Battlefield 3 Build - $2k

[fire r a g e]

Hey everyone. It has been a long time since I have posted on THG and a lot has changed since then (I have been keeping up with the updates). I have been researching a lot over the past few months, but I still don't think I can come up with a config on my own, so I need help from you all.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming (BF3, Skyrim, GW2), minor video editing, web browsing, watching youtube in 1080p quality.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$2k, although if REALLY necessary, I can stretch it a bit ($100 to $200 more)
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
U.S. Dallas, TX

4) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None.
5) Will you be overclocking?
Yes.
6) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
2560x1440; 27"
7) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
September 14 when my paycheck comes
8) 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.
Maybe CF/SLI support, if I need it, USB 3.0, SATA 6GB/s, UEFI.
9) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, 64-bit W7 Home Premium.

Thanks!

 

[sherlockwing]

I would go with the Gigabyte 7970 OC Windforce 3 if I were you. 7950 is more of a lottery, if you are lucky, you would get a good chip that clocks well, if you are unlucky you end up with an average chip. With a 7970 OC card with custom cooling like the Gigabyte, its almost a guarantee that you can hit 1200-1300 mhz with a slight voltage incrase. I personally didnt see any overclocking record with a 7950 ever, only 7970 that hits 1.2 to 1.3 ghz with some voltage increase.

I own a Windforce 670(so does the Tom's $1000 build whos temp mark I listed on the last page), the same Windforce 3X cooler is used for both card and it keep my card at 50-51max while not audible even with my slightly aggressive fancurve, so I definitely recommend any Gigabyte Windforce 3X card.

 

[fire r a g e]

I will post the build I am considering here in a while.

 

[fire r a g e]

So here is what I came up with.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($215.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 612 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($49.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($132.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos Deluxe 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($341.04 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($341.04 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($94.98 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1575.85
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-08 22:31 EDT-0400)

What do you guys think? I tweaked azeem40's build a bit.

 

[blazorthon]

I recommend the OCZ Vertex 4 256GB over the Mushkin Chronos Delux 240GB SSD, but that's me.

 

[fire r a g e]

The reason I chose the Mushkin is that it is a great deal right now, and it utilizes Toshiba Toggle NAND.

 

[sherlockwing]

The reason I chose the Mushkin is that it is a great deal right now, and it utilizes Toshiba Toggle NAND.

Looks pretty solid build but you left around +$400 on the table, if you don't mind spending them I recommend:
Samsung 830 256 GB SSD, 216.99 on newegg Aced multiple reviews on reputable sites such as Techreport and SSD review, Samsung makes all parts of their SSD(the only manufacture to do so) and have a stellar track record in performance and reliablity.

Gigabyte 7970Windforce 3X $419.99 each with rebate Well 7950 can OC to reach stock 7970, why not get 7970 and OC to get even higher.

Cooler wise 612 isn't more than 2 degrees better than 212 Evo, either go for 212 Evo's superior value or get a high-end Cooler like 812/NH-D14/Phantek PH-TC14PE etc.

BTW how big is the space you reserved for your Case, the Corsiar 500R roughly 20"X20"X8"(Height/Length/Width) and the ThorV2 is 22"X22"X9", shorter than a lot of other full towers and offer more stock fan power than most Mid Towers.

Either way make sure the left side of your case isn't close to a wall or another object so you side panel fan have enough air intake, it helps cooling your GPU.

 

[redeemer]

Some how some way grab two 7970's pump them full of volts and slap waterblocks on them!

 

[fire r a g e]

Ok. Will go with the 212 EVO.

I think a 7950 will be fine cuz I don't plan on maxing AA or AF.

 

[fire r a g e]

I don't think I will need to go that extreme. 😛

 

[blazorthon]

Looks pretty solid build but you left around +$400 on the table, if you don't mind spending them I recommend:
Samsung 830 256 GB SSD, 216.99 on newegg Aced multiple reviews on reputable sites such as Techreport and SSD review, Samsung makes all parts of their SSD(the only manufacture to do so) and have a stellar track record in performance and reliablity.

Gigabyte 7970Windforce 3X $419.99 each with rebate Well 7950 can OC to reach stock 7970, why not get 7970 and OC to get even higher.

Cooler wise 612 isn't more than 2 degrees better than 212 Evo, either go for 212 Evo's superior value or get a high-end Cooler like 812/NH-D14/Phantek PH-TC14PE etc.

