Is this really good for a first time PC build? Suggestions?

Hey guys,
I'm a semi-regular GameSpot poster / lurker and have been working a lot recently, but over the course of the past several months I've picked out parts to build my first gaming rig. PC gaming has interested me for a while and, thanks to Steam sales, I already have over 60 games to start. The problem is that my current PC is your standard Dell that's only capable of running some Source engine games at 720p on medium/low settings. Here's the rig I plan on building. Keep in mind, this is my first gaming rig and I'm spending this money because I want the difference to be monumental (I'm a long time console gamer). Also keep in mind, I plan on using this PC for graphic design, audio recording, and possibly video editing as well:

Antec Twelve Hundred V3 Black Steel ATX Full Tower
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS|
COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series RSA00-80GAD3-US 1000W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLU
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML16GX3M4A1600C9B
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM
Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000
EVGA Signature 04G-P4-2692-KR GeForce GTX 690 4GB 512-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

I already have my peripherals: an Asus 24" 1080p LED monitor (that I plan on upgrading to and ACER 27" 3D monitor later), a Logitech G19 keyboard, and a G500 mouse. The total on this build is a little over $2500, but I couldn't just upgrade what I had. What I'm trying to do here is build something that's at least a little bit future-proof.

So any suggestions? Compatibility issues? Better choices for different parts? Thanks in advance.

Hey guys,
I'm a semi-regular GameSpot poster / lurker and have been working a lot recently, but over the course of the past several months I've picked out parts to build my first gaming rig. PC gaming has interested me for a while and, thanks to Steam sales, I already have over 60 games to start. The problem is that my current PC is your standard Dell that's only capable of running some Source engine games at 720p on medium/low settings. Here's the rig I plan on building. Keep in mind, this is my first gaming rig and I'm spending this money because I want the difference to be monumental (I'm a long time console gamer). Also keep in mind, I plan on using this PC for graphic design, audio recording, and possibly video editing as well:

Antec Twelve Hundred V3 Black Steel ATX Full Tower
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS|
COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series RSA00-80GAD3-US 1000W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLU
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML16GX3M4A1600C9B
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM
Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000
EVGA Signature 04G-P4-2692-KR GeForce GTX 690 4GB 512-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

I already have my peripherals: an Asus 24" 1080p LED monitor (that I plan on upgrading to and ACER 27" 3D monitor later), a Logitech G19 keyboard, and a G500 mouse. The total on this build is a little over $2500, but I couldn't just upgrade what I had. What I'm trying to do here is build something that's at least a little bit future-proof.

So any suggestions? Compatibility issues? Better choices for different parts? Thanks in advance.

Ryan_Som

A 1000W PSU is a little overkill, should be fine with a good 700-750W PSU.

Windows 7 Pro is mostly useless, except for XP mode, but even that is only good if the program doesn't run in compatibility mode (which most do).

And you could lower the 690 to a 670/680, dual GPUs tend to give problems since SLI isn't perfect.

Everything else looks pretty good. Not sure on the MOBO though, someone else will have to field that.

As stated, the 690 isn't the best choice. If you need all that power it would be more effecient to go with two 670s. The motherboard has iffy reviews. If you want to edit audio/video I'd invest an extra $20 or so in an Asus Xonar DG for better sound quality.

And you could lower the 690 to a 670/680, dual GPUs tend to give problems since SLI isn't perfect.EliteM0nk3y

[QUOTE="EliteM0nk3y"]And you could lower the 690 to a 670/680, dual GPUs tend to give problems since SLI isn't perfect.spittis

I thought microstuttering was mainly an issue running two single GPUs in SLI, not on a dual GPU card? I mean, I get that it's still technically two GPUs. I had just read about people getting a dual GPU like the 690 over two 680s in SLI even though performance is slightly better due to the lack of microstuttering.

I thought about just getting a 680 as well. My goal is be able to max anything I throw at it at 1080p while hopefully getting around 60fps. And yeah, I've been reading the reviews a lot. I've yet to come across a mobo that doesn't have some sort of issues. As I said, I'm trying to future-proof. I know 1000w for a PSU is overkill, but I'd rather too much than not enough.

I appreciate the responses so far, guys.

