# Making a gaming computer



## kt123456 (Jun 6, 2012)

Alright, I've decided to make a gaming computer, and I think I need advice whether or not to buy the things I've selected. If I don't have enough slots for this and that in my motherboard and etc, please inform me 
If anything, I'd like to focus on things that would make the performance exactly the same, but would decrease the price, but if I could get something that would boost the performance hugely for a not-too-hefty price i'd like that aswell.
I do game religiously, and would love to play on the highest settings for every game.
I'm mostly following this following video :Build a Gaming PC for $1500 - October 2012 - YouTube

These are the parts I've decided to buy are the following:

An i7 upgrade is about $100 and I've heard that the switch wont make a noticeable difference
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007SZ0E1K/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007SZ0E1K&linkCode=as2&tag=c09_11-20]Amazon.com: Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I53570K: Computers & Accessorieshttp://

This is in the video.
http://http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051U7HMI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0051U7HMI&linkCode=as2&tag=c09_11-20]Amazon.com: Corsair Hydro Series H80 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CWCH80): Electronics

Was described as one of the best you can get.
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Signature2-Dual-Link-Graphics-02G-P4-2687-KR/dp/B008AFZ0VQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356869729&sr=8-1&keywords=EVGA+GeForce+GTX+680+SC+Signature2%2FDual+Fan%2F2048MB+GDDR5+Dual+Dual-Link+DVI%2FmHDMI%2FDP%2FSLI+Graphics+Card]Amazon.com: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 SC Signature2/Dual Fan/2048MB GDDR5 Dual Dual-Link DVI/mHDMI/DP/SLI Graphics Card (02G-P4-2687-KR): Computers & Accessorieshttp://

In the video.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007R21JJK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007R21JJK&linkCode=as2&tag=c09_11-20]Amazon.com: Gigabyte Intel Z77 LGA 1155 AMD CrossFireX/NVIDIA SLI W/ HDMI,DVI,DispayPort Dual UEFI BIOS ATX Motherboard GA-Z77X-UD3H: Computers & Accessorieshttp://

I'm pretty sure i'd prefer the 16GB over the 8GB, i'm not sure if it really makes a difference but yay for multitasking, haha.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006EWUO22/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006EWUO22&linkCode=as2&tag=c09_11-20]Amazon.com: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10): Computers & Accessorieshttp://

Don't know much about SSD cards, followed the video.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077CR60Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0077CR60Q&linkCode=as2&tag=c09_11-20]Amazon.com: SAMSUNG 830 Series 2.5-Inch 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7PC128B/WW: Computers & Accessorieshttp://

2TB, why not lol, in the video.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CSIG1G/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004CSIG1G&linkCode=as2&tag=c09_11-20]Amazon.com: Western Digital Caviar Black 2 TB SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Internal Desktop Hard Drive - WD2002FAEX: Electronicshttp://

In the video.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005E98FVS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005E98FVS&linkCode=as2&tag=c09_11-20]Amazon.com: Corsair Enthusiast Series TX 750 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Bronze (TX750M): Electronicshttp://

I don't know what to get for a blu-ray player, preferably i'd like it to be cheap.

Windows 7 bruh.
http://http://www.amazon.com/gp/cart/view-upsell.html?ie=UTF8&HUCT=1&newItems=C2LWRJGEQJ6RWD%2C1&nodeID=229534&storeID=software

http://www.amazon.com/Guardian-Black-Steel-Chassis-921RB-BL/dp/B004351H9G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1356868108&sr=8-2&keywords=gaming+computer+case]Amazon.com: NZXT Guardian Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Case 921RB-BL: Electronicshttp://

OR
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008HD3CTI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B008HD3CTI&linkCode=as2&tag=c09_11-20]Amazon.com: Fractal Design Define R4 Cases, Black Pearl (FD-CA-DEF-R4-BL): Computers & Accessorieshttp://
The reason why I say OR is because i'm unsure if my first choice has enough space for everything I've chosen or not.

All of this (besides from the blu-ray player of course) adds up to $1,590.30, with shipping and converted to New Zealand dollars is $1939.86
My budget is around $2000 nzd, but I will most definitely not pay that price.

Aaaand that's about it. Thanks in advance.


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## Burto87 (Aug 24, 2011)

Have a look at the TSF recommended builds (stickies in the build section) and go from there.

For gaming, i5 is more suitable than i7 (i7 more suited to video editing, CAD etc) 

RAM, 8GB AT 1600mhz is more than enough. Pick a matched pair of 4GB and stick with g.skill or corsair

MOBO: stick with ASUS and Gigabyte for top quality.

PSU: XFX or Seasoning for ensured reliability.

GPU: ASUS or gigabyte for Nvidia or Sapphire for Radeon. (A good ASUS GTX 670 IMO)

HDD: seagate, wd, no more than 1tb (apparently there are issues with higher capacities, not sure what tho)

If no over clocking is done then stock CPU cooler is sufficient. Also of not selecting the i5 3570k (or i7 3770k) then can select a H77 chipset motherboard. The K signifying that it is unlocked for overclockong.The H77 chipset does the same as the Z77 however it doesn't work for OCing. Therefore saving you $$. 

SSDs aren't really economical at this stage, all they offer are faster boot times at a higher premium (approx $1 per GB)


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

16GB RAM is pointless you will never use it unless your into CAD and virtual software.

An SSD is a drive not a card and they are expensive for the price you pay but they are quick.

Remember you will need to buy a copy of windows to install onto the SSD and make sure you dont hook up the normal hard drive until windows is installed onto the ssd

Your second link doesn't work.


