My First Gaming Computer

[TMBuckman]

Hey everyone, i hope this is the right place to ask for help. Im building my first gaming pc, and as much research as ive done i just want to run my list past you guys to make sure it makes sense and is a good build. Im looking for a great gaming computer that i can run current games on max settings. I play alot of mmo's such as WOW, Tera, and Guild Wars. Here's my part list so far...

Graphics card- XFX ATI Radeon HD6950 2 GB DDR5 2DVI/HDMI/2x Mini-Displaypor​t PCI-Express Video Card HD695XCDFC

Power supply-

Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold (SPG) 1000 Watts Modular Power Supply
by Cooler Master

Hard Drive-

OCZ 120GB Agility 3 SATA 6Gb/s 2.5-Inch Midrange Performance Solid State Drive (SSD) with Max 525MB/s Read and Max 4KB Write 85K IOPS- AGT3-25SAT3-120​G
&

Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache Internal Desktop Hard Drive Bulk/OEM - WD1002FAEX

CPU- Intel Core i7-2700K Quad-Core Processor 3.5 GHz 8 MB Cache LGA 11

MOBO- ASUS MAXIMUS IV EXTREME LGA 1155

Cooler- Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler

Case- Corsair Obsidian 650D Aluminum Mid

Ram- Corsair Vengeance Blue 16 GB DDR3 SDRAM

My budget is about 1300-1600 but obviously if im overspending anywhere i would love to know. Also having a tough time choosing a graphics card. Which do you all prefer, preferably one that is crossfire compatible if i want to do it in the future. I also want to know if i show get the more expensive mobo so as not to have to swap it out in the future. Is there a less expensive one that is great for gaming? Thanks for any help guys

 

[krnmastersgt]

For starters if you could answer the questions you left out in this sticky we'll be able to better help you out.

That aside you have some way overkill/overpriced parts in your build. For the budget a great base is to use mfenn's mid-range build for $1K and then just tweak some components more to your liking, like you could splurge a bit more on the case or storage space.

Some comments on the parts you picked out:
CPU: No need for an i7 currently, an i5 quad is more than enough for 99% of games, the only title out that can utilize an i7 really is BF3 but since you're mainly an MMO gamer there's no real need for an i7 unless you're a multiple-instances type of guy.

Video Card: Really not worth the money, for a bit more you could get a 7850 which is just as fast if not faster, while producing less heat and using less energy. Are you planning on playing GW2 a lot? I believe WoW will be fine with any high end card, and I am unsure of Tera's scaling but GW2 seems to scale better off nVidia cards than ATI, at least this past beta weekend was showing that much. For your budget you can really step-up to some of the best cards around like the 7970 or the GTX 670 (680 is just a slightly faster 670 really, not worth the extra cost for most).

Power Supply: Complete and total overkill, you could run more than 3-4 cards off a PSU that powerful, just get a nice 500-700W unit and you're set for 2 or even up to 3 cards.

Solid State Drive: I'd like to recommend the Crucial M4, Samsung 830, or even the Vertex 4 in place of the Agility 3. Most Sandforce controllers (which the Agility uses) have well known reliability issues, whereas the 3 other drives I mentioned are all based off Marvell controllers which have developed a very strong name for reliability.

Motherboard: That is a horrendously overpriced board, and it's not even Z77. Spending more on the motherboard will not increase overall system performance unless you're looking for an ultra-high end build that utilizes multiple cards, RAID arrays, and whatnot. For your uses something like this ASRock Z77 Pro3 is more than enough, spend the money elsewhere if you want to fully use your budget.

RAM: Not a fan of the price but even more so the heatspreaders, they don't really do anything for you and their height interferes with something like the 212 EVO. Get something basic like these G.SKILL Value 8GB set, chances are unless you run multiple instances of the games you mentioned you won't need more than 8 GB.

