Help me build a gaming system for $2300

[jthamind]

Hi all,

Planning on getting a new PC soon, and I need some ideas for what I can do with $2300. Try to spend as much of it as you can to get high quality stuff. Note that this will be for a high end gaming machine.

Use this, please:
http://pcpartpicker.com/

A couple things to keep in mind:

1. right now I'm thinking of going with the GTX 970 SLI for my GPUs, so try to build around that.

2. I prefer Intel for CPU.

3. Make sure the case looks cool. Lol.

4. I'd like at least a 256GB SSD for my main drive, and a 2TB HDD for my secondary storage drive.

5. I don't have Windows 8 and would like to get it (normal Home version).

6. I don't need monitors or mouse/keyboard.

Also, is setting up liquid cooling for your CPU difficult? I've never done it before, but I know it can be good if you plan to overclock your CPU a reasonable amount.

Anyways, show me what you can do based on those specifications.

 

[-Lone-]

Here you go, the best gaming build for you, unless you wanna move even further.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/c7BN99

 

[-Lone-]

Oh, and about the case, you can get mine if you'd like, you can fit any upgrades in there, with a lot of cooling, see if you like how it looks. It has removable filters at the bottom for the bottom fans and PSU, also comes with built in LEDs of any color of your choosing on the inside and outside.

http://www.nzxt.com/product/detail/96-phantom-820-full-tower-caes.html

 

[jthamind]

Here you go, the best gaming build for you, unless you wanna move even further.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/c7BN99

Thanks. Something like that is exactly what I'm looking for. I love that Phantom 820 case, too, so I'll probably end up swapping that in.

 

[plywrlw]

I managed to get pretty close to the target. The hyper-threading in the i7 should help with newer games and the blower-style coolers on the GPU's will help keep the case cool. The sound card will provide great quality sound for gaming and movies and the SSD is the newest technology with 3D V-NAND; it's the fastest around! The PSU and cooler will work with the Corsair Link software allowing you to control them from within Windows.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($318.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($127.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($169.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($329.98 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($329.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($149.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($57.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($92.00 @ B&H)
Sound Card: Creative Labs Z PCIe 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2215.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-07 17:08 EST-0500

 

[-Lone-]

Here you go, the best gaming build for you, unless you wanna move even further.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/c7BN99

Thanks. Something like that is exactly what I'm looking for. I love that Phantom 820 case, too, so I'll probably end up swapping that in.

Okay, cool, you'll love it, I bought it months ago and I have never had a problem with it at all even after drilling some holes to put 4 fans on top for push/pull config for my CPU cooler, but if you're going with the case I have. You should swap the CPU cooler to Nepton 280L, it is cooler than the H100i. You can use the spare money to get some quieter fans if you wish. I switched the PSU to 850w if you want to do more than medium OC in the future, if not, just change it back to 750w. Also, don't worry about the compatibility note below, it is just saying your RAM won't run at a max of 2400MHz unless you OC, so that's what it means if you want to know. It'll probably run at 2133MHz like mine if non OC.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9CnWjX

 

[jthamind]

Ok, thanks for the changes.

Also, thank you plywrlw for your suggestions. I forgot to mention that I want a blu-ray drive, and a sound card might be nice, too. So I can add the those that you suggested.

 

[-Lone-]

Ok, thanks for the changes.

Also, thank you plywrlw for your suggestions. I forgot to mention that I want a blu-ray drive, and a sound card might be nice, too. So I can add the those that you suggested.

I have this one if you want Asus's best for 3D and blu-ray.

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-bw12b1stblkgas

Edit: although I never got it working because I don't feel like searching/buying the software for it to read, lol