"Budget" High End system (~$3000)

[rs2k]

I put together a "dream build." I then put in lower cost components that would basically do the same thing for me and ended up with the following build, what do you think? I'm hoping to get a 4.5 GHz overclock out of the following build. I also want to try 3D surround vision.

I was going to buy this all today since I had to wait until this year to make a purchase. Since Newegg is out of the BenQ monitors it looks like I have a little bit more time to tweak this build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($204.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($409.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($409.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($93.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: BenQ XL2420T 120Hz 24.0" Monitor ($398.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: BenQ XL2420T 120Hz 24.0" Monitor ($398.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: BenQ XL2420TX 120Hz 24.0" Monitor ($458.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Das Keyboard Model S Professional Wired Standard Keyboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $3036.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-01 10:11 EST-0500)

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

Your monitors NEED to be IDENTICAL... those aren't...

All the best Brett

 

[rs2k]

Hi

Your monitors NEED to be IDENTICAL... those aren't...

All the best Brett

Hello!

I've read that with the newest drivers they can be slightly different now, but if that's not the case I can change the center TX into a T and just get the 3D kit separately.

 

[jmsellars1]

620W is cutting it a bit fine with a heavy overclock I'd say. I'd get the 720W model.

 

[EzioAs]

Usually when you're about to spend this much for an entire system, you pretty much have everything in mind already. Fortunately that build looks pretty good though as jmsellars1 said, maybe a 650W-700W psu would be better just to leave a some more headroom. Seasonic has a great 660W unit I believe.

A question since I'm not a huge fan of multi-monitors and 120Hz monitors for gaming, why that particular monitor model?

 

[jitpublisher]

Do something different for a PSU, I don't like the brand or the wattage.
You need 750 watts, and personally, I would get a Corsair Gold series. The PSU is the MOST important part of your system, period. Don't skimp on this item or you will live to regret it.

 

[EzioAs]

Do something different for a PSU, I don't like the brand or the wattage.
You need 750 watts, and personally, I would get a Corsair Gold series. The PSU is the MOST important part of your system, period. Don't skimp on this item or you will live to regret it.

Recommending higher wattage might not be a bad idea but saying you don't like seasonic is a bit off don't you think? They do, in fact make their own PSUs and one of the best OEM out there. Even some of corsair's high end unit are actually made by them

 

[samuelspark]

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341041

Good 750w Tier 2 modular PSU for $100

I might get 7970's over 670's because you're going to be running triple monitors and more VRAM might help.

 

[Mrbumbum]

I would strongly suggest the 4gb version of the 670 or the 7970 as the above poster recommends. I have SLI 670 on 5760x1080 & while I am happy with their performance, I cannot use the max amount of MSAA in some games (BF3, FC3, Saints row etc) due to only 2gb VRAM. Looking back at it, I wish I went with the 4gb version or the 7970.

 

[bigcyco1]

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=62224&vpn=P1750BNLG9&manufacture=XFX

 

[jmsellars1]

The Corsair AX series are the Seasonic X series rebranded lol

 

[rs2k]

It looks like the difference from bronze to gold can be upwards of $20 per year in savings. Assuming I'll be keeping this PSU for 5 years it makes sense to go wit ha better GOLD certified unit.

 

[rs2k]

It looks like the difference from bronze to gold can be upwards of $20 per year in savings. Assuming I'll be keeping this PSU for 5 years it makes sense to go wit ha better GOLD certified unit.

I'm currently looking at one of these two PSUs:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182084

 

[rs2k]

Seriously... Who's idea was this?

 

[darksparten]

I put together a "dream build." I then put in lower cost components that would basically do the same thing for me and ended up with the following build, what do you think? I'm hoping to get a 4.5 GHz overclock out of the following build. I also want to try 3D surround vision.

I was going to buy this all today since I had to wait until this year to make a purchase. Since Newegg is out of the BenQ monitors it looks like I have a little bit more time to tweak this build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($204.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($409.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($409.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($93.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: BenQ XL2420T 120Hz 24.0" Monitor ($398.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: BenQ XL2420T 120Hz 24.0" Monitor ($398.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: BenQ XL2420TX 120Hz 24.0" Monitor ($458.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Das Keyboard Model S Professional Wired Standard Keyboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $3036.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-01 10:11 EST-0500)

-Heh Heh 3 monitors 1080p with 2GB VRAM good luck buddy. Either 7970GHz edition in 3-way CFX(AMD Excels at multi monitor setups, and easily beats Nvidia with high resolutions/3+ monitors), or 2x 4GB GTX670 but IMO the three way 7970GHz are the better choice, a great one is the 7970 Vapor-X, if you want even get the 6GB versions.

-You're pushing it with a 620W the PCIe cards themselves are going to be 300W at least then your CPU added in is going to be near 400, adding in your drives, and motherboard you could easily go up to 500, adding in efficiency compensation, there is absolutely no room for expansion or overclocking. For 93 dollars a TX750 will serve you MUCH MUCH better.

