# First Timer - High End Gaming Rig



## dmmontal (Jun 20, 2009)

Hello,

I am a first time builder with what I'd consider to be moderate computer knowledge. I am looking to assemble a quality machine for high end gaming and fairly extensive Photoshop use. I would like to be able to handle pretty much any game for the next few years, so some extra juice is a consideration. My budget is approximately $2500.

Here are my current selections, which were mainly advised by a friend of mine who has experience building rigs. Would appreciate any advice, suggestions, or other input you might be able to offer.


*Case*
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0 and Black Interior
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0 and Black Interior

*Motherboard*
GIGABYTE G1.Assassin LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 XL ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE G1.Assassin LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 XL ATX Intel Motherboard

*Graphics Card*
MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Newegg.com - MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

*CPU*
Intel Core i7-970 Gulftown 3.2GHz 6 x 256KB L2 Cache 12MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor BX80613I7970
Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-970 Gulftown 3.2GHz 6 x 256KB L2 Cache 12MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor BX80613I7970

*RAM*
3x Kingston 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM ECC Registered DDR3 1333 Server Memory Intel Certified Model KVR1333D3D4R9S/4GI
Newegg.com - Kingston 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM ECC Registered DDR3 1333 Server Memory Intel Certified Model KVR1333D3D4R9S/4GI

*OS*
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Full 
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Full


You'll notice of course that I have not included a HDD or Optical Drive, as I have not selected these components yet - again your advice or suggestions would be appreciated. I would be looking for maybe 750 GB of memory on the HD, give or take, and I would probably be going for a single drive BluRay Reader + DVD Burner option on the Optical.

Another missing component would be the PSU - here's another area I could use some input on. Do you feel 750W would be sufficient?

Lastly, the RAM my friend suggested appears to be out of stock on NewEgg - any other suggestions?


Thanks very much for taking the time to read this!


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

That Mobo is WAY overkill and basically a waste of money.
The RAM you selected (ECC) is for servers.
For a triple channel Mobo you'll want a 3X2GB set.
I would suggest looking over out suggested build list for ideas.
You can get the same performance for less.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...evised-2011-and-updated-regularly-448272.html


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## dmmontal (Jun 20, 2009)

Thanks for the fast reply.

Seems my friend who helped me may have been thinking more of his own new server machine that he is building rather than my own needs - glad I posted for a second opinion!

His rationale in suggesting that Mobo was that it has the rather beefy onboard sound processor, which sounded nice to me, as I am a bit of an audiophile. 

The build you linked me to looks great. I would most likely go with the optional upgrade on the RAM. If I wanted to keep the 6-core i7 I posted earlier rather than the quad core in your link, do you feel that would work?

Thanks again


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## KD5EEJ350 (Apr 19, 2011)

Like Tyree said about the motherboard, don't pick one just because it's flashy and expensive, make sure it is well reviewed, google "-BoardModel- Review" and try to make sure it's not just some high end flakey board.

That board only has 29 reviews. There are great boards on newegg with 600~700 reviews.

But that's just my opinion, I tend to shy away from things that have too few reviews.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

dmmontal said:


> The build you linked me to looks great. I would most likely go with the optional upgrade on the RAM. If I wanted to keep the 6-core i7 I posted earlier rather than the quad core in your link, do you feel that would work?


I linked to our Suggested Builds page. What particular build are are you relating to? :smile:


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## dmmontal (Jun 20, 2009)

Tyree,

Duhh....sorry about that! I was referring to the "$2000 Intel Spec". Basically my thought behind all the parts I would like to purchase (CPU, Mobo, GPU, RAM, etc.) is that I would like to try to "future-proof" the computer as much as possible. If it seems a bit overkill now, my hope is that in, say, 4 years it will still be able to handle my needs with ease. 


KD,

That makes perfect sense, and I would certainly trust any board (or other item) with more reviews. As I noted that was a board suggested to me by a friend so I think I will be moving away from what his advice was.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

"Future proof" and PC's don't go together. What is on top today can be on bottom in a few months.
All of our builds have been selected by us that build PC's for a living and we have selected only top quality hardware that should serve you well down the road.
Reviews are OK but don't bet the farm by them. Many reviews are made for monetary gain and many user reviews are based on short term experiences with the product.


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## KD5EEJ350 (Apr 19, 2011)

Intel tends to come out with newer and newer sockets it seems every time I check, AMD on the other hand seems to stick with a socket for a few years before phasing it out.

That LGA 1366 is already 3 or 4 years old, don't be shocked if it's only future proof in terms of months. The sandy bridge 1155 socket is fairly new and would be the best (intel)bet for future proofing.


