New Gaming Build

Chiffy · Jan 6, 2013

How does this gaming build look to everyone here? Most importantly, does everything look like it will work well together? Any things I could do to reduce the price or future proof it more? Any suggestions would be appreciated

thanossapiens · Jan 6, 2013

First, what is the purpose of the build?Gaming,video editing etc...?
Second,do you need a blu ray burner?
Will you overclock?

JKatwyopc · Jan 6, 2013

I would suggest you change the CPU to i5 3570K and then upgrade the GPU to a Radeon HD 7970. The i7 3770K is not required for gaming as games don't use hyper-threading. A CPU Cooler would also be a good idea. CM Hyper 212 EVO.

Chiffy · Jan 6, 2013

thanossapiens :

The purpose is gaming

no I don't really need a blue ray burner, just a player. I just happened to choose that drive because it's a combo one and has everything else combined. If you could point me to an alternative one that'd be great

JKatwyopc :

Ah yeah I recall hearing that the i5 3570k didn't differ much from the i7 3700K in terms of gaming, but what about 3d modeling and photoshop? I am a game design major so would the hyper threading help in that case? As for the GPU, from the statistics I've read there is only a couple frames difference in games between the 7950 and 7970, so is that really worth the extra money for that? Oh so a cpu cooler would be really worth it? The reviews I read of it on newegg seem to say the stock cooling is enough if you're not overclocking, which I don't plan to do right now, maybe in the future though. Thanks for the reply

thanossapiens · Jan 6, 2013

If you wont overclock dont get that motherboard
also you better take Crucial m4 for ssd
cheaper,more space,very reliable
As JKatwyopc mentioned take a HD7970 or a gtx670
1500$ (gaming) built and a 7950 dont go together

ilysaml · Jan 6, 2013

like the guys said, there's no difference between 3770k and 3570k in terms of gaming.

you gonna need a CPU cooler whether you overclock or not, it's much better than stock heatsink.

The motherboard is a way overpriced for nothing, ASRock Z77 Extreme4 is a popular motherboard for the ivy bridge and approved by tomshardware.

you don't need more than a quality 500W PSU, 750W would be superb for CF/SLI.

HD 7970 Ghz edition is the fastest single GPU around, and yeah HD 7950 with boost is very close to the standard HD 7970.

Samsung SSD 830/840s are the most reliable SSDs out there and Crucial too, but i prefer Samsung for the faster speeds.

Take a look at this build;
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($204.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($135.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($112.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($449.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On ihes112-04 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1293.75
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-06 13:50 EST-0500)

ilysaml · Jan 6, 2013

Price Difference.
PCPartPicker part list
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($127.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.00 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($449.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($79.33 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On ihes112-04 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($54.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1206.22
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-06 14:00 EST-0500)

thanossapiens · Jan 6, 2013

ilysaml :

830 is pretty much discontinued so go for m4
also i would suggest you a GTX 670
IMO 7970 is not worth the extra money
plus you get Physx and better drivers
if you do 3d modeling and photoshop for your job you better take the 3770k and 16gigs of ram

ilysaml · Jan 6, 2013

830 discontinued? So 840 Pro

thanossapiens · Jan 7, 2013

ilysaml :

i dont think that it worth the extra money

ilysaml · Jan 7, 2013

thanossapiens :

So, the 840 without "pro" :lol:

Chiffy · Jan 7, 2013

Thanks for the builds you posted thanossapiens

I've decided to keep the CPU as the 3770k because I will not only be using it for gaming, but for 3d modeling, animation, and photoshop. I also will get the CPU fan you suggested and am swapping the CD Drive I had with the one you posted without a blue ray burner. As for SSD's, I won't really notice a difference between the Crucial M4 and the Samsung 840 pro, so I'm just going with the Crucial because it's cheaper. For the motherboard I ultimately decided to go with the Asus Sabertooth because of the 5 year warranty and the reliability of the name brand. It also has better overclocking features if I should feel the desire to do that in the future. I also substituted the Hard drive with the WD Cavalier, and kept the power supply I had initially because I feel like 750 Watt's is a good reliable number. I have also decided to swap the Radeon 7950 with the 7970 Ghz edition you posted, as upon looking at benchmarks of it I was actually surprised how much of an improvement it was over the 7950 vs just the ordinary 7970. So thanks guys for all the help!

ilysaml · Jan 7, 2013

Well, you're good to go. Good Luck with your purchase.

Chiffy · Jan 7, 2013

Err I meant to say thanks to you for the builds you posted, wrong person haha.

Thanks!

Chiffy · Jan 7, 2013

Best answer selected by Chiffy.

ilysaml · Jan 7, 2013

Welcome, anytime.

thanossapiens · Jan 8, 2013

Chiffy :

everything seems good but i tell you the motherboard is wayy overkill.Gigabyte's ud3h is about 100$ cheaper and is also a very good overclocker(i have one).and it seems no reason to take the drive he suggested you because with only 15$ more you can take a blu ray burner
so take a standard drive with 20$ or the BD Burner with 70$ but not a BD READER for 55$

New Gaming Build

Honorable

Honorable

Distinguished

Honorable

Honorable

Splendid

Splendid

Honorable

Splendid

Honorable

Splendid

Honorable

Splendid

Honorable

Honorable

Splendid

Honorable

Share this page