 

[DSF]

My response to TMBuckman's original post was this:

Hey everyone, i hope this is the right place to ask for help. Im building my first gaming pc, and as much research as ive done i just want to run my list past you guys to make sure it makes sense and is a good build. Im looking for a great gaming computer that i can run current games on max settings. I play alot of mmo's such as WOW, Tera, and Guild Wars. Here's my part list so far...

Graphics card- XFX ATI Radeon HD6950 2 GB DDR5 2DVI/HDMI/2x Mini-Displaypor​t PCI-Express Video Card HD695XCDFC

Power supply-

Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold (SPG) 1000 Watts Modular Power Supply
by Cooler Master

Hard Drive-

OCZ 120GB Agility 3 SATA 6Gb/s 2.5-Inch Midrange Performance Solid State Drive (SSD) with Max 525MB/s Read and Max 4KB Write 85K IOPS- AGT3-25SAT3-120​G
&

Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache Internal Desktop Hard Drive Bulk/OEM - WD1002FAEX

CPU- Intel Core i7-2700K Quad-Core Processor 3.5 GHz 8 MB Cache LGA 11

MOBO- ASUS MAXIMUS IV EXTREME LGA 1155

Cooler- Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler

Case- Corsair Obsidian 650D Aluminum Mid

Ram- Corsair Vengeance Blue 16 GB DDR3 SDRAM

My budget is about 1300-1600 but obviously if im overspending anywhere i would love to know. Also having a tough time choosing a graphics card. Which do you all prefer, preferably one that is crossfire compatible if i want to do it in the future. Thanks for any help guys

Welcome to the forums.

Note the list of questions in the original post, they help us give you the most useful feedback possible. What you're going to want to do is actually start your own thread in this forum (General Hardware) and list out the answers to the questions, plus the parts your considering.

Your post will get much more attention, and therefore feedback that way.

Off the top of my head there are several ways you can save money on this build.

1) That PSU is far and away more power than you need. A nice 550-650W unit is plenty, you might go a little higher if you truly plan to Crossfire in the future. However, unless you're planning to purchase the second GPU within 6 months to a year, Crossfire isn't going to be worth it.

2) i7's don't really have much gaming advantage over i5's. You're better off looking at the i5 2500K or i5 3570K.

3) That motherboard is far and away more expensive than you need. Unless there's some uncommon feature that you have to have, a solid gaming motherboard shouldn't cost you more than $110, maybe $160 if you need Crossfire/SLI capability. (Again, I would discourage the Crossfire route for all but the largest displays.)

But again, make your own thread and you'll get plenty of other feedback as well.

Edit: I don't think this was in the original post:

I also want to know if i show get the more expensive mobo so as not to have to swap it out in the future. Is there a less expensive one that is great for gaming?

I think there's a misperception here. Essentially the only thing that determines whether you'll have to swap a motherboard out is if you want to put in a CPU that requires a different socket. Price has nothing to do with that, so generally buying a more expensive motherboard won't prevent having to swap it out when you do an upgrade. In fact, buying an expensive motherboard can work against you from an upgrade standpoint, because if that $300 motherboard isn't providing $150 of functionality over the $150 motherboard, you've sunk a serious amount of dough that could've gone to a GPU upgrade down the road.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

The only Gaming performance a Mobo really can provide these days is extremely low DPC latency.

Overclocking performance from a mobo has diminished since 1366 & 1156 socket

 

[TMBuckman]

Thank you very much for your help sorry i did not answer all the questions.

1. Ill be using the desktop for mostly gaming and the usual internet serving, storing pictures and videos and such. I want to play the games i love at max settings with low lag (Tera, Wow, Guild Wars 2)

2. My budget is about $1300 (more if needed to play on max settings)

3. Buying from the US

4. No brand preference, except i really like Asus parts, i have had good luck with them

5. I dont have any computer parts, i am starting a fresh build (first one)


7.Not sure about overclocking, i guess i would like the option if i need to boost performance in the future

8. Was looking at ASUS ML249H 24-Inch LED Monitor havent found many reviews for it though so im weary. I do want a asus monitor, anyone have suggestions?

