PC Build

[CharlieHorse]

Hey guys. I think I've decided to ditch the laptop "desktop replacement" and just go ahead and build my own desktop PC.
Here's my shopping list so far:

-Intel i7 3770 3.4ghz processor
-ASUS P8Z77-V Pro lga 1155 Intel z77 atx motherboard
-Sapphire 100352-4L Radeon HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 PCI-Express video card (with boost)
-Seasonic M12II 620 Bronze Plus 620w Modular Power Supply
-g.skill ripjaw x series (2 x 8gb) ddr3 1600 ram
- Seagate constellation CS 1TB 7200rpm 64mb cache hdd
-Samsung 840 pro series 128gb SATA III internal ssd
-Cooler Master HAF 912 Case
*no*<LG 12x bluray drive SATA>
-Acer S271Hlbid 27" 1080p 60hz led LCD monitor
-Asus gx950 6button 8200dpi laser mouse :3

and a random slim keyboard and a random speaker set.

I already have windows 7 professional 64-bit CD :)

This looks like a total of $1500-$1800

Thoughts? Suggestions?
Thanks guys so much :)

[FantaSauce]

Right i gave you some info on your latpop and now i'm gonna give you some info here.

If you wanna cut down the cost quite substancially, Go for an AMD Cpu.
Either get a 8320 or an 8350, 8 Core 3.5 and 4.0ghz Respectively.
Although the higher level Intel will outperform these, These cost less than $200. Unlike the intel which costs over $300,
From Cpubenchmark.com, The two current processors that are best value for money are the 8320 then the 8350. The 8350 only performs slightly less than the I7 3770.
Also if you decide to go for an AMD processor this means that you will also save money on the motherboard.
This would work wonders with the suggester Processor, http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-SABERTOOTH-990FX-R2-0-Motherboard/dp/B008YDJHWM/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1369742179&sr=1-2&keywords=asus+sabertooth+990fx+gen3+r2.0,
It looks amazing and it has a 5 year military grade warranty, I am currently using the same board myself and it works a treat.

The graphics card is a good choice and since you're going for an AMD rather than an Nvidia means that also getting an AMD CPU they will interact much easier meaning they will work more efficiently.

The power supply is sufficient. Hard Drive and SSD are good.
Case looks like a bit of a squeeze but it should hold everything wonderfully.
Bluray drive, Big no no, Unless you want to fork out expensive money for some software to run blu-rays it's cheaper to just but a bluray player that goes into your tv. talking from experience. Also this will save you quite a few dollars.
27 inch monitor is Unncessary unless the Resolution goes up to higher set of 2560, which it doesn't so it will not look as sharp as a 23inch monitor, This could also cut off quite a few dollars.

The mouse, you will NOT need 8200 DPI that is hugely excessive, I use a Razer Mamba that goes up to 6400, ANd never use that much, i usually stay at 3200-4000 and people who use my mouse usually can't deal with that. I have used 6400 for a short time but it is very difficult to handle, so i don't see how 8200 is even possible.
Maybe get yourself a better quality lower dpi mouse such as
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=26-570-020&ParentOnly=1&IsVirtualParent=1


These are just suggestions from what i know myself, If you do decide to follow up on these feel free to repost the overall spec and price, you might be amazed. :)

[Hypers]

a tip: always follow directions and never use a hammer.

and those specs are awesome i wish i had that kind of money.
also, as the poster above said, you should use either AMD + Radeon or Intel + NVIDIA. Generally, Intel + Nvidia will get you better performance, but it is usually expensive.

[ace121ace]

