Gaming Build ($1000 +/- $200) - GPU, MB and PSU help please

[darzian]

Hey all,

My last build was last year when Sandy Bridge was still all the hype. I'm trying to put something together for a friend and it's going to be a gaming rig. His birthday's at the end of Jan but I'm planning out the build now so I can get all the parts in time! I'm out of touch with the latest hardware and I've been educating myself for the last few weeks, but any help would be greatly appreciated!

Approx purchase date : Dec 15-Jan 20
Cost : $1000 +/- $200
Purpose : Gaming/heavy media usage, surfing
Monitor not needed
Hard Disks not needed (I already have both a regular HDD and SSD). OS will boot from the SSD

Build I've got so far:

Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 ATX Full Tower Computer Case 4X5.25 6X3.5 INT USB 3.0 Black $140
Intel Core i7 3770K Unlocked Quad Core Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.5GHZ Ivy Bridge 8MB Retail $330
ASUS P8Z77-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $200
COOLER MASTER V6 GT RR-V6GT-22PK-R1 120mm DynaLoop CPU Cooler w/ Universal bracket & Dual Fan $50
G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 $40

Total thus far (w/o GPU or PSU) : $760

I would like feedback on my choice of MB (Preferably ASUS) as well as RAM
I haven't decided on the PSU or GPU. Ideas? For the GPU I would really prefer NVIDIA over ATI.

Thanks in advance!
(I live in Canada)

 

[g-unit1111]

I'd think I would scrap everything so far. On the gaming rig you don't need the 3770K - games won't make use of the extra threads and by the time they will a newer and better CPU will come along. Better to put that money in the GPU. That cooler is decent - better would be to get a Noctua NH-U9B. For RAM make sure you get something low profile.

Maybe try something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1096.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-16 14:51 EST-0500)

 

[darzian]

^ Sounds good! Any particular reason for the change in case? I really like the one I picked so I was wondering if there was a specific reason for your recommendation, other than price.

Cheers

 

[g-unit1111]

^ Sounds good! Any particular reason for the change in case? I really like the one I picked so I was wondering if there was a specific reason for your recommendation, other than price.

Cheers

It's all right, I kind of like cases that are more simplified in terms of looks. That one is fine if you want to keep that one.