Tuna's $2000 build need help!

[savethetuna]

I have 2 builds that I need opinions on! Both of these builds will be played at 1920x1080, maxed settings on this monitor:

-http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VH236H-23-Inch-Full-HD-Monitor/dp/B002453K5G


Here are the 2 builds in question:
1.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD4H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($164.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Radioactive 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($98.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($229.89 @ Mac Mall)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Stryker (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($159.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.80 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Other: i7 3770K @ Microcenter ($230.00)
Total: $1962.56
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-07 06:02 EST-0500)

2.
Single Card setup

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD4H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($164.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Radioactive 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($98.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($229.89 @ Mac Mall)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card ($453.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Stryker (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($159.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.80 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Other: i7 3770K @ Microcenter ($230.00)
Total: $1676.56
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-07 06:03 EST-0500)


Thank you guys very much! Any suggestions or changes please feel free to post!

[chazus]

I guess my first question is, what are these systems going to be built for?

I feel like you could shave off a fair bit of cost without losing any performance, if it's just playing games.

[vesseblah]

I'd recommend looking into single GTX670 or single Radeon 7970 instead of either of the options you listed. SLI/CF is not needed on one 1920x1080 60Hz monitor, but rather when you're playing on very high res (2560x1440 or 3-screen setups) or on 120Hz. On single screen SLI/CF will only give you problems and very little real gain for the money spent. And with one graphics card you could easily lower the wattage on the PSU.

Also for gaming i5-3570K is totally fine, i7-3770K will not give anything extra.

[jholdaway]

Are you going to be doing anything that would warrant a i7 3770k cpu? Thats a little overkill for gaming pricewise and you get very little improvement over a i5 3570k.
Take a look at this following build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($136.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($94.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($70.90 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($229.89 @ Mac Mall)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card ($453.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 600T White Graphite ATX Mid Tower Case ($159.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1667.66
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-07 06:17 EST-0500)

[savethetuna]

I chose the i7 because I feel as though it will help me out in the long run if I decide to stream and what not. And my budget is $2000 so it dosen't hurt me at all!

I also see what you guys are saying about SLI and such so I will def not even go there right now. I think I will go with the single GPU setup with my monitor. Oh also, is my monitor a 120Hz or 60hz?

[vesseblah]

Are you going to be doing anything that would warrant a i7 3770k cpu? Thats a little overkill for gaming pricewise and you get very little improvement over a i5 3570k.

CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($136.99 @ SuperBiiz)

X60 is also overkill for anything and will get zero improvement over NZXT Havik OP picked.

I chose the i7 because I feel as though it will help me out in the long run if I decide to stream and what not. And my budget is $2000 so it dosen't hurt me at all!

i7 doesn't help that much with streaming, dedicated capture card will do more.

[savethetuna]

X60 is also overkill for anything and will get zero improvement over NZXT Havik OP picked.




i7 doesn't help that much with streaming, dedicated capture card will do more.

Yeah I think I'm gonna change the cooler to a Cooler Master 212 Hyper EVO or get the Noctuna DH-14

[vesseblah]

Yeah I think I'm gonna change the cooler to a Cooler Master 212 Hyper EVO or get the Noctuna DH-14

Xigmatek Gaia is very close to CM212+ in price but has better installation mechanism.

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

You can save money if you get the SSD (Samsung 840 series, be it pro/non pro) if you buy the MB/CPU/SSD at Microcenter.

Only one thing - If you do not get the 3570k, you would not get a $50 discount on the MB since you are already getting such a huge discount on the i7.


Edit: Looked at the paper flyer, and the 840 Pro 256GB would be ~$205 before tax, so a bit of savings. (With the bundle)
Edit 2: With the price on your build, you really could upgrade a few things, or change them around. I would personally go with a modular power supply. The Capstone 750W (review) is not bad by any means, but modularity is amazing, and should be accounted for in your budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($80.36 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD65 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($229.89 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Western Digital WD Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($102.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card ($453.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Stryker (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($159.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1644.12
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-07 10:50 EST-0500)

The PSU I have here for you is the same price, though 100W less, and is partially modular. 750W is not needed in your build.
Also, the money you are saving from your max budget, you could get better peripherals. (Keyboard, mouse, speakers etc.)

[savethetuna]

thanks for the add russian!

Also I've been looking at the ASUS DCII 680. Is that worth the extra $100 over the gigabyte? Will the gigabyte still max out games?

[vesseblah]

Also I've been looking at the ASUS DCII 680. Is that worth the extra $100 over the gigabyte? Will the gigabyte still max out games?

Basically, the difference in FPS between GTX670 and 680 is around 10%. You'll be far over 60 which is the maximum your monitor can show using either card on everything else except Crysis 3 at max settings, so it's really questionable if you want to spend any money past gtx670 at all. GTX680 is not the best value for money card, and even looking into special versions makes things worse. Radeon 7970, especially the GHz edition is usually better value card.