9. Im planning on building it this month if all goes well

Thanks again for the input, as this is my first build i have alot to learn and appreciate any and all suggestions. I will use it in making the final decisions on parts. Thanks guys.

 

[mfenn]

OK, so a $1300 budget with you needing all the parts means that you have about $800-900 to spend on the PC itself. Luckily, that's not a bad budget for a 1080p gaming machine.

i5 3550 $210
ASRock B75M $65
G.Skill DDR3 1600 8GB $44
XFX 7950 3GB $320 AR
Crucial M4 128GB $100
Samsung F3 1TB $75 AP
Lite-ON DVD Burner $18
XFX Core 550W $65 AR
NZXT Source 210 $50

Logitech G400 $45
Logitech K120 $14
ASUS ML249H $182 AR - not a bad price for a 24" MVA panel

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit $100

Total: $1288 AR AP

 

[TMBuckman]

great list thank you for your suggestion. Also, will setup allow for dual screens down the line?

 

[azeem40]

Yes, one 7950 can run dual screens at good fps.

 

[lehtv]

Who would run games at two screens with a black bar right in the middle? You either run one monitor or three, never two

 

[TMBuckman]

more for playing a game on one screen while multitasking on the other, or watching a movie or something while im grinding an mmo, not both for playing a game

 

[lehtv]

Exactly.

 

[TMBuckman]

Ok guys im almost done shopping around, alot thanks to your help and suggestions. here is my final list. Let me know what you think and double check it to make sure all parts are compatible if you dont mind. Only thing im not 100% sure on is the mobo. Any Asus mobo's you guys like? or do you mostly use asrock? thanks again for your input, im excited to start the build. (Also, forgot to mention i have a mouse and keyboard so i wont need that.)

Case- [FONT=&quot]Corsair Obsidian 650D Aluminum Mid Tower ($150)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Screen-[/FONT]ASUS ML249H ($200)
[FONT=&quot]MOBO- [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CPU-[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core ($220)[/FONT]
GPU-XFX 7950 3GB ($320)
Fan- Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Hard Drive- Crucial M4 128GB ($100) and Samsung F3 1TB ($90)

Drive-[FONT=&quot]Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA ($20)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]PSU- [/FONT]Silencer Mk III 600W ($90)
Ram- G.Skill DDR3 1600 8GB ($40)
Operating System- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit ($100)

Total Cost: $1360

 

[lehtv]

Nice build, everything compatible, high quality and fast.

Maybe swap the PSU to Rosewill Capstone 550-M 80+Gold modular, $76 after promo. 80+ gold for the same price as the MK III but no rebate hassle.

That case is such bad bang for buck. You would be just fine with a Corsair 300R $70 AR.

As for the mobo, Asus mobos are nice but the extra cost is usually not worth it. I would get Asrock H77 Pro4/MVP $90, great price for a H77 ATX.

 

[DSF]

Ok guys im almost done shopping around, alot thanks to your help and suggestions. here is my final list. Let me know what you think and double check it to make sure all parts are compatible if you dont mind. Only thing im not 100% sure on is the mobo. Any Asus mobo's you guys like? or do you mostly use asrock? thanks again for your input, im excited to start the build. (Also, forgot to mention i have a mouse and keyboard so i wont need that.)

Case- [FONT=&quot]Corsair Obsidian 650D Aluminum Mid Tower ($150)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Screen-[/FONT]ASUS ML249H ($200)
[FONT=&quot]MOBO- [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CPU-[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core ($220)[/FONT]
GPU-XFX 7950 3GB ($320)

Hard Drive- Crucial M4 128GB ($100) and Samsung F3 1TB ($90)

Drive-[FONT=&quot]Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA ($20)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]PSU- [/FONT]Silencer Mk III 600W ($90)
Ram- G.Skill DDR3 1600 8GB ($40)
Operating System- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit ($100)

Total Cost: $1330

- If you actually intend to overclock you'll probably want an aftermarket cooler.

