Gaming build under $2000

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charwoods3

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Nov 3, 2011
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18,510
Approximate Purchase Date: This week

Budget Range: Under $2000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: Intel

Overclocking:Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: Undecided

Additional Comments: Would like to run dual monitors. Thinking of going with one card with the option to pick up another one later and run SLI. Also, would like to run off of a SSD and use hard drive out of my current computer until prices come back down later.
 
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I cant take credit for this, since someone posted it my thread, but its a great build none the less, and it leaves 500 bucks for Monitors.

Intel Core i5-2500K - $225.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115072

ASRock Z68 Extreme4 - $175.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157250

EVGA GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB - $500.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130587

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - $52.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820233196

Hyper 212 EVO - $35.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835103099

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 RPM - $150.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152185

ASUS 24X DVD Burner - $20.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827135204

CORSAIR Professional Series HX850 (CMPSU-850HX) 850W - $165.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139011

Total: $1492.00 (not including MIRs/Shipping/Taxes)
 
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Thanks, can you link your thread? The links in this one don't work.
 
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If you are thinking of dropping 2k on a gaming build at the moment I would consider waiting for the HD 7000 and GTX 600 series which are due in a month or two. If you don't want to however, I would go for this:

i5-2500k - $219.99
Doesn't need explanation really but this is the best gaming CPU at pretty much any budget currently. The obvious choice.

8GB Corsair Vengeance LP - $39.99
8GB may be overkill but it's cheap so why not? Also this is quite cheap for vengeance memory.

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 - $124.99
This motherboard pretty much has it all; Z68, USB 3.0, SATA 3, PCI 3.0, x8/x8 SLI and good reviews. Not to mention the great price.

MSI Lightning GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1.5GB - $524.99
You have the budget for it so why not get the best? This makes sense to me since a gaming build relies so heavily on the GPU. I wouldn't bother with the 3GB version unless you plan on gaming across 3 monitors at some point.

Crucial M4 256GB - $379.99
This is partly because the 128GB version is out of stock and expensive on Amazon but the M4 is one of the most reliable SSD's while still being very fast. The capacity is up to you really.

Seasonic X-650 - $149.99
This is truly top notch in every sense. It may seem overkill but a PSU is a very important component in this type of build. 650W should be plenty too because I don't recommend SLI'ing this build with the new GPUS out so soon. A single 580 is going to crush anything at 1080P anyway.

Coolermaster HAF 922 - $89.99
A case is based on personal preference but this is a popular case and for good reason. Awesome cooling and good build quality as always from Coolermaster cases.

Coolermaster Hyper 212+ Evo - $33.99
An improved version of an already great cooler, good value for money and you should get a decent OC out of it.

Samsung DVD Burner - $18.99
Standard DVD Burner for your OS.

2 x ASUS 24'' 2ms HDMI LCD Monitor - $399.98 (for both)
Another item which is popular for good reason, ASUS make some nice monitors and this is no exception.

Total - $1982.89 before shipping and rebates.

This should give great performance and is about as future proof as it gets because everything is of top notch quality and should last a while in terms of reliability as well as performance. I wouldn't worry about SLI since it usually isn't worth it when playing on a single monitor (even if you have a second one for windows.)
 
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ASUS VS Series VS247H-P Black 23.6" 2ms LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 50000000:1 (ASCR) $188.99 X2 = $378.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236174

EVGA 03G-P3-1584-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 3072MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $589.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130655

Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F180GBGT-BK 2.5" 180GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $304.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233211

High Current Pro HCP-850 850W TX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371053

ASRock Z68 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $194.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157264

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM $64.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K $219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x 230mm front RED LED fan, 1x 140mm rear fan, 1x 230mm top fan, and 1x 230mm side fan
$159.99 and a $20 rebate for $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

I included the monitors in this build ,I didn't know if you had them already or not or if you were going to get them both at once or one at a time.
Total $2073.92
I went with the 850w because you may pick up another 580 and SLI , the SSD is the same that I have and I am very happy with it , since it is very fast. The video card is the version with 3gb of ram to help with the multiple monitor setup , AMD/Radeon always puts 2gb of ram on thier cards and they specialize in multiple monitors. I know I went over the budget but you can always make adjustments as you see fit and end up mixing and matching with parts that other people post. I think what I tend to do is choose components that I would put in my computer.
 
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This is what I am looking at so far based on the suggestions above. Thanks for all of the replies! Please give advice on any changes you would recommend. Also, still deciding on the mobo.

