PC Build Help

[FarmerTed]

Hello all, I am new PC builder, but have been doing some research and I am finally deciding to ask for opinions. I have a budget around 1500 or so. I could possibly go higher if sold on "awesome". Anyways, I am building a tower for gaming purposes, and I probably will need a monitor as well. I am not partial to any brands, but I want some quality. I don't mind going the dual gpu route if necessary. Overall, I want a setup that will make my friends weak at the knees and make games beautiful. I will be getting most of my parts from amazon/newegg. I don't have a setup in mind to post right now, so if anyone would like to suggest a build for me I would be open to that.

P.S. I love you long time if you help me.

 

[Thanatos Telos]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.94 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($162.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($96.87 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($418.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE248Q 24.0" Monitor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1453.70
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-02 19:57 EDT-0400)

Do you need an OS?

 

[FarmerTed]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.94 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($162.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($96.87 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($418.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE248Q 24.0" Monitor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1453.70
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-02 19:57 EDT-0400)

Do you need an OS?

Thanks for responding. Yes, I will need an OS, but i wasn't sure if should go for the windows 7 or 8 route. How would this rig handle games like crysis or bf3? I play a lot of sc2 but im sure this would handle that no problem.

 

[Thanatos Telos]

It should run them well. (Max for most, except Crysis) For the OS, I'm a fan of Win 8, it's grown on me and has slight performance gains IMO. To get the OS, you'll have to either make some sacrifices or go over budget. (100$)

 

[FarmerTed]

It should run them well. (Max for most, except Crysis) For the OS, I'm a fan of Win 8, it's grown on me and has slight performance gains IMO. To get the OS, you'll have to either make some sacrifices or go over budget. (100$)

Having crysis run max is not a huge selling point for me, but just what would it take to run games in the crysis series (probably more curious, but we'll see). I have seen 8 and it looks pretty slick, but the lack of a windows button does get me... Thanks for the help.

 

[Jack Revenant]

It should run them well. (Max for most, except Crysis) For the OS, I'm a fan of Win 8, it's grown on me and has slight performance gains IMO. To get the OS, you'll have to either make some sacrifices or go over budget. (100$)

Having crysis run max is not a huge selling point for me, but just what would it take to run games in the crysis series (probably more curious, but we'll see). I have seen 8 and it looks pretty slick, but the lack of a windows button does get me... Thanks for the help.

As far as I'm aware, the only presently available options for getting 60+ FPS in Crysis 3 are multi-GPU setups, either in the form of dual-GPU cards, or CrossFires/SLIs.

 

[FarmerTed]

It should run them well. (Max for most, except Crysis) For the OS, I'm a fan of Win 8, it's grown on me and has slight performance gains IMO. To get the OS, you'll have to either make some sacrifices or go over budget. (100$)

Having crysis run max is not a huge selling point for me, but just what would it take to run games in the crysis series (probably more curious, but we'll see). I have seen 8 and it looks pretty slick, but the lack of a windows button does get me... Thanks for the help.

As far as I'm aware, the only presently available options for getting 60+ FPS in Crysis 3 are multi-GPU setups, either in the form of dual-GPU cards, or CrossFires/SLIs.

Any suggestions as to a crossfire/SLI setup?

 

[Jack Revenant]

It should run them well. (Max for most, except Crysis) For the OS, I'm a fan of Win 8, it's grown on me and has slight performance gains IMO. To get the OS, you'll have to either make some sacrifices or go over budget. (100$)

Having crysis run max is not a huge selling point for me, but just what would it take to run games in the crysis series (probably more curious, but we'll see). I have seen 8 and it looks pretty slick, but the lack of a windows button does get me... Thanks for the help.

As far as I'm aware, the only presently available options for getting 60+ FPS in Crysis 3 are multi-GPU setups, either in the form of dual-GPU cards, or CrossFires/SLIs.

Any suggestions as to a crossfire/SLI setup?

Capable of 60+ FPS in Crysis and within your price range? Not really. Crysis isn't MEANT to be maxed on contemporary hardware. That's arguably been the whole point of the series, to set the standard for the most extreme, impractical hights of computer power.

 

[FarmerTed]

It should run them well. (Max for most, except Crysis) For the OS, I'm a fan of Win 8, it's grown on me and has slight performance gains IMO. To get the OS, you'll have to either make some sacrifices or go over budget. (100$)

Having crysis run max is not a huge selling point for me, but just what would it take to run games in the crysis series (probably more curious, but we'll see). I have seen 8 and it looks pretty slick, but the lack of a windows button does get me... Thanks for the help.

As far as I'm aware, the only presently available options for getting 60+ FPS in Crysis 3 are multi-GPU setups, either in the form of dual-GPU cards, or CrossFires/SLIs.

Any suggestions as to a crossfire/SLI setup?

Capable of 60+ FPS in Crysis and within your price range? Not really. Crysis isn't MEANT to be maxed on contemporary hardware. That's arguably been the whole point of the series, to set the standard for the most extreme, impractical hights of computer power.

Those jerks, ruining it for everyone. Jack, what did you think of the build presented earlier? I went to that website and made something around 1800 that I liked. I'd be willing to go that high. It seems like building really comes down to gpu in the end, and that is what i am the most lost on.

