My First Gaming PC in 7 years

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USTSince88

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Jun 29, 2010
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So my rig is 7 years old, some parts are even older. I have a budget of $2000, prefer to be less :)

I'm going to use a 1.5TB hard drive from my current build, that's why it isn't in the list.

This is what I have so far, any advice would be welcome! Also do you recommend using Newegg or Amazon? Amazon Prime seems like better shipping and the prices are identical in most cases.

CPU
Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i7-3770K-Quad-Core-Processor-Cache/dp/B007SZ0EOW
$319.99

Motherboard
ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131821
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-SABERTOOTH-Z77-Intel-Motherboard/dp/B007RIFKUS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379013762&sr=1-1&keywords=z77+sabertooth
$232.99

Power Supply
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX850 V2 850W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139022
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Enthusiast-CP-9020039-NA650W-Certified-Performance/dp/B005E98I0G
$139.99

Video Card
GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-Desktop+Graphics+Cards-_-N82E16814125423&gclid=CLWrjJqcxbkCFY1FMgodB10AsA
http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GV-N670OC-2GD-GeForce-Windforce-Graphics/dp/B0080I06WQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379014189&sr=1-3&keywords=gtx+670
$309.99

Memory
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M2A1600C9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-233-299&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-Desktop-Memory-CMZ16GX3M2A1600C9/dp/B0085IWXB8/ref=sr_1_9?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379014358&sr=1-9&keywords=CORSAIR+Vengeance+16GB+%282+x+8GB%29
$154.99
OR
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M2A1866C9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233281
$164.99

Case
Corsair Carbide Series 400R Graphite grey and black ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139008&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Black-Computer-CC-9011011-WW/dp/B0055Q7BR4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379014738&sr=1-1&keywords=Corsair+Carbide+Series+400R+Graphite+grey+and+black+ATX+Mid+Tower+Gaming+Case
$79.99

SSD
SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD128BW 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147192
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-MZ-7PD128BW-Series-SATAIII-Solid/dp/B009LI7CKI
$139.99
 
Solution
geofelt
Your build is ok, but I might do things differently.

1. The extra hyperthreads of the 3770K are not helpful to gamers. I would buy more current technology in a i5-4670K and use the funds saved on a better graphics card. Any Z87 based motherboard will do. The sabretooth line is overpriced and does not offer any added performance.

2. I would buy a more modern GTX760 instead. a GTX770 if you can find the budget. The graphics card is the most important component in a gaming pc. A good balance is to budget 2x the price of the cpu for the graphics.

3. Do not pay extra for fancy heat spreaders, they are mostly marketing. Intel cpu's do not benefit much from ram faster than 1600, think 1%...
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Your build is ok, but I might do things differently.

1. The extra hyperthreads of the 3770K are not helpful to gamers. I would buy more current technology in a i5-4670K and use the funds saved on a better graphics card. Any Z87 based motherboard will do. The sabretooth line is overpriced and does not offer any added performance.

2. I would buy a more modern GTX760 instead. a GTX770 if you can find the budget. The graphics card is the most important component in a gaming pc. A good balance is to budget 2x the price of the cpu for the graphics.

3. Do not pay extra for fancy heat spreaders, they are mostly marketing. Intel cpu's do not benefit much from ram faster than 1600, think 1%.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sandy-bridge-memory-scaling-choosing-the-best-ddr3

8gb is the norm for games. No game, by itself will use more than 2-3gb. That said, I like 16gb. Windows will keep more code in ram, available for instant reuse. Ram is cheap.

3. Even a titan will run on 600w. I might pick this Seasonic 620w unit for less: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151096

4. The main value of the pro version is endurance. a pro will last 15 years under heavy desktop usage. A non pro only 10. It is a moot point since both will be long obsolete by then. I would look for the Samsung evo. 240gb if you can. The evo will have software that can use up to 1gb of ram as a cache.

5. You buy a "K" to be able to overclock. Buy a simple $30 cooler like the cm hyper212. It will be quieter and cool better.

Lastly, If the prices are similar, I would shop newegg. They have good direct customer support and good return policies.
 
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Solution
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($61.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($176.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($274.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($274.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 1050W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1544.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-12 19:38 EDT-0400)

Don't know exactly what you want it for but just for gaming an i7 is a waste of money, might aswell go towards another GPU or better GPU. This build will easily do eyefinity at 1080p.
 
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Get this instead it is a lot better, and is $200 less than your system. If you want to save money buy just 1 gtx780 now and the second one later.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-OC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($214.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($649.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($649.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 800D ATX Full Tower Case ($229.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 1050W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $2641.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-12 19:48 EDT-0400)
 
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Agree go with a i5 for gaming. I would go for a i5 3570K or i5 4670K witch ever is cheaper. Since you are using a dedicated GPU a i5 3570K would work just fine since the main difference in the i5 4670K is in the igpu.

As for ram 8gig is more than enough for a gaming rig.

For your GPU a GTX 670 or GTX 770 would work just fine. The GTX 670 would cost less if that is needed.
 
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When I looked they were both the same price, and the Haswell is 5%-10% quicker.
 
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Thanks for all the tips guys. I should have been more clear, I work with Photoshop a lot, so need something faster for the processor, might even get 32 gb of ram later.

I looked through everyones advice and rebuild the rig, I am set on the Sabertooth, also don't plan on overclocking so don't need a cooling system besides the stock one from Intel. Decided to go with a better videocard, is that power supply enough for my Rig?

my screen resolution is 1920x1080.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($334.96 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z87 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($234.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($136.21 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Intel 520 Series Cherryville 180GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($203.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($648.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($86.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1783.07
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-13 20:05 EDT-0400)
 
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There's no need for a K series processor if you don't plan to overclock. Maybe look into a Xeon which is basically the same as an i7 but it has a great price.
 
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Even though you do not plan on overclocking, the option is there. You will get 20% more cpu performance with a conservative oc.

I would buy an aftermarket cpu cooler regardless. Under load, the stock cooler 92mm fan will spin up and get very noisy.
Look at a $30 cooler like the cm hyper212. For the very best, look at the noctua NH-D14, about $75.

Intel is very good, but the 520 is expensive. The equally good performing Samsung 240gb EVO costs less:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147248
The evo will come with software that will use system ram to cache the SSD for even better performance.


Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboards can be very sensitive to this.
That is why ram vendors will NOT support ram that is not bought in one kit.
Although, I think the problem has lessened with the newer Intel chipsets. Still,
it is safer to get what you need in one kit.
If you have plans for 32gb, and it is supposed to help a bunch with photoshop, I would go ahead and get a 4 x 8gb kit up front.
To avoid any cooler clearance issues, look for low profile ram.
 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z87 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($234.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($136.21 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Intel 520 Series Cherryville 180GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($203.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($648.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($86.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1708.08
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-13 21:47 EDT-0400)

So better?
 
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better.
You have a mishmash of ordering locations.
You might want to set partpicker so your choices are amazon and newegg or whatever.
Unless there is no stock, or a big price differential, I would order all from one source. For me, that is usually newegg.
 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z87 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($234.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($136.21 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($176.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($648.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($86.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1681.09
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-13 23:06 EDT-0400)

Ok so this is going to be my buy, i got the SSD change, and i5 now, so thanks guys, I think this looks good.
 
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Just leave it to close itself, or get mousemonkey to close it for you, he loves closing threads...
 
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