My Complete Gaming Build

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ROADRACER247

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I'm calling this my complete build because I'm coming from a Laptop, so I'm needing quite a bit. I'm currently using an Asus G1 in case you're interested.

I've talked to my neighbor who works for apple and he would be more than willing to build this PC with me. So I've decided I'm going to try and find what I want in my ultimate gaming PC. :D

So now I need your critique of what I've got listed and tell me what I'm missing or what else I should be considering. I'm also making this list here for my own quick reference as I go over this list with people I trust about which components I should buy. It's easy to link them to this thread and have them check things out.

This is my hard earned money and I don't want to waste it. Even though I know things seem to change every six months, I want to future proof my system as much as possible. So please give me your imput and let me know what I'm missing. I have a feeling one of those components will be the addition of more cooling fans for this machine.

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...3131614&cm_re=aSUS_x58-_-13-131-614-_-Product
Processor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=i7-920_processor-_-19-115-202-_-Product
Cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055
Video Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150453&cm_re=hd_5970-_-14-150-453-_-Product
Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160
Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365
SSD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139006
Sec. Hard Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
CD/DVD burner:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030
Power Supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009
Monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001314
Keyboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823114010
Mouse:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153007
OS:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...116716&cm_re=windows_7-_-32-116-716-_-Product
 
I would get a Radeon 5870 instead of the GTX 295 because it's cheaper , temps are cooler , and is DirectX 11 capable. I would swap the LG monitor for a Samsung or Dell (there are other good ones). Save lots of money by getting an i7 920 and overclock it. With the money you save , get a solid - state disk HDD.

Don't worry about posting images...we know what you're talking about. :)
 
^^What he said. The 295 is one of the biggest hunks of silicon, and its also the biggest waste of money now. The ATI 5870 is on par with it now, but with new drivers and games it will surpass it soon enough. If you really want a dual GPU card then go with the 5970, it demolishes any other card.

Then get the i7 920, you wouldn't notice the difference to begin with, and the with that v8 you'll be able to overclock the 920 beyond the 960 stock like nothing.

That case is huge too, I know a friend of mine who got it and ran into some space problems. The fan filters are also not that ideal, they restrict airflow, and you they're built into the case. The coolermaster Haf seems to get a lot of love, or the Antec 900/1200.

This RAM instead, faster, cheaper, better timings. Newegg.com - OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK - Desktop Memory

Then I'd get a smaller HDD like the 640gb WD black, or this kingston 40gb SSD if you can stretch another $150 for an operating system drive. Running an OS off a 1tb hdd will make it a tad slow, with a 40gb SSD, it'll be killer fast. At $130 its a steal too, I'd definetly pick one up if it wasn't xmas and my bank account had more then $130 in it :p

Newegg.com - Kingston SSDNow V Series SNV125-S2/40GB 2.5" 40GB SATA II Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Solid State Disks
 
Made some modifications to the list.

First, I changed our the I7-960 for a I7-920. I realized I can easily overclock the 920 to 3.8ghz and outperform the 960 for lot less money. With that additional savings I bought the following.

I took out the 1Tb 7200rpm primary HD. I replaced it with a 40GB SATA II Internal Solid state disk to run my OS and some of other programs.

I then added a 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA secondary HD to store everything else.

I also changed our the RAM.

I think this is a smart move. Thank you for the advice so far!
 
That case is huge too, I know a friend of mine who got it and ran into some space problems. The fan filters are also not that ideal, they restrict airflow, and you they're built into the case. The coolermaster Haf seems to get a lot of love, or the Antec 900/1200.

So if I changed out that case with one of the ones you recommended, what fans would you recommend to help keep this thing cool?
 
40GB is not much, especially with today's massive games,
Newegg.com - Kingston SSDNow V-Series SNV125-S2BD/64GB 2.5" 64GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) Desktop bundled accessory kit - Solid State Disks
$150 w/free shipping

The WD Black drives are worth the extra few bucks due to their incredible speeds.
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$75 w/free shipping

If you want to splurge a little...
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives -Bare Drive
$110 w/free shipping

Do not, DO NOT buy a LG optical drive. They are crap, pure and simple. They die and you can forget about RMA'ing it as it will always be your fault (I speak from experience).
Newegg.com - Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - CD / DVD Burners
$28 w/free shipping

Speaking of splurging...
Amazon.com: Razer Imperator Ergonomic Laser Gaming Mouse: Electronics
$80 w/free shipping
 
40GB is not much, especially with today's massive games,
Newegg.com - Kingston SSDNow V-Series SNV125-S2BD/64GB 2.5" 64GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) Desktop bundled accessory kit - Solid State Disks
$150 w/free shipping

The WD Black drives are worth the extra few bucks due to their incredible speeds.
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$75 w/free shipping

If you want to splurge a little...
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives -Bare Drive
$110 w/free shipping

Do not, DO NOT buy a LG optical drive. They are crap, pure and simple. They die and you can forget about RMA'ing it as it will always be your fault (I speak from experience).
Newegg.com - Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - CD / DVD Burners
$28 w/free shipping

Speaking of splurging...
Amazon.com: Razer Imperator Ergonomic Laser Gaming Mouse: Electronics
$80 w/free shipping

I took your advice on the SSD and secondary drives. The bigger primary drive is probably a good idea. I know I'll get by just fine with that secondary drive with 640gigs.

I also changed out the CD/DVD burner. I was hoping someone would give me some direction on that one. So thank you!

As for the mouse, I've used logitech for a long time and have always been very happy with their gaming mice. So I'm probably going to stick with a logitech mx518.
 
I've been told I might need a better cooler if I'm going to overclock it. I've heard the name Thermalright TRUE which runs about $60-70. I wasn't able to find it on newegg, but I did find it on another site. Any other recommendations for coolers?

I'm also still looking for alternative cases with fans to support the cooling of this computer.
 
Here are a few good coolers

Thermalright Ultra extreme 120

Cooler Master V8

Noctua NH-U12P

Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer
For the Sunbeam: Sunbeam CR-LGA1366 LGA 1366 retention bracket

I would go with the Sunbeam (the most proven one) , but be ready to have problems with installation. I have seen lots of reviews where people either give up trying to install it , saying it won't fit (it probably does , but they are too impatient) , or they fear breaking something on their motherboard from forcing things. At least now you know where to go in case you have problems , though!! :thumbsup:

As far as cases , you should get a full-tower. The 5000 series video cards are huge. Something like this : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043

The 5970 video card is overkill (in my opinion) unless you are going to have 3 monitors running something like Crysis on enthusiast settings. I personally would spend the extra dough on your monitor. Maybe something like this : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...9203&cm_re=led_monitor-_-24-009-203-_-Product I mention this one because it's backlighting is via LED rather than fluorescent bulbs. This saves lots of electricity , is cooler , provides darker blacks , and less backlight bleeding.

Otherwise , you can't go wrong with a Samsung 24"
 
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