[Build Help] ~$1200 ceiling gaming rig. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor | $189.99 @ Microcenter |
| CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | $31.99 @ Newegg |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard | $144.99 @ Newegg |
| Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $52.99 @ Newegg |
| Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $75.98 @ Outlet PC |
| Storage | Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk | $156.53 @ Amazon |
| Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card | $354.99 @ Newegg |
| Case | Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case | $59.99 @ Newegg |
| Power Supply | Raidmax 730W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply | $64.99 @ Amazon |
| Optical Drive | Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer | $18.98 @ Outlet PC |
| Total | ||
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $1151.42 | |
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-25 12:40 EST-0500 |
The main reason behind this is to essentially build a medium-to-high end PC for gaming. I chose parts that seem to be r/buildapc favorites like the i5-3570k and the Z77X-UD3H. But alas, my main concerns are as follows:
Memory - I chose the G.Skill Ripjaw Series because it seems to have an extremely high review count. I am not an expert on the intangible specifics as to which RAM is better than the other, but I felt like this is a safe choice. But can I do better?
SSD - I actually don't know enough about SSDs to make a confident decision on which SSD I actually want. All I know is that people seem to like the Samsung 400 Series (non-pro) so I just threw that in my build hoping for some educated feedback. I should mention that I DO want an SSD in my build, mainly for holding the OS as well as a handful of the games I play most frequently (Guild Wars 2, League of Legends, Diablo 3 to name a few)
Video Card - I'd say about 95% of the reason I chose the EVGA GTX 670 2GB is due to my friend having it in his current build (not sure of the exact model) and he has no qualms about it. I see a lot of comments on r/buildapc convincing people to go the Radeon 7xxx route, but I currently have a Radeon HD 6870 in my PC atm and frankly I am not completely satisfied with its performance (coupled with the AMD Phenom II 955 Black Edition processor). I'd rather go the Nvidia route this time around. Does the 2gb greatly underperform compared to the 4gb? Is it worth to shell out the money?
Power Supply - Is this Raidmax 730W overkill? I included it in the build because, like my RAM choice, it had lots of good reviews.
Case - The 300R looks pretty cool. I'm sure this is just preference at this point, but how would the 200R compare to the 300R?
Thanks r/buildapc in advance for your always-inciteful responses and comments.
Posted Feb 25, 2013, 5:54 PM UTC · edited
I would get a better power supply. Case is just preference. Video card I would say the 7970, great game bundle with it and great performance, but if you would rather have the 670 evga has great support so it's a good decision too. The 2gb should be fine here if you are only playing 1080. If you are going higher or multi display get the 4gb.