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## Burto87 (Aug 24, 2011)

Also, OCing the new processors is pretty pointless and the only noticeable difference you will see will be on benchmarking. Plus, it will void your warranty


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## kt123456 (Jun 6, 2012)

Amazon.com: Corsair Hydro Series H80 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CWCH80): Electronics
second link, cant seem to make it work, just put it in your search bar lol
I'm modifying it, thanks for all the help guys


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## Burto87 (Aug 24, 2011)

You're welcome. Just post your proposed final build just to double check it and make any tweaks if need be.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Burto87 said:


> Also, OCing the new processors is pretty pointless and the only noticeable difference you will see will be on benchmarking. Plus, it will void your warranty


Unless you buy a warranty from intel for $20


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## kt123456 (Jun 6, 2012)

http://i.imgur.com/PJwFI.pnghttp://

Thoughts?
This has come to a verrry nice price, but i'd like to see if I could possibly make any upgrades. I'm still considering the liquid cooler, but i'm not sure.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

couldn't see the hard drives but yeah the rest looks good.

No need for a liquid cooler it's just a gimmick. I have a noctua dh-14 air cooler and it gets better temps that the corsair h100 liquid cooler. Also unless you are overclocking the cooler that comes with the cpu (if your buying the retail one) is good enough.


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## kt123456 (Jun 6, 2012)

Not planning to overclock, would this motherboard suffice? Amazon.com: Gigabyte Intel H77 LGA 1155 AMD CrossFireX DVI/HDMI Dual UEFI BIOS ATX Motherboard GA-H77-DS3H: Electronics
And with all this stuff would I be able to run, say battlefield 3 on the highest possible settings without a problem?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

dont get the h77 boards stick with the z77 or a p77 but the z77s are most recent.

look at the system tab under my name, my system runs battlefield at high.


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## kt123456 (Jun 6, 2012)

oh and wow i totally forgot about a monitor, could you guys recommend a good hd one that is a nice size?
also are there any cheaper graphics cards that perform at the same level as the one i have chosen?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

asus,samsung and acer make good monitors.


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## kt123456 (Jun 6, 2012)

*Having trouble deciding what graphics card to choose*

Alright, so i'm considering buying these graphics cards Amazon.com: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 SC Signature2/Dual Fan/2048MB GDDR5 Dual Dual-Link DVI/mHDMI/DP/SLI Graphics Card (02G-P4-2687-KR): Computers & Accessories
or
Newegg.com - EVGA 02G-P4-2680-KR GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
The second one comes with AC3 and BL2, so that's a pretty big bonus but i'm still debating.
But i'm not sure if I could get something that could perform at the same level or even better for a cheaper price. 
I'm building a gaming PC, and this is what i'm going to buy http://i.imgur.com/PJwFI.pnghttp://http://
Please help me with choosing a graphics card.


Thanks in advance.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

if you can afford the most expensive one get that.

I have a gtx 670 as I could not justify the price of a 680 and would not consider a 690 as they are 900 bucks still the most expensive graphics card is the asus mars 2 gtx 580


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Burto87 said:


> Have a look at the TSF recommended builds (stickies in the build section) and go from there.
> 
> For gaming, i5 is more suitable than i7 (i7 more suited to video editing, CAD etc)
> 
> ...


Same comments as above.

Its also recommend not to use a liquid cooler as it could break and ruin the system. Plus it doesn't offer any extra cooling over a standard CPU fan.

The GTX 680 is actually a little faster then the 690 anyways.

Have you looked at this at all? http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...ams-recommended-new-builds-2012-a-668661.html

I would change the DVDdrive to Asus.

For Monitors stick with Asus, Samsung, Acer.


Also somthing to take note the YouTuber you posted above, I have watched his videos before and he *always* picks low quality parts. I recommend to stay far away from that YouTuber.


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## kt123456 (Jun 6, 2012)

Thanks for the help, i've replaced my blu-ray drive with this Amazon.com: Asus Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-Ray Drive (BC-12B1ST): Computers & Accessories
It was cheaper, haha


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## kt123456 (Jun 6, 2012)

I'm settling with this card. sweet haha
Newegg.com - EVGA Superclocked, Signature 2 02G-P4-2687-KR GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Post your final build one last time so we can check it over.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Masterchiefxx17 said:


> Post your final build one last time so we can check it over.


And please post the Brand & Model of Mobo-CPU-RAM-Graphics-PSU.
No links are required.


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## kt123456 (Jun 6, 2012)

Case: NZXT Guardian Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Case
MOBO:Gigabyte Intel Z77 LGA 1155
CPU:Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz
GPU:EVGA GeForce GTX 680 SC Signature2
BLU-RAY:Asus Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-Ray Drive
HDD:Seagate Backup Plus 1 TB USB 3.0
PSU:XFX PRO650W Core Edition 80+ Bronze ATX 650
RAM:Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) DDR3 1600 MHz
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

To save some money you could drop the CPU to the i5-3550 but its up to you.

The rest looks fine.


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## kt123456 (Jun 6, 2012)

I only save about $10 dropping it to i5-3550, I think my 3570 is good haha
And sweet then.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

> HDD:Seagate Backup Plus 1 TB USB 3.0


Isn't this an external USB drive? Great as a backup drive or for portable storage but an internal drive would be a better choice for the system.


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## kt123456 (Jun 6, 2012)

WD Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive: 3.5 Inch, 7200 RPM, SATA III, 64 MB Cache
Got a new cheaper internal (at least i think so) hdd.


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## Burto87 (Aug 24, 2011)

Yes that WD should be internal..


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

If it was internal it would be labeled 6.0Gb/s not USB 3.0


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