Hey there reader, thanks for taking the time to help me out. I'm essentially looking to build a new gaming PC that will last me as long as possible as I might not be able to build a new one for some time. My budget is around $1900-2000 (however if you can recommend something that would save me money but is still just as powerful, more power to you!) but I would like to be able to purchase a new mouse after the build as well. Current thoughts on the specs are below =)
So, I've absolutely willing to change any of these parts if someone can provide me with some good reasoning. I'm considering downgrading the RAM as from what I know anything above 1600mhz doesn't provide much of a noticeable difference. Also, whilst talking of RAM, I know the RAM I have listed is not on the QVL for the motherboard but there have been several tests (overclockers.net, Asus site) which have stated that they were stable with the motherboard.
Case is still undecided currently, but thats my favourite at the moment. Also, that graphics card makes me a little worried as it appears that it has very little cooling on it directly =S
I can purchase anything from MSY, Umart and pccasegear although pccasegear has a somewhat expensive postage and the first two are decently close to where I live.
Also, post your favourite mouse if you reply to this =P I'm looking at a razer naga but I am not sure, yet =) Thanks again to any who post in reply to this.
Debating CPU-wise, what do you want to do with this computer? Only gaming, or editing and stuff too? The FX-8350 runs better than an i7 if yu're doing heavily threaded stuff but then there's CUDA on the GPU and the video encoding bit on the integrated graphics on ivy bridge.... So yeah, what do you want this computer to do other than last as long as possible?
My main use for this computer will be gaming however I occasionally do some video editting but it isn't very often, I am also hoping to do a little streaming down the track but once again, it's not the computers primary use. I chose the FX-8350 because I remembered the video logan put out about it where he compared it to the I7 and I5 and it showed higher FPS in a few games. My main issue with the build is that I am unsure of how much of a performance increase this motherboard and ram are offering me over a slightly cheaper set however if you think a different cpu would be better for what I am making, I'd be interested to see the reasoning. Also, if I recall correctly for gaming purposes didn't the integrated graphics on ivy bridge need to be turned off so as not to interfere with the graphics card whilst gaming or has this been fixed?
You can save money by buying two of this ram:http://www.msy.com.au/product.jsp?productId=10144
the performance difference between 2400 and 1600 is unnoticable. Atleast in gaming.
Also your mobo is overkill, the crosshair V is best left for benchmarkers and extreme enthusiasts (read moneybags). It's only really usefull for a 4 way crossfire 7970 or something similir.
Instead opt for a mobo with the same chipset and plenty of usefull option like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157358 You'll still have plenty of headroom for OCing the cpu with this mobo, and since your only going aircooling there is little point in such an overkill mobo. Picking a 990FX will ofcourse let you go with the future am4(or whatever they will be called) cpu's as well, since amd is ballsdeep in backwardscompatibility.
Also don't buy into the "gaming mouse keyboard" bullshit. It's just another way to skim off some money from people. Get yourself a highend mouse and keyboard, it doesnt have to be razer, or labeled "gaming".
I don't buy into the gaming stuff, thats why I was asking for mouse favourites. I personally just like the look and from the one time I used it, the feel of the Razer Naga but I was thinking that I might be going over the top with the ram, especially. You're right about the motherboard as well but having a somewhat open case I really liked the look of it but I will probably swap down. I want to overclock a litte but not a great deal; if it runs the game on good settings, it's fine for me. Every point you made was pretty much what I was thinking about but it's better to come from someone who knows just that little bit more. Thanks for your advice =)
The integrated graphics on ivy bridge are just useful for video editing, but, seeing as you're not gonna do much, pointless to switch just for that feature :P
Any opinions on the case? I'm considering getting one of the NZXT phantom 820's merely 'cause they look awesome but there are several others I like. Is there anything specific I should be looking for? All of the cases I have considered have had at least four fan slots. In the end it just comes down to personal preference for the most part in regard to cases, right?
So, after all the input from the above posters I have pretty much summed up what I want however I would like assistance with one more thing; graphics card. I'ma list a few graphics cards that I can purchase and it would be awesome to get some input into which ones I should be looking at buying. All cards are 7970s just differing manafacturers, I did look at Nvidia's cards but from what I know the 680 is the competition and the price is much higher and I therefore could not justify Nvidia.
Gigabyte.1 or Gigabyte.2 - also some clarification here would be nice. Are these the exact same card except they have overclocked one? Could I do the exact same thing myself and not pay any extra?
