Gaming PC 5k budget. . . prebuilt or build myself

[audiopanik]

Hello all,

I have a bit of a dilemma at the moment. I will be in the market for a new "high end" gaming PC in the next month or so. I built my current machine which at the time was a beast (a little over a year ago). However when playing games like BF3 I get intermittent graphics / crash issues which after many many hours of research and attempts at fixing I have yet to be able to do so. This has made me think buying a prebuilt system from somewhere like Digital Storm http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadaventum.asp?id=664979) that has been tested for parts compatibility may be the best route.

However, I have not completely thrown out the idea of building a system myself.

That said, with a 5k budget how should I spend my money?

I do not need keyboard, mouse or speakers. And I am still undecided on multiple monitors or a single 30" monitor. I had originally thought about doing 3x 24" (or 27") monitors however I think the bezel overlap would drive me nuts. And unless I am missing something a large LCD TV still isn't a great solution for gaming.

So what say you Tom's crew?! Help me build / buy a kickass new gaming machine!

 

[obsama1]

Don't buy prebuilt. It's certainly easier, but in the end, it's less flexible, less upgradeable, and more expensive. Building it yourself gives you a sense of achievement, cheaper, and more fun 😉. We can certainly help you with a new rig.

EDIT: Multiple monitors are a bit of a hassle. I suggest getting a 27-30" monitor at 2560x1600.

 

[obsama1]

Here:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=20060686

 

[joshua25ss]

oh my with 5k this is far from the best. is this going to be a dedicated gaming pc? and also are you willing to put together your own water loop?

 

[obsama1]

How is far from the best?
Top of the line Intel proc
32GB RAM
Tri-SLI(Though he has the option of quad)
Liquid cooling
etc.

 

[hellfire24]

always gaming rigs
home build > prebuilt
$5 is a humongous budget.you can build a very powerful rig that will max out any game at any settings.in many prebuilt "high end rigs".they charge $4k but still use valueram :lol:

 

[hellfire24]

Here:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=20060686

most of the things are useless
level 10 gt looks good and is a great case but very limited space.liquid cooling(including gpus)is almost impossible.
extreme cpus are just a waste.3930k is fine.no need to spend $1k on cpu.
H100 is definitely not the best choice with $5k budget.a watercooling system in cosmos ii is a good idea

 

[obsama1]

^^^
Agree. That is one BEAST of a rig I linked.


However, it will only run Crysis at 800x600 at lowest setting at 10FPS 🙁
/s

 

[obsama1]

Updated the list. However, not sure what to replace the watercooling with. Don't know a lot about watercooling.

 

[hellfire24]

let's just leave wishlists and wait for asker's reply.

 

[obsama1]

Sure!

 

[audiopanik]

Thanks for the replies thus far.

The only reason I would consider the prebuilt route at this point is my assumption that there would be no hardware compatibility issues or overheating issues due to improper case ventilation.

I have no problem putting together a machine myself. I will admit however that I am inexperienced when it comes to things like liquid cooling (which to be honest still makes me a bit nervous).

What I am after at this point is a beast of a machine that screams. I am less concerned with form and much more concerned with function. Thus I would rather not spend much of my budget on anything that only adds to the aesthetics.

That said, I don't really have any preferred hardware at this point. Except that maybe I'm leaning towards Nvidia over AMD as the current graphics card I have (and have problems with) is an AMD which I realize may not be the card's fault.

My main goal is to be able to run BF3 (and the like) at max resolution on a 30" screen with Ultra settings and no frame rate lag (but with no stability issues either).

Thanks again for any and all help.

 

[boiler1990]

If you're looking to water cool, wait until you finalize your build, and then post your final build + WC budget in a thread in the watercooling section.

We'll help you get started and on your way, and while you become familiar with all of the terminology and components, you can actually use your PC for a while 😉

 

[hellfire24]

Thanks for the replies thus far.

The only reason I would consider the prebuilt route at this point is my assumption that there would be no hardware compatibility issues or overheating issues due to improper case ventilation.

I have no problem putting together a machine myself. I will admit however that I am inexperienced when it comes to things like liquid cooling (which to be honest still makes me a bit nervous).

What I am after at this point is a beast of a machine that screams. I am less concerned with form and much more concerned with function. Thus I would rather not spend much of my budget on anything that only adds to the aesthetics.

That said, I don't really have any preferred hardware at this point. Except that maybe I'm leaning towards Nvidia over AMD as the current graphics card I have (and have problems with) is an AMD which I realize may not be the card's fault.

My main goal is to be able to run BF3 (and the like) at max resolution on a 30" screen with Ultra settings and no frame rate lag (but with no stability issues either).

Thanks again for any and all help.

then don't do liquid cooling if you don't want.aircooling is pretty good now days.with proper ventilation(which is easy to setup)you can get a fairly quiet and cool system.it doesn't if your display is 30" or 46",if it's a tv then it's no more than 1080p.a single 680 will max out any game but get 680 for bragging rights and upcoming games.

 

[hotthree]

If your computer was a beast a 1yr and 1/2 ago i don't see why your having problems.

Is something wrong and you cannot fix it? Do you have any clue what is the problem? Or, are you just throwing money at it instead of finding the problem? I am so confused here.

And 5k will buy you top of the line everything pretty much. But you haven't said a lot for us to help you in any way besides speculate about whether to home build or pre built..

My advice..since you don't like to figure out what goes wrong with your computer and seem to have no clue if something does go wrong. go ahead and get yours pre built with a warranty.. Go to alienware / another site and buy the best you can buy.

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks for the replies thus far.

