Building a gaming Rig

[Butcher]

Basically I want to replace my aging laptop with a new gaming rig, I have chosen http://www.cyberpowerpc.com as I've bought from them in the past and haven't had any problems. I would appreciate any help in building a suitable rig, my budget is roughly around $1500 give or take.

Here's my configuration -> http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1D8C16

And here's a copy of the items I have so far

BLUETOOTH:None

CAS:In-Win Dragon Rider Full Tower Case w/ 1x120mm Front Fan, 1x220mm LED Side Fan, Front USB 3.0 x 2 & Water-Cooling Hole Ready [+40] (Black Color)

CASUPGRADE:None

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

CD2:None

CPU:Intel® Core™ i5-2500K 3.30 GHz 6M Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified) [-104]

CS_FAN:Maximum Enermax 120MM Case Cooling Fans for selected case (Maximum Silent Operation) [+29] (1,000 RPM Black Color with No LED Enlobal Magnetic Barometric Bearing 17 dBA)

FA_HDD:None

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

FLASHMEDIA:INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)

FREEBIE_CU1:FREE! PCI Wireless IEEE 802.11b/g/n 300Mbps PCI Wireless Adapter Network Card [+0]

GLASSES:None

HDD:64 GB A-DATA S599 Gaming MLC Solid State Disk [+10] (Single Hard Drive)

HDD2:2TB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+115] (Single Hard Drive)

IEEE_CARD:None

KEYBOARD:Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard

MB_ADDON:None

MB_SRT:None

MEMORY:8GB (4GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module [+20] (Corsair or Major Brand)

MONITOR:None

MONITOR2:None

MONITOR3:None

MOTHERBOARD:[CrossFireX] Asus P8P67 Intel P67 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ UEFI, DIGI+VRM, 7.1 HD Audio, BT GO!, GbLAN, USB 3.0, 2x SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 2 PCIe X1 & 3 PCI [B3 Stepping] [+42]

MOUSE:XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse

MULTIVIEW:Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors

NCSW:None

NETWORK:Onboard Gigabit LAN Network

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

OVERCLOCK:No Overclocking

POWERSUPPLY:800 Watts - XtremeGear Gaming Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready [+27]

RUSH:NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

SERVICE:STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT

SOUND:HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

SPEAKERS:None

TEMP:None

TVRC:None

USB:Built-in USB 2.0 Ports

USBFLASH:None

USBHD:None

USBX:None

VC_PHYSX:None

VIDEO:NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 1.2GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+49] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)

VIDEO2:None

VIDEO3:None

WNC:None

_PRICE:(+1467)

[Tigger29]

I have to say that's not a bad deal.  Going with newegg prices adding up each component separately I get the following:

CD Burner ~$20
i5 3.3GHz processor $225
64 GB SSD Drive $120
2TB WD Hard Drive $160
8GB DDR3 1600MHz  (2X4GB) Memory ~$95
ASUS P8P67 Motherboard $160
Win7 64 bit ~$100
800 Watt Power Supply (Corsair) ~$136
GTX 570 ~$350

That all adds up to ~$1366 and doesn't even include the case, fans, water cooling, keyboard, or mouse!

HOWEVER, a few things you can definitely save money with:

-Ditch the SSD.  You can always get one later but in all honesty all I've seen them be good for is decreasing load times for windows and programs.  That saves a few seconds here and there but really doesn't make THAT much of a difference in the whole scheme of things.  While much better than they were, they are still problematic from time to time.

-Ditch the water cooling.  Even the stock cooling that comes with the processors is more than enough.  Add in a couple of 160mm case fans and you get really good airflow which is very quiet.  To me, the extra maintenance of water cooling simply isn't worth it.  Now if you plan on doing some serious overclocking it might be different but these days, air flow is plenty enough to keep everything cool.

-Consider using the money you save on the above to upgrade to an i7 setup if you really want a fast setup!

-Make sure the power supply is of very good quality.  I'm sold on the Seasonic brand.  I've just seen too many lemons from other brands (even reputable ones!) and really.. is your hardware worth the risk?

