Seeking Advice for Gaming Build

ifightsharks

Honorable
Aug 4, 2012
3
0
10,510
Hey guys,

I'm a long-time console gaming enthusiast, but I think it's time to move into the wonderful world of PC gaming. As such, I'm looking to build a new gaming PC. Unfortunately, I'm very new to this so I'm seeking some advice on which components to pick up.

Budget: $1325 Canadian
- I do not need a monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers or OS.

Parts I'm looking at:

CPU:
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504


Motherboard:
ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131837

-or-

ASUS P8H77-V LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131834

I'm leaning towards the Z77 here because of its ability to overclock. Is this the right call?


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.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423

I was also eyeing this ASUS GTX 670 (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121637). Is this one a better choice than the Gigabyte?


Power Supply:
OCZ Fatal1ty 1000W Individually-Sleeved Modular Gaming 80Plus Gold Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341053

- It's $239.99 on Newegg, but I can get it for $139.99 at NCIX with the purchase of a GPU. For ~$150, is there anything I could buy that would be an upgrade on this?


Memory:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXM
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231477


Hard Drive:
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5IN Dual Proc Hard Drive OEM
http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=50895&promoid=1145


CD/DVD Drive:
ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

---

Total price on NCIX: $1247.93 - $40 in rebates = $1207.93 before tax.

So do you have any suggestions on any different parts I should be considering? Are there any components I'm looking at that would be a mistake to buy? Thanks in advance for your help.
 
Got just a few suggestions, BTW, I think it looks awesome so far (with the Z77 chipset). Either 670 card should work fine
Add the following, aftermarket CPU cooler (Coolermaster Hyper 212EVO comes to mind) and also add an SSD, can be small, say 60GB to 128GB or so for operating system/boot drive.
That's all, have fun
PS The NCIX deal is excellent for that PSU
 

raytseng

Honorable
May 15, 2012
666
0
11,060
agree with c12friedman,

but will suggest to get 128gb ssd (crucial m4/ samsung 830 are most popular suggestions)

Also consider bluray just so you don't need to add it in the future

Here's review of the Asus card i think...
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GeForce_GTX_670_Direct_Cu_II/33.html

scored a 10.0

I think gigabyte came in 9.8. Can't go wrong with either, but at the same price, i'd go with the higher score. Read the full review I suppose...



 

ifightsharks

Honorable
Aug 4, 2012
3
0
10,510
So I'll get the Z77 chipset then.

Re: the GPU, I recall that a Tom's review recommended the Gigabyte over the Asus (here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-test-review,3217-16.html ), but that perfect review is intriguing. After thinking about it for a couple of days, I think I may go with the Asus.

I don't think I'll need a blu-ray player simply because I don't really watch movies, so I think the inexpensive optical drive is fine.

As for the SSD suggestion, do you mean add an SSD instead of an HDD, or as well as an HDD? If you're suggesting purchasing both an SSD and HDD, will the change in performance really be worth the extra $100? I'm pretty close to budget here, and I'd like to come in under if at all possible.

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it!
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
The 1KW PSU is just not needed - especially for a single GTX 670. Hell, even 2 x 670s won't even come close to using 750W. You could get a Corsair TX750 and save $150 on that power supply.

I definitely second the suggestion of the SSD - I just got a Samsung 830 and it's one blazing fast drive.
 

ifightsharks

Honorable
Aug 4, 2012
3
0
10,510
Thanks to a deal on NCIX, the 1k PSU is actually $20 cheaper than the Corsair you suggested, so I wouldn't be saving any money there.
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


But it's still way more power than you'll ever use, that's what I was trying to get at.
 
http://www.directcanada.com <------ Free Shipping on orders over $50

http://www.bestdirect.ca <------ Free Shipping on orders over $80



http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11180AC3384&vpn=CC-9011014-WW&manufacture=CORSAIR $73.50
Corsair Carbide Series 300R Black Gaming Case ATX 3X5.25 4X3.5 Front USB Audio No PSU

http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/233768/P1750SNLB9/XFX/ $99.70
XFX 750W PRO750W Core Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 62A 24PIN ATX Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze PSU

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950BD6547&vpn=P8Z77-V%20LK&manufacture=ASUS $145.81 MIR $125.81
ASUS P8Z77-V Lk ATX LGA1155 Z77 DDR3 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI SATA3 SLI DVI HDMI DP USB3.0 Motherboard

http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/242391/BX80637I53570K/Intel/ $224.69
Intel Core i5 3570K Unlocked Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.4GHZ Ivy Bridge 6MB Retail

http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/237385/RR-212E-20PK-R2/COOLERMASTER/ $29.15
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366/1155/1156/2011 120MM

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15380BD5211&vpn=F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL&manufacture=G.SKILL $42.95
G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Memory

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530DR5213&vpn=DRW-24B1ST%20Bulk&manufacture=ASUS $17.58
ASUS DRW-24B1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer OEM Black

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=14120DR5445&vpn=ST1000DM003&manufacture=SEAGATE $79.79
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM 64MB SATA 6Gbps 3.5IN Internal Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/243162/GV-N670OC-2GD/Gigabyte/ $391.80
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 OC 980MHZ 2GB 6.0GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Video Card

http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/241539/SDSSDX-120G-G25/SANDISK/ $109.99
SanDisk Extreme 120GB 2.5IN SATA3 6GB/S SandForce SF-2281 Solid State Disk Flash Drive SSD

Total: $1,215.16 *not including rebates and tax
 

aqualipt

Honorable
Jun 15, 2012
1,150
0
11,360
1325$? no problem, here you go:

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.99 @ Newegg Canada)
CPU Cooler: TUNIQ Tower 120 Extreme 90.7 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($64.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.88 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ NCIX)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($429.79 @ DirectCanada)
Case: BitFenix Colossus Venom Window (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($104.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $1328.60

This build has a lot of potential, you could add a second GTX 670 whenever you want!