Building A Gaming Computer

3 Pages
1
2
3
→

You cannot start a new topic
You cannot reply to this topic

Building A Gaming Computer

#1 allenxyooj

Member

Group: Members
Posts: 32
Joined: 06-February 12

Posted 06 February 2012 - 12:44 PM

I am currently trying to make a gaming computer that can handle both gaming and everyday usage. My price range is between $600-$900. The current parts I have in mind are listed below:

GIGABYTE GA-Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 Motherboard
http://www.tigerdire...5562&CatId=7212

Intel Core i7-2600 BX80623I72600 Processor
http://www.tigerdire...3160&CatId=6991

Hitachi 1TB Serial ATA HD/Ultra Hard Drive Cooler
http://www.tigerdire...7140&CatId=2459

Corsair CMX4GX3M2A1333C8 XMS3 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 RAM
http://www.tigerdire...4642&CatId=4524

PNY VCGGTX560TXPB GeForce GTX 560 Ti Video Card
http://www.tigerdire...1409&CatId=3585

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE
http://www.tigerdire...9743&CatId=2771

Power Supply - How much wattage would I need to run the entire set up? I am looking at about 700-750?

This is the main part of the computer build im looking at. Any suggestions/help would very much be appreciated. Also, if anyone knows of the parts that can be bought for cheaper than please let me know. Thank you very much for any suggestions.

#2 coastie65

Moderator

Group: Moderators
Posts: 19,900
Joined: 02-April 07
Location:Henrico, Va.

Posted 06 February 2012 - 01:23 PM

Hi and welcome to the forums. First, change out your processor to this: http://www.tigerdire...1&Sku=I69-2500K . It is $70 cheaper and a better choice as it is unlocked. The difference between 3.3 Ghz and 3.4 Ghz is not worth the extra $70 nor is the HT capability of the 2600. As to the Sound card, you don't need it as it has a pretty good onboard package. As to the PSU, a Corsair 650TX would do just fine with some headroom. http://www.tigerdire...36&Sku=C13-2800 I would also consider a good CPU cooler such as the Gelid Tranquillo or Cooler Master 212+ .

This post has been edited by coastie65: 06 February 2012 - 02:18 PM

Coolermaster HAF 912 Case....ASUS Z87Pro MOBO.....Intel Core i7 4770k Haswell .... Gelid Tranquillo cooler.... Samsung 830 256 GB SSD.... Primary HDD- WD 1TB Caviar Black SATA III /6.0 .... SECONDARY HDD - WD 1TB Caviar Black SATA II / 3.0....8Gb GSkill Ripjaws Series X 1600 Mhz Memory....Corsair AX850w PSU....EVGA GTX 680 Super Clocked Signature 2 Gb GDDR5 Video Card....Samsung CD/DVD RW, DL, DVD-Ram, w/ Lightscribe Optical Drive....Samsung SyncMaster 2243BWX 22" Monitor..... Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit OS

______________________________________________________________

Gateway FX6800-01e----Intel Core i7 960 ( 3.2 GHz)---- Seagate Barracuda 750 Gb SATA II / 3.0 Hdd---- 6 Gb Crucial 1066 Mhz memory, running in Tri Channel conf-----Corsair TX650w PSU----- EVGA Nvidia GTX 560Ti 1gb GDDR5 Vram ----DVD +/- RW / CD ,RAM/DL Optical drive w/ Label Flash-----Gateway TBGM-01 Motherboard.... Vista Home Premium 64 bit OS w/ SP2; Samsung Synch Master 2243BWX 22" Monitor.

#3 allenxyooj

Member

Group: Members
Posts: 32
Joined: 06-February 12

Posted 06 February 2012 - 02:15 PM

Ill post up what I got so far as to see what you guys think and how much I have already.

