Alright guys, this time I'm going to turn the tables a bit here, I'm going to ask for any input on a new computer I may or may not build.

I recently ran into trouble with my install of Windows 7 due to the beloved Windows Update system, and in the process of trying to straighten everything out, may have ended up bricking my graphics card. If that turns out to be the case, I'll be looking at a $500+ repair, in which case I'll most likely just get a new computer instead. I might be jumping the gun here, but since I like to plan ahead a bit, does anybody have some recommendations for new PC parts for a desktop?

I was thinking of going with:

-Intel Core i7 3770K and some kind of aftermarket air cooler, and some kind of matching motherboard which I can pick out myself (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501)
-nVidia GTX670 of some kind (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130802) or something similar
-NZXT Apollo Black SECC Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146025) or something similar
-Re-use my current 6GB DDR3 OCZ Reaper memory
-Re-use my current 2x 1TB HDD's
-Re-use my current 1200W Thermaltake TR-Series PSU

Working through a few configurations of that sort I ended up at just under a thousand dollars. It should be about $400 or slightly under for the GPU, $300-320 for the CPU, case should be anywhere between $50-80, cost of the cooler is a non-factor as all air cooler solutions are pretty cheap.

I'm slightly concerned about not having a six core or higher CPU for future usage, but from what I'm seeing the 8-core AMD's are left in the dust because although there are 8 cores, they are not nearly as efficient individually as the Intel cores are. I'd love to spend the $1000 on the 6-core i7, but that's an excessive amount for just a CPU chip. I'm opting for the 670 since there's reportedly only a 2-5% difference between that card and the 680 in today's games, and the cost of the 690GTX is way too much to ask for a card that will be obsolete within a year and a half.

I'm pretty sure this will be the parts I go with, but just in case a new part that I haven't heard of came out that offers great price and performance; Thoughts, anyone?

Edited March 20, 201313 yr by unr3al

Hey unr3al, what do you think of this gaming PC build? Thanks for your help.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($175.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.23 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($284.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.96 @ Amazon)
Total: $1100.11
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-24 13:41 EDT-0400)

Edited March 24, 201313 yr by Interference

Hey unr3al, what do you think of this gaming PC build? Thanks for your help.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)

Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($175.98 @ Amazon)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.23 @ Amazon)

Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($219.99 @ NCIX US)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($284.99 @ Amazon)

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Microcenter)

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.96 @ Amazon)

Total: $1100.11

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-24 13:41 EDT-0400)

That computer will run any game you want with out you being disappointed, should run most games on ultra graphics with pretty good FPS. Have fun with your new computer!!!

My computer is almost 3 years old, i'm thinking i'm going to retire this one and start buying part's for a newer and better one, what would you guy's recommend for a reasonable price? I mainly got this one to run GTAIV, anything else was a bonus, i'm not looking to order the part's, there is a small shop in Halifax that sell's computer part's for a relatively good price, not used or anything, any ideas on good specs? looking to spnd between $800.00-$1100.00 CA

Hi Everyone

 

I've recently ordered this New PC after playing LCPDFR at about 10-15fps on my laptop.

 

Finally after years of hoping and a few weeks of asking i've ordered it.

 

I was hoping to be able to run GTA IV with LCPDFR running at medium specs with no screen recording and get about 30-40 fps.

 

I was also wondering if i would be able to turn the specs down to almost their lowest settings (which i'm used to) and use Fraps to screen record and still get approximately 20-30 fps, not running the game in full 1080p.

 

Here's the specs:

 

• AMD FX-4100 Quad Core CPU @ 3.6 GHz
• 8GB DDR3 1333 MHz RAM
• 500GB SATA 7200 RPM HDD
• nVidia GT640 2GB DDR3 Video card
• Micro ATX Branded 500Watt PSU (I'm aware this doesn't really make much of a difference)
• Windows 8 OS (Again, no real difference)

If it can't do the above, can anyone suggest a decent Video card upgrade, within the say £100 mark ?

 

Thanks in advance. 

 

Btw PC's not being delivered until Thursday (with today being Sunday) then i have to get a desk to put it on..

 

 

 

Hey unr3al, what do you think of this gaming PC build? Thanks for your help.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)

Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($175.98 @ Amazon)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.23 @ Amazon)

Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($219.99 @ NCIX US)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($284.99 @ Amazon)

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Microcenter)

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.96 @ Amazon)

Total: $1100.11

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-24 13:41 EDT-0400)

 

Should be pretty decent. I think it's a little pricy for what you're getting. If you're fine with what it costs, I'd ditch the SSD in favor of a better processor. A lot of CPU's are getting to 4.0GHZ now. 660Ti is pretty good, won't run Crysis 3 on high with a big monitor, and no idea how future FPS titles on the Unreal 4 engine, Rage/Quake V engine or Battlefield 4 engine will play, but it should be a home run for most of todays games. I also don't know if that motherboard runs PCIX 3.0 or not, that should be a big concern of yours.

