Building my first gaming rig...

[Boramir]

So I am in the process of building a new gaming rig. I have been using PCpartpicker to find all of the components I think will work best for the games I will be playing on it. I currently play WoW and SWTOR. I am looking to spend $1,200.00 or less.

Let me clue you in to my knowledge of computers... I really don't have any. I've read a bunch of forum posts and talked to some people irl that know way more than I do and came up with a few builds on PCpartpicker.

I am really just looking to see if I picked parts that are good/decent enough to play the aforementioned games at high levels. So here is a build I put together:

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($23.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G43 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($93.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($219.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Rosewill BlackHawk ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: CoolMax 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Logitech G510 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1102.89


Please let me know if I should change anything (re: brand, etc.) or if anyone with more knowledge than myself can let me know if what I picked is sufficient for my needs. Thanks in advance.

[Nab]

This will perform a bit better than the build you posted.

Edit: Added an HDD.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($93.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($91.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($56.05 @ Amazon)
Total: $1257.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-04 12:48 EST-0500)

[Deleted]

Solid build (Nab), don't forget the storage drive.

[Boramir]

Thanks for the quick reply guys![COLOR="red"]

[Boramir]

This will perform a bit better than the build you posted.

Edit: Added an HDD.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($93.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($91.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($56.05 @ Amazon)
Total: $1257.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-04 12:48 EST-0500)

What makes the parts you picked better then what I chose? I'm not questioning you by any means, I only ask out of curiosity and my wanting to understand this stuff more clearly. Is it just brand/performance preference, more bang for the buck, etc.?

[Disconnected]

What makes the parts you picked better then what I chose? I'm not questioning you by any means, I only ask out of curiosity and my wanting to understand this stuff more clearly. Is it just brand/performance preference, more bang for the buck, etc.?

CPU: N/A
CPU Cooler: The 212 EVO is slightly better, will result in better cooling, allowing for a higher overclock
Motherboard: The ASRock Extreme4 is a really good motherboard for the price. There is no real benefit here except the brand really. However, some people have trouble with ASRock motherboards (quality control) so if you decide to go with the ASRock and need to RMA it, don't blame me
Memory: 2133 RAM tends to be overkill and wasted most of the time so honestly, it's not worth the price half the time when 2 sticks of 1600 RAM will work just as well. That said, I'd still stick to G.Skill 1600 RAM such as http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231428. The Corsair Vengeance that Nab mentioned will work just fine but I just trust G.Skill more.
Storage: N/A
Storage: N/A
Video Card: Asus 670 will run cooler due to having 2 fans vs 1 fan as well as utilizing direct contact copper heatpipes to dissipate heat more. It's also a 670 vs a 660.
Case: Mostly preference. I don't see any drastic differences in design, which would normally result in better airflow. However, it seems that the two cases look similar so I think it's just a matter of preference.
Power Supply: Corsair tends to be a relatively more trusted brand when it comes to PSUs, although not nearly as much as in the past. However, since both are 80+ bronze certified, there's no reason the PSU you chose shouldn't be good. That said, the $35 price tag makes me worry. The PSU is not a component you want to go cheap on.
OS: N/A
Keyboard: Cheaper, but probably just preference again. Personally, I'd go with the G110 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823126087). However, this is mostly preference and you should get what you want.

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek GAIA SD1283 56.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($92.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($374.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($56.05 @ Amazon)
Total: $1231.95
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-06 16:35 EST-0500)

I just switched a few parts here to drop a bit of cost off of the post above.

I left Microcenter out of the vendor list as I am not sure if there is one around you. If there is, then you can get your CPU and MB cheaper there.


Edit: I noticed that the above build had Microcenter still on the parts list, thereby lowering the overall cost by ~$50. Keep that in mind when looking at the two builds.

[yurano]

Power Supply: Corsair tends to be a relatively more trusted brand when it comes to PSUs, although not nearly as much as in the past. However, since both are 80+ bronze certified, there's no reason the PSU you chose shouldn't be good. That said, the $35 price tag makes me worry. The PSU is not a component you want to go cheap on.

The 80+ efficiency certification does not guarantee quality. Here's a list of decent PSUs and Coolmax isn't on the list.

You can save ~$15 by dropping to a Caviar Blue instead of Caviar Black.

[Boramir]

Thank you for the detailed information everyone. Anyone know if it would be smarter to wait another month or 2 before purchasing the components? I thought I read somewhere that new product lines come out at certain times of the year. Just curious if it would be feasible to get more bang for my buck if I waited until the latest and greatest stuff came out as it most likely would lower the price on components that were suggested. That being said, I'm hoping to have this new rig built by the end of 2/13 at the latest. Not sure if that coincides with any release dates or not...