The problem with a duel GPU is that will have pretty much all the problems that 2 cards in SLI will (since it's essentially 2 cards in 1). The difference is that when you are in SLI, you can always stop using one of the cards, you don't have the luxury with a duel GPU.

No, there is a such a thing as being safe and such a thing as wasting power. 1000W is too much for 2 video cards IMO.

If you're going single card get 750W MAX. You'd be fine with 550W minimum.

I know that the GTX 670 FTW edition can max BF3 online @ 75 fps, but if you wanna go SLI and have the money do it and get 850-900W.

Get this mobo: Asus Sabertooth Z77

Also, switch to the newer CM 212 EVO.

No, there is a such a thing as being safe and such a thing as wasting power.

Masenkoe

You don't waste power by having a big power supply, you just save money by getting a smaller one. You can save power by getting a gold certified power supply.

You're still drawing 1000W and if it's not 80 plus it will probably draw even more. Efficiency dictates how close to the actual wattage the psu stays if I'm not mistaken, however this is not my area of expertise.

Hey guys,
I'm a semi-regular GameSpot poster / lurker and have been working a lot recently, but over the course of the past several months I've picked out parts to build my first gaming rig. PC gaming has interested me for a while and, thanks to Steam sales, I already have over 60 games to start. The problem is that my current PC is your standard Dell that's only capable of running some Source engine games at 720p on medium/low settings. Here's the rig I plan on building. Keep in mind, this is my first gaming rig and I'm spending this money because I want the difference to be monumental (I'm a long time console gamer). Also keep in mind, I plan on using this PC for graphic design, audio recording, and possibly video editing as well:

Antec Twelve Hundred V3 Black Steel ATX Full Tower
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS|
COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series RSA00-80GAD3-US 1000W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLU
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML16GX3M4A1600C9B
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM
Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000
EVGA Signature 04G-P4-2692-KR GeForce GTX 690 4GB 512-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

I already have my peripherals: an Asus 24" 1080p LED monitor (that I plan on upgrading to and ACER 27" 3D monitor later), a Logitech G19 keyboard, and a G500 mouse. The total on this build is a little over $2500, but I couldn't just upgrade what I had. What I'm trying to do here is build something that's at least a little bit future-proof.

So any suggestions? Compatibility issues? Better choices for different parts? Thanks in advance.

Ryan_Som

I've got a couple of suggestions. Since you're going Ivy Bridge, you shoud go with a Z77 chipset board. Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H and Asus P8Z77-V Pro are highly recommended. Also, consider using 2x8 GB of RAM instead of 4x4 to keep it dual channel, which will increase performance.

Instead of buying the GTX690, you should run 2 GTX 670 in SLi, which will offer the same level of performance for about $200 less.

There is a very interesting review on this:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_670_SLI/

If your budget allows, also get a small SSD drive with 60 or 128GB to install the OS and programs on. It will make a massive difference.

Also, consider using 2x8 GB of RAM instead of 4x4 to keep it dual channelSturmfuehrer_

You're still drawing 1000W and if it's not 80 plus it will probably draw even more. Efficiency dictates how close to the actual wattage the psu stays if I'm not mistaken, however this is not my area of expertise.

Masenkoe

Drop PSU to 750w

Change 690 to 680

16GB of ram is normally overkill but if you're editing 1080p video you may as well keep it.

If you want to save another $10 this samsung is as good as the WD.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

if your gonna spend all that money you may aswell get 2133 ram. a good sound card, headphones, nice mouse mat. sound is important, onboard sounds sh!t by comparison. and what about speakers? personally i would spend money on speakers quicker than i would a case, much quicker. having bullets zip around your room in 5.1 or better with some quality bass adds alot to the experience. and yeah there is no need for more than 750w psu.

if you dont want to spend more money, then i would skim money from your choice of case (there is never any *need* to spend more than $50 on a case unless you are doing -extreme- overclocking or want a show case. the motherboard, the one you have chosen is very overpriced. its little different from many boards around half the price. the graphics card, as you are paying $250 for perhaps 5% more graphics power, and the CPU. just like the GPU you pay a premium for whatevre is right at the top of the line. you can save some money and get a 2700k and you wont notice any difference.

for speakers, look at the logitech z906, they are very good, and for sound card, you should be looking at a creative or asus card ~$100 would be about how much i would spend if i were spending 2.5k to set up a gaming pc.

also you should consider that a $500 gpu is going to be worth $20 in 5 years whereas $300 speakers will be worth $150 atleast. just trust me. if you make the changes i suggest you will get so much more for your money, and a much better over all experience.

