~ $1700 gaming PC / First build ever.

[Deleted]

Hi there.

So this is the time for me to build my own PC, it will be my first build (any videos you like more than others to help?).
I've already seen this build for Marest :

Gaming 1500
MoBo: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P – $179.99 Review
CPU: Intel i5 2500k – $219.99
RAM: G.Skill Sniper 1600Mhz 2x4GB – $47.99
GPU: Gigabyte 7970 – $469.99
SSD: Crucial M4 120GB – $159.99 Review
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint 1TB – $139.99
PSU: Corsair TX550M – $99.99 Review
Heatsink: Thermaltake Frio – $51.99 Review
Case: Corsair 500R Black – $129.99 Review
--------------------------------------------------
Estimated Total Price – $1500

It is about what I want to have, especially with the SSD and the nice GPU. However an i7 would be better i guess.

Budget : anything between €1200 ($1570) and €1400 ($1840). Maybe more, if it's worth it.
Resolution : i don't really know actually.
Games / Settings Desired : I'll mainly be playing WoW/LoL/Dota2/Trackmania (don't laugh)/L4D/...
Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc) : I may :
- use some virtual machines (VMWare) every now and then
- compile big C/C++/Java/C#/... programs every now and then

Country : France
Do you need an OS? : No.
Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? A monitor, that's it. A good gaming monitor (in my budget).

Generally speaking I would like a good gaming PC that could run current games with nice graphics. By nice I don't mean all maxed.

Thanks!

[Deleted]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.34 @ Ebuyer)
CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK-140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler (£52.97 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£109.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£38.00 @ Maplin Electronics)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£71.88 @ Ebuyer)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£88.94 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (£340.99 @ Dabs)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi Tower ATX Mid Tower Case (£69.41 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£109.15 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: Dell U2412M 60Hz 24.0" Monitor (£299.09 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £1347.76
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-03 19:03 BST+0100)

Something like this would suit your needs. If you have no plans on SLi, you can drop down the PSU to a 600W one.

[Deleted]

I would change the motherboard to a Z77 (Asrock Z77 Extreme4, Asus P8Z77-V LX, MSI Z77A-G45, Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H)

The 7970 is more than enough power for the games you mention. If you want to save some money look for 7870 or 7950 (Gigabyte, MSI, Sapphire, ASUS).

The rest looks perfectly fine.

Monitor, look for something in the €150 range +- 250/300 cd/m², 2 or 3 ms, 22-24", 1920x1080... (ASUS, Dell, Samsung, Philips, BenQ)

Something like this maybe:

Philips - 244E1SB - Ecran PC LCD 24" - 25000:1 - 2 ms

[Deleted]

You want more than a 550W PSU. Why would you save on the most crucial piece of equipment in your rig? If you're gonna do any overclocking, it's gonna cut sharp on whether it'll be able to keep everything up and running.

[Deleted]

550w for i5-2500k and a single gpu card even if its 7970 is enough for overclocking until they both explode

[Deleted]

You want more than a 550W PSU. Why would you save on the most crucial piece of equipment in your rig? If you're gonna do any overclocking, it's gonna cut sharp on whether it'll be able to keep everything up and running.

System Type:		1 physical CPU	
Motherboard:		Regular - Desktop	
CPU Socket:		Socket LGA 1155	
CPU:		Intel Core i5-2500K 3300 MHz Sandy Bridge	
Overclocked:		4300 MHz, 1.38 V	
CPU Utilization (TDP):		90% TDP	
RAM:		2 Sticks DDR3 SDRAM	
Video Card 1:		AMD Radeon HD 7970	

Regular SATA:		1 HDD	
DRAM SSD:		1 Drive	
DVD-RW/DVD+RW Drive:		1 Drive	
USB:		1 Device	
Fan Controller:		Yes	
Fans			
Regular:		3 Fans 120mm;  	
Keyboard and mouse:		Yes	
System Load:		90 %	
 
Minimum PSU Wattage:		389 Watts	
Recommended Wattage:		439 Watts

The numbers are not exact of course but it gets you close enough.

Corsair TX550M delivers around 45A, the PSU will be perfectly fine. The 7970 is a little overkill for OP's needs and a 7870/7950 would use even less power.

[Deleted]

Thanks a lot for the fast answers!

£1347.76 is a liiiiittle bit too much, €1658 (buying parts in UK is cheaper than in france?)
I have no plans on SLI, so i guess i'll choose a 600W PSU.
The main issue seems to be the monitor, a €370 monitor is too much, i think a €150 would be more than enough.
So we reach €1440 - ~€40 for the PSU, €1400.

If you see any part that could lower the price just a bit more without loosing too much power, please let me know.

And again : should i buy parts in the uk rather than directly in france?
Thanks again for your help

Edit : and i guess i need an optical drive to install my OS

[Deleted]

550W if it's a quality unit like the TX550M is enough. I linked you an example for a monitor at the price range you mention. Just get a cheaper GPU (7870/7950) if you're having issues staying within budget.

France or UK, just buy where it's cheapest Also any cheap DVD/Writer will do.

Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer (£13.67 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £13.67
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-03 20:22 BST+0100)

I'd use PartPicker France but they're limited to Amazon only and not that many choices.

[Deleted]

So here is what i'm about to get, please tell me if you see anything wrong.
You can see some changes because i will buy all the parts from the same place.

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (€206.99)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (€31.99)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G45 (€128.99)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (€51.49)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 750GO 7200RPM (€99.89)
SSD: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (€79.99)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB (€374.99)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi Tower (€85.99)
Power Supply: Corsair TX550M (€87.99)
Optical drive : Sony Optiarc 7280S - OEM (€16.49)
Monitor: Philipps E-line 244E1SB (€169.90)
Keyboard : Keysonic KSK-6001 UELX (€25.89) (added in the end, i need one actually )


Total : €1400

A few questions:

- is my 64 Go SSD enough for my OS and all its needs? (i think yes…)
- do i need anything if i ever want to use wifi?
- is the optical drive ok?

Thanks!

[Deleted]

64GB is technically enough for the OS, programs and a few games but I would highly recommend a 120GB+ since you'll be micromanaging the 64GB a lot and it's likely you'll regret it in the long run. That said it will work!

The DVD drive is white I believe? Might not matter, just wanted to point it out.

The rest looks perfect.

[Deleted]

I'll choose the 128 Go then.

The DVD drive is black (link in french, sorry) : http://www.materiel.net/lecteur-opti...oir-70761.html

And about Wifi?

Thanks for the ridiculously fast answer.

[hapylol]

You shouldn't need anything special for Wifi as long as you are in a Wifi network.

[Deleted]

Ok well thanks a lot for all your help =)