Building a new Gaming PC

Scottly

Scottly

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So I've decided to build a new gaming PC. The PC gamer that's been lying dormant in me for 10yrs just never fully accepted the use of controllers for FPS's. Lifehacker recently published a new article "The Best PC's you can build for $600 and $1200" and using that I've come up with this rig totally $1,167.53 at amazon.

Essentially the same parts discussed in the article.

Antec Three Hundred Gaming Case External 3 X 5.25; Internal 6 X 3.5 2*Usb2.0 - $59.10

Corsair Enthusiast Series 750-Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified Power Supply Compatible with Intel Core i3, i5, i7 and AMD platforms - CMPSU-750TXV2 -$105.00

Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with mSATA Slot GA-Z68XP-UD3 - $149.99

Intel Core i7-2600 Processor 3.4GHz 8 MB Cache Socket LGA1155 - $279.99

Intel 320 Series 80 GB SATA 2.5-Inch Solid-State Drive Brown Box - $109.00 (used)

Corsair Vengeance Blu 8 GB (2X4 GB) PC3-12800 1600mHz DDR3 240-Pin SDRAM Dual Channel Memory Kit CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B -$44.99

Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive - WD5000AAKX - Western Digital - $98.99

Radeon XFX HD 6970 2 GB Graphics Card - $308.00 (used)

Order Summary
Items (8): $1,156.05
Shipping & Handling: $11.48
Total Before Tax: $1,167.53
Estimated Tax To Be Collected:* $0.00
Order Total: $1,167.53

For comparison,
New egg's Grand Total: $1,441.84

1) Is this video card fine? Why do some people use 2 Video cards and should I consider it?
2) i7 2600 vs i7 2600k : I hear you can make the decision based on whether or not you are interested in overclocking. I'm not and it's saving me $35. Is there other things to take into consideration?
3) Do you see any "mistakes" with this build?
4) Should I wait for black friday/cyber monday?
 
1) Two video cards really are not needed at all. I would get a 6950 and flash it into a 6970. You can read recent reviews at newegg for cards that can do that. It will save you some extra cash and will output the same performance. Not sure how viable this is at this point since it's been so long since the 6900's released though.
2) If you're not going to overclock, go with the 2600. May want to look into the 2500's too. Also overclocking is pathetically simple these days due to software overclocking. You should consider overclocking a little.
3) I wouldn't ever buy a used SSD. Why? Because the technology only lets you write so many times to each spot. Spend the bit extra for a new one.
4) Since it's so close, always wait. Especially if you can find a cheaper hard drive thanks to the inflation they've seen in the last month.


Don't forget you need an OS too.
 
[quote name='Draekon']

1)I would get a 6950 and flash it into a 6970.

[/QUOTE]


Wow, I've never heard about this. Thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely look into that.

[quote name='Draekon']

2) If you're not going to overclock, go with the 2600. May want to look into the 2500's too. Also overclocking is pathetically simple these days due to software overclocking. You should consider overclocking a little.
[/QUOTE]

So I won't be able to overclock at all with an i7 2600? Also, will I have to look into a cooling system if all I want to do is simple software overclocking?
[quote name='Draekon']

3) I wouldn't ever buy a used SSD. Why? Because the technology only lets you write so many times to each spot. Spend the bit extra for a new one.
[/QUOTE]

Ah yes, the nature of the flash based beast.
 
[quote name='Scottly']Why do some people use 2 Video cards and should I consider it?[/QUOTE]
Because they're rich and bleeding money. It's only worth it if you have excess money that you need to get rid of.

It also might be worth it to pick up a 1TB/2TB 5400RPM drive for storage as well. I use my computer to store RAW photos, TV shows, music, etc. and I needed the extra space.

As for the OS, if you're a student or you know someone who has an .edu email account, you can get Win7 Professional for $80. You have to do some trickery by installing it twice because it's technically only an "upgrade key."
 
[quote name='kainzero']Because they're rich and bleeding money. It's only worth it if you have excess money that you need to get rid of.