[Deleted]

nothing new coming which would be worthwhile for gaming rigs anytime soon.
new amd/nvidia line-ups are still a good 6 months away iirc (no nvidia before march has been confirmed on evga site and amd not sure but they play catch up just like their cpu's imo)

[Boramir]

Good to know. Thanks for the reply!

[cloudpulse]

Personally, I would ditch the SSD and get a better video card. You could penny pinch a bit more and disregard overclocking and get a locked processor such as the i5-3470 ($149.99 at MC), with the stock fan. Together, that would save you ~$143 dollars, which you could use to get a GTX 670. Better gaming performance at the expense of a little bit slower general usage.

If you do opt to go my route, get an H77 chipset mobo instead of Z77.

[Deleted]

Personally, I would ditch the SSD and get a better video card. You could penny pinch a bit more and disregard overclocking and get a locked processor such as the i5-3470 ($149.99 at MC), with the stock fan. Together, that would save you ~$143 dollars, which you could use to get a GTX 670. Better gaming performance at the expense of a little bit slower general usage.

If you do opt to go my route, get an H77 chipset mobo instead of Z77.

or both of best and hit the middle groud.
keep Z77 + i5-3570k + cooler and upgrade gpu to a 660Ti (losing overclocking on a CPU is not worth it with WoW/SWTOR)

[cloudpulse]

Here is a PCpartpicker list based on my suggestion. I managed to squeeze in a GTX 680 for about the same price you had in your build. You would be sacrificing boot up and load times with the SSD, and a just a bit slower general usage with the stock i5-3470, but the gaming performance would be far superior. The case is a personal recommendation, as is the power supply.

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card ($449.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Green 630W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1112.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-07 12:51 EST-0500)

EDIT: I only just read that you only play WoW and SWTOR, but I still think this would be a good route to go. Aaaand, I thought I picked the same keyboard that you did, but its from the post below OP. Oops.

[Deleted]

Here is a PCpartpicker list based on my suggestion. I managed to squeeze in a GTX 680 for about the same price you had in your build. You would be sacrificing boot up and load times with the SSD, and a just a bit slower general usage with the stock i5-3470, but the gaming performance would be far superior. The case is a personal recommendation, as is the power supply.

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card ($449.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Green 630W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1112.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-07 12:51 EST-0500)

EDIT: I only just read that you only play WoW and SWTOR, but I still think this would be a good route to go. Aaaand, I thought I picked the same keyboard that you did, but its from the post below OP. Oops.

going locked cpu is not a good way to go for MMO play.....

[cloudpulse]

From my own personal experience, getting an unlocked processor and overclocking it won't make any difference in WoW, I don't know about SWToR.

But it's up to OP. I'll concede that a GTX 680 is probably overkill for just WoW and SWToR, so going the 660 Ti & i5-3570k + cooler like you mentioned is a viable route, too.

[Boramir]

Hmm... I hadn't really considered overclocking right off the bat, but I knew I would have the option if I ever wanted to with the i5-3570k.

At this point anything will be an upgrade from the pos I currently have (~2004 Dell 8400 desktop, 32 bit, XP, NVIDIA gtx9800, 4gb of ram). I feel like Scotty in Star Trek, "I've given her all she's got captain... I don't have the power!" lol. When I bought it I had never played a game on a pc that I liked (purely a console gamer back then). I tried wow's free trial right before X-mas 2007 and I haven't played a console game since, lol. I'm long overdo for an updated pc I know.

I just don't want to gimp myself and have to do another complete build again in 2 years if I don't have to. Technology can change pretty fast so that may be a possibility I know, but that's why I figured I would ask some questions here so I could make an informed decision on the components that would work best for what I need.

Thank you guys for continuing to give me new information!

[Deleted]

From my own personal experience, getting an unlocked processor and overclocking it won't make any difference in WoW, I don't know about SWToR.

But it's up to OP. I'll concede that a GTX 680 is probably overkill for just WoW and SWToR, so going the 660 Ti & i5-3570k + cooler like you mentioned is a viable route, too.

you did something wrong then because WoW scales really well with increased cpu power per core. (because it uses mostly the first 2 cores)

[Boramir]

I just ordered my last two parts today (GPU & MB) and hope to have this rig built by 2/18/13 or 2/19/13. On February break next week... teacher, not student and I hope to break it in properly next week.

Here's the parts I ended up going with:

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K
CPU Cooler: XIGMATEK Gaia
MB: ASUS P8Z77-V LK
HDD: WD Caviar Black 1TB
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
GPU: ASUS GTX660 TI
PSU: Corsair CX600M
Case: Rosewill Blackhawk ATX Mid-Tower
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit OEM

I know the PSU may not be the best but i will change it out to a Seasonic in the near future.

Thanks to all who posted and helped me figure out what parts would work for my budget.

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

Remember to post pics when you are done in the rig thread