# Gaming PC Build



## CandyKid (Aug 11, 2010)

Hey guys, looking to build a gaming pc for around 2500 looking for everything case, monitor, keyboard, headset, and of course all the requirements for a computer( motherboard, video card, ram ect.).

I have done a little research and built what I think is a decent build (haven't built a computer myself in roughly 5 years). All the links I have are for newegg but if I can find better pricing elsewhere I am willing to buy from other reliable businesses. Anyways here is the list of components I am looking at the only thing I haven't been able to find (and what I am always horrible at picking out) is a new monitor so I may need some help there.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160 -case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131641 -motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102883 -gpu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341003 -powersupply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225 -processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227538 -ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136514 -keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826265069 -headset
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136186 -blueray burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116762 -windows 7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100005 -thermal paste
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103056 -cpu cooler

Well that is the current list I am looking at I have my g35 mouse so that is not really needed but I am still looking for a monitor if anyone can find one. My budget is roughly 3k for this build complete including everything but I am shooting for 2.5 and hoping to end up under 3k. I cut the sound card out and decided to just buy the plantronics wireless headset. I am wanting the 3x4 gig of ram in order to allow for upgrades but have thought about droping it to 6x2 gig to lower the price. The thinks I really would like someone to look at are the GPU(im out of the loop these days on graphics processers), cpu/cpu cooler, and the motherboard. I still have roughly till the first of the year(still in Iraq right now) to order all the things for this but I am trying to price everything and get it ordered by October. 

I appreciate any help you guys can give me especially on the lookout for prices on other sites and advice on the above mentioned parts.


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

A better power supply is:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...009&cm_re=corsair_850w-_-17-139-009-_-Product


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## shotgn (Aug 10, 2008)

Is there a reason you need 12g of ram?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145253


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## CandyKid (Aug 11, 2010)

Tumbleweed36 said:


> A better power supply is:
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...009&cm_re=corsair_850w-_-17-139-009-_-Product


Is there any other reason this PS is better then the ocz besides the name and warranty? It does seam worth it to extend the life of my case or atleast the PS by 2 years for roughly 30 dollars.



shotgn said:


> Is there a reason you need 12g of ram?
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145253


I was mainly looking at upgradeable here the board itself holds 24 gig of ram so I can toss the same ram in there later if I want and not have to worry about using different types of ram. Am I missing out on something by going with the slower 1333 ram at double the capacity of the 1600 you suggested? Obviously it is slightly faster but it requires me to get completely new ram if I ever decide I need to max out the capacity of the board and its still only half the ram for 40 bucks cheaper. I don't really think I am missing anything here by going with the 1333 12gig over the 1600 6gig but if I am please let me know I would prefer to feel stupid now as apposed to when I get the computer build.

Thanks for the advice so far.


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## shotgn (Aug 10, 2008)

The ocz psu has 4 12v rails running 20a a piece, Which comes to a problem with balancing the power to components. Running a single 12v rail with 60a eliminates the problem of getting the correct apms to certain components.

If you are into 3d editing or rendering, or video editing...12g of ram will do nothing for you. 6g is more than plenty for most apps or games..Thats why i asked I thought maybe you were a video editor.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The OCZ PSU's do not have the same quality protection circuits as the Corsair or Seasonic units, the Corsair units also deliver cleaner power when stressed(under load) and as they age. It's very worth it. How much was the video card that it's going to run and can be damaged by unstable power?


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## shotgn (Aug 10, 2008)

As far as a monitor goes, What are you going to be doing with the system? What size and resolution?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Corsair is simple a better quality PSU than the OCZ. The multiple rail thing depends on what you read. SeaSonic uses multiple rails and they are among the best PSU's on the market.
6GB of RAM is way more than sufficient. No game and very few apps can utilize 4GB.


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## CandyKid (Aug 11, 2010)

Thanks for the advice on the PSU all I will change the original post to reflect the change.

About the RAM in question. The reason I decided to go with 12GB currently instead of a smaller 6GB or 4GB is mainly so that I do not have to upgrade any time soon. I am anticipating this build with some upgrades such as GPU and perhaps CPU to last over 3 years as an average gaming computer. I figured it would be better to go with the 12GB of ram now rather then upgrading in a year from 6GB to 8GB or 10GB. I felt this kept the build in a safer lane to keep me from spending more later if I needed to go above 10GB (in a year or 2). Any input on this?

Also I had the dreaded talk with a co-worker about AMD vs. Intel and have decided to compare current CPU's for this build just to make sure I am getting the most for what I am paying. I know everyone has an opinion on this but currently which is the better to go with? I know both intel and amd have 6 core processors now but is it worth the money to get one or should I just go with a quad. And of course which is benchmarking better amd or intel. I will be doing my own research but I appreciate any input anyone can give.

Just so you know I don't do much on a computer other then game and stream video so unless it is going to affect those to requirements I don't care about much else as far as performance goes. Also my current system is running 1440x900 so anything exceeding that sounds good to me. I am not sure what the HDMI equivalents are I will have to take a look at that.


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## hhnq04 (Mar 19, 2008)

Go with a quad core, 6 core _might_ be utilized by the time you're looking to upgrade again.
I prefer Intel, but there really isn't anything wrong with AMD. Both have good performing CPU's. If you go with AMD, Phenom > Athlon.
4GB of RAM is really sufficient and should be for some time. If you end up with a tri-channel board (depends on what CPU you go with...), you'll have 6GB which will give you even more headroom should apps start using more RAM. If you have dual channel board, I'd suggest 4GB. You don't want to fill all of the slots as that can cause voltage issues and overload the memory controller.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

4-6gig is plenty now and in 3 years probably still will be.