go amd, even though the intel i7 is better (btw if you decide on the intel, then upgrade to the 3770 k, because you can overclock it). The fx8350 is a great processor, and in real world tests, it can match and some times beat the i7 at various things. Overall the i7 is better though... But value for money the amd is better. As for the power supply, Make sure you get a 750w one in case you decide to add another gc late, or a pci flash memory or something. By the way, I recommend the ASRock z77 Extreme 4 it is amazing... Forgot to mention, if you go amd, then you will most likely be able to upgrade the cpu in about 2-3 years without changing the motherboard or anything, since amd arent changing their socket any time soon. As for the ssd, its a good choice, although, if you can afford it, get a larger one, it will just fit the vast majority of everything and trust me, the speed and reliability is noticable. GET WINDOWS 8, even though it's gay, it still technically performs better gaming and multitasking. Its really not that bad. As for the graphics card, its a good card, but if you can afford it, get the 7970 ghz gigabyte 3gb. Its almost as good as a titan performance wise, and its like an extra $100-$150 more expensive than the 7950. If you can sacrifice the free games, the gtx 670 is probably a better card than the 7950 depending which one you get. Invest in a monitor with a higher refresh rate. 120hz makes a huge difference believe me. To correct Fantasauce, the fact that you have an amd gc and cpu doesnt mean that it will perform better than a intel cpu and an amd gpu. I doesn't matter if the gc and the cpu are the same brand at all. They interact the same (despite what most people think). So, i recommend the amd, and the sabertooth motherboard with it, plus a better psu (i have the antec hgc 900w running 2 7970ghz in crossfire). If you want, you could get a liquid cooler, although beware if you do, make sure u get a closed loop one they are much safer but still a bit risky. Keep in mind the silverarrow (i cant remember the exact name) is almost as good as any liquid cooler with out the risk of leaking(that doesnt mean there is no risk, everythinghas a risk).

OR!!!! you could wait for haswell (intel chipset) and the gtx 7xx series. I would wait a month or two, ( Have a look at some of the new motherboards for the haswell chipset, they are amazing, some even have waterproof coating so if u get liquid cooling it wont harm your components). Just wait a month, then get one of those, they look amazing. Hope this helped, (just my opinion).

Double Post Merged~Red Velvet

[Axw_JD]

upgrade Windows to Windows 8 or 8.1 if you can. Since you are going for top of the line performance, the extra power 8+ will give (thanks to reduced system usage from the OS) is well worth the extra price. Plus, you are getting a DirectX 11.1 GPU, so you still need Windows 8 or above to have full support for it on the software side as well.

Make sure the blu-ray drive includes software. A lot of them do, but some don't, and the software a lone costs $40 - $100.

Check online to see if you can get the 7950 you are getting flashed with the 7970 firmware. I haven't been paying attention recently, but my 6950 had that feature, so I essentially got a whole bunch of extra performance without spending extra money.

I do agree with the above in that you could save some money by going AMD without losing much performance at all.

[Plane And Simple]

Right. Do NOT upgrade to win8 until SP1 is out.

PM me about it, I'll help you out, and I have a mate who is a true PC mad who can help with this too.

[ace121ace]

^windows 8 is perfectly fine, people quit your bitching, it just takes some getting used to.

[Plane And Simple]

I'm not bitching, just saying it still has bugs and it's far from perfect. I know how pcs do and I don't care about appearance. Performance is what we need

[CharlieHorse]

Few things.
I'm going to probably be purchasing a PC in late august, so I can see what comes out soon.
I am not going to purchase windows 8. I am just so used to windows 7, and I already have it.
I'm leaning towards an Intel CPU + mobo, but I'll look at some AMD ones too :)
The bluray software? I guess I don't need it really, I'll just get a standard drive :)
For the mouse, I'm going to just go try a bunch out. I just threw it in there for the heck of it.
I like 27inch monitors. :)

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! :D

[Human]

Hey guys. I think I've decided to ditch the laptop "desktop replacement" and just go ahead and build my own desktop PC.
Here's my shopping list so far:

-Intel i7 3770 3.4ghz processor
-ASUS P8Z77-V Pro lga 1155 Intel z77 atx motherboard
-Sapphire 100352-4L Radeon HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 PCI-Express video card (with boost)
-Seasonic M12II 620 Bronze Plus 620w Modular Power Supply
-g.skill ripjaw x series (2 x 8gb) ddr3 1600 ram
- Seagate constellation CS 1TB 7200rpm 64mb cache hdd
-Samsung 840 pro series 128gb SATA III internal ssd
-Cooler Master HAF 912 Case
-LG 12x bluray drive SATA
-Acer S271Hlbid 27" 1080p 60hz led LCD monitor
-Asus gx950 6button 8200dpi laser mouse :3

and a random slim keyboard and a random speaker set.