No, there is a such a thing as being safe and such a thing as wasting power. 1000W is too much for 2 video cards IMO.

If you're going single card get 750W MAX. You'd be fine with 550W minimum.

I know that the GTX 670 FTW edition can max BF3 online @ 75 fps, but if you wanna go SLI and have the money do it and get 850-900W.

Get this mobo: Asus Sabertooth Z77

Also, switch to the newer CM 212 EVO.

if your gonna spend all that money you may aswell get 2133 ram. a good sound card, headphones, nice mouse mat. sound is important, onboard sounds sh!t by comparison. and what about speakers? personally i would spend money on speakers quicker than i would a case, much quicker. having bullets zip around your room in 5.1 or better with some quality bass adds alot to the experience. and yeah there is no need for more than 750w psu.

if you dont want to spend more money, then i would skim money from your choice of case (there is never any *need* to spend more than $50 on a case unless you are doing -extreme- overclocking or want a show case. the motherboard, the one you have chosen is very overpriced. its little different from many boards around half the price. the graphics card, as you are paying $250 for perhaps 5% more graphics power, and the CPU. just like the GPU you pay a premium for whatevre is right at the top of the line. you can save some money and get a 2700k and you wont notice any difference.

for speakers, look at the logitech z906, they are very good, and for sound card, you should be looking at a creative or asus card ~$100 would be about how much i would spend if i were spending 2.5k to set up a gaming pc.

seercirra

I've had the z-5500 for years. I wouldn't say they are "really good". They are good for watching movies and playing games though. You can get much better speakers, but the best speakers will take quite a bit of space. It's good enough for people like me who don't really listen to music other than on their ipod. The bass is decent, and the receiver is really small, so that's nice. If you're looking for an amazing music experience, don't look at logitech speakers. If you're looking for a good price/sound quality ratio and have lots of room, I would recommend looking somewhere else (Onyko for example).

if your gonna spend all that money you may aswell get 2133 ram. a good sound card, headphones, nice mouse mat. sound is important, onboard sounds sh!t by comparison. and what about speakers? personally i would spend money on speakers quicker than i would a case, much quicker. having bullets zip around your room in 5.1 or better with some quality bass adds alot to the experience. and yeah there is no need for more than 750w psu.

if you dont want to spend more money, then i would skim money from your choice of case (there is never any *need* to spend more than $50 on a case unless you are doing -extreme- overclocking or want a show case. the motherboard, the one you have chosen is very overpriced. its little different from many boards around half the price. the graphics card, as you are paying $250 for perhaps 5% more graphics power, and the CPU. just like the GPU you pay a premium for whatevre is right at the top of the line. you can save some money and get a 2700k and you wont notice any difference.

for speakers, look at the logitech z906, they are very good, and for sound card, you should be looking at a creative or asus card ~$100 would be about how much i would spend if i were spending 2.5k to set up a gaming pc.

seercirra

For the case, I just figured it would have plenty of room / fans for ventilation. I was going to go with the 1000w PSU because I didn't want to question whether I could run two high-end GPUs in SLI (i.e. 2xGTX690s. Yes, I know that's overkill.). I did plan on getting a separate, better sound card. For speakers right now, I have a set of Klipsch speakers. It's only a 2.1 setup, but it sounds really good and I bought them as a holdover until I get a nice 5.1 setup. I have a 5.1 setup for my TV / home theater setup, but it's just and HTIB deal which I plan on switching out for a component setup with a separate receiver later.

For headphones, I have a decent set of Sennheiser HD280s and for a mouse pad I have the X-trac Pad Ripper that's something like 11x17". Other potential reasons for something like a 690 or an SLI setup is that I'm interested in doing a tri-monitor setup for Surroundvision with 3D down the road.