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## CandyKid (Aug 11, 2010)

thanks for the advice on the processor ill compare the i7 and the phenom and let you know what I end up deciding.





CandyKid said:


> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160 -case
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131641 -motherboard
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102883 -gpu
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...009&cm_re=corsair_850w-_-17-139-009-_-Product -powersupply
> ...


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## hhnq04 (Mar 19, 2008)

Don't ignore the i5 750/760. Good quad as well, and cheaper than most i7.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

wrench97 said:


> 4-6gig is plenty now and in 3 years probably still will be.


Ditto & highly likely. You can always add RAM if needed but,again, highly unlikely.




hhnq04 said:


> Don't ignore the i5 750/760. Good quad as well, and cheaper than most i7.


Ditto. Personally, I prefer the i5 and it would certainly met your needs.


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## CandyKid (Aug 11, 2010)

OS SSD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233124
Blue Ray Burner - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136186
CPU Heatsink - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209031
OS - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116762
CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103849
RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145315
POWER SUPPLY - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139013
GPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102887
MOTHER BOARD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131655
MONITOR - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009206
HARD DRIVE - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136456

Rebuilt with the AMD + ATI setup. Took some debating but I think i get more for the money. Only thing I am still looking for is a good case looking for something sturdy and not made of plastic or cheap materials. As always thanks for any advice you can give sorry it to me so long to post.


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## hhnq04 (Mar 19, 2008)

Antec, Coolermaster, and Lian Li are the brands I prefer for quality cases. Pick one out that has your desired bells and whistles, post back if you want our opinion on it.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I would move the ram up to 1600 from 1333.

The SSD drives are a lot of money, considering the gain of a slightly shorter boot time and Mili-seconds on load and save times over the black drive.


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## CandyKid (Aug 11, 2010)

thanks hhnq I have looked at all 3 brands and have found different cases but the reviews never seem to justify buying them. If you can give some opinions on cases I would appreciate it I'm really not looking for anything with lights or temp readings just a simple full size ATX case with some good cooling.

@wrench is it really not worth getting an SSD? I thought the performance gains were suppose to be great

also I am going to drop the GPU down not sure to what yet but I was looking at the 5870 or maybe a little lower then that.


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## CandyKid (Aug 11, 2010)

these are 4 of the major ones I have looked at not really a big fan of all the lights and stuff but the antec looks like it has the best cooling.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...rue&Keywords=(keywords)&Page=1#scrollFullInfo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112159
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163074


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## hhnq04 (Mar 19, 2008)

Coolermaster HAF series are a good line of cases that a lot of people like, the Corsair Obsidian's are supposed to be nice and big too. Antec's only full tower is the 1200 which is filled with lights (I'm not fond of them either, but it seems we are in the minority these days).

Some of the midtower cases are quite large and you may like them more, and you'll have more options of cases without lights there. You could always just replace the fans with ones without lights, or remove / cut the wire that is the power for the LED's. I like the Coolermaster 690 II (basic has no lights, advanced has switch to toggle the lights, a feature more cases need IMO).


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## shotgn (Aug 10, 2008)

Dont over look the coolermaster atcs 840 as well


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## CandyKid (Aug 11, 2010)

Replacing blue ray burner with dvd burner. -150
Dropped the ssd for now still would like one for the os though -175
Thinking about getting the saphire 5850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102884
And think I am going to go with the antec 1200 for the case even with the horrible lights I think the 5 120mm fans will keep all my equipment cool for as long as they last.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

CandyKid said:


> @wrench is it really not worth getting an SSD? I thought the performance gains were suppose to be great
> 
> .


SSD's are from from a good value considering the GB per buck and the only advantage is boot time.


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## CandyKid (Aug 11, 2010)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151216 -SAMSUNG 24x DVD Burner - Bulk SATA Model SH-S243N/BEBS LightScribe Support - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043 -Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136456 -Western Digital Caviar Black WD2001FASS 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009206 -Acer S243HLbmii Black 24" Full HD LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131655 -ASUS M4A89TD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102884 -SAPPHIRE 100282-3SR Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139013 -CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-950TX 950W ATX12V v2.3/EPS12V v2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145315 -CORSAIR DOMINATOR 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M2A1333C9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103849 -AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT90ZFBGRBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116762 -Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209031 -Antec KUHLER Flow 120 mm PWM fan High-performance CPU Cooler


Any other suggestions that might help me out this is what I have so far. Not really concerned with the DVD player I only use it once in a blue moon. I removed the blue ray as I already have a PS3 and doubt I will be burning in BR any time soon. I dropped the SSD for now I'll just wait till prices are more reasonable for the sizes they are offering. Anything else I need to address or that could cut cost without sacrifice of performance?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Ultimate does not offer a big advantage over Home Premium, or Pro unless you need both Media Center(Home Prem) and the ability to log onto a Domain Server(Pro) the rest is fluff.

If you wanted you could back the PSU down to a 750w with the HD5850 card.

Looks good and will perform very well.


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## CandyKid (Aug 11, 2010)

If I decided to Crossfire the 5850 at a later time would 750w be sufficient and what are the highest end graphics cards currently requiring for a single card?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The 850TX will run the HD5970 or the GTX480, xfire on the 5850 or either of other 2 would be pushing the 750tx a tad.


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## CandyKid (Aug 11, 2010)

is it really worth dropping from a 950tx to the 850tx for only 10$ difference?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Probably not, just pointing it out.


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