It also might be worth it to pick up a 1TB/2TB 5400RPM drive for storage as well. I use my computer to store RAW photos, TV shows, music, etc. and I needed the extra space.[/QUOTE]

Your explanation of why some people have 2 video cards certainly put things into perspective for me.

Yeah, I actually was having a tough time deciding what kind of HDD to get just for simple storage. Is a 5400rpm fine for 1080p MKV files and mediafiles of that nature?
 
Last year I spent $500 on a ACER 23' 120 MHZ + Nivida 3D Combo & A $1000 PC With 2 OK Video Cards.
(2 Cards are recommended on a 3d Machine)
LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT
The coolest experience I've had in gaming in quite a while.
Nivdia 3D on the right games. (Fallout 3/NV, Skyrim, L4D2, Trine, Just Cause 2, WoW) is amazing. Because you can actually adjust the distance, etc to your eyes it pop's a lot better than most 3D. No comparison to lame Movie/DVD 3D and OK 3DS 3D.
 
[quote name='deftoast']Last year I spent $500 on a ACER 23' 120 MHZ + Nivida 3D Combo & A $1000 PC With 2 OK Video Cards.
(2 Cards are recommended on a 3d Machine)
LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT
The coolest experience I've had in gaming in quite a while.
Nivdia 3D on the right games. (Fallout 3/NV, Skyrim, L4D2, Trine, Just Cause 2, WoW) is amazing. Because you can actually adjust the distance, etc to your eyes it pop's a lot better than most 3D. No comparison to lame Movie/DVD 3D and OK 3DS 3D.[/QUOTE]



sounds cool and I'm a huge fan of 3d but my display is actually going to be my 40"samsung that unfortunately does not have 3d support :(.
 
[quote name='Scottly']Wow, I've never heard about this. Thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely look into that.[/QUOTE]

Just make sure you do research because not all cards can be flashed into a 6970. Also like I said before, since it's been so long since the release of the 6900 series that I'm not sure how many cards do this anymore. I know a few brought out newer cards that couldn't be flashed. So make sure to read the latest reviews to watch for that.


[quote name='Scottly']So I won't be able to overclock at all with an i7 2600? Also, will I have to look into a cooling system if all I want to do is simple software overclocking?[/QUOTE]

I believe you can overclock with a non-K processor (I'm not 100% sure about this). However nowhere near the ability of one with an unlocked multiplier (The K denotation). You can do a little but of overclocking on stock air cooling to help provide a little extra oomph. There's no need to always try and push it to its limits.


[quote name='Scottly']Yeah, I actually was having a tough time deciding what kind of HDD to get just for simple storage. Is a 5400rpm fine for 1080p MKV files and mediafiles of that nature?[/QUOTE]

If all you're doing is storing files and streaming them to whatever monitor/tv you're using, then 5400 RPM is fine. I'd even say go with a cheaper SATAII HDD. However if you're installing programs/games on it, go with a 7200 RPM. Going SATAII or SATAIII at that point is up to you. It helps a little loading, but in multiplayer you need to wait for everybody else to load in most games anyways. So the benefits are often moot if you're strictly a multiplayer gamer.
 
[quote name='Draekon']
Just make sure you do research because not all cards can be flashed into a 6970. Also like I said before, since it's been so long since the release of the 6900 series that I'm not sure how many cards do this anymore. I know a few brought out newer cards that couldn't be flashed. So make sure to read the latest reviews to watch for that.
[/QUOTE]

I just found an article on flashing the sapphire radeon hd 6950. They're available on amazon and I can only hope that they'll be applicable with the guide.

for anyone interested -- turn a $244 videocard into a $349 video card.
http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/3762/sapphire_radeon_hd_6950_2gb_unlocked_to_hd_6970/index.html

[quote name='Draekon']
If all you're doing is storing files and streaming them to whatever monitor/tv you're using, then 5400 RPM is fine. I'd even say go with a cheaper SATAII HDD. However if you're installing programs/games on it, go with a 7200 RPM. Going SATAII or SATAIII at that point is up to you. It helps a little loading, but in multiplayer you need to wait for everybody else to load in most games anyways. So the benefits are often moot if you're strictly a multiplayer gamer.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I wouldn't mind going that route for having dedicated drives for my programs and mediafiles.