I already have windows 7 professional 64-bit CD :)

This looks like a total of $1500-$1800

Thoughts? Suggestions?
Thanks guys so much :)

personally i think that the blu ray drive is kind of unneeded and removing it would save a lot of money :D
it looks like a great set up though

[CharlieHorse]

personally i think that the blu ray drive is kind of unneeded and removing it would save a lot of money :D
it looks like a great set up though

Alright thanks :)
I'll take the blue ray drive off the list and get a simple regualr drive.

[FantaSauce]

Good choice, IF you are gonna go for an Intel CPU and Mobo, Change the graphics to an Nvidia for sure.

[Axw_JD]

Right. Do NOT upgrade to win8 until SP1 is out.

PM me about it, I'll help you out, and I have a mate who is a true PC mad who can help with this too.

Proof that you don't even know what you are talking about: Starting with Windows 8, Microsoft has abandoned Service Packs, in favor of monthly updates similar to service packs in functionality, so technically Windows 8 is already past SP6, and has moved Windows to a yearly release schedule with the next update, Windows 8.1, being a completely free upgrade for Windows 8 users available through the Windows Store.

Regardless of your personal opinion about Windows 8 and anyone's retarded reasons to hate it, proof is it works better (and in the worst case scenario just as good) as Windows 7. Anyone serious about gaming would be more than happy to upgrade for that extra fps and the lower footprint the OS has on the computer's performance.

Plus, DirectX 11.1 and above only work in full with Windows 8 and above.

Alright thanks :)
I'll take the blue ray drive off the list and get a simple regualr drive.

Don't. You only need the software for movie playback. If you just want it to future-proof the system (retail games will start coming in Blu-Ray pretty soon) is not a bad investment. Besides, a blu-ray drive with 3D support can be had for as low as $40 today, so you won't be saving much by downgrading to DVD but you will be losing something you might want later on.

Again, just like with the Windows 8 upgrade, this is about the question of whether you want a computer to play games today, or a next generation computer. Since you aren't buying it until later this year, you might be able to take advantage of the 8.1 upgrade offer (similar to the 8 upgrade offer from last year) were you could get Windows 8.1 Pro upgrade for $80 instead of $120

PS: Right now I am installing Windows 8 on the fifth computer this week, upgrading from previous versions of Windows. The biggest gain was for the lower-end laptop and netbook, those saw a 50-100% performance gain by upgrading from Windows 7 and Windows XP respectively (both were Vista Basic machines in the past and struggled to do much at all. Now they boot just as fast and work just as good for everyday computing as my gaming PC).

[CharlieHorse]

Proof that you don't even know what you are talking about: Starting with Windows 8, Microsoft has abandoned Service Packs, in favor of monthly updates similar to service packs in functionality, so technically Windows 8 is already past SP6, and has moved Windows to a yearly release schedule with the next update, Windows 8.1, being a completely free upgrade for Windows 8 users available through the Windows Store.

Regardless of your personal opinion about Windows 8 and anyone's retarded reasons to hate it, proof is it works better (and in the worst case scenario just as good) as Windows 7. Anyone serious about gaming would be more than happy to upgrade for that extra fps and the lower footprint the OS has on the computer's performance.

Plus, DirectX 11.1 and above only work in full with Windows 8 and above.



Don't. You only need the software for movie playback. If you just want it to future-proof the system (retail games will start coming in Blu-Ray pretty soon) is not a bad investment. Besides, a blu-ray drive with 3D support can be had for as low as $40 today, so you won't be saving much by downgrading to DVD but you will be losing something you might want later on.

I originally wanted a blue ray drive for watching movies, but that's second priority, and I'd always be able to pick one up any time and throw it in.

I don't hate windows 8, I just prefer 7 over it right now. I'll try it some more in the store though, but I'd love to be able to save money with just going with what I already have and what I'm used to.

I just read about the Intel Haswell processors. (4th Gen). I think I'd like to wait and see what those turn out to be like. The story I read said they're going to be released sometimes next month or so. :)

[ace121ace]

u can still get amd graphics card... it has no effect if its intel or amd

[Horatio Nelson]

Everything seems to have been answered above quite well. :) Good luck building your rig Charlie!

[Axw_JD]

I originally wanted a blue ray drive for watching movies, but that's second priority, and I'd always be able to pick one up any time and throw it in.

I don't hate windows 8, I just prefer 7 over it right now. I'll try it some more in the store though, but I'd love to be able to save money with just going with what I already have and what I'm used to.