 

[Jack Revenant]

It should run them well. (Max for most, except Crysis) For the OS, I'm a fan of Win 8, it's grown on me and has slight performance gains IMO. To get the OS, you'll have to either make some sacrifices or go over budget. (100$)

Having crysis run max is not a huge selling point for me, but just what would it take to run games in the crysis series (probably more curious, but we'll see). I have seen 8 and it looks pretty slick, but the lack of a windows button does get me... Thanks for the help.

As far as I'm aware, the only presently available options for getting 60+ FPS in Crysis 3 are multi-GPU setups, either in the form of dual-GPU cards, or CrossFires/SLIs.

Any suggestions as to a crossfire/SLI setup?

Capable of 60+ FPS in Crysis and within your price range? Not really. Crysis isn't MEANT to be maxed on contemporary hardware. That's arguably been the whole point of the series, to set the standard for the most extreme, impractical hights of computer power.

Those jerks, ruining it for everyone. Jack, what did you think of the build presented earlier? I went to that website and made something around 1800 that I liked. I'd be willing to go that high. It seems like building really comes down to gpu in the end, and that is what i am the most lost on.

Crytek is, to my mind, responsible for pretty much all the overbuilding that's been happening for the past few months. The manufacturers must love them.
I either a, didn't see your build earlier, or b, was too sleep-deprived at the time to remember your name on it. Repost?

 

[FarmerTed]

It should run them well. (Max for most, except Crysis) For the OS, I'm a fan of Win 8, it's grown on me and has slight performance gains IMO. To get the OS, you'll have to either make some sacrifices or go over budget. (100$)

Having crysis run max is not a huge selling point for me, but just what would it take to run games in the crysis series (probably more curious, but we'll see). I have seen 8 and it looks pretty slick, but the lack of a windows button does get me... Thanks for the help.

As far as I'm aware, the only presently available options for getting 60+ FPS in Crysis 3 are multi-GPU setups, either in the form of dual-GPU cards, or CrossFires/SLIs.

Any suggestions as to a crossfire/SLI setup?

Capable of 60+ FPS in Crysis and within your price range? Not really. Crysis isn't MEANT to be maxed on contemporary hardware. That's arguably been the whole point of the series, to set the standard for the most extreme, impractical hights of computer power.

Those jerks, ruining it for everyone. Jack, what did you think of the build presented earlier? I went to that website and made something around 1800 that I liked. I'd be willing to go that high. It seems like building really comes down to gpu in the end, and that is what i am the most lost on.

Crytek is, to my mind, responsible for pretty much all the overbuilding that's been happening for the past few months. The manufacturers must love them.
I either a, didn't see your build earlier, or b, was too sleep-deprived at the time to remember your name on it. Repost?

I never posted the build myself, but I was referring to the build that Telos made. Here, I'll post something similar to what I was thinking:
CPU Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $209.99
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing $24.99
Motherboard ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 $134.99
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $59.94
Storage Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" SSD $117.99
Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM $79.99
Video Card MSI Radeon HD 7950 3GB $309.99
MSI Radeon HD 7950 3GB $309.99
Case NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower $79.98
Power Supply Antec 650W ATX12V $77.99
Optical Drive Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer $14.99
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) $89.95
Monitor Asus VE248Q 24.0" $179.99

total: 1690.97

 

[Jack Revenant]

It should run them well. (Max for most, except Crysis) For the OS, I'm a fan of Win 8, it's grown on me and has slight performance gains IMO. To get the OS, you'll have to either make some sacrifices or go over budget. (100$)

Having crysis run max is not a huge selling point for me, but just what would it take to run games in the crysis series (probably more curious, but we'll see). I have seen 8 and it looks pretty slick, but the lack of a windows button does get me... Thanks for the help.

As far as I'm aware, the only presently available options for getting 60+ FPS in Crysis 3 are multi-GPU setups, either in the form of dual-GPU cards, or CrossFires/SLIs.

Any suggestions as to a crossfire/SLI setup?

Capable of 60+ FPS in Crysis and within your price range? Not really. Crysis isn't MEANT to be maxed on contemporary hardware. That's arguably been the whole point of the series, to set the standard for the most extreme, impractical hights of computer power.

Those jerks, ruining it for everyone. Jack, what did you think of the build presented earlier? I went to that website and made something around 1800 that I liked. I'd be willing to go that high. It seems like building really comes down to gpu in the end, and that is what i am the most lost on.

Crytek is, to my mind, responsible for pretty much all the overbuilding that's been happening for the past few months. The manufacturers must love them.
I either a, didn't see your build earlier, or b, was too sleep-deprived at the time to remember your name on it. Repost?

I never posted the build myself, but I was referring to the build that Telos made. Here, I'll post something similar to what I was thinking:
CPU Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $209.99
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing $24.99
Motherboard ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 $134.99
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $59.94
Storage Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" SSD $117.99
Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM $79.99
Video Card MSI Radeon HD 7950 3GB $309.99
MSI Radeon HD 7950 3GB $309.99
Case NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower $79.98
Power Supply Antec 650W ATX12V $77.99
Optical Drive Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer $14.99
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) $89.95
Monitor Asus VE248Q 24.0" $179.99

total: 1690.97

You generally don't come out ahead by CrossFiring multiple different brands. Since everything is throttled down to the lowest settings of the bunch, you're taking all the downsides with non of the up.
If you're willing to go up around $1,800, this build might work for you:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($154.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.16 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($322.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($322.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($176.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.96 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.95 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VE248Q 24.0" Monitor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1774.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-03 00:50 EDT-0400)

Edit: That said, if you got two identical cards, your build would work fine, with the sole exception of having slightly too small of a PSU.