Thanks for the responses so far everyone. I appreciate it. I added that Z68 mobo to my wishlist a while ago, so I figured there'd be a better board out there now. I'm adding a Z77 to my list.

Logitech make terrible speakers.

kraken2109

Yeah...I like Logitech's stuff in general, but I bought a 2.1 setup from them before getting my Klipsch speakers. The Klipsch have a bit more of an old-school aesthetic to them, but they have a broader sonic range with more pronounced mids. The Logitech were pretty much all bass and treble. I bought the Klipsch because within 2 months of using them, one of the speakers stopped working on the Logitech. I bought them from Newegg, but it was over a month so it was too late to RMA. I still have over a year and a half on Logitech's warranty, but I've been too busy to send them back.

These are the Logitech speakers I had:
Logitech Z623 200 w 2.1 Speaker System, THX-Certified

And here are the Klipsch ones that I'm currently using:
Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Speaker

[QUOTE="Masenkoe"]

You're still drawing 1000W and if it's not 80 plus it will probably draw even more. Efficiency dictates how close to the actual wattage the psu stays if I'm not mistaken, however this is not my area of expertise.

spittis

Thanks for clarifying. As I said I didn't know for sure.

I've had the z-5500 for years. I wouldn't say they are "really good". They are good for watching movies and playing games though. You can get much better speakers, but the best speakers will take quite a bit of space. It's good enough for people like me who don't really listen to music other than on their ipod. The bass is decent, and the receiver is really small, so that's nice. If you're looking for an amazing music experience, don't look at logitech speakers. If you're looking for a good price/sound quality ratio and have lots of room, I would recommend looking somewhere else (Onyko for example).

bloodling

[QUOTE="seercirra"]

if your gonna spend all that money you may aswell get 2133 ram. a good sound card, headphones, nice mouse mat. sound is important, onboard sounds sh!t by comparison. and what about speakers? personally i would spend money on speakers quicker than i would a case, much quicker. having bullets zip around your room in 5.1 or better with some quality bass adds alot to the experience. and yeah there is no need for more than 750w psu.

if you dont want to spend more money, then i would skim money from your choice of case (there is never any *need* to spend more than $50 on a case unless you are doing -extreme- overclocking or want a show case. the motherboard, the one you have chosen is very overpriced. its little different from many boards around half the price. the graphics card, as you are paying $250 for perhaps 5% more graphics power, and the CPU. just like the GPU you pay a premium for whatevre is right at the top of the line. you can save some money and get a 2700k and you wont notice any difference.

for speakers, look at the logitech z906, they are very good, and for sound card, you should be looking at a creative or asus card ~$100 would be about how much i would spend if i were spending 2.5k to set up a gaming pc.

Ryan_Som

For the case, I just figured it would have plenty of room / fans for ventilation. I was going to go with the 1000w PSU because I didn't want to question whether I could run two high-end GPUs in SLI (i.e. 2xGTX690s. Yes, I know that's overkill.). I did plan on getting a separate, better sound card. For speakers right now, I have a set of Klipsch speakers. It's only a 2.1 setup, but it sounds really good and I bought them as a holdover until I get a nice 5.1 setup. I have a 5.1 setup for my TV / home theater setup, but it's just and HTIB deal which I plan on switching out for a component setup with a separate receiver later.

For headphones, I have a decent set of Sennheiser HD280s and for a mouse pad I have the X-trac Pad Ripper that's something like 11x17". Other potential reasons for something like a 690 or an SLI setup is that I'm interested in doing a tri-monitor setup for Surroundvision with 3D down the road.

Thanks for the responses so far everyone. I appreciate it. I added that Z68 mobo to my wishlist a while ago, so I figured there'd be a better board out there now. I'm adding a Z77 to my list.

[QUOTE="bloodling"]

I've had the z-5500 for years. I wouldn't say they are "really good". They are good for watching movies and playing games though. You can get much better speakers, but the best speakers will take quite a bit of space. It's good enough for people like me who don't really listen to music other than on their ipod. The bass is decent, and the receiver is really small, so that's nice. If you're looking for an amazing music experience, don't look at logitech speakers. If you're looking for a good price/sound quality ratio and have lots of room, I would recommend looking somewhere else (Onyko for example).

seercirra