I just read about the Intel Haswell processors. (4th Gen). I think I'd like to wait and see what those turn out to be like. The story I read said they're going to be released sometimes next month or so. :)

Well, like I said, is not like a BD drive is that much more expensive than a DVD one nowadays, so if you are getting a drive, you might as well go Blu. Here, this one's $70, has BD burning capabilities and support for next-gen BDs: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=27-136-250&ParentOnly=1&IsVirtualParent=1

Even at full price, the money you are "saving" by staying on a 4 year old OS is negligible compared to the price of the computer overall. Right now, a full license for Windows 8 is $100 for the standard, $140 for the Pro: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=-1&isNodeId=1&Description=windows+8&x=0&y=0.

Are you in high-school or college? You might even be able to get Windows 8 and above for free from DreamSpark: https://www.dreamspark.com/Student/Default.aspx#

If you can wait until October or so, definitely do. The next-gen Intel and AMD CPUs will be out by then, next-gen AMD and nVidia GPUs will also be out by then, and Windows 8.1 will be out by then too, so you will be able to get brand new high end components for the same money, and you'll be able to save some money on Windows as well. (or even save some money on the components you want today)

[ace121ace]

no need for pro^

[Axw_JD]

no need for pro^

According to Microsoft, the extra features on Pro are:

-Full-system encryption
-Remote Desktop Connection
-Corporate network support
-Windows to Go support

So yeah, probably don't need Pro, but the option is still there nonetheless :P

[CharlieHorse]

I guess the next step is to just see what Intel comes out with in terms of Haswell.

Thanks for your input guys :)

I'm going to try windows 8 in the store sometime.

[Axw_JD]

I guess the next step is to just see what Intel comes out with in terms of Haswell.

Thanks for your input guys :)

I'm going to try windows 8 in the store sometime.

How good is your current computer? You could give it a try on a Virtual Machine (be warned though, on a VM most of the newer, advanced features are not available. Booting takes forever on a VM and the start menu is sluggish and the display looks choppy. It has nothing to do with how good the computer or the OS is, is just a current bug in most VM software that should be fixed soon)

Virtual Machine software: http://www.vmware.com/products/player/
Windows 8 trial: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-8.aspx

(That trial is of the Enterprise version of Windows. It has a lot of features that you don't need or can't even use because of hardware so you might see errors or warnings during installation that you won't see on the consumer-level version of the OS)

[CharlieHorse]

How good is your current computer? You could give it a try on a Virtual Machine (be warned though, on a VM most of the newer, advanced features are not available. Booting takes forever on a VM and the start menu is sluggish and the display looks choppy. It has nothing to do with how good the computer or the OS is, is just a current bug in most VM software that should be fixed soon)

Virtual Machine software: http://www.vmware.com/products/player/
Windows 8 trial: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-8.aspx

(That trial is of the Enterprise version of Windows. It has a lot of features that you don't need or can't even use because of hardware so you might see errors or warnings during installation that you won't see on the consumer-level version of the OS)

I have an Imac with an Intel i3.
It sucks donkeyballs.
I can just try it in the store.
It's a great idea though Thanks :)

[Plane And Simple]

Proof that you don't even know what you are talking about: Starting with Windows 8, Microsoft has abandoned Service Packs, in favor of monthly updates similar to service packs in functionality, so technically Windows 8 is already past SP6, and has moved Windows to a yearly release schedule with the next update, Windows 8.1, being a completely free upgrade for Windows 8 users available through the Windows Store.

Regardless of your personal opinion about Windows 8 and anyone's retarded reasons to hate it, proof is it works better (and in the worst case scenario just as good) as Windows 7. Anyone serious about gaming would be more than happy to upgrade for that extra fps and the lower footprint the OS has on the computer's performance.

Plus, DirectX 11.1 and above only work in full with Windows 8 and above


Alright you're able to think what you please, and so am I. Let's not turn this into the bad bit and keep things calm should we?

There was aboslutely no reason for "And Anyone's RETARDED reason to hate it". you beign a Windows 8 pro doesnt mean you can scum me with insults.

[Human]

Alright thanks :)
I'll take the blue ray drive off the list and get a simple regualr drive.

You can obviously keep it if you really want... that was just my opinion!