The only reason I would consider the prebuilt route at this point is my assumption that there would be no hardware compatibility issues or overheating issues due to improper case ventilation.

I have no problem putting together a machine myself. I will admit however that I am inexperienced when it comes to things like liquid cooling (which to be honest still makes me a bit nervous).

What I am after at this point is a beast of a machine that screams. I am less concerned with form and much more concerned with function. Thus I would rather not spend much of my budget on anything that only adds to the aesthetics.

That said, I don't really have any preferred hardware at this point. Except that maybe I'm leaning towards Nvidia over AMD as the current graphics card I have (and have problems with) is an AMD which I realize may not be the card's fault.

My main goal is to be able to run BF3 (and the like) at max resolution on a 30" screen with Ultra settings and no frame rate lag (but with no stability issues either).

Thanks again for any and all help.

Well I have 15+ years of experience building and tweaking PCs as a hobby and I still get nervous about things like overclocking and liquid cooling. :lol:

If I have $5K to spend on a PC here's how I'm spending it (without monitor - I'd get a nice 55" LED and 2 x 27" 1900 x 1200 secondary monitors.

Here's what the initial build would look like:

Case: Cooler Master Cosmos II - $349.99
PSU: Silverstone Strider ST1500 - $399.99
Motherboard: Asus P9X79 - $379.99
CPU: 3.2GHz Intel Core i7-3930K - $599.99
Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 - $89.99
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Redline 16GB (4 x 4GB) 1600Mhz 1.5V - $129.99
SSD: 128GB Crucial M4 - $159.99
HD: 3TB Seagate Barracuda ST - $189.99
Optical: LG Blu Ray Burner - $79.99
Video Card: 2 x EVGA Geforce GTX 680 - $499.99 each
Keyboard: Logitech G110 - $79.99
Mouse: Razer Imperator - $69.99
Monitor 1: Samsung 55" LED - $1,399.99
Monitor 2: 2 x Asus VE27HQ 27" - $279.99 each
OS: Windows 7 Pro - $139.99

Total: $5.659.93

Before people start tearing apart my build - if you've got that much to spend on the system - there's no other case I would choose than the Cosmos II (I *HATE* the Level 10). It's a full XL-ATX form factor which allows for the P9X79 Deluxe, where the Level 10 does not. It also has room for a 3 fan liquid radiator. The Silverstone PSU I picked out - yeah you can argue tooth and nail that it's overkill but the ultimate goal of this build would allow for quad 680s in SLI and the 1500 gives you plenty of room for that and then some - and you'd still get room for the liquid cooler and any number of hard drives and USB devices you can throw at it. The 55" display is that beautiful Samsung edge-to-edge LED that can fit anywhere, and the 2 27" monitors on the side amplify the surround display experience. There's also no real reason to get the 3960X when it's $1K for a slightly faster clocked 3930K - get the 3930K and with the D14 you can clock it way beyond 4.5 - probably up to 4.9 maybe even 5.0. And sound equipment would be a whole other deal - no way am I trusting a $5K - $6K build with tin can speakers. :lol:

 

[Swolern]

. Go to alienware / another site and buy the best you can buy.

Blasphemy! At Tomshardware Alienware is as foul language as it gets, lol.

 

[g-unit1111]

Blasphemy! At Tomshardware Alienware is as foul language as it gets, lol.

Alienware used to be good before they got bought by Dell - now it's just Dell BS. If you've got $5K to blow and you're going for pre built go for a real boutique PC vendor like Falcon Northwest, Digital Storm, or Origin - to me Alienware would be a last resort.

 

[Swolern]

3 Samsung 55 inch 8000series LED TV with 2ms response time and the tiniest bezel ever. For 5760x1080 resolution. Playseat with Logitech G27 Steering wheel set-up. That's what I would put in the man cave.

Also if you are going with super high resolution I would wait for 4gb versions of the GTX680, 3or4 way SLI.

 

[azeem40]

For 5760x1080, one GTX 680 is able to play at 50FPS average.

 

[g-unit1111]

3 Samsung 55 inch 8000series LED TV with 2ms response time and the tiniest bezel ever. For 5760x1080 resolution. Playseat with Logitech G27 Steering wheel set-up. That's what I would put in the man cave.

Also if you are going with super high resolution I would wait for 4gb versions of the GTX680, 3or4 way SLI.

That would be nice on an unlimited budget - but where would you get the mounts for a 3 x 55" setup? :lol:

 

[BVKnight]

If your computer was a beast a 1yr and 1/2 ago i don't see why your having problems.

Is something wrong and you cannot fix it? Do you have any clue what is the problem? Or, are you just throwing money at it instead of finding the problem? I am so confused here.

This. If OP could post the specs of his current build (the one that was a beast 1 1/2 years ago), it would be helpful.

It's your money; but instead of spending 5k on new everything, we could probably just fix what's wrong with your current rig and add a few video cards to achieve your goals. Even replacing the motherboard and changing your video card, we could probably help you max out BF3 while staying at well under 1.5K, and leaving you with a beast that will last you another 2+ years. Don't waste what you already have.

Or, if you are dead set on buying a completely new build, send your old one to me 😀 .

 

[Swolern]

For 5760x1080, one GTX 680 is able to play at 50FPS average.

^ not Crysis 2, DX11, high res textures, & max settings. And many of the other new DX11 games. If I'm gonna spend 5k on a rig it better not ever fall below 60fps. At least with current games because you can only future proof for so long.

 

[azeem40]

He mentioned BF3, so that is what I based the fps average by.

 

[Swolern]

oh ok. Got it