Gaming PC for ~$2500

[wnb]

I'm looking to build a gaming PC for around $2500 and would like to order the parts in the next few days (although I can wait a few weeks if something big is about to be released). I'll mostly be playing games that don't really require such an expensive system (like diablo 3, simcity, and bf3), but I want to have a system that can easily handle those games on max settings + will be able to handle new releases well (e.g. bf4, and hopefully gta5 if it comes out for pc...). I'll also be using it for general work stuff (ms office type stuff), web browsing, and video streaming/internet tv.

In regards to the monitor - I prefer 23" and IPS, and am open to suggestions that meet those specs. I'm planning on running games at 1080p using 1 monitor, but am also planning on using an old 21.5" LED monitor for dual display (to be able to view multiple documents across two screens, etc.).

Here's what I have so far:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1fKdm
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1fKdm/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1fKdm/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($539.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($107.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X79-UP4 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($235.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($214.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 4GB Video Card ($522.13 @ TigerDirect)
Case: NZXT H630 ATX Full Tower Case ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($154.78 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Professional (OEM) (64-bit) ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor ($159.99 @ Microcenter)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech G500 Wired Laser Mouse ($44.63 @ Amazon)
Total: $2585.43
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-11 23:49 EDT-0400)

I'm concerned that the CPU is maybe too much overkill for the system considering the other components I've picked out, and maybe I should downgrade it... but again, I've got a decent budget to work with and don't mind a bit overkill.

As an aside, I've custom built computers before, but it's been almost 5 years since my last build. I've also never put together a liquid cooling system, so I'd rather stick to the AIO setups. I'm pretty inexperienced with overclocking as well, so if I do any overclocking it will be fairly minimal. The reason I'm going with liquid cooling is to minimize noise, and not so much for increasing overclocking potential.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

 

[Mike Friesen]

Well, if you want to minimize noise, pick up a quiet gpu, as that is more important.A few notes on your system,
A 770 gtx is better, and cheaper, also if you have a $2500 budget, it is really wasted on a single monitor screen. I'd say that $700 to 800 is the most you need to spend to play nearly anything at 1080p on ultra. So, i will take the liberty of designing a better, more gaming oriented pc. I will update in a few minutes.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($204.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($659.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair C70 Arctic White (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor ($159.99 @ Microcenter)
Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor ($159.99 @ Microcenter)
Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor ($159.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $2367.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-12 00:07 EDT-0400)
Here. The 780 is much more powerful, the 4770k is more than enough still, the cpu fan is quiet, the mobo is reliable , same with the psu, there are three screens (awesome), and the ssd is the same size. And even with the extra purchases of a mouse and keyboard, you should still have a little cash in your pocket.

P.S. I find it hilariously awesome that me and the guy beneath me considered such similar builds. I was considering putting down two 770's and a very high res. screen, but instead went for my other option. Really, with a plethora of cash, you could buy a single 780, and a larger psu, and sli in the future. His \/ will be a bit better for most games for now though, I feel.

 

[vinhn]

This is what I would go.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1fLx8

If you don't like the idea of 2 GPU, a single GTX780 would power next gen games at max settings fine. I prefer the normal CPU or the LGA2011 version due to the fact that if this is purely a gaming build, you won't utilize that much power, even the i7 is a little bit too much for gaming but because there is a $100 discount on the i7 for the bundled MOBO, I chose it. TBH, 16GB of RAM is too much.

I prefer 1440p as I have one myself and things looks great. If you somehow want a lower response time(GTG) get a 1080p monitor. You mentioned that you aren't a heavy OC, no reason to go for the Kraken X60, something like Hyper Evo 212 is enough.

 

[wnb]

Thanks for the feedback. I've sort of mixed and matched suggestions from the two of you - I agree that going with a less expensive CPU and upgrading the GPU to the GTX 780 makes more sense. I went with the less expensive RAM and SSD, [strike]as well was with the Noctua HSF rather than the Kraken[/strike]. I like the H630 case - has a lot of flexibility and room for upgrades down the line, plus I like the noise absorbing pads and the overall design of the case, so I will stick with it for now. I'm also sticking with the WD HDD - sort of a brand loyalty thing, I've always bought WD and have never had a disk fail (knock on wood).

I don't really have the space for a 3 monitor setup right now - I would like to do this down the line (maybe when I move to a bigger apartment ), which is why I want an IPS monitor - so it'll be easier to set up a tri-monitor display later on, but for now I'm just going to go with 1 monitor.
[strike]
Anyway, here's the updated build: [/strike]

I made a few more changes - switched out the mobo for a better combo deal on newegg and decided to go back to the Kraken since I think I will dabble with overclocking a little bit and also I just like the idea of water cooling:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($107.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($198.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($659.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H630 ATX Full Tower Case ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($127.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Professional (OEM) (64-bit) ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor ($159.99 @ Microcenter)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech G500 Wired Laser Mouse ($43.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $2238.31
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-12 13:20 EDT-0400)

Any last thoughts?

Also, what are your thoughts on getting a fan controller in order to optimize fan speed/reduce noise? Any recommendations for a specific fan controller? I'm thinking of switching out the 200mm front fan that comes with the H630 case with 3x120mm fans (Cougar Vortex w/ PWM), and keeping the stock back 140mm fan, + the stock 2x140mm radiator fans.

Thanks again for your suggestions!

 

[wnb]

Well, if you want to minimize noise, pick up a quiet gpu, as that is more important.

How would you go about researching which GPUs are the quietest?

 

[Marcopolo123]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Swiftech H220 55.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($149.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($198.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($659.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H630 ATX Full Tower Case ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor ($159.99 @ Microcenter)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech G500 Wired Laser Mouse ($43.83 @ Amazon)
Total: $2121.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-12 18:55 EDT-0400)