[Mayon]

Windows 7?! 8 is faster and better! I love it, despite what some people say, it it better then 7.

[CharlieHorse]

Windows 7?! 8 is faster and better! I love it, despite what some people say, it it better then 7.

I made another thread for discussion about this.

[CharlieHorse]

I took a look at some of the rumors for the Haswell Intel processors and it seems that although they are the next generation they aren't going to make much of a difference performance wise, and going with the current 3rd generation is going to be good enough for me. Plus, I expect that when the Haswell processors come out the 3rd gen processors will be cheaper by then.
But either way I'm not going to get the computer anytime soon, so we can still see how the haswell processors turn out to be.

I got some suggestions from some friends about how to edit my build list. here is my current list:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=19862991

I also think I'm going to get this monitor:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004YCMEJU/ref=aa_ol_d
EDIT:
Found this one instead!!!!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236293

[FantaSauce]

Reconsider getting an Nvidia graphics, It will run better with the Intel Board

[Argonian]

Is this for gaming?

[CharlieHorse]

Reconsider getting an Nvidia graphics, It will run better with the Intel Board
Despite the hype surrounding this, this is not true.


Is this for gaming?

This will be for gaming, video and photo editing, movies, general use, internet, and homework.

[FantaSauce]

I have seen it to be true, But ofcourse it's just suggestion.

[Argonian]

If the photo editing software doesn't need HT you could easily save yourself some money and get an i5..

[Hyper]

What others said:

You should go AMD+the SABERTOOTH mobo FantaSauce suggested.

Paying for the that 3rd gen core i7 wont gain you anything especially if you are going with a Sapphire...

Downgrading to an i5 with a 3GB DDR5 card would be silly.

It looks fine in general... Though I'm sure with proper research you could save a lot of $$$ and get the same or near the same performance.

Waiting for Haswell is not worth it IMO. The performance increase wont be so massively noticeable and the prices will always be overinflated at first. If you went with this config you could just chop it up and sell it off a year or two from now and build a new one with a Haswell CPU.

Why that monitor???

[Argonian]

Why is using an i5 with a 3gb gfx card a bad idea? As far as I know an i7 is the same but with HT...

Although I agree that by getting a cheaper motherboard, cpu, and ssd you could save yourself quite a bit of money nd lose almost no performance.

[FantaSauce]

What others said:

You should go AMD+the SABERTOOTH mobo FantaSauce suggested.

Paying for the that 3rd gen core i7 wont gain you anything especially if you are going with a Sapphire...

Downgrading to an i5 with a 3GB DDR5 card would be silly.

It looks fine in general... Though I'm sure with proper research you could save a lot of $$$ and get the same or near the same performance.

Waiting for Haswell is not worth it IMO. The performance increase wont be so massively noticeable and the prices will always be overinflated at first. If you went with this config you could just chop it up and sell it off a year or two from now and build a new one with a Haswell CPU.

Why that monitor???

And i5 With a 3gb Gpu would be fine, you might find some small decrease in performance in max stress but you don't do that on day to day usage.

[CharlieHorse]

What others said:

You should go AMD+the SABERTOOTH mobo FantaSauce suggested.

Paying for the that 3rd gen core i7 wont gain you anything especially if you are going with a Sapphire...

Downgrading to an i5 with a 3GB DDR5 card would be silly.

It looks fine in general... Though I'm sure with proper research you could save a lot of $$$ and get the same or near the same performance.

Waiting for Haswell is not worth it IMO. The performance increase wont be so massively noticeable and the prices will always be overinflated at first. If you went with this config you could just chop it up and sell it off a year or two from now and build a new one with a Haswell CPU.

Why that monitor???

Thanks for the ideas :)
The monitor? I'm still looking around to decide. I plan to go to a computer store today and look at a bunch.
While there, I'm going to see if I can see a difference between 60hz and 120z or 144hz, and imagine how the size will be on my desk in my bedroom. I'm also going to see what pixel density will look like from a couple feet away from it (like with standard using)
I'm stuck between a 24" and a 27" monitor. I drew the screen dimensions on my wall to get a better layout visual.

[Hyper]

And i5 With a 3gb Gpu would be fine, you might find some small decrease in performance in max stress but you don't do that on day to day usage.