GIGABYTE GA-Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 Motherboard
http://www.tigerdire...5562&CatId=7212

Intel Core i5-2500K BX80623I52500 Unlocked Processor
http://www.tigerdire...1&Sku=I69-2500K

Hitachi 1TB Serial ATA HD/Ultra Hard Drive Cooler
http://www.tigerdire...7140&CatId=2459

Corsair CMX4GX3M2A1333C8 XMS3 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 RAM
http://www.tigerdire...4642&CatId=4524

PNY VCGGTX560TXPB GeForce GTX 560 Ti Video Card
http://www.tigerdire...1409&CatId=3585

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE (Optional)
http://www.tigerdire...9743&CatId=2771

Lite-On IHAS124-04 Internal DVD Writer
http://www.tigerdire...9307&CatId=1624

Thermaltake V3 Black Edition Mid Tower Case
http://www.tigerdire...5520044&CatId=1

Corsair CMPSU-650TXV2 Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 Power Supply
http://www.tigerdire...5036&CatId=1483

How does this sound?

#4 coastie65

Moderator

Group: Moderators
Posts: 19,900
Joined: 02-April 07
Location:Henrico, Va.

Posted 06 February 2012 - 02:34 PM

allenxyooj, on 06 February 2012 - 02:15 PM, said:

Looks good. You could also consider this case at the same price: http://www.tigerdire...9504&CatId=1509 No big deal really, just thought I'd throw it in there. The processor comes with a stock cooler which is fine as long as you aren't OCing it. Either case is , I believe about 7.5 inches across the front. That would be a little dicey with the coolers out there today, as you wouldn't be able to get the cover on. Anyway, what you have looks good. As I said, the sound card isn't needed as the onboard audio package is good, and you could apply the savings to say a Cooler Master 912 HAF case.
.

This post has been edited by coastie65: 25 March 2012 - 07:14 AM

#5 LiveBrianD

Elite

Group: Members
Posts: 11,343
Joined: 31-December 09
Location:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1

Posted 06 February 2012 - 03:51 PM

That ram is only 1333MHz, and 1600MHz ram isn't much more. Also, with ram prices so low right now, you may as well get 8GB. You certainly won't regret it later, as things start to require more ram over time. Also, the discrete audio card is a waste of money (onboard is pretty good nowadays). That one doesn't even have digital outputs, so I seriously have to wonder if it's any better than onboard. If you're only running a single GPU, a 500W PSU should be plenty (you can get up to a geforce 580 or so on one). If you plan to get a second 560 later, you may want to go with the 650W unit. Also, I see you don't have a CPU cooler listed, so I'm assuming you'll use the stock one. I would get something like a cooler master 212 (or tx3, which is a little smaller but might be needed in some cases) or a gelid tranquilo.

Spoiler

"The Internet will be used for all kinds of spurious things, including fake quotes from smart people." -Albert Einstein
Need a Windows ISO image?

#6 coastie65

Moderator

Group: Moderators
Posts: 19,900
Joined: 02-April 07
Location:Henrico, Va.

Posted 06 February 2012 - 04:01 PM

LiveBrianD, on 06 February 2012 - 03:51 PM, said:

Hey Brian, The Corsair is fine. Maybe a little more than need for a single card, but the price is good on that thing so may as well. I hadn't checked the memory, and I agree that going with 1600 Mhz is the best option. Need to check to see if that MOBO supports 1600 Mhz natively without OCing. Need to switch back to "The Beast" . I have been on the Gateway getting evrything updated and made another run at unlocking the BiOS. Still a no go.

#7 allenxyooj

Member

Group: Members
Posts: 32
Joined: 06-February 12

Posted 06 February 2012 - 08:46 PM

Alright, this is the updated list of my build.

GIGABYTE GA-Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 Motherboard and Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz Quad-Core Unlocked Processor Bundle
http://www.tigerdire...355286&csid=_34

Corsair CMPSU-650TXV2 Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 Power Supply
http://www.tigerdire...36&Sku=C13-2800

Hitachi 1TB Serial ATA HD/Ultra Hard Drive Cooler
http://www.tigerdire...0%20H6%20COOLER

Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B Vengeance Desktop Memory Kit - 8GB
http://www.tigerdire...39&sku=C13-5720

Lite-On IHAS124-04 Internal DVD Writer
http://www.tigerdire...=L12-1312%20OEM

Cooler Master Elite 371 RC-371-KKN1 ATX Mid-Tower Case
http://www.tigerdire...4&sku=C283-2063

Galaxy 56NGH6HS4IXZ GeForce GTX 560 Ti Video Card
http://www.tigerdire...4&sku=G458-0560

Let me know what you all think of the build. If you know of any other sites where I can get some parts cheaper than I would like to know. Again, thank you for looking at this.

