A long lasting gaming and multipurpose rig?

[Dlf]

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• Budget - Within about $1500 (American)
• Resolution - At first 1680 x 1050 - Eventually HD
• Games / Settings Desired: Everything from DOS era on, yes you read that correctly. Most should probably be high settings (if not ultra)
• Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc) - Folding at home (may run in background) - no Video editing, no modeling
• Country - USA
• Parts that can be reused: Not that I can think of (see current specs as to why)
• Will NOT prebuilt

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Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6nk3
Part price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6nk3/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6nk3/benchmarks/

• CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Microcenter)
• CPU Cooler: Cooler Master V6 GT 93.7 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
• Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-M Pro Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($118.99 @ NCIX US)
• Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($81.00 @ Newegg)
• Hard Drive: OCZ Agility 3 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($249.99 @ NCIX US)
• Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
• Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($264.98 @ Newegg)
• Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($139.98 @ Newegg)
• Power Supply: Raidmax 700W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
• Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS224-06 DVD/CD Writer ($20.99 @ SuperBiiz)
• Optical Drive: LG WH12LS39 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($81.98 @ Mwave)

These three I will buy later. Right now that's about a savings of over 500. If a better monitor can be suggested that'd be excellent)

• Monitor: Asus VE276Q 27.0" Monitor ($273.42 @ Mac Connection)*
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Full (32/64-bit) ($239.99 @ B&H)
• Keyboard: Microsoft SideWinder X6 Wired Standard Keyboard ($85.64 @ Mac Connection)

Total: $2051.92
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-04-02 22:50 EDT-0400)
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Current specs:

Case: No idea (although it is a HP slimline, gray) - that should give some idea of the sort of case.
Motherboard: Asus A8N-BR (Pyrite) (1 PCI, 2 DDR2 DIMM, Audio, Video, LAN, IEEE-1394)
Motherboard Chipset - nVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE, AMD Hammer
Power Supply: No idea
Processor: DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2000 MHz (10 x 200) 3800+
CPU Cooler: A fan
Memory:
- DIMM1: Kingston 1 GB DDR2-533 DDR2 SDRAM (5-4-4-12 (at) 266 MHz) (4-4-4-12 (at) 266 MHz) (3-3-3-9 (at) 200 MHz)
- DIMM2: Kingston 2G-UDIMM 2 GB DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM (5-5-5-15 (at) 333 MHz) (4-4-4-12 (at) 266 MHz) (3-3-3-9 (at) 200 MHz)
Hard Drive: 250 GB ATA drive
Optical Drive HL-DT-ST DVDRRW GSA-H20L ATA Device (DVD+R9:8x, DVD-R9:4x, DVD+RW:16x/8x, DVD-RW:16x/6x, DVD-RAM:5x, DVD-ROM:16x, CD:48x/32x/48x DVD+RW/DVD-RW/DVD-RAM)
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit
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And what I wanted in a new system:

Hardware

• USB 2.0 speeds that are minimum of 30 MB a second
• USB 3.0 speeds that are at lest 300+ MB/s [I will get / use an SSD]
• Firewire (and or eSata port) --- because I have a external hardrive that has both along with USB
• At lest a solid terabyte (1.5 TB)
• Has either a VGA or DVI port (current monitor I have has both)
• Also has support for HDMI (for the future monitor)
• Multi card reader (although I mainly need SD and Memory Pro Stick Duo)
• Able to use a PS3 controller AND A XBOX 360 controller (yes I know 360 is native support . . .)
• I would like a quad core.
• Multiple internal DVD drives - one blu-ray drive (watch movies, burn backups) - Also to make installations faster
• Plenty of 3.5/5.25 drive bays . . .

Software

- Windows 7 Ultimate (64 bit) (Main OS) -- Mostly for languages
- Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit (if needed)
- May first run Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit - as I have both 32/64 bit discs now)
- Windows XP (if 64 bit won't run some of the games I have) (if needed)
- Folding@home - (although I use my PS3 for that when I'm not using it)

Gaming Software:

- Will use steam:
-- Elder Scrolls (Morrowind -> Skyrim)
-- Portal 1 & 2
-- Batman Arkham (Asylum/City)
-- Sonic Generations
-- Quake (all)
-- Doom (all)
-- Wolfenstein (3D) & 2009 - and the others
-- Commander keen
-- Bioshock (1/2) (perhaps infinite)
-- L.A. Noire
-- Bejeweled 2/3
-- Peggle
-- anything else that interests me

- Will use CD/DVD's of the games I have:
-- Warcraft 2 - Tides of Darkness & Beyond the Dark Portal
-- Warcraft 3 - Reign of Chaos & Frozen Throne
-- Diablo 1 - 3 (when it comes out)
-- The Sims 1 - And all expansions
-- The Sims 2 (probably)
-- Simcity 4000 & Rushhour
- May use emulation (to run up to the PS2/Wii)

Other Thoughts

• Eventually a dual monitor setup (and one be HD resolution)
• I will wait for some parts (hard drives, GPU, etc) to drop in price.
• I WANT UEFI, NOT regular old BIOS (that this slimline has
• I choose I7 instead of I5 mostly because $100 more? I'll pay that if it lasts long and handles what I need.
• May eventually like a dual GPU (crossfire?)