Just a few observations from my end!  It seems like a really good price for what you get though!

[guncrasher]

water cooling is "free" with them.  the msi  p67a-gd65 has an awesome sound I think it's just as good as sound card.  that's the one I have.  perhaps the 64 mb cache drive it's only 4 bucks more.

semp

[ACE]

Good computer bud.  I prefer ibuypower.com.

[Butcher]

Good computer bud.  I prefer ibuypower.com.

Thanks, I just checked them out and Pretty much got the same price give/take.

[Bino]

...
-Make sure the power supply is of very good quality.  I'm sold on the Seasonic brand.  I've just seen too many lemons from other brands (even reputable ones!) and really.. is your hardware worth the risk?
...

There's an article over on the Tom's Hardware site called Who's Who In Power Supplies that shows who OEMs power supplies for whom, who builds their own, etc.  Takes a little digging and paging back and forth to get to the info (the "spreadsheet" seems to be an unsearchable graphic image), but it's all in there.  

Full disclosure: last PSU I bought was a SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W (see PC Components link in signature, below).

[Butcher]

Well this is what I come up with, after tweaking and updating I finally think I found my rig -
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1D8F00

Case: * Coolermaster HAF-X Gaming Full Tower Case w/ 1x230mm Red LED Fan, 1x200mm Fans, 2xFront USB 3.0 Port [+86]
Internal USB Extension Module: None
Neon Light Upgrade: None
Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Maximum Enermax 120MM Case Cooling Fans for selected case (Maximum Silent Operation) [+29] (1,000 RPM Black Color with No LED Enlobal Magnetic Barometric Bearing 17 dBA)
Noise Reduction Technology: None
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-2600K 3.40 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified)
Freebies: FREE! PCI Wireless IEEE 802.11b/g/n 300Mbps PCI Wireless Adapter Network Card
Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: No Overclocking
Cooling Fan: Thermaltake Frio OCK CPU Cooler (Designed for Over-Clocker King)(CLP0575) [+38]
Motherboard: [CrossFireX/SLI] Asus P8Z68-V Pro Intel Z68 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ BT GO! LucidLogix Virtu and Intel Smart Response Technology & 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, 4x SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen2 PCIe, 2 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI (All Venom OC Certified) [+96]
Intel Smart Response Technology for Z68: None
Motherboard Expansion Card: Asus U3S6 True 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x SATA-III PCIe X4 Expansion Card [+19]
Memory: 16GB (4GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module [+145] (Corsair Vengeance [+39])
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 1.2GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+49] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
Video Card 2: None
Video Card 3: None
Dedicated PHYSX Card: None
Multiple Video Card Settings: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
Power Supply Upgrade: 850 Watts - CoolerMaster Silent Pro Gaming 80 Plus Power Supply [+102]
Hard Drive: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [-41] (1TB x 2 (1TB Capacity) Raid 1 High Performance with Data Security [+58])
Data Hard Drive: 2TB (2TBx1) SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+119] (Single Hard Drive)
Hard Drive Cooling Fan: Vigor iSURF II Hard Disk Drive Cooling System [+21] (3 x Systems [+42])
External Hard Drive (USB3.0/2.0/eSATA): None
USB Flash Drive: None
Optical Drive: Sony 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive [+3] (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: None
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
3D Vision Glasses: None
LCD Monitor: None
2nd Monitor: None
3rd Monitor: None
Speakers: None
Network: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
Network Switch: None
Keyboard: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
Mouse: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
Mouse Pad: None
Gaming Gear: None
Extra Thermal Display: Thermal Temperature Color LCD Display [+15] (Black Color)
Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: None
External Wireless Network Card: None
Wireless 802.11 B/G/N Access Point: None
Bluetooth: None
Flash Media Reader/Writer: None [-3]
Video Camera: None
Headset: None
Printer: None
Cable: None
Power Protection: None
Surge Protector: Ultra U12-40629 7 Outlet Surge Protector Black 6 Individual On/Off Switch [+20]
IEEE1394 Card: None
USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Professional [+31] (64-bit Edition)
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: AverMedia AVerTV Dual Tuner (ATSC/QAM/NTSC) Combo PCIE Media Center with Remote Control (Watch one channel and record on the other channel) [+129]
Office Suite: None
Games: None
Ultra Care Option: Professional Wiring for All WIRING Inside The System Chassis - Minimize Cable Exposure, Maximize Airflow in Your System [+19]
Service: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Rush Service: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

[Masherbrum]

Good computer bud.  I prefer ibuypower.com.

