Need Help With Gaming Rig Build

[Sanavi]

So, I want to put together a rig that can run most games on high/ultra with relative ease. I play a lot of WoW/SC2/Diablo/Skyrim/GW2.

This will be my first time building a PC, so I'm kind of hesitant of getting the parts and trying to do this myself - I honestly have no idea how everything fits within the case, heh.

Here is the current build I'm working with on paper; if anyone notices replacement parts that would be cheaper, but still maintain a higher-end gaming experience, I'd love the help! <3

**

Build

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155
Memory: CORSAIR 8GB (2 x 4GB)
Video Card: Radeon HD 7850
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB
Power Supply: SeaSonic 850W
Optical Drive: LITE-ON DVD Burner - 24X DVD
Cool/Fan: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO
Case: APEVIA X-TELSTAR-GN
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Monitor: ASUS VS Series 23.6" 2ms LED
Mouse/Keyboard: Already Own

**

Are all these parts compatible? Also, is Windows 8 worth getting over 7? I've heard a lot of people don't like it, though I haven't tried it myself...

Thanks everyone!

[n0cturnal]

Unless you are planning to get 3 GPUs there is no reason to go with a 850W PSU. You can get a gold rated 550W for much less.

Cases are a pretty personal thing but I think that one looks severely lacking in a few aspects.
It has no dust filters, overall airflow looks bad, cable management looks bad and the placement of the PSU is of a really old design.

Also while a Radeon 7850 is good for the games you listed it hardly fits the "higher end gaming experience" you mention.

Have you thought about adding a SSD to the build?

[Sanavi]

Once again, this is my first time building a PC, so I'm treading in shallow waters...

I could upgrade the graphics card to Radeon HD 7950 3GB, which I'm sure would be far better, but it's also an extra 160 bucks. If there's an option in-between the one I originally listed and this that would streamline the games I like better on high/ultra, I'd appreciate any suggestions.

As far as the case goes, I've never messed around the inside of cases, so I don't know how much room I'll need with these components and/or whether it's of an old design or recent design. Any help would be welcomed.

Forgive my ignorance, but I'm not experienced with the differences between SSD and the Hard Drive I listed.

Also didn't know how much power I would need to run the build, so if less will work, that'd be great!

A lot of this is exploring on my part atm...

[Punisher]

Well, I have a 7850, and I can play all the game he listed at max (except Skyrim, That I didn't tried so I can't tell, but I think yes) with no lag (and one or two option at very high instead of ultra in gw2 or something like this, but ain't noticable)

(New build,one month ago)

I use a 550 W PSU, with no problems

Basically a SSD is like a hard drive, in extreme-ultra-fast-turbo-speed mode, with a higher cost ( 1$/GB) Its used for OS and main games/programs while a HDD, with a lot higher capacity, is slower and used for documents, music, and less played games. You technically can have a SSD without HDD, but you'll find the lack of space very annoying, so usually ppls take a SSD + 1 (or 2) HDD

The case you choosed looks ugly (personal opinion inside) and as n0ctural said, it have some lacks in few things. There is a case catalog in the stickies of the forums, as long as you take a case that can support ATX mobo, you are ok.

[n0cturnal]

The 7850 will be perfectly fine to play those games on high/ultra, non of those games are really GPU intensive. What I meant is more that the card itself is more of a low to mid end when it comes to what is out on the market today. If you want to spend a bit more a AMD Radeon HD 7870 or Nvidia GTX 660 would be a decent step up for a smaller increase in price, but it is not in anyway needed for those games.

When it comes to the case perhaps you can say what about that particular case you like and some other features you would look for in a case. That way me and others can help you find something that perhaps is better.

The difference between HDD and SSD is just way too much for me to type right now so I'll just link a few articles that you can read.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404258,00.asp
http://www.storagereview.com/ssd_vs_hdd
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computi...d-disk-drives/
http://www.notebookreview.com/defaul...+vs+hard+drive

[Sanavi]

Thanks!

I'm not picky at all about cases; I picked a full tower because I assumed (perhaps in error ^^) that I'd have more room for the parts. Honestly, I'm clueless about what facets I should look for in a good case that would benefit the build, so I'm all ears.

GTX 660 2GB a good upgrade?

So basically, have an SSD to store games and OS on and everything else on an HDD. That makes sense. Will read the articles for further info.

[n0cturnal]

Thanks!

I'm not picky at all about cases; I picked a full tower because I assumed (perhaps in error ^^) that I'd have more room for the parts. Honestly, I'm clueless about what facets I should look for in a good case that would benefit the build, so I'm all ears.

GTX 660 2GB a good upgrade?

