Page 1 of 2
1
2
LastLast
  1. #1
    Deleted

    Building a new gaming PC, need advice.

    Hi!

    Because my actual PC is getting old, I decided to not only upgrade single parts, but to build a completely new one.
    I'm used to buy from Alienware etc., so unfortunately, I'm quite inexperienced when it comes down to building my own systems - which is why I'm really unsure about some things.
    My primary (and nearly only) field of application is and will be gaming. Mostly WoW, SCII etc. (at least at the moment and in the near future).
    Don't know if I'll be overclocking...never did so far, but of course it's possible.
    Budget is ~2.000$, 2.500$ at the most.

    This is what I have so far:
    MoBo: ASUS Sabertooth Z77
    CPU: Intel i7 3770k
    RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum 2x 4GB
    GPU: Gigabyte 7970 (maybe a second one later?)
    SSD: Corsair Force GT 120 GB
    HDD: WD Caviar Black 1TB
    PSU: Corsair AX850
    Heatsink: Corsair H100
    Case: Corsair 600T


    I'm especially unsure about the MoBo and the CPU - would it be better to get the X79 and let's say an i7 3820?
    And if not: Sabertooth Z77 vs Maximus V Formula vs ASUS P8Z77-V Pro/Deluxe?


    Thanks in advance, any help would be greatly appreciated

  2. #2
    That is a lot of premium parts for a simple gaming build, is there a special reason for this or are you just looking to spend the money?
    You could get away with spending a lot less money for pretty much the same gaming performance.
    Intel i5-3570K @ 4.7GHz | MSI Z77 Mpower | Noctua NH-D14 | Corsair Vengeance LP White 1.35V 8GB 1600MHz
    Gigabyte GTX 670 OC Windforce 3X @ 1372/7604MHz | Corsair Force GT 120GB | Silverstone Fortress FT02 | Corsair VX450

  3. #3
    If this is purely a gaming machine, you don't need a i7 3770k as the vast majority of games do not take advantage of hyperthreading. You'd be better served, and spend about a $100 less, going with a i5 3570k.

    Next, the Sabertooth is overkill, you can easily get a motherboard that will do everything the Sabertooth can for less. For example, AsRock Z77 Extreme 3 or MSI Z77A-GD55 or even ASUS P8Z77-V

    Going with an i5 3570k and one of the above MBs will save you about $200 to $250.

    Also, The H100 is good, but you can get an air cooling heatsink for much less that will perform as well, if not better, than the H100.

  4. #4
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by n0cturnal View Post
    That is a lot of premium parts for a simple gaming build, is there a special reason for this or are you just looking to spend the money?
    Nah, no special reason.
    I just looked into the sample builds posted here on mmo-champ (Maret's Extreme Gaming and Unicorn), took some parts from there and complemented them with some more parts which I thought would be good.
    Also, I don't have a problem with spending a bit more than necessary - what's really important to me is that the build works well together.

    Quote Originally Posted by Tahapenes View Post
    Going with an i5 3570k and one of the above MBs will save you about $200 to $250.
    Thanks!
    Would you recommend the baseline P8Z77-V or the Pro? I assume the premium would be overkill too?

    Also, what do you think about the 1155 vs 2011 thing?
    Of course, the latter would be more expensive (with this MoBo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131808), but is taking the 2011 worth the price premium if I consider to upgrade to a Crossfire-X solution later?
    As far as I know, they handle those dual GPUs a lot better, right?

  5. #5

  6. #6
    Keyboard Turner
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    West Coast
    Posts
    8
    P8Z77-V will serve it's purpose unless you wish to pay the $10 extra for 2 x USB 3.0 onboard ports which isn't a bad idea. That along with an i5 3570K would net enough to grab a bigger SSD size. H100 is good, but look into the Noctua D-14; Air cooling, but very quiet even under OC'ing speeds & very easy to install. It also does better versus the H100 & it's cheaper.

    In terms of graphics, what kind of display setup do you have?

  7. #7
    Deleted
    Comparing the Noctua (which I also already considered) to the H100: Is it better regarding the cost-benefit ratio, or does it really have straight advantages over the liquid cooling?
    And if I'd decide to go for a liquid, would there be alternatives to the H100 which I should consider?

    P8Z77-V will serve it's purpose unless you wish to pay the $10 extra for 2 x USB 3.0 onboard ports which isn't a bad idea.
    That would be the Pro then, right?

  8. #8
    You might want to consider the NZXT Kraken x60, but be careful because it's bigger than the h100/h100i.

  9. #9
    The Lightbringer Evildeffy's Avatar
    15+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Nieuwegein, Netherlands
    Posts
    3,772
    The H100 is more expensive than the Noctua, but it is better at stock and can also cool better if sandwiched with 4 fans.

    The difference at stock medium fan levels is that the H100 has like a 2 - 3 temp difference advantage.
    Which people don't want to pay the premium for.

    So you can say they perform "equally" at stock, when you go balls to the wall and you just want the best, you sandwich the H100 and it will beat the Noctua cooler.

    Both have their pros and cons, but those saying that the D-14 is better than the H100 are mostly people justifying their purchase.

    If you want a proper cooling and want to go balls to the wall, go with a H100i, if you want proper cooling and fantastic OCing beyond the D-14 go with a H80i 2 fan edition, honestly it makes little difference if you do stock, but when you start overclocking there is no question that the H80i and H100i simply pull ahead without question.

    Also RAM is easier to install with the H80i/H100i due to not blocking ports.

    Edit: Kraken coolers are not yet availible.
    Last edited by Evildeffy; 2013-01-06 at 08:59 PM.

  10. #10
    The Lightbringer inux94's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Nuuk, Greenland
    Posts
    3,352
    Here you go:

    I picked a 850w PSU since 7970 GHz edition in x2 Crossfire draws 740w at full load.

