New $2,000 - $2,300 Gaming/Development System

[Elf2112]

Hi all, I am looking to build a system that will be used for both gaming and high-end design / development.


Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP

Budget Range: 2,000-2,300 After Rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming (online games plus streaming), interactive development (Photoshop, Flex, Flash, lots of multitasking)

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg

Country: US

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU, would prefer one SSD for the OS

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Yes

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080, though upgrading my monitor soon. I may go with a 30" at 2560 x 1600. Some flexibility here.

Additional Comments: I really want a machine that I can feel comfortable with for some time. Also, this will not only be used for gaming, but for front-end design and development. I multi-task a ton while developing and could easily be running most of Adobe's suite at once, in addition to your normal office style products.
I would also be running dual monitors on this machine. Most likely a 24" and 22" with the possibility of a 30" as the main.

Thanks much in advance for your help. It has been a while since I have built my own system, and I am just not current with hardware.

Elf

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Series-Gaming-CC-9011012-WW/dp/B005E983JW/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335759693&sr=1-6 $114.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 500R Mid Tower Gaming Case CC-9011012-WW

http://www.corsair.com/pc-cases/carbide-series-pc-case/carbide-series-500r-mid-tower-case.html <---- another look at that case

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-ATX-850-Power-Supply/dp/B0050751YS/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335802597&sr=1-1 $122.75 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
XFX PRO850W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80 Plus Silver Certified 850 Watt Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.910366 $499.98
Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770K
ASRock Z77 Extreme6 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z77%20Extreme6 <----- another look at that board

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103176 $69.99
Cooler Master TPC 812 RR-T812-24PK-R1 120mm Sleeve with Dual Vertical Vapor Chamber TPC 812 CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+

Add this fan down below to that CM cpu cooler up above for a "push - pull" effect to help bring cpu temps down even more.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-BladeMaster-Silent-R4-BMBS-20PK-R0/dp/B0030DL37I/ref=sr_1_14?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335803233&sr=1-14 $11.06 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master BladeMaster 120mm PWM High Air Flow Silent Case Fan R4-BMBS-20PK-R0

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231558 $114.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C10D-16GAO

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-AD-7280S-0B-Internal-Drive-Black/dp/B0057FRTPW/ref=pd_cp_e_0 $17.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Sony AD-7280S-0B 24x SATA Internal DVD+/-RW Drive (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-ST2000DM001-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal/dp/B005T3GRN2/ref=pd_cp_e_0 $109.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Seagate ST2000DM001 Barracuda 7200RPM 2 TB SATA 6 GB/s NCQ 64 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive

http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-SSDNow-120GB-Solid-KW-S2120-4B/dp/B007B6YP9I/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1335686396&sr=1-3 $129.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Kingston SSDNow V+200 120GB SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5 Inch Solid State Drive KW-S2120-4B

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125422 $524.99
GIGABYTE GV-N680OC-2GD GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Professional-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0T0LU/ref=pd_cp_sw_3 $139.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Professional SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

Total: $1,856.61



http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=165 <----- review on that XFX (Seasonic OEM) psu I linked.

http://www.corsair.com/pc-cases/carbide-series-pc-case/carbide-series-500r-mid-tower-case.html <---- Click "Reviews" on the left side when you go to that link and there's like 5 pages of professional reviews on that case with links to each review.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-extreme6-z77a-gd65-z77h2-a2x,3187.html <----- That Asrock motherboard included in that review. Notice: over clocking, temps, and power consumption on there.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-680-oc-edition-review/ <----- review w/benchmarks of that Gigabyte gtx 680 I posted.

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1874/ <----- review of that Kingston 120GB SSD I posted in that build.

http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2654 <----- that's a review on that cpu h/s

 

[Elf2112]

Thanks so much for the quick reply.

If I were to have room for additional/better components, where would be the best places to upgrade based on this build?

I have read just a couple of posts here and there that questioned the ASRock. Is there any merit to these arguments?

Would it be worth going full SLI right now? I do want to run max settings at high res from day one

Again, thanks much,

Elf

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks so much for the quick reply.

If I were to have room for additional/better components, where would be the best places to upgrade based on this build?

I have read just a couple of posts here and there that questioned the ASRock. Is there any merit to these arguments?

Would it be worth going full SLI right now? I do want to run max settings at high res from day one

Again, thanks much,

Elf

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head to improve that build is to size up on the SSD to a 240GB - 256GB. Otherwise that build is as solid as a rock.

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-2-5-Inch-Solid-State-CT256M4SSD2/dp/B004W2JL2A/ref=pd_sim_sbs_pc_30 $248.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Crucial 256 GB m4 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT256M4SSD2

With the Asrock board...the only people that would ever think of questioning it are the Asus fanboys on here. Life must suck for them when they spend an average of $60 - $80 or even more on their Asus boards yet get zero more performance. I wonder what goes on in their head when they see the Asrock boards mopping the floor with the Asus boards review after review. I would hate life myself if I was in their shoes. Anyone that questions that board is more than welcome to post on this thread for their reasons as to not purchase that Asrock board I posted in that build. I would be more than happy to answer any questions with several links to reviews across the net.

Notice how I linked reviews to just about every component on there.

As far as the SLI now...if it's in your budget then I say go for it...why wait? But if you SLI those 680's then you want a 120Hz monitor for the refresh rate. Otherwise it's like dropping a Ferrari engine in a old beat up mini van.

That case I linked has room for extra fans. When you add that second 680 make sure your using any and all fans that can be added for maximum cooling.

Where it says supports 120mm/140mm fans...always go big...so that would be the 140mm fan option. Less noise (slower RPM) and more/better airflow. Cooler Master fans would be my choice. Cheap yet effective. Amazon and newegg have a giant selection. You will see all the fan options when you get the case.

http://www.corsair.com/pc-cases/carbide-series-pc-case/carbide-series-500r-mid-tower-case.html

Six 120mm/140mm fan mounts
Four 120mm fan mounts
Includes a 200mm side panel fan, two front-mounted 120mm fans, and one rear 120mm fan

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007617+600060968+600255030&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&IsNodeId=1&Subcategory=20&description=&hisInDesc=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&AdvancedSearch=1&srchInDesc= <----- LED and 120Hz refresh rate. There's a Samsung on there that goes for $380. It might be cheaper somewhere else...amazon..etc.. put that monitor in google shopping and see what comes up. But I would try to squeeze that monitor in. That way your games will be smooth as butter.

http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/monitors/LS23A700DS/ZA <---- there's a better look at that monitor

 

[Elf2112]

Best answer selected by Elf2112.