-So no hard drive? 256GB of storage isn't a lot, add a 1TB drive for 70-100 dollars, Caviar Black is a good choice(more reliable than Barracuda).

-For such a high end build I'd suggest you shell out the extra cash for a Gigabyte G1 Sniper or even a Z77X-UP7. A 150 dollar board isn't going to cut it, you are bottlenecking your cards with the x8 interface and the expandability is minimal, if you still want to get a cheaper motherboard I strongly reccomend the MSi MPOWER or the Z77A-GD65 over that. Better expandibility and easier OC.

Get a cooler like the Thermaltake Frio, Thermalright silver arrow, or Noctua NH-D14. No sense cheaping out on a cooler with a large budget.

Cheaping out on a case is also not a good idea, I'd reccomend an Obsidian series 650D or a Carbide 400R.

You need an operating system, nuff said.


EDIT: Cheaper and WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY better

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vn8c

 

[rs2k]

Thanks for the info.

-Heh Heh 3 monitors 1080p with 2GB VRAM good luck buddy. Either 7970GHz edition in 3-way CFX(AMD Excels at multi monitor setups, and easily beats Nvidia with high resolutions/3+ monitors), or 2x 4GB GTX670 but IMO the three way 7970GHz are the better choice, a great one is the 7970 Vapor-X, if you want even get the 6GB versions.

I'm not sure which direction to go yet. I'm still doing research over this.

-You're pushing it with a 620W the PCIe cards themselves are going to be 300W at least then your CPU added in is going to be near 400, adding in your drives, and motherboard you could easily go up to 500, adding in efficiency compensation, there is absolutely no room for expansion or overclocking. For 93 dollars a TX750 will serve you MUCH MUCH better.

I'm now leaning toward this PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010 The GOLD will end up paying for itself in around a year.

-So no hard drive? 256GB of storage isn't a lot, add a 1TB drive for 70-100 dollars, Caviar Black is a good choice(more reliable than Barracuda).

I already have a 3TB green SATA drive I'll put in this build. I may upgrade to a faster drive later, but I really only use the drive for backup. Speed is really of no concern on this drive.

-For such a high end build I'd suggest you shell out the extra cash for a Gigabyte G1 Sniper or even a Z77X-UP7. A 150 dollar board isn't going to cut it, you are bottlenecking your cards with the x8 interface and the expandability is minimal, if you still want to get a cheaper motherboard I strongly reccomend the MSi MPOWER or the Z77A-GD65 over that. Better expandibility and easier OC.

I really don't know what the Gigabyte G1 Sniper or the Z77X-UP7 will do for me. By the time I need to expand the I5 will probably be old news anyway. I'm also not convinced 2 PCIe slots at 16x is worth $200 over 2 PCIe slots at 8x with these cards.

Get a cooler like the Thermaltake Frio, Thermalright silver arrow, or Noctua NH-D14. No sense cheaping out on a cooler with a large budget.

I was originally going to go with a Noctua NH-D14, but I'm worried about the weight. I'll be toting this computer around and I don't want to break it.

Cheaping out on a case is also not a good idea, I'd reccomend an Obsidian series 650D or a Carbide 400R.

I'm not sure why I need to spend an extra $200 for a case. Once everything is setup I won't go in it unless there's a problem.

You need an operating system, nuff said.

Windows 7. I have several copies. No need to list it here. No plans whatsoever to go to Windows 8.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vn8c

Thanks for putting this together. I thing I'd rather go with the Korean IPS screens over the Asus VE248H 24.0" Monitors if I don't go with a 3D surround capable rig. I'm also somewhat worried about microstutter with two ATI cards. It'll drive me nuts. Maybe a single AX7990 would be better?

 

[jonjonjon]

-Heh Heh 3 monitors 1080p with 2GB VRAM good luck buddy. Either 7970GHz edition in 3-way CFX(AMD Excels at multi monitor setups, and easily beats Nvidia with high resolutions/3+ monitors), or 2x 4GB GTX670 but IMO the three way 7970GHz are the better choice, a great one is the 7970 Vapor-X, if you want even get the 6GB versions.

-You're pushing it with a 620W the PCIe cards themselves are going to be 300W at least then your CPU added in is going to be near 400, adding in your drives, and motherboard you could easily go up to 500, adding in efficiency compensation, there is absolutely no room for expansion or overclocking. For 93 dollars a TX750 will serve you MUCH MUCH better.

-So no hard drive? 256GB of storage isn't a lot, add a 1TB drive for 70-100 dollars, Caviar Black is a good choice(more reliable than Barracuda).

-For such a high end build I'd suggest you shell out the extra cash for a Gigabyte G1 Sniper or even a Z77X-UP7. A 150 dollar board isn't going to cut it, you are bottlenecking your cards with the x8 interface and the expandability is minimal, if you still want to get a cheaper motherboard I strongly reccomend the MSi MPOWER or the Z77A-GD65 over that. Better expandibility and easier OC.

Get a cooler like the Thermaltake Frio, Thermalright silver arrow, or Noctua NH-D14. No sense cheaping out on a cooler with a large budget.