- Also, since you're in the States, do you live near a Microcenter? They have great combo deals on the i5 3750K and Z77 motherboards.

- You didn't actually list a motherboard model. The one mfenn recommended is fine, although you should note that his build isn't really designed with overclocking in mind. If you actually want to dabble in that you'll probably need to go a little bit over your $1300 budget since you also need peripherals. As far as brands, AsRock used to be a division of ASUS and then split off to form their own company. They make fine but unspectacular motherboards. In a midrange gaming build that's what you're looking for - a solid but unspectacular motherboard.

- By the way, considering that this is your first build, where did your affinity for ASUS come from?

- Any particular reason you want that case? It's certainly nice, but on your budget, when you have to buy every piece of the machine and a Windows license, there might be less expensive options. You could look at the Fractal Design Define R4 and Antec Three Hundred Two for boxes with a similar sleek look for a slightly lower price.

- Did you notice that a couple of the parts like the monitor and PSU have mail-in rebates?

 

[lehtv]

Missed that 3570K. Yeah if you want to OC you will need an aftermarket cooler and a Z77 board. If not, you should get the i5-3550.

 

[TMBuckman]

I noticed the rebates yeah! also, i know the case is more but im trying to think long term, i dont want to respend for a case i really like in the future. I want to set myself up to be able to upgrade parts as needed, i just didnt know if mother boards were different in there ability for you to upgrade parts to them in the future. For example with the motherboard you recommend, can i still upgrade my GPU or CPU in the future without having to change out the MOBO to get those upgrades? I am willing to go a little over budget so as to have good base parts to ugrade in the future

 

[TMBuckman]

do you all overclock? Does it help to extend the life of your graphics card, helping to not have to upgrade as quickly in the future?

 

[DSF]

I noticed the rebates yeah! also, i know the case is more but im trying to think long term, i dont want to respend for a case i really like in the future. I want to set myself up to be able to upgrade parts as needed, i just didnt know if mother boards were different in there ability for you to upgrade parts to them in the future. For example with the motherboard you recommend, can i still upgrade my GPU or CPU in the future without having to change out the MOBO to get those upgrades? I am willing to go a little over budget so as to have good base parts to ugrade in the future

I can understand wanting to have a nice case that you can take from one build to the next, but that's why I'm asking what you like about it. It isn't necessary to spend $150 to get a case that you can use for years and years. Is there a feature that you saw in that case that you can't get in others?

As far as the motherboard question, it sounds like you need a little primer on what you're paying for in a motherboard. Forgive me if I'm insulting your intelligence on some of this, but as one of my friends once said, when two intelligent people discuss something you're either going to talk over the other person's head or insult their intelligence until you find that equilibrium point where you figure out exactly where they are. Since this is your first build I'd rather give you more information than you need than leave parts out.

The most basic place to start comparing motherboards is with the chipset. (Well, I suppose the socket is the most basic place, but since you're only looking at LGA 1155 CPUs, that's already been decided.) This tells you more about what a motherboard can do than anything else. It generally tells you which CPUs the board can accept, whether it can be overclocked or not, what sort of memory and storage controllers you're working with, what PCI-e and USB generation you've got, etc.

So the upshot of that is that how easily upgraded a certain motherboard is depends mostly on the chipset and how many expansion slots it has, not the price tag. So then what are you really buying with an expensive motherboard? Here are a few things that jack up the price of a motherboard:

- Public perception that an expensive motherboard must be better
- Marketing (closely tied to the first point)
- More advanced power regulation/delivery, which is unnecessary even for the average hobbyist overclocker
- More PCI-e slots (mandatory if you're planning to Crossfire, but essentially useless if you aren't)
- More SATA ports (useful only if you have over 4-6 drives you need to connect
- Built-in Wifi (at a significant price premium over just buying a Wifi card)
- Extra/fancier I/O ports (again, useful only if you actually need them)

So unless there's something in the more expensive motherboard that you actually need, it won't provide any performance benefit to justify the expense. It also won't make the motherboard easier to upgrade in the future.