Cyberpower and iBuypower are owned by the same person.

[Bino]

...
Power Supply Upgrade: 850 Watts - CoolerMaster Silent Pro Gaming 80 Plus Power Supply [+102]
...

According to that article on Tom's Hardware, the "Coolermaster Silent Pro 850W" (product number RS-850-AMBA-J3, UL testing number E320127) is manufactured by Acbel Polytech of Taiwan.  

Make sure they use a Japanese brand of capacitors inside the PSU before you buy.  In order to hit that $100 price point, they had to cut corners somewhere.  Caveat Emptor.

[Butcher]

According to that article on Tom's Hardware, the "Coolermaster Silent Pro 850W" (product number RS-850-AMBA-J3, UL testing number E320127) is manufactured by Acbel Polytech of Taiwan.  

Make sure they use a Japanese brand of capacitors inside the PSU before you buy.  In order to hit that $100 price point, they had to cut corners somewhere.  Caveat Emptor.

I rigorously research every component that I add to a new computer, one being the power supply. I've known knockoffs over the years to give me the most hassle, however I have been using coolermaster PSU's for over 10 years without any problems with them, given the reviews of the Coolermaster silent, so far I haven't seen any that have been bad as of yet.

Main reason I am going with 850 watt is for future planning in adding another Video card, which would require a 750watt PSU and I am upping it to 850watt for safe keeping.

[Bino]

Understood.    Just be aware that the various "Coolermaster" PSUs are manufactured by six different companies.

[katanaso]

Nice looking build.

Do they have a HAF-932 case instead of the HAF-X, just for the ability to put four 5.25" fans on the size for case flow.  If that's something you like.

[Butcher]

Nice looking build.

Do they have a HAF-932 case instead of the HAF-X, just for the ability to put four 5.25" fans on the size for case flow.  If that's something you like.

Cool I will check it out, I keep going over the cases - trying to get a fullsize tower just for the fans.

[katanaso]

Cool I will check it out, I keep going over the cases - trying to get a fullsize tower just for the fans.

That's what I ended up with, and I have 10 120mm fans plus the 1 red 140mm fan up front.  I was very concerned about the heat from Crossfired 4870s at the time, but I still like how my OC'd E8400 and OC'd 5850 stay pretty cool.

For me, the cooling fans consist of 4 on the side, 2 on the bottom, and 2 on front.  The exhaust fans consist of 1 on the back and 2 on top.

I went with these for the 120mm fans too:  http://www.jab-tech.com/YATE-LOON-120mm-Case-Fan-D12SM-12-Medium-Speed-pr-3770.html

The total air being moved blew away (no pun intended) the amount from the fans included on the HAF-932.

[TequilaChaser]

I rigorously research every component that I add to a new computer, one being the power supply.

just to give you a heads up regarding cyberpowerpc & ibuypower........... They will not let you have a choice of what brand components you want put in your PC, you get whatever they decide to use or is cheapest for them

I was going to order/have built a new PC from them and I called to ask which type of ATI Brand VC I could get, what Brand of Ram, etc..... I even asked if I could pay extra if they would let me choose....... no dice

if the column in which you pick a component says ATI / some major brand   or Corsair or another major brand, etc...... you will be stuck with what they send you


this is the only reason I decided to order my parts and build it myself, because a Custom PC should be a custom PC, not what some other person decides to stuff in your box........

as for a good case ( if you don't mind the cost ) I love my new "Thermal Take Level 10 GT"

best of luck on your purchase

TC