Looking for advice on my gaming pc build

[bakertylerea]

Hello Hardware-Lovers,

I am brand new to the forums but have been browsing them for quite a while and there seem to be tons of people giving great advice! I currently have a 1 year old Asus laptop that I have been using for gaming but it's not able to run a lot of the newer games. I am thinking of building my own PC both because the price is low, and I am interested in becoming a computer engineer. I want the best PC for gaming at a reasonable price, but my budget is flexible ($1,000-$2,500). Here is what I have come up with so far:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/A09k


Mobo: Asus SABERTOOTH Z77 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
SSD: Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
PSU: Corsair Professional 850W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0"
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard
Mouse: Razer RZ01-00510100-R3U1 Wireless Laser Mouse

Total: $1915.03

I am 100% open to any suggestions. If there are any compatibility issues or things of that nature please let me know. Remember, I am a noob.

If it helps, I play a lot of:

Arma II DayZ mod
COD
Battlefield 3
Crysis 2
And I also do a bit of programming and gaming occasionally

Thanks,

Tyler

 

[avenseth12]

I think your build is fine, I wouldnt change a thing

 

[bakertylerea]

I think your build is fine, I wouldnt change a thing

Really? 😱 Wow that's good to hear! The main thing I wanted to check on though was whether or not all of these parts are compatible and will fit in the case. Can somebody confirm that these parts will actually work together?

 

[Outlander_04]

Very wasteful Tyler
The sabertooth mb wont perform better than any other mb with a z77 chipset

no gamer needs 16 gig of RAM . 2 x4 gig is more than enough

A 600 watt psu will be fine

 

[bakertylerea]

Very wasteful Tyler
The sabertooth mb wont perform better than any other mb with a z77 chipset

no gamer needs 16 gig of RAM . 2 x4 gig is more than enough

A 600 watt psu will be fine

Alright thanks for letting me know. Like I said, I am a noob so I'm not 100% sure what I'm doing. So which mobo would you suggest over the sabertooth? Also I am thinking of possibly upgrading to SLI 670s in the future if needed. Would 600w still be sufficient for SLI?

 

[LeoMatrix]

Get 1600mhz ram, and ocz vector or 840 pro for ssd

 

[cball1311]

Here this will save you a bit.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.24 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.50 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($204.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($368.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($67.41 @ Mac Connection)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($115.17 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: LG IPS231B-BN 23.0" Monitor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech G700 Wireless Laser Mouse ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1664.19
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-27 22:32 EST-0500)

Really expensive mouse for starters, unless you like it. The sabertooth is way overkill. I left the PSU high for future SLI. You could save here if you don't plan to SLI. IPS monitor is the way to go. 8GB of RAM is plenty for primarily gaming.

 

[Outlander_04]

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
Even 670 SLI would only need a 750 watt psu .

Tis motherboard from Asrock
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
is probably the budget builders choice at $124

But there are many choice in between . My point is that buying top end motherboards is usually not the best way to spend money and get performance .The sabertooth is definitely a high quality product [ though I have doubts about the cover on the board ]


And if I did have the larger budget to spend anyway , I'd spend everything I saved on a BIG monitor

Maybe a 27 inch IPS model like this Dell
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824260110

 

[LeoMatrix]

and if you have more money to spend, i'd suggest you invest in a custom water cooling loop 😀

 

[photonboy]

Your build is good overall, but there are a few tweaks to be made. I'll also link you to some advice I posted on using the Asus Sabertooth motherboard. I strongly recommend you print it out.

Asus Sabertooth advice I posted. Print this out.:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/283018-29-sabertooth-temp-sensor-believe#t2035249

Recommended part changes:
1. Graphics card: There are 670's with better cooling. Considering how much you're spending you may wish to buy the Asus 680 DC2T which should be about $520 or so. Just FYI. It will add rougly 13% performance vs the overclocked 670 for roughly a 10% increase in your overall cost. Many games will benefit (FC3, BF3, Witcher 2 etc.)
Two links:
GTX670: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125438
(the about 670 runs very quiet and is reasonably priced. Graphics card noise is the LARGEST source of noise while gaming by far.)

Asus GTX680 DC2T (optional; note it's 3-slots but that's fine):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121634
Review: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/55064-asus-gtx-680-directcu-ii-top-review.html

2. RAM:
More than 8GB is overkill for gaming. If you have another need that's fine. More importantly you are bottlenecking things at 1333MHz. I have a few games (not many) that run faster at 2133MHz instead of 1600MHz.
*I recommend G. Skill. My advice would be this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231518
(8GB, 2133MHz, and low-latency. This is ideal for a gaming rig.)

3. Windows 8 64bit OEM ( + Stardock's Start8)
I debated W7 vs W8 for my new rig. Windows 8 has several ADVANTAGES but I don't like the Start Screen. For $5 all my issues are gone by using Start8.
*W8 Advantages (faster boot/shutdown, better SSD usage, improved Windows Explorer, better stability, improved security, and upcoming features unique to W8.)

I strongly recommend W8 64-bit. Once you add Start8 the pros far outweigh the cons.

4. SSD/HDD:
That SSD is fine. I might recommend the Samsung 840 Pro (not the non-Pro) instead. I just bought one for $225 at NCIX which also came with a Far Cry 3 code.

Here's what I do for what it's worth:
SSD #1 (128GB)-> Windows and applications only
SSD #2 (256GB)-> second STEAM folder for games that benefit due to stutter (still testing, but probably Fallout 3/NV, Oblivion and some others).

HDD -> Steam folder, Windows backup (Acronis TI), Media etc.

5. Wireless mouse:
I just can't recommend a wireless mouse for gaming and I did research the mouse you list; notice a LOT of complaints. It's hard to recommend as people have many different preferences. Love my MX518 Logitech. I'm using a new NAOS 8200 mouse and NAOS aluminum (320? game pad and love it so far).

Just listing this, but not recommending a change.

SUMMARY:
- graphics card (Gigabyte GTX670 OC, or Asus GTX680 DC2T)
- 8GB 2133MHz DDR3
- Windows 8 64-bit OEM (and Start8)
- link to Asus Sabertooth tips
- other

 

[photonboy]

Recommended PSU (Corsair GS700 for $70 at NCIX US):
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=59909&vpn=CMPSU-700G&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1270