Problem is since the thailand flooding it seems there's no real deal on anything less than 7200rpm. Or maybe I'm not looking at the right places.
 
[quote name='kainzero']Because they're rich and bleeding money. It's only worth it if you have excess money that you need to get rid of.
[/QUOTE]

Eh, that's not entirely true, I have two 6870's, and they didn't cost much more then a 6950. Drivers for Crossfire kind of suck though, so I wouldn't recommend them strictly because of that.
 
[quote name='docvinh']Eh, that's not entirely true, I have two 6870's, and they didn't cost much more then a 6950. Drivers for Crossfire kind of suck though, so I wouldn't recommend them strictly because of that.[/QUOTE]
everywhere i've read has recommended one gfx card over two if you have the choice.

remember, with two graphics cards the rest of your system has to be capable. dual gfx-capable motherboard, extra cooling, possibly a better supply. it may also potentially shorten the life of your computer.

to top it off 2 cards doesn't double the performance but more like 1.3x/1.4x.

also, the idea that you can sli an older model in lieu of upgrading your graphics card in the future is not a good idea. you probably won't be saving any extra money and the older cards won't support newer software (dx11, etc.) anyway.

i think that economically you are looking at greatly diminished returns.

(personally i'm more of a gameplay-oriented person so i'll drop my graphics settings if it means i get a smoother frame rate. my old system could support SC2 on Ultra 1680x1050 but i always played it on medium, etc.)
 
[quote name='kainzero']everywhere i've read has recommended one gfx card over two if you have the choice.

remember, with two graphics cards the rest of your system has to be capable. dual gfx-capable motherboard, extra cooling, possibly a better supply. it may also potentially shorten the life of your computer.

to top it off 2 cards doesn't double the performance but more like 1.3x/1.4x.

also, the idea that you can sli an older model in lieu of upgrading your graphics card in the future is not a good idea. you probably won't be saving any extra money and the older cards won't support newer software (dx11, etc.) anyway.

i think that economically you are looking at greatly diminished returns.

(personally i'm more of a gameplay-oriented person so i'll drop my graphics settings if it means i get a smoother frame rate. my old system could support SC2 on Ultra 1680x1050 but i always played it on medium, etc.)[/QUOTE]

Crossfire is definitely a pain in the ass, but it's nice if you can get one card for cheap later, but yeah, you need to make sure that your computer is up to snuff. The 6800 series scales pretty well almost to 100 percent, which puts it's performance ahead of the 6970 in most games, which is pretty nice. Anywho, this is way off topic.:) For convenience, I would just stick with one graphics card.
 
Another major problem with SLI is that you can get stuttering issues, so although you get higher fps, it does not appear smooth because of micro stuttering. I think this happens a lot in games not optimized for SLI (which are probably most games). Anyway it seems to be a non-trivial issue and worth researching.

For your CPU, you can save even more by dropping to an i5. The only difference between i5 and i7 is hypertherading, and there are virtually no games that effectively use 4 cores, let alone 8. Also consider that for nearly all gaming, you will be bound by your graphics and not your CPU, so no need to get a top end CPU. The i5 2500(k) seems to be a popular choice with good value.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']Ruahrc speaks the truth. Go down to the i5 2500 (2500k if you're overclocking) and put the money back into a non-used SSD.[/QUOTE]

If you haven't made the purchase yet, I will also endorse this move. Get a 2500k instead of a 2600 and save some cash. I'd recommend the K version. Even if you say that you don't want to overclock now, it would be nice to have that option available to you a few years down the road. A little future-proofing never hurts, the sandy chips overclock very well.

And it would appear that even though its out of stock, the K version is $10 cheaper than the vanilla version on newegg right now.

Looks like a solid setup though (barring the used SSD as others have pointed out). I'm sure the stock CPU cooler is functional, but you might look into a better solution down the road, or if you O/C.

