need advice on new gaming pc

[eos1821]

hi guys, im looking at either building or buying a new pc but im not sure which would be better in terms of money saving and performance, my budgets around 2000 but i dont really want to go over that, im looking for something that will be able to run rift and some of the new mmos like star wars and gw 2 on max settings, im looking at a pc from msy (from melbourne, australia) but im not sure if ill have better results building my own.

here is the specs for the msy pc:
CPU -Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30Ghz 1155pi
COOLING -Thermaltake ISGC 200 Cooling Fan For Overcloc
MOBO - Z68 B3 Chipset
GPU - 2 X ATI 1GB ATI 6670 CrossfireX
RAM - Patriot 8GB (2 X 4GB DDR3 1333) Dual Channel Memory
HDD - 64GB TYRO SATA3 SSD + Western Digital 2TB 64M Cache SATA3 Hard Disk
CASE -Thermaltake V6 Tower Case
PSU - Thermaltake Tough Power 775Watt. Power Suppl

and here is my personal build:
CPU -Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30Ghz 1155pi
COOLING -Coolermaster Hyper-212+
MOBO -Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD3PB3 P67 DDR3 Intel 1155pin
GPU -ASUS 1536M GTX580
RAM -Patriot 8GB (2 X 4GB DDR3 1333) Dual Channel Memory
HDD -WD 3.5" Black 1TB
CASE -Coolermster HAF 922
PSU -Antec HCG-620 High 620watt

*both systems will be with windows 7 64bit home edition.

So what you guys think is better to do? any ideas or suggestions will be appreciated as i really dont have much knowledge about this sort of thing, im just afraid of spending money and then regretting because i couldve saved money or added something better.

[Deleted]

I recommend building the system yourself, but a GTX 580 is overkill for the games you listed.

[vesseblah]

The second list without a doubt. Also downgrade graphics card to GTX570 instead and take 90-120GB SSD with the money saved.

[eos1821]

hmm thats what i thought, thanks for your replies, i thought the psu wouldnt be enough but i think it should be ok for one graphics card, what do you guys think about the radeon 6970 instead of the 580?

[Uggorthaholy]

That PSU will handle a single GPU fine, even the 580.

I prefer the 580 over the 6970 because the SLi scaling is better than the CF scaling, and CUDA support is at an all time high right now.
I do not suggest going down to a 570 to get an SSD, rather, I would suggest getting a small SDD (finding extra $, basically) for your OS and games, or even going to a Z68 and grabbing a 60GB SSD for SRT.

I would also suggest a Corsair A70 over the hyper 212.

[Deleted]

i have the 570 + the same cpu so i can vouch for it running wow, crysis 2, portal 2, mw2 at 60 fps on max (ofc with crysis 2 and wow, there are point when fps will drop but never below 30)

[dabros]

do the personal build

[eos1821]

That PSU will handle a single GPU fine, even the 580.

I prefer the 580 over the 6970 because the SLi scaling is better than the CF scaling, and CUDA support is at an all time high right now.
I do not suggest going down to a 570 to get an SSD, rather, I would suggest getting a small SDD (finding extra $, basically) for your OS and games, or even going to a Z68 and grabbing a 60GB SSD for SRT.

I would also suggest a Corsair A70 over the hyper 212.

msy doesnt seem to have the cooler you suggested, is their anything else you would recommend from their website other than the hyper 212 ??(w w w. m s y. c o m. a u)

and thanks again guys, i pretty much have come to a conclusion on what i need, just not sure about cpl things, is the motherboard able to go sli? if i ever decide to add another 580 later on, and in terms of the case ive heard that the coolermaster gets very dusty etc...

[Zkeya]

msy doesnt seem to have the cooler you suggested, is their anything else you would recommend from their website other than the hyper 212 ??(w w w. m s y. c o m. a u)

and thanks again guys, i pretty much have come to a conclusion on what i need, just not sure about cpl things, is the motherboard able to go sli? if i ever decide to add another 580 later on, and in terms of the case ive heard that the coolermaster gets very dusty etc...

Frio OCK and Noctua NH-D14 are much better but maybe too expensive (and Frio is really loud). Maybe the closed-loop Corsair coolers are worth a shot. If you're willing to buy from another store, as ugg said get Corsair A70 (or Thermaltake Frio -not the OCK version- but still loud ).
About SLI: at first I thought it was supported, but after checking Gigabyte's site, it only supports Crossfire (unless there's something wrong). :/
The case may get dusty due to the lack of filters (not sure if it has or not though) but you could install some yourself. The choose should be able to fit 2 580 though (you may want to upgrade to 932 or HAF X for extra space, but 922 is good enough).

[eos1821]

can i ask what advantages the frio OCK and NHD14 have over the coolermaster hyper? just because the coolermaster was recommended to me by someone i asked in a store, but if i have to pay abit extra to make sure everything runs smoothly then i will

[vesseblah]

can i ask what advantages the frio OCK and NHD14 have over the coolermaster hyper? just because the coolermaster was recommended to me by someone i asked in a store, but if i have to pay abit extra to make sure everything runs smoothly then i will

Cooler Master Hyper 212+ can be pain in the ass to install, the brackets aren't anywhere near Noctua's quality. Another thing is that NH-D14 will drop temperature by another few degrees when pushed hard.

What it means is that if you're fine with some modest 4.2-4.5GHz OC and can handle the tricky installation Hyper 212+ will be "just fine". On the other hand if you want to try pushing past 4.5GHz and dont mind paying extra for more refined quality heatsink, you should look at the more expensive options.

[Deleted]

The thing i always suggest is about the cpu , the i5-2500k is for overclocking if want to do that ok , but if you are not looking for it get teh i5-2500 boxed with its own cooling system , you will waste less money , oh and the mobo that you put in your build its not for OC

[vesseblah]

The thing i always suggest is about the cpu , the i5-2500k is for overclocking if want to do that ok , but if you are not looking for it get teh i5-2500 boxed with its own cooling system , you will waste less money

With the $10 price difference between 2500 and 2500K you should never ever get the non-K version simply because it means you can not overclock it at any point in the future even if you want to.

There's a post on this forum almost every day where people ask how to speed up old computer at low cost, and usually the only way to do it dirt-cheap is overclocking. 2500K overclocks really well, and even if you do not want to OC it today, you might want to do it three years from now and potentially increase the lifetime of the computer by another year. For this same reason you should also get the P67 board instead of H67 to keep the options open.

For budget solution people should get P67 or Z68 motherboard with lower CPU like i3-2100. That way you can swap in the CPU relatively easy year or two from now for 2500K or whatever is the best value for money CPU then and get more speed by upgrading just one part easily.

[eos1821]

so you think i should get the z68 mobo instead of the p67 because it can be overclocked? this is the only thing i need confirmation on as ive pretty much decided on what im going to get, really great help guys

[vesseblah]

so you think i should get the z68 mobo instead of the p67 because it can be overclocked?

H61 : video out, USB2, no overclocking
H67 : video out, USB3, no overclocking
P67 : no video out, USB3, overclocking
Z68: video out, USB3, overclocking

There's the relevant differences. Should go for either P67 or Z68 motherboard for gaming use and maximum futureproofing because those can be overclocked later. H61/H67 boards can not be overclocked and should be avoided unless really low on cash.

Video output features of the integrated GPU is mostly irrelevant on this forum because it's too weak for any gaming use.

[eos1821]

ahh i see, ive pretty much know what im gonna go for now, thanks for the help guys