Gaming PC Build

[Ruiner]

So, with the newfound capital I gained from the holiday season, I'm looking to build a new gaming PC. My budget is around $1500, and my requirements are that it must be DX11 compatible, it must be able to play FFXIV well when it comes out, and it must include a 1920x1200 resolution monitor, speakers, a keyboard, and a mouse. I did some snooping around Tom's Hardware and Newegg, and this is what I came up with so far:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151175
SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SH-S222A - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151175
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$29.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129042
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129042
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
-$15.00 Instant
$69.95
$54.95

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136284
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136284
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$109.99
$99.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001280
SAMSUNG T240HD Rose-Black 24" 5ms HDMI Widescreen HDTV Monitor - Retail
Item #: N82E16824001280
Return Policy: Monitor Replacement Only Return Policy
-$50.00 Instant
$299.99
$249.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102856
SAPPHIRE 100281SR Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16814102856
Return Policy: VGA Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$409.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16817139005
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$61.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$159.99
$98.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16836121014
Logitech S-220 17 Watts 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System - OEM
Item #: N82E16836121014
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$23.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823126015
Logitech Value 100 Black PS/2 Standard Keyboard - OEM
Item #: N82E16823126015
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$9.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826105026
Microsoft N71-00007S Black 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical Mouse - OEM
Item #: N82E16826105026
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$9.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145224
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145224
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$234.99
$224.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128409
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard w/ USB 3.0 & SATA 6 Gb/s - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128409
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
$184.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115215
Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115215
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant
$199.99
$194.99

Subtotal: $1,592.84 ($1,562.84 with rebates)

The one thing I'm unsure about is the memory. Can LGA 1156 motherboards support three sticks of RAM? Other than that, I think I'm good, but I like to double-check with others about builds like these because I'm always paranoid I've made some horrible error, or missed some important component. Suggestions are very welcome. Thanks!

[Cephius]

That motherboard only supports dual channel memory, and you bought triple channel, so you're going to want to pick something else. Get 4x1GB pairs or something, 4 should be plenty of RAM for you.

Personal preference but I'd get a small fast drive to house your operating system files (raptor drive, SSD, whatever) instead of loading everything on one huge 1TB drive. If you do leave it at one drive, think about getting an external and doing regular backups.

May want to consider an after-market cooler as the stock intel heatsinks are usually rather shitty. Though I've yet to purchase an i-series processor, maybe someone else who has can comment on the quality of the stock cooler.

Not a big fan of that case either, with no front or side fans the airflow won't be the greatest. Again though, personal preference.

[Ruiner]

What dual-channel memory would you recommend, then? Around the same price as the triple channel.

[Zethren]

For 1500 you should really try to fit a i7 + socket 1366 mobo in there and I am sure you can do it. I don't have time right now to do it, but I am sure someone can. Do you have a microcenter store near where you live? Can get the i7 920 for $199 there.

[Cephius]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227495

2x2 GB sticks that are compatible with that motherboard. Only 80 bucks too with a rebate, you really don't need to spend 200 bucks on RAM these days.

[Olo401]

For 1500 you should really try to fit a i7 + socket 1366 mobo in there and I am sure you can do it. I don't have time right now to do it, but I am sure someone can. Do you have a microcenter store near where you live? Can get the i7 920 for $199 there.

I was thinking this at first, but then I remembered that early next year the i7-920 will be replaced by the 930.. which means waiting a couple months to pull the trigger on the whole thing. Also, jumping up to the 1366 level means an extra $100-200 for the CPU/mobo/memory. It should be manageable if we downgrade the video card to a 5770.