So basically, have an SSD to store games and OS on and everything else on an HDD. That makes sense. Will read the articles for further info.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=660 this is a comparison between 7850 and 660.

If you decide to go for a 660 this one is a bit cheaper.

When it comes to cases you can take a look here.

[Punisher]

If you want to choose between a 660 and a 7850, I would go for a 7850, but at least with 2go Vram (the one you linked only have one, and 1go Vram is not a lot these day)

You also might want a silent card, I can't tell for a 660, but my 7850 is silent (Mine is a MSI, so its not the same cooler than a card from ATI (AMD?) . I know you can get a 660 in the same series than my GC from msi, but I don't know what does it worth). I never ear it unless I put the fans at 65% speed or more. But usually card are not very loud.

I'm not picky at all about cases; I picked a full tower because I assumed (perhaps in error ^^) that I'd have more room for the parts. Honestly, I'm clueless about what facets I should look for in a good case that would benefit the build, so I'm all ears.

So basically, have an SSD to store games and OS on and everything else on an HDD. That makes sense. Will read the articles for further info.

If you take a 660, or a 7850, you don't need a full size tower only to match the card size, those are not giant cards. With the same CPU and Cooler than you, I have plenty of space left in a HAF 912 (Cooler master), which is a Mid case. It easier to do your built in a large case, and for a first build its perfect to take a bigger one.

Case also have some 'functionality' that are usefull: dust filters (dust can really be annoying in a comp), cable management space ( having cables everywhere is also annoying) , lights ( pimp my case) , usb 3.0 on front , fan control on front ( some 5.25" external controls also exists), ... etc

You choose a case with what you want! But as long it support ATX, and its not a mini-case, you should be okay

[jholdaway]

used some of the same parts and changed a few parts. Not sure what your budget was or is but I think this might be cheaper than the build you posted above.

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 ($33.21 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.64 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE247H 23.6" Monitor ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1003.75
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-30 21:27 EST-0500)


ok switched out the psu( the 450 would of worked but without much headroom) and added the OS which I forgot.

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 ($33.21 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE247H 23.6" Monitor ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1114.08
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-30 21:50 EST-0500)

[Punisher]

That's close of what cost mine ( but I got extras with shipping and customs ( the borders?) problems who raised the price)

Btw I wouldn't go for windows 8, Windows 7 is enough, unless you want a specific 8's fonctionnality.

@Jholdaway
A 450w PSU wouldn't be a bit low??
edit: And he need a OS =), + 99$ For windows 7 OEM

[moremana]

Much better psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139010

[chazus]

Much better psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139010

Better? More expensive, with no extra benefit. Pass.

Seasonic 520.

Not the 450 Gold. 520 is cheaper and just as good quality. The wattage isn't really important.

[Ron Burgundy]

i would personally go with ATLEAST a 660 ti.

[Deleted]

Since it's hardly been noticed, I'd recommend sticking an SSD disk in there. I'm using a 128gb one next to my storage drives. It's only to put the OS and some games on it.
They will load considerably faster.

Also, the Z77 is prepared for overclocking. If you don't intend to overclock your cpu, you are better off buying the one-step-down motherboard. Forgot name, I think it's b77? Either way, a letter ending with 77 that's not a Z, lol.

[Sanavi]

Ok, did some adjustments and research, this is what I'm looking at now:

Build

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77
Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB)(2 x 4GB)
Video Card: Radeon HD 7950 3GB
HDD: WD Black 1TB
SSD: Intel 330 Series Maple Crest 180GB
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W
Optical Drive: LITE-ON DVD Burner - 24X DVD
Cool/Fan: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
Case: COOLER MASTER Storm Enforcer
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Monitor: Asus Black 24" 2ms Full HD HDMI LED
Mouse/Keyboard: Already Own

Seems more solid, and all of your advice was very helpful. Would all these components work well together? Any other fine tuning you'd suggest?

(I don't intend to overclock, so if there is another cpu/motherboard that's more appropriate for this build, I'd appreciate any help ^^)

Thanks!

[n0cturnal]

If you absolutely have no intention of ever overclocking you could save some money by getting an i5 3470 and a motherboard with either H77 or B75 chipset.
I would also recommend that you get low profile RAM, the big heatsinks are only for looks and in most cases cause issues with the CPU heatsink.

[chazus]

On top of nocturnal's suggestions (The 3470 and B75 chipset), I'd recommend not getting the Intel 330 SSD. Both it's price/gb is lower, as is it's performance over pretty much any Samsung drive. The 840 is a very good price point. I would also change the 1TB drive from a Black to a Blue and save some money. You don't need extra performance on the storage drive.