Edit: I must have been in the middle of typing this post when you added your most recent question. Whether overclocking extends the life of something depends on how much of an overclock you're able to get. Intel's Core2Duo chips from a few years back, for example, are known to be excellent overclockers. The machine I'm currently typing this on has an E4500 (2.2GHz at stock) running at 2.93GHz. That's a 33% overclock, which definitely makes a chip last longer. That architecture was so good at overclocking that I'm actually able to achieve that while running the chip below the stock voltage, reducing the power usage, heat and noise. Most chips don't go quite that far.

So if you're getting something like a 10% overclock on a graphics card I wouldn't say it'll make a huge difference in whether you need to upgrade or not, but it can make a noticeable difference now. 10% is the difference between 40 and 44 or 50 and 55 frames per second, which for some people can make a difference in whether a game feels smooth.

Plus, those of us that like to tinker find it fun anyway.

Part of what we're trying to say with our advice on saving money, though is this: If you shave $150 off your build by cutting the fat now then it won't matter whether your current graphics card lasts for 4 years or not. You'll have the money ready to drop in an upgrade at 2 years and fly.

 

[lehtv]

I noticed the rebates yeah! also, i know the case is more but im trying to think long term, i dont want to respend for a case i really like in the future.

Corsair 300R which is around half the price has a very nice set of features and should last a long time.

with the motherboard you recommend, can i still upgrade my GPU or CPU in the future without having to change out the MOBO to get those upgrades?

Future CPUs will use a different socket, so you're pretty much stuck with what CPU you buy now, no matter what mobo you get. As for the GPU, yes you can upgrade it, but you may be CPU bottlenecked. 7950 would be just fine with a stock clocked i5, but an overclocked i5 would help prevent bottlenecking a graphics card upgrade in a couple of years. If you don't know what bottlenecking is in this case, don't worry, in simplistic terms it just means that the GPU is only as fast as the CPU allows it to be.

As for the rest of the components, your drives, case, and power supply should last 4-5 years or more.

 

[TMBuckman]

Thank you both so much for your responses im learning alot. I do not take any offense as i know i am very new to all of this, and to be honest am suprised by just how much it all interests me. so let me ask is i5 3570K + ASRock Z77 Pro3 combo that is suggested able to overclock? if so i will go with that mobo and call it a day and start ordering my parts
http://redirect.anandtech.com/r?url...ls.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1030096&user=u00000687

 

[lehtv]

That is a nice combo. Since it's your first build, I would recommend limiting your overclock to whatever you can achieve at the stock voltage, that's around 4.0-4.2GHz (but you still need aftermarket cooling). The Z77 Pro3 should handle a bit of overvolting as well, but it's by no means an enthusiast overclocker's motherboard.

Also you don't need to OC right away, you could just keep the CPU at stock clocks and stock cooling until later on when you feel overclocking would benefit you more.

 

[TMBuckman]

Just ordered the parts, thanks again guys for all the help ill let you know how the build goes, hopefully smooth. I really appreciate the tips and insight i will come back if i ever have any other questions. Thanks!

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Just ordered the parts, thanks again guys for all the help ill let you know how the build goes, hopefully smooth. I really appreciate the tips and insight i will come back if i ever have any other questions. Thanks!

Oddly, I'm excited for you

Congrats

 

[mfenn]

Just ordered the parts, thanks again guys for all the help ill let you know how the build goes, hopefully smooth. I really appreciate the tips and insight i will come back if i ever have any other questions. Thanks!

Cool, let us know how the build goes!

 

[TMBuckman]

forgot to ask you guys if my graphics card will support two monitors if i want a dual set up down the line