good gaming pc

[falconrb]

can anyone give me some advice on a very good gaming PC to build. Have about $1500+ to spend. Will be for gaming 90% of the time with some email and web surfing. Want to have a fast and reliable PC for years to come.

Thanks

 

[Jack Revenant]

Do you have an OS?
Do you need peripherals?
Do you have access to a Microcenter?
Do you have any preferred brands?

 

[ksham]

Without peripherals, here's pretty much everything you need:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.67 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($389.99 @ NCIX US)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DX 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($81.24 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($91.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1445.80
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)


Anything you don't need, swap them out and add whatever peripherals you need.

 

[falconrb]

Do you have an OS?
Do you need peripherals?
Do you have access to a Microcenter?
Do you have any preferred brands?

OS will be XP or 7
Need all peripherals
No Microcenter
Top name brands for reliability, don't want to be a beta tester.

My thoughts
intel
nvidia
Asus
corsair
antec or thermatech
seagate
samsung ssd

Any thoughts?

 

[falconrb]

Without peripherals, here's pretty much everything you need:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.67 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($389.99 @ NCIX US)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DX 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($81.24 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($91.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1445.80
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)


Anything you don't need, swap them out and add whatever peripherals you need.

Thanks This was the type of answer I was hoping for.

What abouit an Asus or Gigabyte MB?

Any thoughts?

 

[Jack Revenant]

Without peripherals, here's pretty much everything you need:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.67 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($389.99 @ NCIX US)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DX 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($81.24 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($91.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1445.80
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)


Anything you don't need, swap them out and add whatever peripherals you need.

Thanks This was the type of answer I was hoping for.

What abouit an Asus or Gigabyte MB?

Any thoughts?

The ASRock Extreme4 is an excellent motherboard. For anyone planning to spend less than $260 on a mobo, there are few boards I would advocate other than it and its brother, the Extreme6. Both have a excellent value for money, although the warranty does leave something to be desired.

 

[Jack Revenant]

Do you have an OS?
Do you need peripherals?
Do you have access to a Microcenter?
Do you have any preferred brands?

OS will be XP or 7
Need all peripherals
No Microcenter
Top name brands for reliability, don't want to be a beta tester.

My thoughts
intel
nvidia
Asus
corsair
antec or thermatech
seagate
samsung ssd

Any thoughts?

Other than Thermatech, which I have never heard of, looks like a fine list. Do you need another build, or will ksham's work for you?

 

[falconrb]

PSU I think is Thermaltec ??

Always open to more debate on this issue. The more answers I get the more options I will have to choose from.

Thanks

 

[Jack Revenant]

PSU I think is Thermaltec ??

Always open to more debate on this issue. The more answers I get the more options I will have to choose from.

Thanks

Thermaltake PSUs are generally viewed as low quality. You want to get an Antec, Corsair, or, better yet, SeaSonic if possible.
I can contribute a build, but I'm somewhat busy at present. If you're willing to wait, I'll put something up by tomorrow.

 

[ksham]

Need all peripherals

Care to be more descriptive? What kind of peripherals? Any that I did not cover?

Note: I'm not good at picking out gaming keyboards and mouse for others, mostly because my style doesn't fit most people.

 

[Jack Revenant]

Need all peripherals

Care to be more descriptive? What kind of peripherals? Any that I did not cover?

Note: I'm not good at picking out gaming keyboards and mouse for others, mostly because my style doesn't fit most people.

Honestly, I tend to feel that folks who need peripherals should just cut an appropriate chunk off their budget and get when feels right to them. We have no idea what their mouse grips, keyboard preferences or anysuch are, and so we really can't help much.

 

[Jack Revenant]

Mine comes out to around what ksham's would be with peripherals:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($220.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($453.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (Matte Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 850W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($135.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.96 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($91.00 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($266.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Wired Laser Mouse ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1734.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-02 02:04 EDT-0400)

If you need to shave some money, reduce the Vapor-X 7970 Ghz. to a Vapor-X 7950 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202003&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=) to save about $130 and/or reduce the case to an NZXT 410 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146087&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=) for around $90. If, for some odd reason, you find yourself with surplus money, you might consider adding a Noctua DH14 in place of the Hyper 212 Evo.

 

[ksham]

I'd reduce the PSU. 850W is overkill, unless OP plans to CrossFire which is not recommended at point unless of course for extra monitors. The monitor could be cheaper. And I think a Noctua NH-D14 will work out better, but it really depends on how far OP plans to OC.

 

[Jack Revenant]

I'd reduce the PSU. 850W is overkill, unless OP plans to CrossFire which is not recommended at point unless of course for extra monitors. The monitor could be cheaper. And I think a Noctua NH-D14 will work out better, but it really depends on how far OP plans to OC.

Fair enough. I try to leave room for a future CrossFire so that there's upgrade capacity, but in this case a DH14 might well be more useful.