If that's the case he doesn't need a 7950 anyway.

If he wants a Haswell build in like a year or two he is better off sticking to a 3rd gen or one of the latest AMD models so he can sell his parts later.

Not that he couldn't sell an i5 just that the price of that will drop faster than the i7s

@ OP

What are you going to use the monitor for???

A lot of it depends on how you will be viewing it.

[CharlieHorse]

@ OP

What are you going to use the monitor for???

A lot of it depends on how you will be viewing it.


Well, I plan to use it for games, general use, photo and video editing, and watching movies (hopefully bluray with maybe 3d).

My bed faces my desk, so I think I'd like to be able to lay in bed and watch a movie on it. :) my eyes would be about 9 feet away from the monitor when laying in my bed.

[Magus]

It looks great. But it is an overkill and destroys pockets.

[CharlieHorse]

It looks great. But it is an overkill and destroys pockets.

That's the plan! :)

[Axw_JD]

Thanks for the ideas :)
The monitor? I'm still looking around to decide. I plan to go to a computer store today and look at a bunch.
While there, I'm going to see if I can see a difference between 60hz and 120z or 144hz, and imagine how the size will be on my desk in my bedroom. I'm also going to see what pixel density will look like from a couple feet away from it (like with standard using)
I'm stuck between a 24" and a 27" monitor. I drew the screen dimensions on my wall to get a better layout visual.

If you want 3D, you won't be able to get anything lower than 120 Hz (60 Hz / eye). The better monitor you can get, the better picture you can see. 240 Hz in 3D mode is pretty darn cool, and if you can afford a monitor like that go for it, just remember you do need the monitor to specifically support 3D to be able to play 3D BDs on your computer.

[CharlieHorse]

If you want 3D, you won't be able to get anything lower than 120 Hz (60 Hz / eye). The better monitor you can get, the better picture you can see. 240 Hz in 3D mode is pretty darn cool, and if you can afford a monitor like that go for it, just remember you do need the monitor to specifically support 3D to be able to play 3D BDs on your computer.

Thanks for the info.
While looking at some monitors and prices, I think that I decided to save some money by going without 3d.
I've seen my bro play minecraft at 60fps, and it looks really smooth, so I think that going with a 60hz monitor will be great :).
I'm still on the fence about 24" vs 27" :/
I plan to go see some and compare sizes in store.

[CharlieHorse]

A few minor changes.
Added an Asus monitor.
Swapped out disk drive for a standard blue ray.
Swapped haf 912 for haf 922.
Total about $1500 :)
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=19862991

[Hyper]

I don't know anything about 3d since I am physically not capable of seeing it...

But with that in mind you need an IPS panel

[FantaSauce]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113285
Suggestion for Cpu, If you look at the price difference for the CPU (140$) The Performance difference is 20% less yet it's half the price and much better value for money overall. This drop in performance sounds like a lot, But is unnoticeable.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131877&Tpk=Asus%20Sabertooth%20990FX%20R2.0&IsVirtualParent=1

Also the money saved could be used to purchase this which is a far superior Motherboard.

Double Post Merged~ Red Velvet

[Argonian]

If you can afford a 27" monitor, go for it. But I'd try to get a 1440p or higher than 1080 res.

@hyper I understand you saying an i7 would keep its value longer than an i5, but would that still save money over its higher original cost? It's like £100 more here so I assume about $80 at least over there...

[CharlieHorse]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113285
Suggestion for Cpu, If you look at the price difference for the CPU (140$) The Performance difference is 20% less yet it's half the price and much better value for money overall. This drop in performance sounds like a lot, But is unnoticeable.

I'm looking at this:
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/447/AMD_FX-Series_FX-8320_vs_Intel_Core_i7_i7-3770K.html

[CharlieHorse]

I've heard that the best choice for gaming between an i7 and i5 is an i5.

[Magus]

I've heard that the best choice for gaming between an i7 and i5 is an i5.

i7 is an overkill. Spend the 100 bucks on the Ram. The processor of choice right now is 3570K

[Toby Tenma]

I suggest anti-freeze cooling :D

[CharlieHorse]

i7 is an overkill. Spend the 100 bucks on the Ram. The processor of choice right now is 3570K

Alrighty I got the i5 in the wish list.
I also updated it with a few minor changes to the case, graphics card, drive, and ssd.