BTW how big is the space you reserved for your Case, the Corsiar 500R roughly 20"X20"X8"(Height/Length/Width) and the ThorV2 is 22"X22"X9", shorter than a lot of other full towers and offer more stock fan power than most Mid Towers.

Any 7950 can go FAR past stock 7970... A good 7950 model can go as far as an overclocked 7970 with the same cooler.

 

[sherlockwing]

Any 7950 can go FAR past stock 7970... A good 7950 model can go as far as an overclocked 7970 with the same cooler.

Then why do people still buy 7970? either way both should do OK for what the OP needs.

 

[blazorthon]

Then why do people still buy 7970? either way both should do OK for what the OP needs.

Why do people buy i7-3960Xs when the i7-3930K has almost the same performance for a little more than half the price? Why do people buy a lot of other things when there are cheaper yet similarly performing or even better performing parts? People do things that don't make sense when you look at the whole picture all of the time. Besides, most people don't overclock anyway. I don't deny that the 7970 is a better option, but I do acknowledge that the 7950 is the better option because you can get similar performance at a much lower price if you buy a good model.

 

[fire r a g e]

I read the review on anandtech and it says it runs cool but is pretty loud.

 

[sherlockwing]

I read the review on anandtech and it says it runs cool but is pretty loud.

it=?

If it is Thor V2, I am sitting next to mine with 5 Fans(4 Stock+1 140mm) all on full 12V and it is just a "whoosh" sound of air moving around, when I am gaming/watching TV it is not audible at all.

I once left my computer on all night downloading something on bitcomet(fans still on 12V, with my bed 4-5 feet next to it I had no problem going to sleep.

 

[sherlockwing]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4648/rosewill-thor-v2-the-god-of-cooling-and-silence/6

It is middle of the road on that chart, I don't see this as a minus.

hile the Rosewill Thor v2 is still fairly quiet at its low setting, it has a hard time displacing some of the other cases. That's understandable: it has excellent cooling qualities but very little in the way of sound dampening or isolating features.

I am not sure where you pulled "quite loud" from this, but imo 3db more than NZXT H2(a sound reduction focused case) is not loud, and its load noise is within 2db of Corsair 650D, a case that is less noisy than 500R(large fans=lower rpm=lower noise)

 

[fire r a g e]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4648/rosewill-thor-v2-the-god-of-cooling-and-silence/6

 

[redeemer]

Then why do people still buy 7970? either way both should do OK for what the OP needs.

Well they buy 7970 because its more powerful its a fully working Tahiti chip nothing disabled, so when it is overclocked its scaling will be better than a 7950.

 

[fire r a g e]

When you say OK, what do you mean?

 

[blazorthon]

Well they buy 7970 because its more powerful its a fully working Tahiti chip nothing disabled, so when it is overclocked its scaling will be better than a 7950.

It's overclocking scaling isn't better than a 7950, so I don't know why you said that it is.

 

[sherlockwing]

For comparison in noise level, here is anandtech's review for 500R, in case you don't know anandtech have a default build setup for their Case reviews so these data are comparable.

Need I say more?

 

[azeem40]

For comparison in noise level, here is anandtech's review for 500R, in case you don't know anandtech have a default build setup for their Case reviews so these data are comparable.

Need I say more??????

http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph4972/41757.png

I have the 500R and I cannot hear anything. The fan controller doesn't do anything to lower temps, so I keep it at low.

 

[jacknhut]

You can also argue that a good 660 ti that can oc to 1300+ mhz core can perform as fast as a regular gtx 680. Problem is how do you know its a good gpu or not unless you overclock it. If you are not gonna use aa/af at all, might as well get a "good" pair of gtx 660 ti and overclock them to 1300+ mhz for even less money.

 

[sherlockwing]

I have the 500R and I cannot hear anything. The fan controller doesn't do anything to lower temps, so I keep it at low.

As already said I am Thor V2 owner and I can't hear anything with every fan on 12V, and the anandtech review I pulled showed 500R on low is not any more quieter than Thor V2. Not saying 500R is loud but Thor V2 don't lose out on the noise front in comparison.

 

[azeem40]

I get it now. However, what would be the advantage of either case over the other?

 

[azeem40]

Nvm, been answered.