going to be able to use all the slots.

Are your new monitors part of the budget?

 

[mini austin9]

Upgrading the PSU seems like a good idea, I could go with the corsair:
CORSAIR Professional Series HX1050 1050W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139034

As for the gpu, I could go with:
EVGA 03G-P3-1584-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 3072MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130655

Also read about the Asus ROG matrix platinum edition gtx 580 gpu, have not found it on tigerdirect or newegg, any comments on that video card?

Those two would bump up the price proximately 300$ to about 2050$.

Going to play fps games, not sure which ones, been playing this and that the past few years, I just want to be able to play any game on high settings with no studder or slowmotion, etc.

The new monitors are not part of the current budget, I'll be using what I have for now, major upgrades might and most likely will come mid-end of next summer.


Also, what would you guys suggest for cooling, want this baby to stay cool even if it runs day and night, would you consider air cooling, watercooling the cpu with a watercooler like corsair's?

Ty for the feedback and suggestions, the more the better, still feeling very unsure of my choices.

 

[Dogs666]

-Two factory overclocked (900MHz) 560 Ti - 900 Mhz get 862 fps for $410 at a cost of $ 0.48 per frame. They can be OC'd another 10-12% where as one 580 gets 616 fps for $480 at a cost of $ 0.78 per frame. They can be OC'd another 4-6%.

And you will only need a 750w psu

 

[mini austin9]

-Two factory overclocked (900MHz) 560 Ti - 900 Mhz get 862 fps for $410 at a cost of $ 0.48 per frame. They can be OC'd another 10-12% where as one 580 gets 616 fps for $480 at a cost of $ 0.78 per frame. They can be OC'd another 4-6%.

And you will only need a 750w psu

Sounds decent but as I mentioned I plan on upgrading in the near future, so having one upper scale gpu with ability to SLI later on is better for me I think.


Still looking for feedback/suggestions.

 

[ares640]

Sounds decent but as I mentioned I plan on upgrading in the near future, so having one upper scale gpu with ability to SLI later on is better for me I think.


Still looking for feedback/suggestions.

A good 80+ silver or gold 850 watt power supply is MORE than enough for SLI GTX 570 and a 2500k, plus all the peripherals and overclocking you could ever want. 1000+ watts is for triple SLI or or double CPU etc.

 

[Taylor422]

i5-2500 is all you need for gaming, it's been proven pretty well. You can save some money there.

 

[mini austin9]

Changed a few items on the original list, changed the CPU, PSU, case, gpu and also added cpu cooler.

Still looking for suggestion on how to enance my combinations of items, does it look perfect? (what about the ssd, is this really the best choice?) etc, still looking for constructive feedback and suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ares640]

Changed a few items on the original list, changed the CPU, PSU, case, gpu and also added cpu cooler.

Still looking for suggestion on how to enance my combinations of items, does it look perfect? (what about the ssd, is this really the best choice?) etc, still looking for constructive feedback and suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

Most of the parts you have selected are overkill really. You could save $500 or more with very little performance loss if you pick lower tier parts. Unless you want the best of the best simply for saying that you have it of course, it is your own budget after all. However, if you want to save money just say so and I will change your build to what I think is more reasonable.

 

[mini austin9]

I'm open to all suggestions, I just want to keep it well upgradeable (i have this budget for now but next summer I do plan on upgrading it, so I wouldn't want to have to change everything again, which is why I had chosen a lower gpu such as the gtx 570, because my guess is it can run most games on high settings, and then next summer I can upgrade to 580 or sli 580 or whichever new model will be out there) and it needs to be able to run 24/7 if I want to make it do so.

 

[ares640]

I'm open to all suggestions, I just want to keep it well upgradeable and it needs to be able to run 24/7 if I want to make it do so.

By that do you mean heat or noise? Heat will never be an issue, but noise might.

 

[mini austin9]

Edited previous message for precisions on the upgrading part.

I mean both, the computer will be in my bedroom, I'd obviously like to keep it as quiet as possible and also as cool as possible (hence the cpu watercooler) and also why I was wondering if I should get a complete watercooling system built or take specific measures with air cooling the rest.

 

[ares640]

Edited previous message for precisions on the upgrading part.

I mean both, the computer will be in my bedroom, I'd obviously like to keep it as quiet as possible and also as cool as possible (hence the cpu watercooler) and also why I was wondering if I should get a complete watercooling system built or take specific measures with air cooling the rest.

I am not that knowledgeable in what parts are best for quiet PCs. Personally I couldn't care if my case was as loud as a jet engine, as long as the temps are great and I can hear my game over it. With that said, quieter parts are either less efficient at cooling or are more expensive. It is a bad trade off that doesn't concern me, so you may have to seek information else where. Regardless here is my recommendation, my case is not very loud and I could easily sleep next to it.

Case: HAF 932 Advanced / HAF X (Save $100-130)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

Motherboard: MSI Z68 GD65 (G3) (Save $160)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130611

CPU: i5 2500k OC to 4.2-4.5 Ghz (Save $100)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

GPU: MSI GTX 570 Twin Frozr III (Save $220)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127582

PSU: Corsair HX850 or AX850 (Save $20 with HX)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600 Mhz Low Profile (Save $50)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186

SSD: Your choice is good I believe. Might have to research it more to be sure.

HDD: A little more expensive but not bad. You can get similar for $20-30 cheaper

CPU Cooler: CM Hyper 212 EVO (Save $59)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099


With that you save about $750, and none of these parts are on sale. You are looking at a maximum of 10% FPS loss, and you can easily SLI the 570's next year for about $250-300

 

[mini austin9]

Build seems very good, gives me a good idea of alternatives I could use. I'll have to research more on how to make it as quiet as possible.

As for the gpu, 570 is what I was thinking about, the only issue I see with that specific GPU you listed (and the ones of the same price) is they don't have a hdmi port, so I thought of the following GPU:

EVGA 025-P3-1579-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) HD 2560MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130687

As for keeping is quiet, anyone have suggestions (full watercooling? Quiet air cooling?).

 

[ares640]

Build seems very good, gives me a good idea of alternatives I could use. I'll have to research more on how to make it as quiet as possible.

As for the gpu, 570 is what I was thinking about, the only issue I see with that specific GPU you listed (and the ones of the same price) is they don't have a hdmi port, so I thought of the following GPU:

EVGA 025-P3-1579-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) HD 2560MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130687

As for keeping is quiet, anyone have suggestions (full watercooling? Quiet air cooling?).

The card I listed has a mini HDMI port, with an adapter to HDMI. Don't be too concerned with VRAM either, it isn't that big of a deal on a single monitor at 1080p. The TF3 is one of the most expensive GTX 570's however, I got it because of its great cooling ability and quality. If price is an issue, then a stock EVGA card for around $330 is quite fine. Temps will be about 15-20C higher but noise shouldn't be too much more.

 

[mini austin9]

The card I listed has a mini HDMI port, with an adapter to HDMI. Don't be too concerned with VRAM either, it isn't that big of a deal on a single monitor at 1080p. The TF3 is one of the most expensive GTX 570's however, I got it because of its great cooling ability and quality. If price is an issue, then a stock EVGA card for around $330 is quite fine. Temps will be about 15-20C higher but noise shouldn't be too much more.

Got it, thanks alot for the information ares.

If anyone else has suggestions regarding the build in general or specially on the cooling while staying quiet part, please let me know.

Thanks.