[Magus]

Alrighty I got the i5 in the wish list.
I also updated it with a few minor changes to the case, graphics card, drive, and ssd.

Why are you going with that radeon? GTX 770 just hit the market.

[CharlieHorse]

Why are you going with that radeon? GTX 770 just hit the market.

Here's the updated list:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=19862991

[Magus]

Here's the updated list:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=19862991

Atta boy. That'll keep you busy during the summer.

But I suggest that you get a power supply with more wattage. And get the high tower case, rather than the mid-tower - this PC deserves space, you know. And that's about it. You have a killer right there.

[CharlieHorse]

Atta boy. That'll keep you busy during the summer.

But I suggest that you get a power supply with more wattage. And get the high tower case, rather than the mid-tower - this PC deserves space, you know. And that's about it. You have a killer right there.

lol unfortunately i'm in need of a summer job in order to get this :P

i'll see what other supplys there are.
what wattage do you suggest?

how about this one?:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151108


A higher case? i thought the haf 922 was already pretty high... :/

[Magus]

lol unfortunately i'm in need of a summer job in order to get this :P

i'll see what other supplys there are.
what wattage do you suggest?

how about this one?:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151108


A higher case? i thought the haf 922 was already pretty high... :/

I don't much about power supply(volt rail, how much amperes and stuff), but it seems about right(the wattage that is).

And as for the case. That's a mid-tower. You need a high-tower to fit in big stuff and have a better ventilation.

[Argonian]

For a single 7950 I'd say you could get away with 500W but for the future I'd say 600W is more than enough.

[Hyper]

If you really are going to get that GTX 770. You should get a 700w PSU... Its minimum reccomended is 600. I'd always get a bit over that.

[Axw_JD]

Going with nVidia's top of the line is more often than not overkill, I personally avoid their cards like the plague, they mess up a lot really bad, and they are way too expensive for a negligible performance gain.

Unless you are gaming at ridiculously high resolutions, you won't gain anything by switching to that card, other than spending more money. You will still get the exact same performance.

[Argonian]

I would've said that the top end amd cards often pull ahead at higher resolutions....

[Magus]

Going with nVidia's top of the line is more often than not overkill, I personally avoid their cards like the plague, they mess up a lot really bad, and they are way too expensive for a negligible performance gain.

When anyone says "Oh, nVidia and Intel are so eeevuuuuul. They crash and expensive as heeeell", then they are not making a fair comparison.

Well, let the kid decide what's best for him. It's between that(770 that is), or the 7970, rather than the 7950.

So, what say you? mrcharkteeth

You won't regret it either way. ;)

[CharlieHorse]

When anyone says "Oh, nVidia and Intel are so eeevuuuuul. They crash and expensive as heeeell", then they are not making a fair comparison.

Well, let the kid decide what's best for him. It's between that(770 that is), or the 7970, rather than the 7950.

So, what say you? mrcharkteeth

You won't regret it either way. ;)

I'm wondering if i can find a SLI gtx 770.

Also, I'm going ahead with a rather larger card because I'm thinking about the future, with things like bf4 (which will most likely push the graphics higher then ever before) being released, and I'd like a nice foothold for them so I don't need to get something else later.

[Axw_JD]

I'm wondering if i can find a SLI gtx 770.

Also, I'm going ahead with a rather larger card because I'm thinking about the future, with things like bf4 (which will most likely push the graphics higher then ever before) being released, and I'd like a nice foothold for them so I don't need to get something else later.

the Radeon HD 9xxx are around the corner (8xxx are OEM-only from the looks of it) so you will probably want to get one of those once they are released anyways.

I still don't understand. You want a future-proof gaming computer or a budget Windows 7 gaming machine? On one post you talk about wanting the best performance money can get, on the other you talk about saving money and going with a now-ancient OS.

When looking at benchmarks, make sure you read about real-life scenarios performance, not the ultra-high resolution performance unless you are running the same kind of monitors (which you have said you aren't), so you don't need the top of the line GPU or CPU...

Again, it comes down to what you are really going for. Top of the line future proof, or just the average gaming PC? So far I would say you clearly aren't thinking about the future at all.

[CharlieHorse]

I'm sticking with windows 7 for the reasons I've said many times before and and also in my 7 vs 8 thread. If I someday grow to like it, I'll consider the switch.