OP's original list w/ the memory Ceph recommended = ~$1425 before MIRs & shipping
OP's original list, swap in: Core i7-920 D0, GA-EX58-UD3R Mobo, XFX Radeon 5770 & OCZ Gold 3x2GB DDR3-1600 Tri-Chan Kit = ~$1386 before MIRs & shipping

[Kurokikaze]

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #:RC-932-KKN1-GP
Item #:N82E16811119160
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
Out Of Stock
Auto-Notify
$159.99 -$20.00 Instant $139.99
Find it somewhere else

EVGA 141-BL-E757-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX X58 SLI LE Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #:141-BL-E757-TR
Item #:N82E16813188049
Return Policy:Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock
Mail in Rebate
$239.99 $239.99


SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
Model #:100283-2L
Item #:N82E16814102864
Return Policy:VGA Standard Return Policy
In Stock
$164.99 -$10.00 Instant $154.99


CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
Model #:CMPSU-750TX
Item #:N82E16817139006
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Mail in Rebate Card
$179.99 -$70.00 Instant $109.99


Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
Model #:BX80601920
Item #:N82E16819115202
Return Policy:CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock
$288.99 $288.99


CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8 G - Retail
Model #:TR3X6G1600C8 G
Item #:N82E16820145236
Return Policy:Memory Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Mail in Rebate Card
$199.99 -$25.00 Instant $174.99


Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:WD5001AALS
Item #:N82E16822136320
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock


Total: 1178


As mentioned earlier you can buy the 920 at Microcenter and save yourself 100. Just add the monitor/mouse/keyboard to this and you wont go over your current systems' price and get much better overall performance.

[Ruiner]

Would the i7-920/HD 5770 combination really surpass i5-750/HD 5870? From the limited research I did, it seemed like there wasn't really much difference between the i5-750 and the more expensive i5s and i7s. Is there really not that much of a difference between the 5770 and the 5870?

[Olo401]

There's actually a very large difference.. essentially the 5870 has twice the punch of the 5770, which is why it's twice the price. However the 5870 is so far ahead of everything else on the market and so far ahead of the pace of technology that it makes more sense to save some money by getting a 5770, which is just about as good as a Radeon 4870 or NVIDIA's GeForce GTX275 yet more power efficient and puts out less heat.

There's also a big jump in computer power going from an i5 to the i7-9xx series.. aside from getting access to the i7's turbo boost, you also are able to run DDR3 in tri-channel and you have a much faster & wider system to work with on the X58 platform.

[njitjk68]

Just some suggestions.

Get SATA dvd instead of IDE to have less clutter in the case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151192

Get 5850 instead of 5870 and use saved funds towards i7 build.

Theres good OCZ or Gskill DDR3 3x2GB RAM that goes for around $140. You are mostly paying a lot more for the dominator name, it's way overpriced. Saved funds can go toward i7 build.

Can save money if you don't mind using the T240HD built-in speakers.

[Ruiner]

So I made a few changes, and it turns out, I can get the 5870, i7-920, and 6 GBs of RAM all within my budget. Here's my revised build:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151192
SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223C - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151192
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$26.99


Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129042
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
-$15.00 Instant
$69.95
$54.95


Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136284
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$109.99
$99.99


SAMSUNG T240HD Rose-Black 24" 5ms HDMI Widescreen HDTV Monitor - Retail
Item #: N82E16824001280
Return Policy: Monitor Replacement Only Return Policy
-$50.00 Instant
$299.99
$249.99


SAPPHIRE 100281SR Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16814102856
Return Policy: VGA Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$409.99


CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16817139005
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$61.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$159.99
$98.99


Logitech S-220 17 Watts 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System - OEM
Item #: N82E16836121014
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$23.99


Logitech Value 100 Black PS/2 Standard Keyboard - OEM
Item #: N82E16823126015
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$9.99


Microsoft N71-00007S Black 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical Mouse - OEM
Item #: N82E16826105026
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$9.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227365
OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227365
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$149.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128375
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128375
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$15.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$198.99
$188.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202
Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115202
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
$288.99
Subtotal: $1,612.84 ($1,557.84 with rebates)

[Olo401]

