Gaming Computer Build

[Ninjasaur]

Hey, so my laptop which I've been relying on for...about 2 years now for gaming is finally getting so mad at me it's shutting down in the middle of playing so I'm biting the bullet and finally building a new PC. Last year I tried to price out a pre-built but things just didn't work out for doing it and I figured I may as well just custom build one. I have built a custom PC once before like 6 years ago with lots of help picking parts, I'm still learning what goes together and what the good brands are. I mainly need a computer for gaming and lots of it, and hopefully one that'll last me a couple years because I can't afford to buy a replacement/upgrade for a while.


Budget - Trying to stay around $1500 but if going a couple hundred over makes a big difference can do
Resolution - 1080
Games / Settings Desired - Max/Ultra - 60FPS settings on BL2, TOR, WoW if that is realistic. Honestly I don't know.
Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc) - Nuttin, I just game.
Country - USA
Parts that can be reused - For the sake of this I'll say none
Do you need an OS? - Yes
Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? No

I tried to build one based upon another thread I saw, some of these parts I made adjustments for so I could pick up locally (I got Frys nearby and so far it's only $100 difference, which shipping-wise and how soon I need it is worth it)

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JYoo
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JYoo/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JYoo/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.69 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI Z77MA-G45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($96.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($363.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XM (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHAS324-98 DVD/CD Writer ($22.11 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1269.70
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-15 22:19 EDT-0400)

Any help would be appreciated!

[chazus]

For not building a computer in several years, and not knowing brands well, that build is pretty dang spot on, man.

My only real suggestion is instead of 16gb DDR3 1333. get 8gb DDR3 1600. I'd also swap the 670 for a 7870 XT and get a Blue instead of Black to save some money.

---------- Post added 2013-03-15 at 09:20 PM ----------

PCPartPicker part list
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI Z77MA-G45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($117.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.49 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.71 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($240.25 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XM (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1161.89

[Toffie]

Agree with the above. The 7870XT should perform better or same as the 670 for much less.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aiz7HCdGEic

Nvidia are getting pathetic, they need to lower their price on all their cards.

[Deleted]

Unless you're build in mATX case there is no reason for an mATX board, change to this:

MSI Z77A-G45

[Deleted]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo

@OP Should be better than the 2 fan card and should overclock very well provided you don't get a lemon of a card.

@Toffie, my sibling owns the 7870XT and in my opinion it's no where near as good as a custom 670. Also the benchmarks in that video shows a custom 7870 non XT card. Custom 7870s vs 7870XTs (note there are no reference versions) actually perform similarly. Reference 7870s vs stock 7870XT's do not.

Also just to make it clear, a 7870XT, when overclocked will perform similarly to a stock/reference GTX 660ti, but in general a custom made 660ti (most of which are custom designed) should and in most cases will outperform a 7870XT even when both are overclocked, but in this scenario ofc you're paying more so decisions should be based on price.

Lastly based on newegg prices a custom GTX670 is cheaper than a 7970 (after rebates), I actually think both cards perform similarly. I'd make a decision based on price in this case and opt for the GTX 670.

[Toffie]

False.
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-...1130535/review

Also the 7870xt performs very close to a 7950 which you can't compare to a 7870 custom.

As for the linustechtips video, the 7950 (7870xt performance) performs better than the 670 also.

[Deleted]

False.
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-...1130535/review

Sleeping dogs favours AMD technology and if this was the case with ALL games then recommending the 7870XT is a no brainer. I've seen that benchmark before btw and I don't particularly find it very useful. Nothing about the testbed, settings or drivers being mentioned.

Other benchmarks like the ones from TechPowerUp show a more diverse picture. http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/V...T_Black/1.html - which I'm sure you've seen.

Lastly a 7870XT is a cut down Tahiti chip, it can't physically outperform a 7950 stock for stock. A GTX 670 is stronger than a 7950, but then you're paying more.

---------- Post added 2013-03-16 at 07:13 AM ----------

As for the linustechtips video, the 7950 (7870xt performance) performs better than the 670 also.

That was based on one game. If we're playing that game (pun intended)

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/...ce_iq_review/4

Then you'll see the GTX 670 outperforming a 7950.

[Ninjasaur]

Thanks for all the advice, I've bought most of the hardware for the system minus vid card - for now I'm re-using my GTX 295 from my old computer to test to see if it does me any good but will be looking into the 7950 vs the 670 I was considering.

Right now my biggest problem is that although the computer can boot, runs motherboard utilities, and connect to internet...every time I get to the Windows loading screen it crashes to blue screen and reboots. I'm guessing that's corruption of the OS on my hard drive (I'm re-using my old hard drive but added the SSD as a secondary), not any hardware issue right? Cause it keeps prompting me to run repair disk. Just want to make sure before I go re-purchase Windows, cause I lost my install disk and was on developer edition anyways.