This post has been edited by allenxyooj: 06 February 2012 - 09:43 PM

#8 LiveBrianD

Elite

Group: Members
Posts: 11,343
Joined: 31-December 09
Location:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1

Posted 06 February 2012 - 09:42 PM

That looks pretty good. HOWEVER - if you use an aftermarket CPU cooler, that might not fit. My Corsair XMS3 ram just barely clears my Cooler Master TX3 CPU cooler (the fan buts out over the first ram module). I doubt Corsair Vengeance ram would work there.

Spoiler

"The Internet will be used for all kinds of spurious things, including fake quotes from smart people." -Albert Einstein
Need a Windows ISO image?

#9 allenxyooj

Member

Group: Members
Posts: 32
Joined: 06-February 12

Posted 06 February 2012 - 09:45 PM

LiveBrianD, on 06 February 2012 - 09:42 PM, said:

Do you have a recommended ram (as in physical size for the build)?

#10 LiveBrianD

Elite

Group: Members
Posts: 11,343
Joined: 31-December 09
Location:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1

Posted 06 February 2012 - 09:48 PM

I can't think of one in particular (Gskill, mushkin, corsair, kingston...). Just don't get ram that has large heatsinks on top to be safe (for instance, gskill ripjaws).

Spoiler

"The Internet will be used for all kinds of spurious things, including fake quotes from smart people." -Albert Einstein
Need a Windows ISO image?

#11 allenxyooj

Member

Group: Members
Posts: 32
Joined: 06-February 12

Posted 06 February 2012 - 10:18 PM

I think this is my finalization for the build.

GIGABYTE GA-Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 Motherboard and Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz Quad-Core Unlocked Processor Bundle
http://www.tigerdire...86&sku=B69-5412

Hitachi 1TB Serial ATA HD/Ultra Hard Drive Cooler
http://www.tigerdire...0%20H6%20COOLER

Galaxy 56NGH6HS4IXZ GeForce GTX 560 Ti Video Card
http://www.tigerdire...4&sku=G458-0560

VisionTek 900400 Black Label LP Desktop Memory Kit - 8GB
http://www.tigerdire...2&sku=V261-7518

Ultra LSP650 650-Watt Power Supply
http://www.tigerdire...&sku=ULT-LSP650

Cooler Master Elite 371 RC-371-KKN1 ATX Mid-Tower Case
http://www.tigerdire...4&sku=C283-2063

Lite-On IHAS124-04 Internal DVD Writer
http://www.tigerdire...=L12-1312%20OEM

Also, should I buy extra fans for the case? Anymore suggestions? Thank you all for looking at this post and reply. Very much appreciated.

This post has been edited by allenxyooj: 06 February 2012 - 10:31 PM

#12 coastie65

Moderator

Group: Moderators
Posts: 19,900
Joined: 02-April 07
Location:Henrico, Va.

Posted 07 February 2012 - 06:46 AM

allenxyooj, on 06 February 2012 - 10:18 PM, said:

Hi. At the very least, for the time being, I would get a 120mm for the front intake. They are inexpensive ( Cooler Master ). You can more later if need be.

#13 allenxyooj

Member

Group: Members
Posts: 32
Joined: 06-February 12

Posted 07 February 2012 - 08:56 AM

Thank you everyone who has given me suggestions. I very much appreciate it.

#14 LiveBrianD

Elite

Group: Members
Posts: 11,343
Joined: 31-December 09
Location:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1

Posted 07 February 2012 - 05:03 PM

I've never heard of VisionTek ram. Also, I think Ultra power supplies aren't that great. Get a seasonic, corsair, antec, pc power % cooling, or silverstone. What I've read is that intake fans just add noise (you can hear them more in the front than the back of the case most of the time), and don't improve cooling all that much. I don't have any intake fans on my Antec 300, just a 120mm out in the rear, 92mm cpu fan pushing air out the rear, and a 140mm out on the top. Things stay cool enough. And the top and rear fans (except the gpu fan) are set to low (out of low/medium/high; Antec Tricool fans). Also remember that hot air rises, so you might not even need fans on top.

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 07 February 2012 - 05:04 PM

Spoiler

"The Internet will be used for all kinds of spurious things, including fake quotes from smart people." -Albert Einstein
Need a Windows ISO image?