So I made a few changes, and it turns out, I can get the 5870, i7-920, and 6 GBs of RAM all within my budget. Here's my revised build:

SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223C - $26.99

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $54.95

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7200 RPM SATA-300 HD - $99.99

SAMSUNG T240HD Rose-Black 24" HDMI Widescreen HDTV Monitor - $249.99

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI-E 2.0 x16 - $409.99

CORSAIR 650W ATX12V 80 PLUS Certified Power Supply - $98.99

Logitech S-220 17 Watts 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System - $23.99

Logitech Value 100 Black PS/2 Standard Keyboard - $9.99

Microsoft Black 3 Buttons Wheel USB Wired Optical Mouse - $9.99

OCZ Gold 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600 Tri-Channel Memory Kit - $149.99

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA1366 ATX Motherboard - $188.99

Intel Core i7-920 Processor - $288.99

Subtotal: $1,612.84 ($1,557.84 with rebates)

That's a pretty balls-out system man.. Only things that concerns me now is whether the video card will fit into that case. The 5870 is a HUGE card and the way the drive bays are oriented it'll probably end up hanging into them a little bit.

[Ruiner]

Hm, in that case then I might just have to splurge on an Antec 902. With that revision, do you think I've got a pretty future-proof rig?

[Kurp]

I'd definitely reconsider your choice in a case if you're going with a 5870. I haven't seen exact specs, but I think the 5870 is over an inch longer than the 4890. I'm using a Coolermaster 690, that is a somewhat larger than the Antec 300, and my 4890 is annoyingly close to the drive bay housing.

I'd recommend going with a larger case like the Coolermaster HAF, or some other maker's equivalent. You'll have better cooling options and it'll be much easier to work with.

[Ruiner]

I'd definitely reconsider your choice in a case if you're going with a 5870. I haven't seen exact specs, but I think the 5870 is over an inch longer than the 4890. I'm using a Coolermaster 690, that is a somewhat larger than the Antec 300, and my 4890 is annoyingly close to the drive bay housing.

I'd recommend going with a larger case like the Coolermaster HAF, or some other maker's equivalent. You'll have better cooling options and it'll be much easier to work with.

By Coolermaster HAF, are you referring to this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119197

If so, how does that stack up to, say, an Antec 902? At first glance, I like the case, and it's cheaper than the HAF, but I currently own an Antec 900 and it's treated me well over the past year or so.

Thanks to everyone for the continued input, I'd be lost without BG Tech.

[Olo401]

By Coolermaster HAF, are you referring to this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119197

If so, how does that stack up to, say, an Antec 902? At first glance, I like the case, and it's cheaper than the HAF, but I currently own an Antec 900 and it's treated me well over the past year or so.

Thanks to everyone for the continued input, I'd be lost without BG Tech.

Yep that's the one.. well it's the mid-tower version of the original HAF 932, but it should do the trick.

The card's length (pretty sure it's standard regardless of brand) is 11", so try measuring that inside your 900 case to get an idea how much space you'll need. I'm not sure what the differences are from the 900 to the 902 but the dimensions should be the same.. you can double check on Antec's website to be sure.

[Weeks]

I've got an Antec 900 which could accomodate a card about 2" longer than my 4870 with the drive bay in front of it empty.

[Olo401]

Okay that should do the trick then.. I'd go with another 900, or a 902 if the changes are worth it.

[Deadgye]

Going by the latest build choices post you made, I'd probably upgrade the case to an antec 900/902 and downgrade the card to the 5850, but that's just me. (You should be able to find the 5850 for around 300 dollars, or at least I was able to when I last looked.) There are some rather good reviews at this site if you want to take a look: http://hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=87

Also, make sure to check if you have a microcenter near you or anybody else you're good friends with/family incase they still have a 920 in stock.

The monitor you picked also apparently has problems with bleeding, and the top and bottom bezels will reflect the screen a little bit (double task bar for instance.) If the bleeding is acceptable for you it's a great monitor though.