[chazus]

I'm guessing that's corruption of the OS on my hard drive (I'm re-using my old hard drive but added the SSD as a secondary), not any hardware issue right?

Correct.

HOWEVER, you definitely want your SSD as the primary, with the OS installed on it, not the HDD.

[Toffie]

The benchmark you linked shows the 7870xt having the exact same performance as the 7950, i'm confused?

Anyway, I'm gonna trust linustech on his benchmarks like many others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S9qrWh20QU

[Deleted]

but will be looking into the 7950 vs the 670 I was considering

Thanks to AMD's marketing strategy the 7950 is in a different tier to the 670 and one shouldn't be considered over the other since they belong to specific price/performance brackets. If you want an overall faster card and especially for the games you play then for around $370 you'd want to opt for the GTX 670 over the slightly more expensive AMD7970 (non Ghz). However either one won't hold you back in the games you've listed.

If you're looking at the sub $300 market then you'll looking at the GTX 660TI vs the GTX7950.

If you're looking for the best performance for around $250 then it has to be the 7870 XT.

---------- Post added 2013-03-16 at 08:51 AM ----------

The benchmark you linked shows the 7870xt having the exact same performance as the 7950, i'm confused?

Anyway, I'm gonna trust linustech on his benchmarks like many others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S9qrWh20QU

Which one is that? The Hardocp one or the Techpowerup

Lastly those linustechtip results show a GTX670 being outpaced by a GTX660TI. That's a very strange result.

[Toffie]

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/V...T_Black/8.html

For some reason the 660 ti runs exceptionally well on Crysis 3 :/ Especially on SLI.

[Deleted]

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/V...T_Black/8.html

This section of the benchmark doesn't necessarily disprove what I've stated above.

Also at the $300 mark stock 7950s are being replaced by boost versions which in general perform slightly better than 7950s. This has been happening for many months now.

[Ninjasaur]

Correct.

HOWEVER, you definitely want your SSD as the primary, with the OS installed on it, not the HDD.

Alright so if I need to bump the OS over to SSD anyways I take it my best bet is to re-purchase Windows and do a re-install...hopefully some info is recoverable from the original HD.

Thanks to AMD's marketing strategy the 7950 is in a different tier to the 670 and one shouldn't be considered over the other since they belong to specific price/performance brackets. If you want an overall faster card and especially for the games you play then for around $370 you'd want to opt for the GTX 670 over the slightly more expensive AMD7970 (non Ghz). However either one won't hold you back in the games you've listed.

If you're looking at the sub $300 market then you'll looking at the GTX 660TI vs the GTX7950.

If you're looking for the best performance for around $250 then it has to be the 7870 XT.

In the end if the price difference is enough to last me 'high' settings on games for a bit longer it may be worthwhile - after this computer I won't be able to upgrade/buy a new one for 2-3 years (going to school and GI bill only does so much) so I need something to last. Is the extra hundred going to do that?

[Killora]

Ehhh maybe. maybe not. I can't say much for ToR as i've never played it, but for wow, the 7870 XT should last...forever..and Borderlands isn't terribly intensive. WoW is mostly a CPU bound game. When not in large fights it's fairly easy on the GPU, and in large fights it becomes CPU intensive (mostly because of poor thread splicing, so the bulk of the processing is on one core) so a 7870 XT will have 0 problem with WoW. And if you overclock your 3570k fairly well (4.2ghz range) your game should run acceptable in raids and such. Though i've never known anyone to run WoW at a flawless 60 FPS in 25 man raids with ultra settings.

As far as games outside of the ones you listed.... It'll run them within the parameters you wanted. Hell, i run BF3 with ultra shadows/mesh/textures at 1080p with acceptable framerates.

[chazus]

Alright so if I need to bump the OS over to SSD anyways I take it my best bet is to re-purchase Windows and do a re-install...hopefully some info is recoverable from the original HD.

There's nothing 'wrong' with the old hard drive. It's simply set up for the old computer. As a data drive, you can see everything perfectly. TECHNICALLY, you could get that OS setup running on the SSD, but it would be a pain and not recommended. Usually the process of moving to an SSD is... back up the stuff you want, wipe the HDD, and install the OS on the SSD.

[Evolixe]

As Notarget already said, I wouldn't go for an mATX board with that budget/build either. The regular ATX boards have more room for later upgrading and do better in Overclocking that CPU aswell.

Aside from that just pick a GPU from the brand you like honestly, because apart from that the differences are very little.