#15 coastie65

Moderator

Group: Moderators
Posts: 19,900
Joined: 02-April 07
Location:Henrico, Va.

Posted 07 February 2012 - 05:44 PM

allenxyooj, on 07 February 2012 - 08:56 AM, said:

Thank you everyone who has given me suggestions. I very much appreciate it.

In regards to your PSU, you would be better served with spending a tad more for this: http://www.tigerdire...1015&CatId=1079

#16 LiveBrianD

Elite

Group: Members
Posts: 11,343
Joined: 31-December 09
Location:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1

Posted 07 February 2012 - 06:04 PM

coastie65, on 07 February 2012 - 05:44 PM, said:

allenxyooj, on 07 February 2012 - 08:56 AM, said:

Thank you everyone who has given me suggestions. I very much appreciate it.

In regards to your PSU, you would be better served with spending a tad more for this: http://www.tigerdire...1015&CatId=1079

That corsair has a 39A 12V rail, almost the same as the Ultra's 38A one (I've noticed that the good units can often provide most of their wattage on the 12V rail, whereas the cheapos can't - for instance, I saw a 500W Raidmax that had the same 12v rail ampage as a 380W antec earthwatts). Of course, the Corsair is of known good quality, while you can't be sure about the Ultra. I would definitely get the corsair.

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 07 February 2012 - 06:04 PM

Spoiler

"The Internet will be used for all kinds of spurious things, including fake quotes from smart people." -Albert Einstein
Need a Windows ISO image?

#17 allenxyooj

Member

Group: Members
Posts: 32
Joined: 06-February 12

Posted 14 February 2012 - 09:55 PM

Well, it seems my order did not go through with tigerdirect and I am back to the drawing board. Here is the set up I have for now, not too much of a variation except for some parts that have gone unavailable. Here is my build as of now:

Cooler Master Elite 371 RC-371-KKN1 ATX Mid-Tower Case
http://www.tigerdire...4&sku=C283-2063

GIGABYTE GA-Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 Motherboard
http://www.tigerdire...2&sku=G452-1047

Intel Core i5-2500K BX80623I52500 Unlocked Processor
http://www.tigerdire...1&sku=I69-2500K

PNY VCGGTX560TXPB GeForce GTX 560 Ti Video Card
http://www.tigerdire...09&sku=P56-0560

Kingston HyperX Blu HS 8GB
http://www.tigerdire...85&sku=K24-8833

Hitachi 1TB Serial ATA HD/Ultra Hard Drive Cooler
http://www.tigerdire...0%20H6%20COOLER

Ultra LSP650 650-Watt Power Supply
http://www.tigerdire...&sku=ULT-LSP650

Lite-On IHAS124-04 Internal DVD Writer
http://www.tigerdire...=L12-1312%20OEM

#18 allenxyooj

Member

Group: Members
Posts: 32
Joined: 06-February 12

Posted 15 February 2012 - 10:52 AM

Should I be using Windows 7 ultimate x32, x64, x86?

#19 coastie65

Moderator

Group: Moderators
Posts: 19,900
Joined: 02-April 07
Location:Henrico, Va.

Posted 15 February 2012 - 12:00 PM

allenxyooj, on 15 February 2012 - 10:52 AM, said:

Should I be using Windows 7 ultimate x32, x64, x86?

Hi Allen, Do you really need Windows 7 Ultimate ? If not, Windows 7 Home Premium would do just fine ( 64 Bit ).

#20 LiveBrianD

Elite

Group: Members
Posts: 11,343
Joined: 31-December 09
Location:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1

Posted 15 February 2012 - 03:37 PM

x32 and x86 are the same thing (32-bit). I recommend using x64 (64-bit) unless you need to run legacy apps or something. Also, you probably don't need Win7 Ultimate. Home is fine for most people. If you need domain networking or more than 16GB RAM or want to use Windows' disk encryption tool, get Win7 Pro. If you need the ability to change the system language, then you need Ultimate.

That build you have is fine, but as said before that power supply isn't a good choice. (didn't coastie recommend a 500W corsair or something?)

Spoiler

"The Internet will be used for all kinds of spurious things, including fake quotes from smart people." -Albert Einstein
Need a Windows ISO image?