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
    CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($61.00 @ Amazon)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($127.99 @ Amazon)
    Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($83.98 @ Amazon)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
    Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.90 @ B&H)
    Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($449.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: Corsair 600T ATX Mid Tower Case ($133.56 @ Mac Connection)
    Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
    Total: $1446.39
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-06 15:59 EST-0500)

    You've also got some room to fiddle around with, if you wish to have some new peripherals such as a new monitor.
    There's no difference between i5-3570k & i7-3770k in terms of gaming, and the ASRock Extreme 4 is one of the best price=performance boards out there, if not the best.
    i7-6700k 4.2GHz | Gigabyte GTX 980 | 16GB Kingston HyperX | Intel 750 Series SSD 400GB | Corsair H100i | Noctua IndustialPPC
    ASUS PB298Q 4K | 2x QNIX QH2710 | CM Storm Rapid w/ Reds | Zowie AM | Schiit Stack w/ Sennheiser HD8/Antlion Modmic

    Armory

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Evildeffy View Post
    Edit: Kraken coolers are not yet availible.
    I didn't know that. It might be wort the wait, from the few reviews I've read it seems to be the best AIO cooling solution right now.

  12. #12
    Keyboard Turner
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    West Coast
    Posts
    8
    If you're going to get Corsairs AIO units, I look into different fans. The stock one's are awful compared to their AF/SP units.

  13. #13
    The Lightbringer Evildeffy's Avatar
    15+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Nieuwegein, Netherlands
    Posts
    3,772
    The H80i and the H100i are equipped with their SP type fans on a higher performance then their highest SP fans.

  14. #14
    Deleted
    Thanks to all of you so far - I really appreciate your help

    One more question: What's the opinion on the MoBo 1155 vs 2011 thing?
    Would a 2011 board together with an appropriate CPU be worth the surcharge? In any way?

  15. #15
    Herald of the Titans RicardoZ's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Orange County, California
    Posts
    2,953
    Quote Originally Posted by Nivis View Post
    Hi!

    Because my actual PC is getting old, I decided to not only upgrade single parts, but to build a completely new one.
    I'm used to buy from Alienware etc., so unfortunately, I'm quite inexperienced when it comes down to building my own systems - which is why I'm really unsure about some things.
    My primary (and nearly only) field of application is and will be gaming. Mostly WoW, SCII etc. (at least at the moment and in the near future).
    Don't know if I'll be overclocking...never did so far, but of course it's possible.
    Budget is ~2.000$, 2.500$ at the most.

    This is what I have so far:
    MoBo: ASUS Sabertooth Z77
    CPU: Intel i7 3770k
    RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum 2x 4GB
    GPU: Gigabyte 7970 (maybe a second one later?)
    SSD: Corsair Force GT 120 GB
    HDD: WD Caviar Black 1TB
    PSU: Corsair AX850
    Heatsink: Corsair H100
    Case: Corsair 600T


    I'm especially unsure about the MoBo and the CPU - would it be better to get the X79 and let's say an i7 3820?
    And if not: Sabertooth Z77 vs Maximus V Formula vs ASUS P8Z77-V Pro/Deluxe?


    Thanks in advance, any help would be greatly appreciated
    Seems to me you're splitting hairs. You could get a much less powerful (and less expensive) system and still max out just about everything for at least the next 3 or so years.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Nivis View Post
    Thanks to all of you so far - I really appreciate your help

    One more question: What's the opinion on the MoBo 1155 vs 2011 thing?
    Would a 2011 board together with an appropriate CPU be worth the surcharge? In any way?
    Go with 1155. You may get a few more FPS in some games, but it's highly unlikely to be noticeable and certainly isn't worth the price gap. It's more for people who need the kick for professional work or enthusiasts who just like having the power. Anything over the 3570k is way out of whack when it comes to price/performance in gaming, and to answer your earlier question it won't make any difference in a multi-GPU solution.
    Last edited by Berserker Cronus; 2013-01-08 at 01:15 PM.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Crusader Cronus View Post
    Go with 1155. You may get a few more FPS in some games, but it's highly unlikely to be noticeable and certainly isn't worth the price gap. It's more for people who need the kick for professional work or enthusiasts who just like having the power. Anything over the 3570k is way out of whack when it comes to price/performance in gaming, and to answer your earlier question it won't make any difference in a multi-GPU solution.
    2011 has more PCI-e lanes than 1155, it also has 4 RAM channels. Making it significantly stronger in multi-gpu solutions than it's 1155 counterpart. This is showed mostly in synthetic tests like 3Dmark11 etc. but it will grant a noticable difference in real world performance with the meanest games also. It will cost alot more though and I would advice against it as you aren't future proofing anything by buying current-gen 2011 over a 1155 solution. It will grant you a slight performance increase, but it's very little at a premium price.

  18. #18
    High Overlord Nixaler's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    10-ah-c
    Posts
    158
    Kraken coolers are available @ newegg, amazon and nzxt online store... $99 for the x40 and $140 for the x60. The reviews have those things off the charts awesome it seems.

  19. #19
    The Lightbringer Evildeffy's Avatar
    15+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Nieuwegein, Netherlands
    Posts
    3,772
    Quote Originally Posted by Nixaler View Post
    Kraken coolers are available @ newegg, amazon and nzxt online store... $99 for the x40 and $140 for the x60. The reviews have those things off the charts awesome it seems.
    They are availible for pre-order, not actually out yet.

    I dare you to order one from Newegg which claims it's in stock and show it to me tomorrow/day after tomorrow.

    It should be out soon, but not yet.

  20. #20
    High Overlord Nixaler's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    10-ah-c
    Posts
    158
    ahhhhh touche my friend touche (hope i spelled that right lol)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •