$2400 Gaming Desktop

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fat_flying_pigs

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Oct 21, 2012
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10,510
Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next two weeks.

Budget Range: $1500-$2400 with tax, Preferably Before Rebates. I could go a bit more, but I'd like not to.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Rendering/3D Modeling, Programming

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

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Country: USA, California

Parts Preferences: I don't discriminate brands. Currently have asus and nvidia.

Overclocking: No / Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Yes

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 or higher.

Additional Comments: Looking to make a desktop used for gaming, and making games. I will be buying monitors one by one, as I get the money. Goal is to have 3+ monitors to better manage my open windows/programs. First time building a computer.

What I have so far:

PSU: $150 PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W High Performance 80PLUS Silver SLI CrossFire ready Power Supply
OR
$219 Rosewill LIGHTNING-1300 1300W Continuous@50°C,80 PLUS GOLD Certified,Pipe-rock Modular Design,Single +12V Rail,ATX12V v2.3/EPS12V v2.92,SLI&CrossFire Ready,Active-PFC Power Supply
Thoughts on either. I'm considering the second one because it comes with braided cords, which is easy to handle. Also, it looks cool.

MOBO: $380 ASUS P9X79 WS LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 SSI CEB Intel Motherboard

CPU: $300 Intel Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 2011 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80619i73820

CPU Fan: $55 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/FM2/AM3+

RAM: $290 G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 64GB (8 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9Q2-64GBZL
Will this work with my i7? It is quad chanel, but... And yes, I would prefer 64GB, and yes, I'm aware it's ridiculous.

GPU: $700 SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100351-6GVXSR Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 6GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

SSD: $100 Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
HDD: $110 Western Digital WD Green WD20EARX 2TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Case: $125 Rosewill THOR V2 Gaming ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Other I can do with or without a dedicated sound card.
If there is any way to get multiple wifi/internet (from different sources) and utilize both/all, that would be nice. If not, i'll use a single Ethernet to the router.
Any good deals on monitors won't hurt either. Must be 1080p.

Total: $2210 - $2279


Any changes, comments, ideas, or anything would be nice. This is my first time building a computer, and my main concern is that some of the parts won't be compatible. I've done quite a lot of research, but I can't help but feel that I might mess something up.
 
Solution
excella1221
Yes to both questions on the first sentence of the 2nd paragraph.

1 Vapor/Toxic would be better because x2 7950's will only give you better fps and performance but VRAM will not stack. The VRAM will still be 3gb.

And yes, 1 of the Vapor/Toxic would suffice. I said so in my previous post - "Crossfire wouldn't be needed anymore too" 😛
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The 660 Ti would be horrible for high resolutions, multiple monitors and 2-way SLI. It will also not be sufficient for everything overall. Seeing as you will be using more than 3 monitors, I highly suggest getting the 7970 GHz Ed 6gb TOXIC. Either that or Vapor-X.

The CPU link goes nowhere but judging from the price I assume it's 3820. Unless you really need LGA2011, I would suggest get the 3770k instead.

Get the Noctua NH-D14 or Hyper 212 EVO instead for a cooler.

I won't argue about 64gb of RAM since you're determined for it, but at least get Vengeance or G.Skill. XMS3 doesn't have the best reputation.

You can't really go wrong with either PSU, but the 1300w is major overkill. 😛
Get the Samsung 830 256gb on Newegg. Current pricing is a steal.

I prefer HAF-X
 
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I would suggest not spending more than 2000$ on a gaming computer. It is better to have one card than a dual GPU setup. Later, when that card is priced lower you can then add.

Parts I suggest:

CPU: i5-3570k (The i7's extra cores are not necessary for gaming, but if you spend a LOT of time on 3D or Animation, then yes it is worth it. Otherwise, get the i5)

Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Fatality Pro (If you really want X79 you'll have to switch up that i5 I suggested.)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo (I don't know much about the cooler you picked, but I had good experiences with this cooler.)

RAM: Any Corsair Vengeance Low Profile DDR3 1600MHz (8GB or 16GB if you spend much time with editing) 64 isn't really necessary. Don't get XMS.

GPU: If you like AMD get the Sapphire 7970 GHz 6GB Toxic or Vapor X. If you like Nvidia, the GTX 680.

For case, before buying, I suggest you look at some more. There might be some you'll like from Antec, Silverstone or Lian-Li. Of the two you proposed, HAF X.

PSU: I like Seasonic. But I guess you can get that one. Seasonic's X series is awesome.
 
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Thanks for the video card input. The 7950 was actually my second pick. It's about $90 cheaper than the 7970. Comparing performance vs price, is the 7970 really worth it? #3 vs #7

The CPU link works for me. An it's the 3820.

Good idea on the Hyper 212. I'll use that.

