BT's build

[btsniper]

Think I may have the final parts list 👍

Link: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1d555

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($117.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.48 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($403.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm Fans ($27.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($74.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer H236HLbid 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($177.23 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow 2013 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($79.99 @ Microcenter)
Mouse: Logitech G500 Wired Laser Mouse ($46.88 @ Amazon)
Speakers: Cyber Acoustics CA-3602 30W 2.1ch Speakers ($42.85 @ Amazon)
Other: Razer Goliathus Extended Mouse Pad - Speed ($25.57)
Total: $1536.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-05 21:24 EDT-0400)

 

[Sharky.]

Swap dual 650Tis for an overclocked 660Ti. Yes it's less performance, but it's also less money and for a bit less than/equal to the price of two 650Ti Boosts you could buy a 670 that has 680 performance

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/13b7D $1560 with an Asus 660Ti.

 

[btsniper]

Thanks for the reply!

Do you think I should also move down to a 60 Hz monitor also? That should save around $100. Can you point me to the 670 that you are talking about, I may check that out.

 

[Sharky.]

Pretty much any 670 can be clocked faster than a 680, although pre-overclocked variants like these are easier to achieve it with 👍 The MSI Power Edition 670 is $350, and is in fact the cheapest of the 670s in PCPartPicker's catalogue.

I personally use a Gigabyte 2GB 670 with the WindForce 3 cooler, so I might be a bit biased towards 670s...

 

[btsniper]

Hmmm I quite like that. And they are only $2 more expensive than the 650 ti boosts.

I saw this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9YMbWXn6Sw - comparing the two set ups the other day while researching for GPUs. The 650 ti boosts in sli were about the same, if not a little bit better than the 670 in bench marking, but they ran hotter.

Edit: What is the Difference between 1 GB and 2 GB in Video cards and do they add up when you put them into SLI or Crossfire?

 

[sesselpupser]

The thing with SLI is that while the performance of two cards will exceed one or two cards above it, the performance isn't as reliable. You hear all the time about people having to disable it to play new games before an SLI profile is made, and the fact is if you're playing at 1080p a 670 will do you just fine.

And yeah, I'd suggest a 60Hz monitor if you're trying to cut down a little.


Edit: and no, VRAM doesn't add up when you SLI, you just have two processors with 1GB each but you still have a maximum of 1GB.

 

[btsniper]

How cool do the 670 run when overclocked?

What 60 Hz monitor do you suggest?

Thanks for the info

 

[btsniper]

Actually after reading reviews and watching videos on Youtube about the 670, I'll pick it instead of the 650 ti boosts in sli. I would go for the Gigabyte version for $30 more but since i'm on a budget i'll settle for the MSI version. Thanks for the all the good help so far guys, I really appreciate it.

 

[Sharky.]

Glad to be of help 👍

Another advantage of going for a 670 over SLI 650Ti Boosts is you can then chuck a second 670 in later (you can't quad-SLI the 650Tis), effectively giving you a GTX690. I plan on adding a second 670 to my own system soon

 

[btsniper]

Yea I was thinking the same thing. Updating OP now.

I'm going to see if I can get it to $1500 flat

 

[btsniper]

Do you guys think it would be a good idea to get replace of the SSD and 670 with a 680? It would lower my costs by $48.99 and i'd get a better graphics card. I was only going to use the SSD for a boot drive anyways. The new total would be $1472.23

 

[Sharky.]

The marginally improved 3D performance isn't worth the tradeoff of not having an SSD imho, I would take an SSD+670 over 680+no SSD every single time

 

[btsniper]

OK, thanks for the advice Sharky!


Updated OP

 

[Grayfox]

I would wait a while for the 3570k.

The new 4th gens are coming out soon which will make the older 3rd gen cheaper.

4770k(i7) which is for the 1150 socket
4670k(i5) which is for the 1150 socket

I would not use aircooling if you are going to OC to 4.2Ghz.

It takes my water cooling loop to 70C easily, cant think what it would do with air.

 

[RX-7_FD3S]

The new 4th gen are out but price of the old one didnt drop yet really. If you wait a bit, they probably gonna drop price a bit. They were release last week.

 

[btsniper]

I would wait a while for the 3570k.

The new 4th gens are coming out soon which will make the older 3rd gen cheaper.

4770k(i7) which is for the 1150 socket
4670k(i5) which is for the 1150 socket

I would not use aircooling if you are going to OC to 4.2Ghz.

It takes my water cooling loop to 70C easily, cant think what it would do with air.