I'd just like something that's powerful and solid but not too expensive. I think that the setup I have now is alright from what others are saying.

[Axw_JD]

as I said, go for the acient software, your loss. You are losing performance from your expensive hardware over a completely optional start menu UI and thats just plain stupid tbh. I thought you wanted a future-proof build, since that's what you have said several times, but I guess you don't.

Also, remember Windows licenses are single-computer only. If the license you already have is used on another computer you already have, you can't just use it for the new one (and if it is an OEM license you can't transfer it to the new computer at all).

[CharlieHorse]

Also, remember Windows licenses are single-computer only. If the license you already have is used on another computer you already have, you can't just use it for the new one (and if it is an OEM license you can't transfer it to the new computer at all).

thanks for the info :) i'll keep that in mind.

I think it has been used once as an install on a virtual machine.

[Axw_JD]

thanks for the info :) i'll keep that in mind.

I think it has been used once as an install on a virtual machine.

Is it a commercial or OEM license? (i.e. does it have a fancy box or a cardboard sleeve with a sticker on it).

A commercial license can be transfered to a different computer without issues, but an OEM license is tied to the hardware you first installed it on.

[CharlieHorse]

It's got the whole fancy cardboard sleeve and it was bought at a retail computer store.

[FantaSauce]

What you've been told is untrue, Windows have up to 5 licesnes, and if you install onto more you just ring them up with a code and they pretty much give you as many as you need for free. Trust me i've done it,

Don't get SLI if you can afford a much bigger one, One really good card performs muich better than 2 smaller ones in SLI / Crossfire

[CharlieHorse]

What you've been told is untrue, Windows have up to 5 licesnes, and if you install onto more you just ring them up with a code and they pretty much give you as many as you need for free. Trust me i've done it,

Don't get SLI if you can afford a much bigger one, One really good card performs muich better than 2 smaller ones in SLI / Crossfire

Thanks. Either way, I have win7, and from what you say, it should work :D.

Could I get something like an sli gtx770, and if i want to in the future, get another one (sli connected) if I find that games (I'm worried about bf4) don't run as well as earlier games with less advanced graphics?

[Argonian]

You could but what was the previous poster was saying was that with sli you get a few drawbacks - stuttering, something about compatibility with games (I think) and you often end up with a loud rig due to restricted airflow (unless the sli bridge is long enough for you to miss out a PCI slot)

[CharlieHorse]

You could but what was the previous poster was saying was that with sli you get a few drawbacks - stuttering, something about compatibility with games (I think) and you often end up with a loud rig due to restricted airflow (unless the sli bridge is long enough for you to miss out a PCI slot)

Hmm.. :/ ok
Do you think the gtx770 will be able to keep up with the games coming out at the end of the year such as bf4?
I've already seen the gtx770 play bf3 on all ultra with ~60fps...

[Axw_JD]

What you've been told is untrue, Windows have up to 5 licesnes, and if you install onto more you just ring them up with a code and they pretty much give you as many as you need for free. Trust me i've done it,

Don't get SLI if you can afford a much bigger one, One really good card performs muich better than 2 smaller ones in SLI / Crossfire

Read the EULA. That's only if you are installing to the same computer. If you are installing to a different system with a retail license you will most likely need to go through phone activation, and if its an OEM license you can't transfer it to a different computer no matter what.

[FantaSauce]

Read the EULA. That's only if you are installing to the same computer. If you are installing to a different system with a retail license you will most likely need to go through phone activation, and if its an OEM license you can't transfer it to a different computer no matter what.

I've had one copy of windows installed onto multiple different machines, But i bought the copy, If you did that then you can install onto up to 5 without ringing them up and pretty much as many as you need, I've used it on over 20 computers no problems.

[FantaSauce]

Hmm.. :/ ok
Do you think the gtx770 will be able to keep up with the games coming out at the end of the year such as bf4?
I've already seen the gtx770 play bf3 on all ultra with ~60fps...

If you feel you might have problems, Purchase the best you can afford, And then when you can afford it double it in SLI.

[CharlieHorse]

If you feel you might have problems, Purchase the best you can afford, And then when you can afford it double it in SLI.

I think that's what I'll do :)
Thanks guys :)