I would also love some opinions on the cards stated above as I was tossing over the same ones for my build.. I really liked the asus that logan reviewed but it was stretching my budget a little so is it all that worth it?
The only real help I can give you on the graphics card is that I have a Vapor X cooler form Sapphire on my 7870 XT and my friend has the three fan cooler on a Gigabyte 7950 and the three fan cooler is quieter. Its also not his case because he has an Arc Mini and I have the Define Mini with the soundproofing and the cooler is just louder on the Sapphire cards. Its a real nit picky thing I know but my tower sits right next to me on a desk.
Looks good, but if you're spending this much on a rig, why not get a CPU cooler to match? The Hyper 212 Evo is nice for budget builds, but a build like this really deserves something more beefy.
To be honest, I just chose that one really quick when I made the post 'cause somehow I completely forgot about cpu coolers xD I will be going for 1866 RAM, I had already decided that I've just yet to update the original post. Also, that power supply is no longer the one I am getting. I am looking at an 80+ gold certified 900 watt Power supply instead of bronze certified. My main dilemma is currently the video cards and to a lesser extent the case... Also the motherboard, I need someone to throw something really convincing at me to not get that motherboard just cause it looks pretty xD As for fan noise, that really doesn't bother me at all. I play all video games with a headset which has soundblocking so I'd barely be able to hear it, if at all. As long as it doesn't wake up the other units, doesn't bother me xD
Take a look at some parts like these. The ASRock Extreme9 gives you overhead to overclock your RAM which helps you push the bus timings on your processor to get good overclocks and increased bandwidth. Also, if you are looking with a bidget of up to 2000 dollars, you should not be getting a single single GPU card. You should get two, or a dual GPU card. Because if you said to someone that you dropped two grand on a build and half of it wasn't in graphics cards, they would probably laugh at you. This build gets you 32 GB of RAM clocked at 2133 and a pretty nice liquid cooler for your 8350 so you can mess with the overclocking tools. The two XFX Radeon 7970s aren't exactly known for being the most robust of the offerings, but they are more than adequate and still have some overclocking overhead. If you decide to go with different cards, I suggest anything from the 7870 XT lineup, since they are performing really well. Also, the Bitfenix Raider is an amazing case for the money, although it doesn't offer quite as many options like hotswap bays and fold down HDD cooling fans, but it does give you room for a 240 mm radiator and then an additional 200mm fan in the roof and a 120 mm fan in the back and on the floor. The OCZ Vertex 4 has some absolutely unbelievable benchmark scores for IOPS and some really good data transfer rates.
I would go with this, personally: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GBlm
You get a really nice PSU, an extreme air cooler, and 2x 7970s. First thing first, replace the thermal paste on your 7970s and your 8350 with Promilatech PK1 (it is the best compound, second only to Indigo Xtreme thermal pads). Then, OVERCLOCK. You will never use 32GB of RAM, ever. Ever. EVER. NEVER EVER EVER EVER.
I was intending on purchasing a second 7970 in just over a month, this is basically the beginning of the build and although I won't be able to do a completely new build for some time, I will have a couple hundred a fortnight spare to sink into any extras I want. As for the liquid cooling, I was considering that but I have never done it before and I am not intending to do very intensive overclocking - I definitely want to play with it but nothing extreme. I was thinking I might not go with liquid cooling to start with but after a month or so and some intense research (already done quite a bit over the last two days) add it to the system then whilst doing a monthly maintainance. Among the reasearch I noticed that above 1866 mhz in ram there is basically no performance increase. I'm not really looking for a super crazy enthusiast system. Just something that runs the games that I play (pretty much everything) well. Also, some of the things I am able to get are somewhat limited as I am australian. I do have access to that motherboard and ram however.
As for thermal paste, I just didn't bother to add that. I had no intention of using stock but the recommendations on brands are very helpful as I have next to no knowledge in that department where as I consider myself at least knowledgeable in the others.
edit: I also do not have access to those graphics card listed in the partpicker but like I said before I am willing to buy one decent one and follow up in a month with an identical card.
If your looking for a good case for a reasonable price, Ethier the NZXT 410 / 820 or even the switch. I personaly love the BitFenix Shinobi XL, but fract designs have good ones also
I think I'm going to go with the NZXT 820 after watching Linus Tech Tips unboxing of it, it does look really nice and has all the functions I need from a case. I just need to decide on one of those graphics cards, I am leaning towards the direct CU II that logan reviewed.