Yea, i'm not purchasing this build right away. It will probably be a couple of months before I start ordering parts...

I'll do some research on water cooling, but I've been afraid to try it because I am a totally new to building PCs (I don't want to mess it up and have water go everywhere) and this will be my first one for gaming.

 

[Joel]

You could cut down some cost on the keyboard and mouse. Shop around/price match the Blackwidow, $90 is too much for one of those. Find one in the 60-70 range and price match. As for the mouse, you could shave some money off by picking something cheaper, hard to recommend one though because they're more of a personal opinion thing. I use a Steelseries Kana that can be found for $30-40 on sale and I like it a lot, I think Steelseries sells a barebones mouse with a pretty good sensor for $20-30.

That's the biggest thing, find a store that has a good price matching policy and price match everything. It adds up quickly, shaving a couple bucks off each part can turn into $100+ savings. Just with the keyboard and mouse you could save $40-50 depending on how cheap of a mouse you buy.

 

[Azuremen]

I see no mention of a power supply in the list?

I suspect you could cut a bit of the price by changing out the motherboard as well, and as mentioned, better deals can be had on the Blackwidow. The Ultimate isn't worth the money either, and at the moment, I'd spring for the Tournament edition over the standard. Having the mouse a bit closer makes a nice difference in ergonomics.

 

[TB]

I see no mention of a power supply in the list?

He doesn't have one posted but this one is in his link.

 

[Joel]

and at the moment, I'd spring for the Tournament edition over the standard. Having the mouse a bit closer makes a nice difference in ergonomics.

Yeah, also forgot to mention that I'd go with a Blackwidow Tournament edition or a Cooler Master Quickfire Stealth over the regular Blackwidow. I find that for personal use of a computer a numberpad isn't really necessary, and it's a lot nicer to have the extra room on your desk. If I were buying a new keyboard today it would be the Quickfire Stealth. The same keyboard as the well reviewed Quickfire Rapid (rebranded Filco), but without the over the top branding.

Seeing the PSU that was just posted, you could also save some money on the PSU. Go with a Corsair CX 600 or something and save 30 bucks. http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

 

[btsniper]

I see no mention of a power supply in the list?

Oops forgot to add that, adding it now.

I'll shop around for a cheaper Keyboard & mouse.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Go for a Cooler Master keyboard. Cheaper than Razer, and imo feel just better. I have one, and I love it. Go for the TK version, very compact keyboard.

The best bang for buck GPU is an HD7950. If you OC it, it performs as good as an HD7970, which is GTX680 territory. And it's a lot cheaper than a GTX670. I say go for a HIS HD7950 IceX2 or whatever the name exactly was. That particular card is supposed to currently be the best performance - value ratio card.

 

[Grayfox]

Yea, i'm not purchasing this build right away. It will probably be a couple of months before I start ordering parts...

I'll do some research on water cooling, but I've been afraid to try it because I am a totally new to building PCs (I don't want to mess it up and have water go everywhere) and this will be my first one for gaming.

Get a LCLC(Low Cost Liquid Cooling) unit like the corsair H60.

Just mount like any other heatsink, and mount the rad and fan on the rear case exhaust port.

You will get 90F temps on idle(not overclocked) about 110F on full load(not overclocked), it pays off when overclocked.

When at idle it will be at 1.6Ghz.

I OC'ed mine to 4Ghz I get 125F at load on a custom water cooling loop which should be similar to a LCLC unit.

 

[btsniper]

Which H60 do you suggest? On pcpartpicker there are two, on at $49 and the other is $6 more. The more expensive one has a fan, can I attach a 120 mm fan to the cheaper one?

 

[Sharky.]

Suggesting an $80 entry-level water cooler in a thread titled "need help cutting costs" when a $30 Hyper 212 keeps a 4.2GHz 3570K under 60C load anyway = , good joke.

 

[btsniper]

Another question, is an optical drive necessary with today's technology? Could I go 100% download only and wait to get an optical drive until I need one, it will save $20.

 

[TB]

I say you need one.

Sharky. will say you don't.

 

[Joel]

I don't think you do either, I don't have one. Windows can be installed on a flash drive, after that you can download everything.

 

[btsniper]

Traded the ROCCAT Kone XTD for the original Razer DeathAdder for a $25.46 savings, the only reason I want the XTD was the cool lights and 8 total buttons, oh well I get 5 buttons on the DeathAdder.

 

[Bram Turismo]

I actually tried the DeathAdder last weekend. You won't be disappointed, it's an extremely comfortable mouse.