People go to dual video cards for a couple reasons - sometimes you can get better performance/price (stuttering aside) from two cheaper cards than one expensive. Or needing more power if you are trying to do things like game on multiple monitors at once, or 3D gaming. Single card is almost always the wise choice though. Again, its future proofing - if you already have weaker cards in two slots, your only option is to replace both if you need an upgrade. If you have one good card, you can always add another later.

I'm not familiar with ATI cards, but I have a single GTX570 at the moment, and it does quite well for everything at 1080p. Unfortunately, I am thinking about making the move to 3D gaming soon, so I'll have to come up with something else (3D effectively halves your FPS).

And the prices on HD's at the moment are borderline ridiculous.
 
If you're not a full-on AMD devotee, you might consider waiting another week or so. Supposedly Nvidia's about to up the processor count on the 560 Ti, and prices are expected to hold on the new 560 Tis (~230 USD), while the old 560 Tis should come down to 200 USD and less. However, this may also bring 570 prices down a touch if you're looking to go higher end.

I'm waiting to see how this affects things. When I'm in the mood to build a new box, it takes forever, I can't help waiting to see where prices will end up. Building a PC is excruciating for a cheap ass.
 
[quote name='dothog']If you're not a full-on AMD devotee, you might consider waiting another week or so. Supposedly Nvidia's about to up the processor count on the 560 Ti, and prices are expected to hold on the new 560 Tis (~230 USD), while the old 560 Tis should come down to 200 USD and less. However, this may also bring 570 prices down a touch if you're looking to go higher end.

I'm waiting to see how this affects things. When I'm in the mood to build a new box, it takes forever, I can't help waiting to see where prices will end up. Building a PC is excruciating for a cheap ass.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for that. I was super bummed with the lack of BF deals on 560 Ti's/570's since I'm kinda on the fence on those. But i will also need a new CPU/mobo and probably RAM so the upgrade could definitely wait till I get more funds/more deals come along.
 
TBQH, SSD's aren't really necessary unless you're doing something hardcore. I'm doing fine with my regular HDD and the load times seem to be almost the same with other users who play Skyrim and BF3's multiplayer.
 
[quote name='Ronin187']TBQH, SSD's aren't really necessary unless you're doing something hardcore. I'm doing fine with my regular HDD and the load times seem to be almost the same with other users who play Skyrim and BF3's multiplayer.[/QUOTE]

I've had an SSD in my work laptop for a year and a half and I noticed an immediate performance improvement in the Windows bootup alone. My file transfers also go quicker, and it also seems like I compile a bit faster in VS. Performance all around feels snappier. I can't imagine it wouldn't have a worthwhile impact on gaming.

I know you're saying that it's not necessary, but now that I've seen what it can do in everyday use, it's a no-brainer for games.

I've made it a point of my new build to spend that $100-120 getting a quality 90 or 120 GB SSD. I'm not hunting anything down until the GPU prices deflate a bit, but when it comes time I'm confident I'll still be able to put together a quality, frugal build that includes an SSD. I figure I can make back that $100 for an SSD by looking that much harder for deals on my mobo, CPU, and PSU. It may take me an extra 2 or 3 months to finish the build, but it's worth it to have the SSD on-board.
 
while on the ssd topic.. bare with me here..

Im currently running two ssd's in raid 0. They are a little older Intel Sata2 drives. (each drive 37gb so i have rouchly under 80gb available)

Would upgrading to a newer sata6 ssd be a notable improvent? (my old sata 2's in raid0 vs one sata3 ssd)
I am currently only using this as a os drive. I would prob get a 120gb or something as i would like the extra space..maybe even get two 120gb.. (amazon had a nice deal on a ocz sata3 drive that they extended from bf)


or... just wait the drought out and eventually get a sata3 regular wd harddrive or something just as the data drive and where game installs go
 
Tom's Hardware is doing a best SSD for the money feature now like they do for GPUs. That is probably worth checking out -- not sure if it will answer your question directly, but it'll at least give you an idea of what the cost would be.
 
depends on what you're using them for. you'll probably see little difference unless you do a lot of write operations. The x25-v and 320 40gb have low write speeds but decent read speeds for sata2.

iometer.org is a place to start if you want to check the speeds.
 
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