Gaming desktop ~2000

[Pocketlips]

Hello! I'm new here and was hoping to get some help from the nice folks on this board. I've browsed alot of the build help posts but couldn't find all of the information I need. My old desktop computer, 7 years old to be exact, has died and I am looking to buy a new one for around $2000. I already have a keyboard, mouse and a monitor. I don't know enough to build the computer myself and would prefer purchasing from a company that would build it for me.

The primary use of this computer will be video games, D3, starcraft, skyrim etc, and music storage. I know that I want to include an SSD along with a 1tb drive to hold everything else. I am not 100% against building my own computer if it lends itself to a large performance increase for the same cost, it just makes me nervous that I'll screw it up. I am willing to go up to 2200 but would prefer keeping it closer to 2000. I appreciate any and all help that you guys/gals can provide. Thanks for taking the time to help a clueless gamer !

 

[Talyor]

well Cyberpowerpc.com or iBuypower.com are good custome computer makers.

You might wanna wait till april for the ivy bridge or you can get like an Intel i7 3930k

 

[Pocketlips]

Is there a noticeable difference between the i7 and the i5? I'm hoping to get the pc by mid feb as I am currently limited to my phone for internet access. I've been browsing those two exact sites for a couple days now, I find that I am usually stuck on a motherboard, no idea what the difference is or what actually makes a board decent. I'm not sure how to import the build I made on cyberpower, I'll try to find a pc to use and post it.

I would really appreciate if someone could take the time to set up a decent build from one of those two sites, I'm trying to get the best I can get for my money and I do not understand enough on my own. thanks for the reply!

 

[Fat.Clown]

Newegg.com - Super Corsair Bundlehttp://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.791304
this should run everything on high, if not highest at 1080p

 

[Pocketlips]

How does this look? Should I change the 2gx4 for a 4gx2? What is the difference between the two, just the number of slots taken up? I really appreciate all the help so far, the newegg setup is nice but building it myself really scares me. I have no patience whatsoever and nobody I know personally knows enough to lend a hand. Thanks again everybody!


CAS:CoolerMaster HAF 912 Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ Adjustable HDD Cage

CD:24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)

CPU:Intel® Core™ i7-2600K 3.40 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified)

FAN:Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) (Single Standard 120MM fan)

HDD:120 GB OCZ Agility 3 SATA-III 6.0Gb/s SSD -525MB/s Read & 500MB/s Write (Single Drive)

HDD2:1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD

MEMORY:8GB (2GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (Corsair Vengeance)

MOTHERBOARD:[CrossFireX/SLI] Asus P8Z68-V/GEN3 Intel Z68 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/BT GO! Lucid Virtu and Intel SRT & 7.1 HD Audio, Intel GbLAN, USB3.0, 2x SATA-III RAID, 2x Gen3 & 1x Gen2 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI (All Venom OC Certified)

NETWORK:Onboard Gigabit LAN Network

OS:Microsoft® Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)

POWERSUPPLY:800 Watts - XtremeGear Gaming Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready

SOUND:HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

VIDEO:NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB 16X PCIe Video Card

WNC:802.11b/g/n 300Mbps PCI Wireless Adapter Network Card
_PRICE+1886)

 

[Roark]

Difference between 2 vs 4 RAM sticks is not only how many slots are taken up (leaving 2 open for upgrades is nice), but also puts more strain on the memory controller as far as I can tell.

That build doesn't look too bad, minus the power supply which I wouldn't trust, and that fact that you could build your own for a few $100 less.
Also, the CPU cooler (Asetek 510LC) is quite underwhelming from what I've read.

I understand trepidation about building your own, but I would check out these links before you write it off completely:
Build a PC - Introduction to Building your PC - PCitYourself.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_56kyib-Ls

 

[Pocketlips]

Thanks a lot for those links, you have convinced me to try. Seems straightforward, just need to be careful with the more delicate pieces. I am in need of one more bit of advice before I buy the parts and give it a go.

Is 8gb of ram enough or should I aim higher, and can you suggest a CPU cooler, power supply, and a decent tower with some extra space inside?

Thanks again I really appreciate the help!

 

[Roark]

8GB of RAM is plenty. Skyrim recommends 4GB, if that gives you any indication.

With a ~$2,000 budget the build I'd do is:

MB + OS: $280 MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3) + Win7 Home Premium 64-Bit OEM
CPU: $220 Intel i5 2500K
Cooler: $53 Corsair CAFA70
TIM: $7 Tuniq TX-2
ODD: $21 Sony Optiarc 24x DVD/CD Burner
HDD: $120 1TB Hitachi Deskstar
SSD: $170 120GB OCZ Agility 3
RAM: $45 8GB G.Skill Ripjaws X 1600/CAS9
PSU: $130 750W Silverstone Strider modular 80+ Silver
GPU: $500 MSI GTX 580 Twin Frozr II/OC

Total without a case is $1546 (before shipping/rebates/other combos).
There is $75 in rebates, and comparison shopping you may find better deals (MicroCenter and us.NCIX.com are great).

Left out a case because its really your decision, I don't know what you'll want in your room.
There are a ton available, but some reasonable suggestions in descending order I'd personally go:
$160 Corsair Graphite 600TM ($15 MiR)
$160 Cooler Master HAF 932, also in blue ($20 MiR)
$100 Corsair Carbide 400R ($10 MiR)
$95 Cougar Evolution
$110 NZXT Tempest EVO
$105 Cooler Master HAF 922, also in blue ($15 MiR)

 

[Sean W.]

great build roark

 

[Pocketlips]

Thanks roark! You've been more than helpful with all this advice. If I already have an OS to install, should I stick with that motherboard? Also I'm assuming the jump from an i5 to an i7 is just a waste of money for what I am looking to do.

Again thanks for all your help! Soon ill have a pc I built myself, hurray!