Cheaping out on a case is also not a good idea, I'd reccomend an Obsidian series 650D or a Carbide 400R.

You need an operating system, nuff said.


EDIT: Cheaper and WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY better

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vn8c

the 6GB version is just about useless. unless you have cash to throw away i don't get it. also a $150 board is more then enough. there is zero reason to spend more then that. i would argue spend less. even running a 7970 on a PCIe 2.0 x4 wouldn't limit the card that much. the board he picked has PCIe 3.0 8x/8x so he will be fine. there is also nothing wrong with the case. it doesn't have usb 3.0 front ports but that's about it. sure he could spend more money but it wont get him anything. i'm sure he realizes he needs an os. i looked at your build and all i see is wasted money.

 

[rs2k]

the 6GB version is just about useless. unless you have cash to throw away i don't get it. also a $150 board is more then enough. there is zero reason to spend more then that. i would argue spend less. even running a 7970 on a PCIe 2.0 x4 wouldn't limit the card that much. the board he picked has PCIe 3.0 8x/8x so he will be fine. there is also nothing wrong with the case. it doesn't have usb 3.0 front ports but that's about it. sure he could spend more money but it wont get him anything. i'm sure he realizes he needs an os. i looked at your build and all i see is wasted money.

That makes sense to me. I thought $150 for a board would provide enough quality to overclock to 4.5 GHz and last at least 3 years. I don't need the extra features and USB 3.0 is not needed. Can you recommend a board that might be less that fits that bill? I only use USB for keyboards, mice, removable wifi and the occasional usb thumb drives. I don't need USB 3.0 on the front.

 

[rs2k]

Well, I think I'm going to buy everything but the monitors and the graphics cards tonight. Newegg seems out of stock on almost all of the 3D monitors. Either a lot of people are going 3D or something new may be coming out shortly. I'll stick with my trusty 5770 and 2x 17s and 1x 22 inch at least for another week or two while I decide what to do.

 

[jonjonjon]

you can look hear and see there is virtually no difference between PCIe 3.0 x16 and x8.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Ivy_Bridge_PCI-Express_Scaling/23.html

the extreme6 would be fine. you could compare it too the extreme4 and see if you need any of the features on the extreme6. but right now its not much cheaper. you don't happen to have a micro center close by?

 

[rs2k]

Alas, the closest MicroCenter is 3 hours away. I use NewEgg almost exclusively since I have a thing against Amazon.


Here's what I bought last night / already have:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($204.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($87.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm Trigger Wired Gaming Keyboard ($101.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1165.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-02 03:03 EST-0500)



I'm still trying to figure out what to do about (a) video card(s) and displays. I'm leaning towards 2 GTX 670s and 3x BenQ XL2420Ts right now.... but only slightly. I decided to go with 2x 8 GB sticks of RAM after running out of RAM on my 6GB machine while adding the 8GB to the cart. lol.

My current main machine will retire as an HTPC until it dies.

 

[jonjonjon]

looks good. just throwing this out there. there are korean 27" IPS 2560x1440 monitors for $300 on ebay. if you are worried about a warranty microcenter started selling them for $400. they are supposedly the same lg panels in the apple home cinema monitors that sell for $1000. i'm planning on buying one soon. its something to consider.

http://techreport.com/review/23291/those-27-inch-ips-displays-from-korea-are-for-real
http://www.overclock.net/t/1215866/reviewed-400-2560x1440-ips-no-ag-90hz-achieva-shimian-qh270-and-catleap-q270

http://www.microcenter.com/product/384780/EQ276W_27_IPS_LED_Monitor
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Qnix-QX2700-LED-27-inch-QHD-DVI-IPS-2560-x-1440-Speaker-Computer-PC-Monitor-/330823475974?pt=Computer_Monitors&hash=item4d069da306

 

[rs2k]

looks good. just throwing this out there. there are korean 27" IPS 2560x1440 monitors for $300 on ebay. if you are worried about a warranty microcenter started selling them for $400. they are supposedly the same lg panels in the apple home cinema monitors. i'm planning on buying one soon. its something to consider.

http://techreport.com/review/23291/those-27-inch-ips-displays-from-korea-are-for-real/5
http://www.overclock.net/t/1215866/reviewed-400-2560x1440-ips-no-ag-90hz-achieva-shimian-qh270-and-catleap-q270

Yeah, that's a possibility as well. I don't want to do dual GPUs with the 7970 because of microstutter issues and I'm not convinced a single 7970 will be able to handle those big monitors at ultra high settings. That means a 7990 is a possible option, but only if it doesn't suffer from microstutter being a dual GPU in a single card. I need to do more research.

 

[jonjonjon]

seems like amd still has some work to do.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7990-devil13-7970-x2,3329-8.html

 

[rs2k]

Yup, I think I'm going to go with dual 670's then. What I need to do now is decide on the monitors.

The cheapest 3D solution would be three of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Acer-GD235HZbid-Widescreen-23-6-Display/dp/B0035KC3R0/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

and

2x 2GB 670s.


Those monitors can't do 3D lightboost though.