So I have never had a computer that anyone would even remotely qualify as "decent" in the gaming world. I decided to put together my own build with some money I have saved up, but quite honestly I feel like I went ridiculously overboard. Let me start by saying that I CAN afford this build, but I would really appreciate people's opinions on whether the components I have chosen are actually necessary and a worthy investment, or if money can be saved without a substantial loss to performance, or if simply I will look like a prude for having such outrageously priced components. As I said, I have never had a nice computer and I am certainly hoping this new computer will last me at least 5-7 years, but can't know for certain. I will primarily use it for gaming and recording gaming videos.
I started with choosing my motherboard, the Asus P9X79 Pro. I am dead set on this board and it, along with my CPU, are the only two components that I have already ordered.
I decided to go with the Intel i7 3930k Sandy Bridge because of the excellent rating CPUBenchmark.net gave it.
The graphics cards I have chosen are one of two things that I am REALLY uncertain of. Currently I am looking at getting 2x EVGA GeForce GTX 670 Superclocked GPU's Because the regular EVGA GTX 670 was awarded Newegg's Monthly Customer Choice Award 4 times, and with a difference of only $40 between these two I figured I can run them with SLI and be set for at least the foreseeable future unless the GPU R&D takes a steep uphill turn and releases super outlandish technology. I was under the impression that two GTX 670s would outperform one GTX 690 with SLI, but is this not the case, and if so, do I have to invest in a higher resolution monitor to see any difference?
Currently I am looking at the 32GB Corsair Dominator GT DDR3 for two reasons. Firstly, I read on Newegg that a lot of people were having some problems with RAM on this particular motherboard and assumed that it was just operator error, so I looked at this motherboard's QVL and saw that it was one of the few 32GB kits that was recommended at all, let alone Corsair (who I really like). If I can help it I would like at least 32 gigs of memory, but if a 16 gig alternative is out there (or 2 of them) for considerably less, I could be swayed. Secondly, RAM is by far the component that I know the least about and on a lot of websites they tend to suggest that Dominator GT is better than Vengeance, which to me seems like the cheaper alternative. Is the difference really worth the cost?
I was told by a friend of mine who I trust quite a bit, that it is best to run two SSDs- one for just your OS, and one for all of the games I'd be running. So currently I am leaning toward 2x Crucial M4 128GB Sata 3 SSD for the OS and games, and then a Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black HDD to store all of my recorded videos and anything else that doesn't really need to be run through an SSD. I have also been told that running an OS and games from a single SSD shouldn't really mean a decrease in performance assuming the SSD has enough room, so is there water to my friend's argument, should I go with one smaller SSD for the OS and a larger one for games, or just a single larger SSD?
After inputting all of these components into a "Power Supply Calculator" I found on the internet, the calculator suggested that the minimum power supply I get should be 650W. I have heard that the GTX 670s are extremely efficient on power, so currently I am looking at the OCZ ZX Series 850W Fully Modular Power Supply. Should I go a little bit higher? And should I go with the Corsair alternative instead? And is this actually going to be enough?
As far as cooling goes, I was looking into the Corsair H100 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler as the only option for my rig because of how highly it is spoken of. I am also considering the Corsair CMXAF1 Memory Fans just for some added cooling. Necessary or superfluous?
My operating system is going to be unquestionably Windows 7. Whether it is Professional or Home Edition is another question. Home Edition I realize would be a way to cut out a little bit of cost, but currently I am considering Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit OEM Version anyway considering how Windows 8 doesn't really appeal to me.
My case though is hands-down the biggest waste of money in this entire setup I will freely admit right away. However, it is one of the few things I am pretty set on. The Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow Edition.
I am also considering a few peripherals just for convenience more than anything else. My current mouse is in pretty poor shape at the moment and I have heard some solid things about mechanical keyboards, so I am looking into both the Corsair Vengeance K90 Black Keyboard and the Logitech G600 MMO Gaming Mouse. I also have an outdated monitor that I am currently using, so I am looking into a Samsung B300 Series 23.6" Monitor to accompany the smaller 21" ViewSonic I also have. I will still potentially keep the old monitor I have incase I want to run a 3-monitor setup but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
All in, excluding peripherals and the monitor this system would run me $3300 before rebates, shipping, and tax. Have I gone way too overboard, and if so, how can I cut some cost?