And for WillS1995; that CPU is mediocre and will do, but that graphics card is garbage, throw it out and get at least a 660Ti.

Should be pretty decent. I think it's a little pricy for what you're getting. If you're fine with what it costs, I'd ditch the SSD in favor of a better processor. A lot of CPU's are getting to 4.0GHZ now. 660Ti is pretty good, won't run Crysis 3 on high with a big monitor, and no idea how future FPS titles on the Unreal 4 engine, Rage/Quake V engine or Battlefield 4 engine will play, but it should be a home run for most of todays games. I also don't know if that motherboard runs PCIX 3.0 or not, that should be a big concern of yours.

And for WillS1995; that CPU is mediocre and will do, but that graphics card is garbage, throw it out and get at least a 660Ti.

 

I heard the i5-3570k is able to overclock up to 4.4GHz and stay stable at that frequency? A lot of people on /r/buildapc are recommending the i5-3570k for gaming. Would the GTX 660 Ti be able to run most games on maximum 1920x1080? The motherboard has 2 PCIX 3.0 slots, by the way.

 

Thanks for your help!

I am looking to build a PC. From the looks of it, I can get a Quad-core 4.0 GHz AMD CPU for half the price of an entry level Intel CPU. Usually when something looks to good to be true, it is. Please share your wisdom. Also, someone told me that a lot of "software" is not compatible with AMD CPUs. I thought it didn't make a difference.

 

Thanks.

Edited March 25, 201313 yr by Senatov

Which AMD CPU, and which Intel CPU?

Which AMD CPU, and which Intel CPU?

 

This - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113287

 

vs.

 

This - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115233

 

From the looks of it, most AMD CPUs (including that one) can be overclocked, whereas only certain expensive Intel CPUs can be overclocked, giving more bang for my buck. I am not made of money so if I can cut corners and go AMD and get equal or better performance, I might as well. Some people told me that Intels are more advanced and less power consuming. All I want is for my games to go fast. It seems that Intel is the favorite. Am I missing something?

Edited March 25, 201313 yr by Senatov

I prefer Intel :) (plus my video card and motherboard support intel cpus)

I prefer Intel :) (plus my video card and motherboard support intel cpus)

 

I see.

 

 

Edited March 28, 201313 yr by Senatov

If you get a NVidia graphics card, I suggest you get an Intel motherboard (nothing with amd in it) and an intel processor.

If you get a NVidia graphics card, I suggest you get an Intel motherboard (nothing with amd in it) and an intel processor.

 

Hmmm. I'll take a look. Do you know of a good, fast Intel CPU capable of running let's say GTA IV, or Battlefield 3 at Max Settings that won't break the bank? I can live without overclocking as long as it's fast enough.

Look in my sig. Works perfectly with BF3 and GTA IV :)

Look in my sig. Works perfectly with BF3 and GTA IV :)

 

After looking at the options, that looks like the best way to go. It's more expensive, I'll just have to wait longer for some more paychecks. I updated the list to reflect the change. How does that look? Will everything go together? Am I missing anything?

 

Thanks for the help!

Edited March 25, 201313 yr by Senatov

I suggest atleast a 2GB video card to play BF3 on high graphics.... EVGA also makes good ones.

I suggest atleast a 2GB video card to play BF3 on high graphics.... EVGA also makes good ones.

 

What about this? - GIGABYTE GV-N650OC-2GI GeForce GTX 650 2GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

 

I am really starting to push it with the price though. I don't mind since I'll like the end result more.

If you get a NVidia graphics card, I suggest you get an Intel motherboard (nothing with amd in it) and an intel processor.

 

Doesn't really matter as far as I'm aware...http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/310977-28-nvidia-gpus-cpus

 

 Anyhow, AMD GPUs only go better with AMD chipsets in the lower end and with surrondview. 

Surrondview is when you enable the chipset's AMD IGP and pair it up with the discrete AMD GPU output wise for more monitor support. 

The feature for low end Chipst+GPU combos is Hybrid Crossfire, when an IGP and low-end discrete AMD GPU talk to increase fps.

For you, there is no benefit in sticking to AMD to GPUs.

Not anymore benefit than you would get from making a Intel /AMD rig or AMD/Nvidia.

I prefer AMD thats me though cheaper about the same power to it's counterparts.