Changed ram to GSkil

I'm using the ssd for the OS and swap only, so 256gb is unnecessary. For photoshop, ill have all the ram and swap space I'll ever need :)
 
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I would suggest not spending more than 2000$ on a gaming computer. It is better to have one card than a dual GPU setup. Later, when that card is priced lower you can then add.

Parts I suggest:

CPU: i5-3570k (The i7's extra cores are not necessary for gaming, but if you spend a LOT of time on 3D or Animation, then yes it is worth it. Otherwise, get the i5)

Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Fatality Pro (If you really want X79 you'll have to switch up that i5 I suggested.)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo (I don't know much about the cooler you picked, but I had good experiences with this cooler.)

RAM: Any Corsair Vengeance Low Profile DDR3 1600MHz (8GB or 16GB if you spend much time with editing) 64 isn't really necessary. Don't get XMS.

GPU: If you like AMD get the Sapphire 7970 GHz 6GB Toxic or Vapor X. If you like Nvidia, the GTX 680.

For case, before buying, I suggest you look at some more. There might be some you'll like from Antec, Silverstone or Lian-Li. Of the two you proposed, HAF X.

PSU: I like Seasonic. But I guess you can get that one. Seasonic's X series is awesome.
Click to expand...
Why the i5 for the current mobo? Will the i7 not work?
The mobo you listed is LGA 1155; the CPU I listed is 2011.

Good idea on the Hyper 212. I'll use that.

As I asked Excella1221,
Thanks for the video card input. The 7950 was actually my second pick. It's about $90 cheaper than the 7970. Comparing performance vs price, is the 7970 really worth it? #3 vs #7
Click to expand...

For the ram, will 8x8 work the same as 16x4? I'm still poking around at the different brands, but I'll change from XMS.

I really don't care about the case too much. The desktop is going to be under the desk, facing backward (I'll have easy access to all the ports on the back). Is there any that you can recomend; anything that will keep it cool. Looks are a total non-factor.
 
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you want 64GB of ram but only 128GB SSD?

you wont be able to fit many games onto the SSD and then the rest will end up being bottlenecked by the HDD. if I was you I would drop the ram down to 16GB-24GB and get a decent sized SSD say 256GB atleast or 2 (1 for OS and one for Games+dev)... everything from games, development to rendering will benefit from a larger SSD more than they will from a system with more than 16GB ram..

my pick would be

2x256GB SSD (for OS games and dev)
1X3TB WD HDD (for movies, backups etc)
16GB-24GB 1600mhz RAM


ati card... (easier to add another one later on when you want more grunt, monitors etc)
 
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I can easily swap games on and off my ssd. I currently have a full tb of games, and the size of a SSD won't help much. I figure: 25gb W7, 7gb ubuntu, 64gb swap, 32 for a game and the current project I'm working on.
I'm pretty set on my choice for the SSD/HDD.

Programs like blender and photoshop run straight off ram; and I have projects that have 11 million polygons or a 32000x20000 pixel picture with 50 layers. Currently I have to hide 90% of the project to work. And that's with 8gb of ram.

Thanks for the input though.
 
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here's a better build which is more suitable for your needs-

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.82 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F4 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos Deluxe 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XM (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($106.89 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1473.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

highlights-
upgrades friendly,great performer,fit's your pocket.
 
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Okay, hold on. This is where I start arguing. :lol:

The 7950 is a great card, yes. It should be enough to power up to 3-4 monitors provided not all 4* would be utilized for gaming.
Although I'm quite confused - You're willing to sacrifice GPU power and SSD capacity, but you're okay with spending hundreds of dollars for 64gb of RAM, when your system usage will not even max out 16gb? I'm sorry I just can't let you do this.

The i7-3820 is a bit slower than the 3570k and 3770k, but it *is* on the LGA2011 platform, so that gives you room for a lot of upgrades.

No offense meant to someguy543, but I don't think he knows what he's talking about or he even read your first post. The i5-3570K and the i7-3770K has the same number of cores; their only NOTABLE difference is the fact that the i7 has HYPERTHREADING. Basing on everything you've said so far, you will need more core/thread power so an i7(hyperthreading) would benefit you the most.

The z77 Fatal1ty isn't that great either, costs more than an Extreme4 but has less features. It's a gimmick.

The GTX 680 is a very overpriced card that performs too close to the 670. You are basically paying ~$100 for a 5% difference in performance. The 7970/GHz outperforms both.

And again, the current pricing of the Samsung 830 *256gb* on Newegg is very CHEAP. You won't regret getting a 256gb, I assure you. You just don't put an OS here, you put all your favorite games/programs for faster loading and boot up.

The GTX 670 normally has only 2gb of VRAM, with your multiple monitor setup, that would bottleneck almost every activity you will do. They have a 4gb version of the 670, but at that price point, the much better 7970 GHz is already there packed with 3gb of VRAM and supports Eyefinity. nVidia just isn't the thing for these kinds of setups.
 