Monitor Thoughts:

• First and foremost: HD
• Supports: HDMI, DVI, Displayport (if the motherboard of the computer does)
• Within 1 - 2 MS response time
• Screen size - 25 to about 27 inches (this desk doesn't really have a lot of room)
• Also is widescreen.

[Skarsguard]

Your spending all that money on unnecessary parts but yet your getting a middle entry video card why get the I7 and 240bg SSD when you can get a I5 and 128gb SSD and get a gtx680 or 7970. That PSU is crap as well spend a bit more money and get a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151088. Also wait for the ivy bridge to come out it should be around April 29th and go for around 230$ for the I5.

[Dlf]

Right now the 7079 is too expensive for my 'blood'. I'd love to have one (or two) and have that last me a half a decade (or more). I'm using 128 MB of VRAM right now and the 7079 (crossfire) would be over 45 (~46/47) TIMES the amount I have now. WOW!

[Jargan]

VRAM is pretty unimportant in your situation, since any card that will play modern games at high settings has at least 1GB of VRAM, which is plenty for a 1 monitor HD setup.

Anyway, I agree with Skars. For gaming, the i7 is a waste of money. Wait for Ivy Bridge, or get the i5-2500K, either way, you're saving about $100. Add that to your graphics card budget and you can get a $400 card.

I'd also recommend that you look for a smaller monitor. 27" at 1080p doesn't look as great when you're several inches from the screen (this is my opinion, but I think a lot of posters on here agree). You can grab a high quality Asus 23-24" monitor with a low response time and you might even save $50 in the process.

Last thing, why are you getting Windows Ultimate? To my knowledge, the only difference is Bitlocker and some language options. If you don't need these things, take the $100 you save going with Windows 7 Home/Pro and throw it in your video card budget. $500 video card - GTX 680, will play just about everything at max settings at 1080p and will give you good results for a while..

[Deleted]

Below build is the changes I would make:

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($289.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($264.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $811.95
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-04-03 01:31 EDT-0400)

CPU - I don't really see anything that would warrant an extra $100 for a i7-2600k when an i5-2500k should be able to fulfill your needs, as far as I can tell anyways. save those $100 or invest them in a MSI HD7870.
SSD - I wouldn't advice the OCZ, regardless of it's price, return rate is too high for my liking. Crucial performs well and is very reliable.
PSU - Better quality, I can't recommend that Raidmax. You don't want to "cheap out" on the PSU.
ODD - Sony makes good drives and saves you a few $.

[Dlf]

I want one optical to play and burn blu-rays (for backup of OS). For PSU, I'd probably rather have modular than non or 'semi'. I think that PSU (raidmax) is 80'plus' rated (bronze). If one could be chosen that would be at lest 80 plus bronze, crossfire ready and good enough . . . . .

I am going from a computer (slimline) that uses probably less than 100 watts to one that uses several HUNDRED more. Large change.

[Deleted]

I want one optical to play and burn blu-rays (for backup of OS). For PSU, I'd probably rather have modular than non or 'semi'. I think that PSU (raidmax) is 80'plus' rated (bronze). If one could be chosen that would be at lest 80 plus bronze, crossfire ready and good enough . . . . .

I am going from a computer (slimline) that uses probably less than 100 watts to one that uses several HUNDRED more. Large change.

I'm not telling you not to get the second Blu-Ray drive, it's not in my list because I'm not changing it from your original. Only things that are changed are in there.

Your Raidmax PSU is bad and it has nothing to do with it's 80+ sticker, Xfire ready bla. bla. bla. I'm not making a comment about how many Watts it is, also your Raidmax is not fully modular as you claim. I'll provide you with some better options and I'll keep them semi/fully modular.

