Hey, thanks for the detailed reply.
You're welcome.
From what research I've done so far, it looks like hyperthreading can actually hurt gaming performance, not help it. There are benchmarks online showing the difference with games like BF4. I'll be over clocking to at least 4.0 (and likely higher) so I think that processor should be optimal for a gaming rig.
The i7 3770k gives a better performance overall, albeit small. However, specific games can take on hyperthreading, in which case, a very noticeable boost will come forth. Many modern titles can accept it too. The main problem with your preference to choose the i5 3570k is that it will run much hotter than the i7 3770k when trying to overclock it (regardless of how you decide to cool it), which seems like what you intend to do (only do it later on though, after your warranty has expired, or it will be invalidated). The i7 3770k also takes less voltage (which is one of them main reasons it runs colder than the i5 3570k), which means less electrical cost to run the computer. In addition, if you plan to do any streaming or video recording, the i7 3770k will do a much better job than the i5 3570k.
It should still do the job fine otherwise; I'm just suggesting you knock a bit higher. If you do decide to get either of these cards, you should be able to get them a good bit cheaper at a local Fry's (picked up on-location) by about $40-50 or so. Something like $250 (not including tax) if you get it in-store.
A good friend of mine also has an MSI and is very happy with it. This mobo gets a lot of word of mouth praise, though. Have you had many issues with asrock?
Not myself, but I know a lot of disappointed customers of theirs. As I said, I can't personally vouch for them; some people even prefer ASrock, but really, it all just comes down to if you're able to go with a slightly more expensive part. They're probably
okay, but I personally wouldn't feel comfortable getting any part manufactured by them. If you do, and trust your 'sources', then go ahead with it; no harm done with that. Don't cheap out on your motherboard though; spend the money to get a good one, unless you want all of your other shit going down the drain.
I could definitely use some more storage! I'll likely get a second 500GB SSD for it when one happens to go on sale here and there. All of my music and other files will remain on my laptop. This thing is strictly for gaming. I can manage what games I have downloaded and deal with a 500 gb for a while.
Trust me when I say this; that SSD will not last. I've barely had my rig for a few months, and I've only got 350GB/1TB of space left. That is, unless you're just going to get a shit-ton 80-120MB blips of boring indie 3D sprite forest simulators. Don't bother trying to make the jump to having multiple SSDs; they're expensive, and don't bring an insane amount of pure performance. Unless you're weary of the thought of magnets being stuck to your PC and destroying your drives, get an HDD. If you still feel like you want that "SUPER FAST LOAD TIMES OHMYGOD" sort of deal, then get a fairly-sized SSD for your OS and desktop to sit on, then get a good (
non-Seagate) HDD. Again, I recommend Western Digital.
I don't suggest you have all of your music and etc. on your laptop, since you'd have to keep both of them running to play games AND listen to music or do whatever else...which just means you're wasting electricity and your laptop's battery life. You could, however, have some of your favorite stuff, or a mix of your favorite songs on your desktop build.
I'd much rather go for a new case than some random one on craigslist. That just does not sound appealing to me.
Suit yourself. Cases are probably the least important investment in a PC though, and getting a really good one can be done on the cheap because a lot of people want to upgrade to the newest, latest, more expensive models (like you do) that don't even really make any serious difference cable-management wise, guts-wise, or "class" wise. It's a waste of money, but if it'll really give you peace of mind, go for it. My case, which cost about $120 or more online, only cost me maybe $20 or $40 on Craigslist, was in perfect condition, and still is. In fact, it's the PC that I'm using to type this message to you right now.
You think the 750W would be better for my build? I am really not sure about how much I need, so I'm glad someone said something. I will upgrade that.
It'd be mostly for future-proofing or etc; say you want to get another card in the future, run more than one monitor, replace your current GPU with a single, more power-hungry one, run a lot of fans, lights, etc. The price difference should be very minimal too.
I've been kicking around the idea of getting a 780ti, but I'm just not sure. I will use this on my 50 in plasma TV. It's 1080p, 60 hz, and obviously no triple monitor. With all that in mind--and a bit of OCing--I 'think' the 780 should be plenty. I'm still waffling on this, though.
There's no point if you're stuck on getting the i5 3570k. It WILL bottleneck the TI version. I mean, it will still work a bit better, but if you're going to get the GTX 780 TI, then you might as well get a better CPU to match it, right?
Even so, the GTX 780 itself will do you fine if you only intend on running on that one TV with a simple keyboard/mouse setup. Just make sure your GPU or motherboard have the right ports to connect to said TV.
Thanks again for the advice.
Sure thing.
As for Soundwave's suggestions, I don't know about Gskill, but you don't need 16GB of ram; only 8GB (don't get any less than that). For the price, though, there's no harm in it....assuming it's DDR3 ram. Only get DDR3 ram, atleast 1600mhz in any stick you buy. Don't buy any sticks that are lower than 4GB. The stuff he's suggested overall just won't meet the kind of standards you must be expecting, if you intend to get a GPU like a GTX 780, SSDS, etc. Also, Windows 8/8.1
ing sucks.
Powercolor is supposed to be a good brand, but the GPU he's suggesting will not meet up to the standards I'm assuming you want met. the 7970 is not a bad GPU by any means, but the GTX 780 is a much, much better one (and probably runs a lot less hot).
Oh; and on a final note, don't you dare run your PC without a surge protector. That's just asking for trouble.