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

EVGA 015-P3-1580-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130587

CORSAIR Professional Series HX850 (CMPSU-850HX) 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R1 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099



 
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now about ur build
why not go with http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Computer-Case-RC-692-KKN2/dp/B00336EM0W/ref=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1323024798&sr=1-1
I've heard that 850W PSU is not that great ..
try http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703028
or if u want modular
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817116012
imo u should put better cooler for ur price .. get Thermalright Silver Arrow
also don't forget ur cooler might interfere with ur RAM so I would get low profile RAM just to be sure
 
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Case - $ 215 - Thermaltake Level 10 GT http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133188
Case Fan - $ 12 - Thermaltake Blue120 mm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106149
PSU - $ 150 - Corsair HX850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011
MoBo - $ 210 - ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790
CPU - $ 225 - Intel Core i7-2500K http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070
Cooler - $ 83 - Thermalright Silver Arrow http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11676/cpu-tri-77/Thermalright_Silver_Arrow_Dual_160mm_x_140mm_Fan_Universal_CPU_Cooler_Sockets_775_1156_1366_AM2_AM2_AM3.html
TIM - $ 5 - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080
RAM - $ 50 - (2 x 4GB) Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600 (White) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186
GFX - $ 230 - Asus GTX 560 900Mhz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121425
GFX - $ 230 - Asus GTX 560 900Mhz Same
HD - $ 240 - Momentus XT ST750LX003 Hybrid 750GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148837
SSD - $ 184 - Mushkin Chronos Deluxe 120 GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226236
DVD Writer - $ 58 - Asus Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247
Card Reader $ 50 AeroCool FP-01 55 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820314001

Total $1942

Alternate Cases - Antec 1200 V3, Antec DF-85, Corsair 500R, HAF-X
Alternate PSU's - Antec CP-850 in any of the Antec Cases, AX1200 if ya go w/ 580's
ALternate MoBo's - Any Gen 3 SLI /CF Board with the features ya need and at least a 3 year warranty (AsRock offers only 2)

GFX Considerations - The single 580 gets you 616 fps in Guru3D's game test suite for $500. Two 560 Ti's (900Mhz) will get you 862 fps for $460 .... 40% more fps for less money.

If ya want 10% more fps, adding a 2nd 580 will get you 10% more fps than the two 560's but for $1000 total for the two cards.

Guru3D uses the following games in their test suite, COD-MW, Bad Company 2, Dirt 2, Far Cry 2, Metro 2033, Dawn of Discovery, Crysis Warhead. Total fps (summing fps in each game @ 1920 x 1200) for the various options in parenthesis (single card / SL or CF) are tabulated below along with their cost in dollars per frame single card - CF or SLI:

$ 215.00 560 Ti - 900 Mhz (495/862) $ 0.43 - $ 0.50
$ 340.00 570 (524/873) $ 0.65 - $ 0.78
$ 500.00 580 (616/953) $ 0.81 - $ 1.05

No wrong way here.....just gotta decide how much return ya want on ya investment. 580's will want more power than an 850 tho.

With HD's what they are costing these days, the performance of the hybrid HD / SSD's should be considered. The Momentus HD boots Windows in 17 seconds, an SSD does 16 so if budget is tight the Momentus Hybrid gives ya some of the best of both worlds. If ya want a separate SSD, no harm in combining the two since ya have the budget room. The Chronos Deluxe sits 5 tiers above the Force 3

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-price-ssd,3070-6.html

A $2000 build deserves a high end cooler:

$25 - Hyper 212
$50 - Scythe Mugen 3 (5-7C cooler than the 212)
$80 - Thermalright Silver Arrow (7-10 cooler than the 212)
 
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To be honest I don't see why ASUS have such a good reputation. Out of everyone I know who has had an ASUS board, most of them have had problems. Things like bad drivers and capacitor whining etc. Then if you look at something like the transformer tablet, doesn't that have some horrible problem where it discharges the battery even when switched off? Still that has a good reputation somehow.

I'm just saying that in my personal experience, ASRock have always been great and they are also very well priced for the features that you get.
 
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Funny thing is that Asus owns Asrock , and I think the reason why Asus has that good reputation is that they do put a lot of features into thier MB's and they are known for the ability to overclock thier boards. I have had my share of stinker boards from Asus but for some reason I do keep coming back although right now I have a Gigabyte board and it is working great , I'm sure that come time to upgrade I will be looking at Asus again.
 
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ASRock are a different company than ASUS now.
 
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