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It will work, but unless you spend a TON of time on things like photoshop or video editing, its not really necessary.

"The mobo you listed is LGA 1155; the CPU I listed is 2011."

Exactly, I suggested getting a 1155 board unless you really have to get 2011
 
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It will work, but unless you spend a TON of time on things like photoshop or video editing, its not really necessary.

"The mobo you listed is LGA 1155; the CPU I listed is 2011."

Exactly, I suggested getting a 1155 board unless you really have to get 2011
Click to expand...

I'm an applied computer graphics major. I considered getting dual xeon's instead of an i7. I figured the compromise between an i5 and dual xeon was an i7. (am I right?)



So... is the 7970 worth the extra $100? I'm still not convinced (continued below).
And I don't need a large SSD. I'll have 1 project and 1 game on it, as well as the OS. I have about 4tb in externals, and a quarter of that are games (that I don't play). The chore of swapping a game/project occasionally is worth the 70 bucks I'll save.

As for the ram: Programs like blender and photoshop run straight off ram; and I have projects that have 11 million polygons or a 32000x20000 pixel picture with 50 layers. Currently I have to hide 90% of the project to work. And that's with 8gb of ram.

I'm not too worried about about i7 being slower on i5 on games. It's handy for having tons of windows and tabs open, which is something that tends to happen when I program/browse the internet. I do understand the concept of HT and its effects on games; I'm pretty good with software. Total noob at hardware tho 😛


@hellfire24: Anything more powerful than the gtx 660 ti isn't worth the money. It's why I'm hesitant to get the 7970 over the 7950.
@excella1221: Ok, so the NVidia is out entirely. I'm looking at these two:
7970 - $430
7950 - $305
The only difference is 256 stream processors; I don't believe that should be worth $125 more.
Do you think two 7950's be able to handle 6 1080p screens? If not, would the 7970 fair any better?


Case is good (i'll use it), HDD is worse, GPU is too expensive (especially for 2), using the cpu fan, SSD is too expensive and unnecessary large. The mobo doesn't allow me to upgrade to a 4th eyefinity.
 
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You'll be running 6 1080p monitors? The 7950 only has 3gb of VRAM. That would absolutely bottleneck the whole system.

This would be over your GPU budget, but it's the only thing that can handle your setup efficiently.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202005&name=Desktop-Graphics-Cards
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102997&name=Desktop-Graphics-Cards

Either one of those two would suffice. Crossfire wouldn't be needed anymore too.

The i7 and i5 are about the same performance in games. The only reason i5 is suggested a lot is 'cause most build support threads here are usually purely for gaming. 😛
 
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I'm a little stumped, if you could help explain some of this to me. Assuming I don't overclock:
7950 - 850MHz Core Clock - 1792 Stream Processors - 3gb vram - 1250MHz (5.0Gbps) Effective Memory Clock -
VaporX - 1050MHz Core Clock - 2048 Stream Processors - 6gb vram - 1500MHz (6.0Gbps) Effective Memory Clock -
Toxic - 110MHz Core Clock - 2048 Stream Processors - 6gb vram - 6000MHz (6.0Gbps) Effective Memory Clock -

Are you saying that vapor/toxic would handle 6, or that it would be more efficient than getting 2 smaller ones then doing eyefinity.
How is 1 vapor/toxic better than 2 7950 (they are 1/2 the price, and they appear to have 1/2 as much potential).
What would you recommend for the end goal of 6 monitors? Would a single Vapor/Toxic suffice?
If I'm gaming, only 3 would be in use; if doing work, then all 6.

And another question that hasn't been answered: Will 8x8gb ram work with an i7? Or do I need 4x16gb.
 
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Yes to both questions on the first sentence of the 2nd paragraph.

1 Vapor/Toxic would be better because x2 7950's will only give you better fps and performance but VRAM will not stack. The VRAM will still be 3gb.

And yes, 1 of the Vapor/Toxic would suffice. I said so in my previous post - "Crossfire wouldn't be needed anymore too" 😛
 
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Solution
Never mind, looks like you listened to excella and made the right choice--the vapor/toxic is a great card and should suite your needs perfectly :hello:

edit: posting before I read the whole thread
 
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My budget is $700. I'm looking for a gpu that can use 4-6 monitors. (Preferably 6)
I want to do multitasking, gaming, and rendering. Edit: At different times.

From what has already been said, a the amd 7970 > nividia. A lot of vram will be needed; the below two cards have 6GB. Problem is, they are discontinued/sold out. Are there any good alternatives?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202005&name=Desktop-Graphics-Cards
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102997&name=Desktop-Graphics-Cards
 
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