Building a new system for ~$2000

[jasonite]

So I'm wanting to build a good gaming system for around $2000. I've put together a list of components that seem reasonable and I'd like some feedback on it.


Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next two months

Budget Range: $2000

System Usage: gaming

Parts Not Required: Speakers, I already have some

Country: I'm assembling them here in the US

Parts Preferences: I'd like a full tower case that can accommodate water cooling and an Intel processor

Overclocking: Yes, probably

SLI or Crossfire: No, I think it's overrated for the cost


Case: Cooler Master HAF-932 Advanced

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3Ghz

Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3

Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Black 1TB

System Drive: Corsair Force Series 3 120 GB SSD

Optical Drive: LiteOn iHBS212

Memory: Patriot Viper Xtreme Division 4 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866

Graphics card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2gb

Power Supply: Antec TruePower New TP-750 Blue Power supply - 750 Watt

Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster P2770FH - 27"

Keyboard: Razer Black Widow ULTIMATE Elite

Mouse: Razer Imperator Battlefield 3 - 7-btn Mouse


One thing I'm not sure about is the water cooling system. I'd like to buy a good one, but am not sure what's out there for my price point.

J

 

[jmsellars1]

If you're not planning Crossfire, 550W would be plenty of power. Also, with 1155 socket CPU's you are not going to see any real benefit in 1866Mhz RAM. I would go with 1600Mhz to save some cash.

I would save some cash in these areas and go for a more powerful GPU. I would aim for the HD 7950 3GB. If you need to save more cash for this GPU, you could get a cheaper motherboard like the ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3

 

[hellfire24]

^+1 and xfx pro 550w is a great unit.spending 150+ on mouswe/keyboard is a bad idea.first get the best core components you can get then focus on other stuff.i am sure you can fit a 680 in your budget.for monitor,get a 23~24" monitor.my brother uses a 27" 1080p monitor,it's great but image is not much sharp due to less pixel density.

 

[jasonite]

Thanks for the feedback! Any advice on liquid cooling systems? I know the Corsair H100 is pretty well thought of, and I'd be able to afford it, particularly if I skip the more expensive keyboard/mouse combination up front. Also, would the case I've picked be able to accommodate it well?

J

 

[g-unit1111]

One thing I'm not sure about is the water cooling system. I'd like to buy a good one, but am not sure what's out there for my price point.

No - stay away from water cooling - air is far safer. Water cooling is too much risk for not a lot of payoff. If a water pipe breaks there goes your whole system - if a fan breaks, you just replace the broken fan.

^+1 and xfx pro 550w is a great unit.spending 150+ on mouswe/keyboard is a bad idea.first get the best core components you can get then focus on other stuff.i am sure you can fit a 680 in your budget.for monitor,get a 23~24" monitor.my brother uses a 27" 1080p monitor,it's great but image is not much sharp due to less pixel density.

I definitely agree - I hate spending $150 on peripherals on any given build, focus on the core components and getting the best you can get, get the expensive peripherals later.

Try this:

Case: NZXT Phantom - $119.99
PSU: Seasonic X750 Gold - $159.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P - $175.99
CPU: 3.30GHz Intel Core i5-2500K - $219.9
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo - $34.99
RAM: 8GB Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 1333MHz 1.5V - $42.99
SSD: 64GB Crucial M4 - $87.99
HD: Samsung Ecogreen F4 2TB - $129.99
Optical: LG BD-R Burner - $79.99
Video Card: EVGA Geforce GTX 680 - $499.99
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium - $99.99
Monitor: ViewSonic VX2453mh-LED Black 23.6" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor Slim Design - $179.99

Total: $1,860.93

 

[hellfire24]

Try this:

Case: NZXT Phantom - $119.99
PSU: Seasonic X750 Gold - $159.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P - $175.99
CPU: 3.30GHz Intel Core i5-2500K - $219.9
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo - $34.99
RAM: 8GB Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 1333MHz 1.5V - $42.99
SSD: 64GB Crucial M4 - $87.99
HD: Samsung Ecogreen F4 2TB - $129.99
Optical: LG BD-R Burner - $79.99
Video Card: EVGA Geforce GTX 680 - $499.99
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium - $99.99
Monitor: ViewSonic VX2453mh-LED Black 23.6" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor Slim Design - $179.99

Total: $1,860.93

no doubt a great build but i would suggest the following changes-
xfx psus are rebranded seasonic units.but they are a lot cheaper.xfx 850w xxx is a great unit and is only $135-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207017
and it's enough for 680 SLi and overclocking.
you don't need blu ray drive for gaming.any $20 ODD is fine.lite on and asus are good brands.
other things are good.

 

[serialkiller]

xfx 850w aint enough actually it just misses the shoy.

it misses 6 amps but that aint gonna touch that mark untill the system or gpu is on it max load but then it is safe.

i would suggest a bit bigger psu.

PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W High Performance 80PLUS Silver SLI CrossFire ready Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703028

even gunit bought it.

it is an undeniable offer.

 

[hellfire24]

well 680s don't really need that much power.