Thank you in advance.
I started with choosing my motherboard, the Asus P9X79 Pro. I am dead set on this board and it, along with my CPU, are the only two components that I have already ordered.
I decided to go with the Intel i7 3930k Sandy Bridge because of the excellent rating CPUBenchmark.net gave it.
The graphics cards I have chosen are one of two things that I am REALLY uncertain of. Currently I am looking at getting 2x EVGA GeForce GTX 670 Superclocked GPU's Because the regular EVGA GTX 670 was awarded Newegg's Monthly Customer Choice Award 4 times, and with a difference of only $40 between these two I figured I can run them with SLI and be set for at least the foreseeable future unless the GPU R&D takes a steep uphill turn and releases super outlandish technology. I was under the impression that two GTX 670s would outperform one GTX 690 with SLI, but is this not the case, and if so, do I have to invest in a higher resolution monitor to see any difference?
Currently I am looking at the 32GB Corsair Dominator GT DDR3 for two reasons. Firstly, I read on Newegg that a lot of people were having some problems with RAM on this particular motherboard and assumed that it was just operator error, so I looked at this motherboard's QVL and saw that it was one of the few 32GB kits that was recommended at all, let alone Corsair (who I really like). If I can help it I would like at least 32 gigs of memory, but if a 16 gig alternative is out there (or 2 of them) for considerably less, I could be swayed. Secondly, RAM is by far the component that I know the least about and on a lot of websites they tend to suggest that Dominator GT is better than Vengeance, which to me seems like the cheaper alternative. Is the difference really worth the cost?
I was told by a friend of mine who I trust quite a bit, that it is best to run two SSDs- one for just your OS, and one for all of the games I'd be running. So currently I am leaning toward 2x Crucial M4 128GB Sata 3 SSD for the OS and games, and then a Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black HDD to store all of my recorded videos and anything else that doesn't really need to be run through an SSD. I have also been told that running an OS and games from a single SSD shouldn't really mean a decrease in performance assuming the SSD has enough room, so is there water to my friend's argument, should I go with one smaller SSD for the OS and a larger one for games, or just a single larger SSD?
After inputting all of these components into a "Power Supply Calculator" I found on the internet, the calculator suggested that the minimum power supply I get should be 650W. I have heard that the GTX 670s are extremely efficient on power, so currently I am looking at the OCZ ZX Series 850W Fully Modular Power Supply. Should I go a little bit higher? And should I go with the Corsair alternative instead? And is this actually going to be enough?
As far as cooling goes, I was looking into the Corsair H100 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler as the only option for my rig because of how highly it is spoken of. I am also considering the Corsair CMXAF1 Memory Fans just for some added cooling. Necessary or superfluous?
My operating system is going to be unquestionably Windows 7. Whether it is Professional or Home Edition is another question. Home Edition I realize would be a way to cut out a little bit of cost, but currently I am considering Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit OEM Version anyway considering how Windows 8 doesn't really appeal to me.
My case though is hands-down the biggest waste of money in this entire setup I will freely admit right away. However, it is one of the few things I am pretty set on. The Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow Edition.
I am also considering a few peripherals just for convenience more than anything else. My current mouse is in pretty poor shape at the moment and I have heard some solid things about mechanical keyboards, so I am looking into both the Corsair Vengeance K90 Black Keyboard and the Logitech G600 MMO Gaming Mouse. I also have an outdated monitor that I am currently using, so I am looking into a Samsung B300 Series 23.6" Monitor to accompany the smaller 21" ViewSonic I also have. I will still potentially keep the old monitor I have incase I want to run a 3-monitor setup but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
All in, excluding peripherals and the monitor this system would run me $3300 before rebates, shipping, and tax. Have I gone way too overboard, and if so, how can I cut some cost?
Thank you in advance.
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