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## dmmontal (Jun 20, 2009)

Maybe "future proof" wasn't the best term to use. I do understand - was just trying to convey that I would like to go with something a bit stronger than I need now, in hopes that it will still fit my needs in a few years.

That said, am I crazy for considering the six-core i7 processor I listed in my original post? What about the upgrade to 12GB of RAM (I consider this as I will be doing extensive Photoshop work)? 

Based on your advice, I'm now looking more along the lines of the suggested $2000 Intel Build, with a few tweaks. Please let me know what you think!


*Motherboard*
Asus P6 X58D
http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614

*CPU*
Intel Core i7-970 Gulftown 3.2GHz 6 x 256KB L2 Cache 12MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor BX80613I7970
http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115066

*Video Card*
Sapphire Radeon HD 6970
http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...4102915&cm_re=ati_6970-_-14-102-915-_-Product

*RAM*
G. Skill Ripjaws 12gb memory kit
http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231358

*Power Supply*
Corsair Pro-Series AX-850
http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...39015&cm_re=Corsair_AX-_-17-139-015-_-Product

*Case*
Coolermaster HAF-932
http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...cm_re=coolermaster_HAF-_-11-119-224-_-Product

*CPU Cooler*
Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B
Prolimatech Megahalems Rev B. Intel CPU Heatsink (LGA 775 / 1156 / 1366 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3) - FrozenCPU.com

*Hard Drive*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1501FASS 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1501FASS 1.5TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

*Optical Drive*
HP 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA BD Combo Model BD240I-h01 LightScribe Support
Newegg.com - HP 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA BD Combo Model BD240I-h01 LightScribe Support


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## KD5EEJ350 (Apr 19, 2011)

I would still look at the 1155 boards, I hear great things are in store for it. Bust that is just my opinion.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

I don't do any PhotoShop work but I would think a 3X2GB set of RAM should be sufficient. Perhaps someone who does serious PhotoShop work can correct me if I am mistaken.
I would suggest this LG optical drive for Blu-Ray use: Newegg.com - LG Black 10X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Drive Model UH12LS28 OEM LightScribe Support - Blu-Ray Drives


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## dmmontal (Jun 20, 2009)

Tyree said:


> I don't do any PhotoShop work but I would think a 3X2GB set of RAM should be sufficient. Perhaps someone who does serious PhotoShop work can correct me if I am mistaken.
> I would suggest this LG optical drive for Blu-Ray use: Newegg.com - LG Black 10X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Drive Model UH12LS28 OEM LightScribe Support - Blu-Ray Drives


Thanks for the suggestion on the Optical.

I use Photoshop a fair bit at work - my station there uses 8 GB of RAM (believe it is a 2x4 config). It is normally very smooth, but yeah once in a while when working on some very high resolution imaging, I do get some slowdown, especially when using some of the new 3D Photoshop features.


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## dmmontal (Jun 20, 2009)

KD5EEJ350 said:


> I would still look at the 1155 boards, I hear great things are in store for it. Bust that is just my opinion.


I do appreciate the suggestion and am not against looking into them - would you by any chance be able to link me to a specific suggestion? I am having a difficult time finding them on NewEgg (I am only finding server boards).


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

I'd say you're good to go then. Best of luck and please let us know how it turns out when the build is completed.


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## dmmontal (Jun 20, 2009)

Tyree said:


> I'd say you're good to go then. Best of luck and please let us know how it turns out when the build is completed.


Very much appreciate the help!


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

You're welcome! That's why we're here.


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## KD5EEJ350 (Apr 19, 2011)

dmmontal said:


> I do appreciate the suggestion and am not against looking into them - would you by any chance be able to link me to a specific suggestion? I am having a difficult time finding them on NewEgg (I am only finding server boards).


Newegg.com - Computer Hardware,Motherboards,Intel Motherboards,LGA 1155

And as far as ram, you will never see a benefit using 12GB unless you do some serious HD Video work/3D Rendering/CAD.


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## dmmontal (Jun 20, 2009)

Ahh ok I was not seeing these as I was specifically searching for sandy bridge. Thanks I will look into them.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

KD5EEJ350 said:


> And as far as ram, you will never see a benefit using 12GB unless you do some serious HD Video work/3D Rendering/CAD.


See Post #12 ^


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## KD5EEJ350 (Apr 19, 2011)

Tyree said:


> See Post #12 ^


Well he didn't really list his work setup but I would imagine Photoshop is maxxing out what ever video/cpu he is using and not the 8GB.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The other possibility would be 3X2 and that may not be sufficient for the intended usage so the logical inclusion would be the 3X4 for the new build to insure a sufficient amount and prevent additional expense.


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## dmmontal (Jun 20, 2009)

Thanks guys,

Yeah I would need to double check my work computer to be sure, but I believe you may be right. I will take a look and see and then maybe go from there.


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