 

[g-unit1111]

no doubt a great build but i would suggest the following changes-
xfx psus are rebranded seasonic units.but they are a lot cheaper.xfx 850w xxx is a great unit and is only $135-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207017
and it's enough for 680 SLi and overclocking.
you don't need blu ray drive for gaming.any $20 ODD is fine.lite on and asus are good brands.
other things are good.

That's an OK choice but I hear repeatedly that XFX has incredibly rude technical support which is why I really hesitate to recommend them.

As far as the BD-R drive goes I'd rather have people pay money for that than to buy useless accessories like tool kits and mouse pads.

PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W High Performance 80PLUS Silver SLI CrossFire ready Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703028

even gunit bought it.

Yeah I'm preparing to get my 7870 and my existing PSU has a few dead connectors on and that PSU is too good of a deal to pass up - it's 80+ silver rated and is 950W - how can you go wrong?

 

[azeem40]

That's an OK choice but I hear repeatedly that XFX has incredibly rude technical support which is why I really hesitate to recommend them.

As far as the BD-R drive goes I'd rather have people pay money for that than to buy useless accessories like tool kits and mouse pads.

PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W High Performance 80PLUS Silver SLI CrossFire ready Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703028

even gunit bought it.

Yeah I'm preparing to get my 7870 and my existing PSU has a few dead connectors on and that PSU is too good of a deal to pass up - it's 80+ silver rated and is 950W - how can you go wrong?

I like XFX the best. Idc about their Customer Service as long as their product and manufacturer is excellent. XFX is the only non-Seasonic company that has ONLY Seasonic make their PSUs.

 

[hellfire24]

^+1 to azeem,as long as product is quality,you should not care about customer service.

 

[g-unit1111]

^+1 to azeem,as long as product is quality,you should not care about customer service.

True but I'm one of those people who's seen way too many parts break down unnecessarily and if I want a replacement for it I want it immediately - most vendors are usually good about it (like EVGA, Sapphire, Corsair, and even Cooler Master) and then there's some that aren't.

 

[hellfire24]

but still $160 for a 750w isn't a good value.

 

[Why_Me]

So I'm wanting to build a good gaming system for around $2000. I've put together a list of components that seem reasonable and I'd like some feedback on it.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next two months

Budget Range: $2000

System Usage: gaming

Parts Not Required: Speakers, I already have some

Country: I'm assembling them here in the US

Parts Preferences: I'd like a full tower case that can accommodate water cooling and an Intel processor

Overclocking: Yes, probably

SLI or Crossfire: No, I think it's overrated for the cost

One thing I'm not sure about is the water cooling system. I'd like to buy a good one, but am not sure what's out there for my price point.

Ivy Bridge is due out April 29th.

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=138_711_1183 <----- Z77 boards already for sale in Australia. In the past few years the Aussies have been getting the goodies a month ahead of the US and Canada including Sandy Bridge and the 1155 boards. The Aussies have already pulled some of the 1155 Cougar Point boards (H61/H67/P67/Z68) from their site. In fact a lot of those boards are no longer for sale on that site compared to last month.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5166/ivy-bridge-overview <----- complete line-up of Ivy Bridge cpu's.

Z77/Z75 motherboards (Panther Point chipset w/native USB 3.0) and PCI-E 3.0

http://www.asrock.com/microsite/PCIe3/overview.html <----- Quick and brief rundown of Ivy Bridge, PCI-E 3.0 cards and the new gen boards.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/index.asp?s=1155 <---- Asrocks Z77 and Z75 boards to date. They all get released with Ivy Bridge.

http://usa.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/Intel_Z77 <---- Asus Z77 board lineup to date.

http://www.gigabyte.us/products/list.aspx?s=42&jid=2&p=2&v=24 <----- Gigabyte Z77 board lineup to date.

http://us.msi.com/product/mb/#/?sk=Socket%201155%20(Intel%20i3/i5/i7) <----- MSI Z77 board lineup to date.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5626/ivy-bridge-preview-core-i7-3770k/9 <---- Ivy Bridge cpu review with benchmarks

http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-680-overclock-guide/ <----- Overclocking the gtx 680 w/benchmarks

 

[azeem40]

True but I'm one of those people who's seen way too many parts break down unnecessarily and if I want a replacement for it I want it immediately - most vendors are usually good about it (like EVGA, Sapphire, Corsair, and even Cooler Master) and then there's some that aren't.

XFX is a great quality brand. I have never had to RMA on of their products.

 

[g-unit1111]

but still $160 for a 750w isn't a good value.

Yeah but I have a hard time finding gold-certified PSUs priced lower than $150. There's no better PSU deal right now than the Silencer - I'll definitely admit that. But finding one with lower wattages tends to be a challenge.

 

[hellfire24]

yeah you are right there.but do you think gold certification is an absolute necessity?

 

[serialkiller]

No the necessity is a 80+ bronze psu for upto 750-850w and silver upto 1000w and gold after 1000w.

Thats why psu makers have more 80+ bronze models of 700w than 800w and have silver and gold at the top.

the necessity for a gold certified psu is when your psu will be in full load for long time and the consumption of wattage is high (above 700w).