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Power Supply: OCZ 600W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $44.99
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-04-03 12:45 EDT-0400)

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $89.98
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-04-03 12:47 EDT-0400)

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Power Supply: Enermax 750W ATX12V Power Supply ($97.79 @ NCIX US)
Total: $97.79
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-04-03 12:53 EDT-0400)

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Power Supply: Corsair 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($118.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $118.98
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-04-03 12:55 EDT-0400)

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Power Supply: Antec 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $98.99
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-04-03 12:57 EDT-0400)

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 600W ATX12V Power Supply ($65.98 @ NCIX US)
Total: $65.98
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-04-03 12:59 EDT-0400)

[Mawaru]

I'm repeating most of what the others have said, but it just reinforces everything that's been stated:

- Buying an i7 is a waste since you wouldn't be utilizing its power; go with an i5-2500k instead, it saves you a nice chunk of money.

- OCZ's SSDs aren't nearly as reliable as Crucial M4 SSDs are. You could also save around $100 by getting a 128gb SSD instead of 240/256gb, since you can install at least 3-4 games on the 128gb SSD and the rest on your 2TB drive.

- Don't cheap out on your power supply. There are reviews on Newegg for the power supply you selected, stating that it got so hot that some of the cables began melting, I don't think you want to deal with that. I'd personally recommend this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139012 -- It's modular aside from the two motherboard connectors, which you need regardless, so there's no point for those two cables to be modular. It also meets your "Must be at least Bronze or better" requirement, and has very good reviews.

[vesseblah]

I want one optical to play and burn blu-rays (for backup of OS).

I have BluRay burner and it's got very little use so far. I think I've burned two discs in about year and half, so not worth the money. Backups on optical discs is dead, rather use eSATA HDD which costs significantly less and is also much faster when backing up dozens/hundreds of gigabytes.

[Dlf]

If I could find hardrives with eSata ports that'd probably be nice but (I think) USB is the most common connection type. As for power supplies I found a 850 watt PSU that is 80+Gold (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/raidmax...supply-rx850ae) and it's (semi) modular. I do hope Ivy Bridge reduces Sandy bridge part prices more than 20 - 30% -- though I doubt that.

[Deleted]

Why are you against all the quality PSU's I've suggested you? You don't need 850Watts... Lower watts and better quality is the way to go.

[Dlf]

It's what someone else suggested at lest 800 watts if I'm going to use crossfire and or overclock. 850 should be plenty I'd think.

[Deleted]

They're wrong, you can CF 7850's with 575-650W no problem, I even linked some slightly higher just because the price was right, like the Enermax.

[Dlf]

With Ivy Bridge soon released that should drop the price of Sandy Bridge (which i've selected now) with the drop I could probably get a 7950 or 7970 probably.

[Deleted]

You're changing your answers to fit whatever you want to hear. First of, I'm basing my recommendations on your listed needs, 79xx wasn't one of those needs. second, 79xx is $2-300 more than 7850 which is nowhere near any sorts of drops on the SandyBridge. To be honest I don't see the i5-2500k/i7-2600k dropping very much if any and ivyBridge is priced similar.

Go ahead and change your needs/story to fit in a Raidmax ( "meh" quality), it's your money and PC. Besides that, the Enermax would still be at least enough for dual 7950's.

[Deleted]

• Also has support for HDMI (for the future monitor)

HDMI is EXACTLY the same as DVI, but has no sound. Monitors don't usually have sound, so why would you want HDMI for a monitor?

[Dlf]

HDMI is a bit easier (i think) of putting in and taking out along with there's no what type do i need as there is with DVI. Also there is the point that game consoles (PS3/XBOX 360/WII U) have HDMI ports so if the computer supports say HDMI (2 ports?) & display port as does the monitor I could plug my PS3 into the monitor when the TV here in this room is being used and I want to play or watch something of my own -- although if the new computer supports a blu-ray optical drive I could just play the BD movie in the system instead of the PS3.

[vesseblah]

HDMI is a bit easier (i think) of putting in and taking out along with there's no what type do i need as there is with DVI.

HDMI does not work with computers that well. After some tinkering yes, but it still defaults to overscan that causes people headache on this forum almost weekly. Would rather look into DisplayPort or DVI for plugging computer into any kind of screen or projector. HDMI is best used with dedicated AV amplifier that has passthrough and selector for multiple sources.

I could plug my PS3 into the monitor when the TV here in this room is being used and I want to play or watch something of my own

Most computer monitors don't have speakers at all, or those are really shitty compared to even worst TV speakers. Playing games or watching movies without dedicated speakers/amplifier is not gonna to work on just any computer monitor.

although if the new computer supports a blu-ray optical drive I could just play the BD movie in the system instead of the PS3.

Bad idea. PS3 still has one of the best BluRay players available on the market. Would rather plug in the PS3 as BluRay player and forget getting the BD drive for PC if the primary use would be watching movies with it.