Best possible gaming PC for 2.5k?

[xHALORDx]

I would like to know the best custom built PC config for gaming I can get for 2500$? I'm not the best in terms of PC specs and I was wondering if someone could help choose the components would would best suit my budget

 

[xHALORDx]

Also I dont need any input devices im pretty set in terms of that i just need the PC and maybe a good monitor aswell? im willing to add up to another 300$ ontop of 2.5k so i can get a monitor

 

[DeusAres]

You can get just about anything you can imagine at that budget. I'll be back in just a bit with a pretty smexy list. 😀

 

[DeusAres]

Here, try this...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($83.74 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($132.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($102.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Eleven Hundred ATX Full Tower Case ($99.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1817.50
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-01 01:37 EDT-0400)

Just throw your monitor in the mix. I'd go for a 120Hz monitor at your price point.

If you go with the antec case I recommended, you'll want to grab an extra 7 120mm case fans. One of the fans that comes with it has blue LEDs. It only comes with two exhaust fans; this is why I recommend you grab a few extra fans to improve airflow. This case also has rubber grommets for cable management which will help out significantly. There is tons of space behind the motherboard tray to tuck away cables. This case also comes with a side window. Pretty amazing case for the price.

If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask. Hope this helps; good luck!

 

[DeusAres]

That PSU isn't modular. This is why the Seasonic is a little more pricey.

You can always upgrade RAM with very little effort.

I agree; the noctua is ugly. The zalman would be an excellent alternative.

He's looking for the best gaming PC, therefore an i7 would be rendered useless in this atmosphere. However, it may come in handy in the future. Who knows. May as well go ahead and get it at his budget. It'll render gameplay faster if he were to do gameplay for youtube.

 

[xHALORDx]

Thanks guys, appreciate it, Ill look into ordering the parts over the next week or so.

 

[xHALORDx]

Seeing I will have a lot of leftover money is their anything you reckon I should get for the sake of it, even if it only slightly increases performance?

 

[xHALORDx]

Excellent news, had a look about and forgot something important to tell you guys, Im Australian and use Australian currency and ATM 1 AUD=1.05 USD so my original price range has changed from $2500 to $2626.

 

[xHALORDx]

sweet, thanks for the charts man, I might as well spend as much as I can seeing I got leftover

 

[xHALORDx]

I have
razer naga molten special edition
Saitek Cyborg v7
Plantronics 377 gamecoms

 

[xHALORDx]

do you have all 3 monitors running at the same time?

 

[xHALORDx]

But wouldnt i be better off with dolby digital 7.1 rather than 5.1?

 

[xHALORDx]

3x 3D monitors and surround sound headphones. That must be insane,

 

[xHALORDx]

yeah the bezels are what is turning me off using multiple screens at once and when it comes to me and modding stuff, well i'd probably screw something up

 

[xHALORDx]

would i be better off with 1 wraparound monitor?

 

[xHALORDx]

Alienware has this kinda curved monitor thing which looks pretty cool

 

[xHALORDx]

gonna work on adding up all this now - excluding monitor - so i can get a decent idea of what im going to do for a monitor

 

[xHALORDx]

CRVD monitor
here a site about it, its only got a very minor curve but still, better than none probs http://www.desktopreview.com/default.asp?newsID=868

 

[xHALORDx]

nevermind just saw the price 😛

 

[xHALORDx]

$4041 AUD (4253 USD) exceeds budget 🙁 that added up to including 1x Asus monitor, (I didnt use newegg or anything because im Australian so i go some local prices instead)

 

[xHALORDx]

should i get a Antec Kuhler H2O 620 Liquid CPU Cooler or just stick with the Zalmans's CNPS12X?

 

[xHALORDx]

1 x 16011527 - In Win Dragon Rider Case - Black ATX Full Tower - 1.0 - 0.8mm SECC Steel - Up to 12 Bays - USB 3.0 & eSATA - Up to 4x 32cm Graphics Card - No Power Supply (DRAGON-RIDER) [$105.00]

1 x 19010217 - Intel Core i7 2600K Unlocked Quad Core Processor - Socket LGA1155 - 3.4GHz (Turbo Boost @ 3.8GHz) - 4x 256KB L2 & 8MB L3 Cache - Intel HD Graphics - Hyper-Threading Technology - Sandy Bridge - 32nm - TDP 95W - Fan - Retail Box (BX80623I72600K) [$337.90]

1 x 28023710 - ASRock Z77 Extreme4 Motherboard - Intel Z77 Chipset - Socket 1155 - 4x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM 2800+ (OC) - 2x PCIe x16 3.0, 2x PCIe x1, 2x PCI Slots - AMD CrossFireX/NVIDIA SLI Ready - 1x HDMI, 1x VGA, 1x DVI Outputs - 4x SATA3, 4x SATA2 - RAID - Up to 8x USB 2.0 & Up to 6x USB 3.0 - Gigabit LAN - 7.1HD Audio - ATX [$145.00]

1 x 37140953 - G.Skill Ripjaws-X 16GB(2x 8GB) Dual Channel Memory Kit - 240pin DIMM - PC3 - 12800 / DDR3-1600 - CL10 - Unbuffered - Non-Ecc (F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL) [$109.00]

2 x 42051217 - Gainward GeForce GTX 670 Video Card - GDDR5 2048MB 256-bit - GPU Clocks 915MHz (Boost: 980MHz) Memory Clocks 6008MHz - PCIe 3.0 - 2x DVI, 1x HDMI & 1x DisplayPort - NVIDIA 3D Vision - NVIDIA PhysX - NVIDIA SLI Ready - NVIDIA Surround - 3 Way SLI Ready (426018336-2555) [$419.00 ea]

1 x 22040485 - Western Digital AV-GP 3.5" 1TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 64MB Hard Drive (HDD) (WD10EURX) [$115.00]

1 x 22140710 - Samsung 830 Series 64GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (SSD) - SATAIII - 520MB/s Read & 160MB/s Write - Toggle DDR NAND - Samsung 3-Core MCX Controller (MZ-7PC064B/WW) [$79.95]

1 x 17040389 - LG GH24NS90 Internal SATA 24x Dual Layer Super Multi DVD Burner Black OEM (GH24NS90.AYBU10B) [$29.50]

1 x 40020068 - Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 Sound Card - PCI-Express - Retail (70SB104000003) [$65.00]

1 x 34040622 - Seasonic S12D 750W Power Supply - Silent 120mm fan - 1 x Main connector (20+4Pin), 1 x 4-Pin ATX 12V, 1 x 8-Pin EPS 12V, 6 x Peripheral, 9 x SATA, 1 x Floppy, 4 x PCI-E [$191.40]

1 x 39090320 - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium - Full Version - 1 PC - 32 / 64Bit - DVD - Retail (GFC-00025) [$219.00]

Found a site that allowed me to add stuff although its alot more expensive so ill probably buy from somewhere else but was just wondering if this would be compatible and would be a decent choice

 

[DeusAres]

should i get a Antec Kuhler H2O 620 Liquid CPU Cooler or just stick with the Zalmans's CNPS12X?

Stick with the Zalman. The antec closed loop cooler isn't worth the price nor headache. They're noisy and occasionally leak. If you want a closed loop cooler, the Corsair H100 or H80 would be a much better pick over the Antec coolers.

 

[xHALORDx]

apparently that motherboard can only use 8gb of ram, this true?

 

[xHALORDx]

my friend was telling me that it only ran up to 8 but I dont think he really knows what he is talking about