The psu is a good one considering as 80+ gold but even a silver would do it well.

You could get a 950w psu in lesser price than a 750w gold certified one .

Also the main pros of this psu (950w silencer) is that it provides the wattage between 850-1050w and amps of 1050w with the price of 750w psu.

 

[Why_Me]

@ the OP. I think you have it backwards. Water cooling is not worth it, and the option to run dual cards is very well worth it. Water cooling went out the door with the release of Sandy Bridge last year and it won't be any different with Ivy Bridge. This build leaves you a little over $400 for monitor, keyboard, mouse etc...

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Series-Gaming-CC-9011012-WW/dp/B005E983JW/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1332866663&sr=1-3 $118.98 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 500R Mid Tower Gaming Case CC-9011012-WW

This XFX psu down below is manufactured by Seasonic as are all XFX psu's and the mid and upper tier Corsair psu's.

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-ATX-850-Power-Supply/dp/B0050751YS/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1332866828&sr=1-1 $122.75 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
XFX PRO850W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80 Plus Silver Certified 850 Watt Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z77%20Extreme4 $150 (+/- $15)
ASRock Z77 Extreme4

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5166/ivy-bridge-overview $220 should be a close guesstimate
Intel i5-3570K Ivy Bridge CPU 3.4Ghz

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=pd_cp_e_0 $34.64 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-BladeMaster-Silent-R4-BMBS-20PK-R0/dp/B0030DL37I/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1333152946&sr=1-5 $11.95 Free Standard Shipping (3-5 days)
Cooler Master BladeMaster 120mm PWM High Air Flow Silent Case Fan R4-BMBS-20PK-R0

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231546 $44.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-8GAB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226236 $128.99 FREE SHIPPING
Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR120GB 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST1000DM003/dp/B005T3GRNW/ref=sr_1_9?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1333216718&sr=1-9 $109.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1 TB 7200RPM SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST1000DM003

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-24xDVD%C2%B1RW-Serial-Internal-DRW-24B1ST/dp/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_b $19.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Asus 24xDVD±RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive DRW-24B1ST (Black)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121626 $499.99
ASUS GTX680-2GD5 GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=br_lf_m_1000219721_1_1_ttl?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=software&pf_rd_p=1292309362&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_i=1000219721&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=04JEZ4R0GTNNZWYW26FK $99.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

Total: $1,562.26

http://www.corsair.com/pc-cases/carbide-series-pc-case/carbide-series-500r-mid-tower-case.html <---- a better look at that case

 

[g-unit1111]

yeah you are right there.but do you think gold certification is an absolute necessity?

Not necessary but I try to emphasize energy efficiency rather than higher wattage on $2K+ builds.

Also the main pros of this psu (950w silencer) is that it provides the wattage between 850-1050w and amps of 1050w with the price of 750w psu.

I just got my silencer in the mail - it's an incredibly solid unit and very well packaged - I shall install it tonight and then report back later.

 

[Why_Me]

Not necessary but I try to emphasize energy efficiency rather than higher wattage on $2K+ builds.

Also the main pros of this psu (950w silencer) is that it provides the wattage between 850-1050w and amps of 1050w with the price of 750w psu.

I just got my silencer in the mail - it's an incredibly solid unit and very well packaged - I shall install it tonight and then report back later.

And why is that?

 

[g-unit1111]

And why is that?

The newer GPUs - especially the Radeon 78XX and GTX 6XX are far more energy efficient - use less power and generate less heat - than previous models - the days of 1200+ watts on a PSU are going away fast.

 

[hellfire24]

hey i came across a person who is running 7970 CF on a TX850w V2.i asked him that have you ever faced any problems,he said no.so i want to that TX850w is a solid unit and is not very expensive.

 

[Why_Me]

hey i came across a person who is running 7970 CF on a TX850w V2.i asked him that have you ever faced any problems,he said no.so i want to that TX850w is a solid unit and is not very expensive.

A lot of people get hoodwinked by that Gold, Silver, and Bronze. It's a very fine line that separates them. I used to see peeps on here paying mucho bucks for a gold rated 850w psu in order to push dual 580's. Well an 850w will push dual 580's, but not for long. It maxes out those 850w psu's until they run super hot and then they finally just croak for the fact they are being pushed balls to the walls with zero headroom when o/c is thrown in the mix. When it comes to required power with some headroom and it's on a budget, give me a Bronze rated psu with ample watts for some headroom any day over less watts and higher efficiency. When brand X video cards require so much watts...it means just that...they require the wattage..those cards could care less how efficient the psu is as long as they have enough juice.

Corsair TX series are solid psu's. Manufactured by Seaonic and solid for the price. If a guy wants to spend the extra money, p*ss on the Corsair HX & AX series and go for the XFX modular Silver rated. They stomp Corsair on the price and they are both manufactured by Seasonic.

 

[hellfire24]

so you mean to say that TX850w V2 is a great unit and GOLD certification isn't worth extra bucks.well i agree with you here.