Thoughts about a rig I would like to build.

[amulford]

I had some problems with the computer I am presently using.  I think I figured that out.

That got me thinking, however.  I want to build a decent game rig.  So I started to spec one and would like some opinions.

I spent some time on a nifty website and came up with the following:

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor  ($189.99 @ Newegg)

Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme9 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($176.30 @ Newegg)

CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 45.0 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler  ($17.99 @ Newegg)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  ($200.98 @ Newegg)

Storage: Corsair Force LS Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($109.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($64.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($64.99 @ Newegg)

Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270X 4GB Video Card  ($283.98 @ Newegg)

Case: Rosewill BLACKHAWK-ULTRA ATX Full Tower Case  ($217.98 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Corsair RM 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($206.98 @ Newegg)

Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer  ($68.98 @ Newegg)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($101.98 @ Newegg)

Total: $1687.13  (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

I am on the fence about it.  Any opinions?  Should there be something else I am looking for?

[Masherbrum]

If you're willing to drop $220 on a case, look into Silverstone or Lian-Li.

 

[amulford]

I picked the rosewill because it comes with eight fans.  I thought I would save a few sheckels.

[eagl]

For that kind of money go with an intel cpu.  Get a K series i5 cpu and overclock the snot out of it.

[Masherbrum]

BTW, a 1000w PSU is overkill and not efficient.   

[Bizman]

Good advice here! Trying to summarize this a little:

If you really want to save a few sheckels, there's lots of good well breathing cases in the $50 price range. Extra fans don't cost much and you can choose the quality of them.
Also I'd rather opt the ssd out. I admit the ssd would get you into Windows and the game much faster, but after you've logged in there's really no difference at all. But if you can't wait a minute before starting a few hours gaming session, it's your money and your choice.
During the last few years Intel has been having less issues with games, so that might be a safer bet.
As has been said, the 1000W PSU is overkill and the excess power may cause issues. The 650W version of the same series would be more than enough and again save your sheckels.

[eagl]

A large PSU will not cause any problems, but go for build quality over the number on the box.  Seasonic is very good.
Again, at that price range you can afford smart and high quality components.  A 500GB SSD like the Samsung 840 evo or Crucial M500 would make the entire system feel more responsive, and they're only about $300.

Spending more than $200, or even over $150, for a case ought to be an indicator that you are buying a specific case for a specific purpose because only that case can do what you need.  If that isn't the case, look into the corsair brand cases.  From nice mid-towers under $100 to huge towers designed for hardcore water cooling, corsair cases hit a very wide range of prices and features. 

[MrRiplEy[H]]

A large PSU will not cause any problems

That's not entirely true. If you run a switching PSU at marginal load it will cause ripple in the voltage which is bad for your hardware. Same effect can be seen in power width modulated lights, if you try to dim them far enough, eventually you'll just see a blinking light instead of a dim.

[SilverZ06]

Do you really need a full tower case? I have the Rosewell Blackhawk mid-tower and it is pretty damn big. I'm running a total of 12 fans in the case (including GPU and PSU fans). My point being is the mid-tower has plenty of room for fans and is less than half the cost of the full size tower. I would also go with an intel chip. I am currently running an i5-2500k overclocked to 4.8GHZ and it has run flawlessly for a couple years now. For the SSD I would stick with samsung. I have a 500gb PRO SSD in my laptop and a 128GB PRO ssd in my desktop and I love them. I had a crucial 64gb ssd that I used for two years and then it gave up the ghost. I got an rma replacement and that replacement has over 10,000 bad sectors out of the box. I no longer suggest crucial SSDs to anyone. Good luck on your build. It looks like it will last you quite a while. 

[TequilaChaser]

If you really want a Full Tower Case, and one that has Excellent air flow capabilities and also is already setup to install water cooling if you desire to do so

I suggest this one, by Thermaltake....... ( I have 2 of these a Black Version for my intel and the white version for my AMD )

Newegg link:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133188

Thermaltake Level 10 GT (VN10001W2N) Black Steel SECC / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case with Four Fans-1x 200mm Colorshift side fan, 1x 200mm Colorshift top fan, 1x 200mm Colorshift front fan and 1x 140mm rear fan

$239.99  + $12.99 shipping ( unless you have shoprunner or some other free shipping program )


sidenote: Heya Silver, you still got those "bad"  Crucial SSD drives  laying around?  if so let me know via PM..... I need to talk with you anyways about something, <S>


TC

[Masherbrum]

Personally,

This:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352031

+

Two of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835352007

= A great case with 7 HDD trays and plenty of room for radiators (offset if needs be) and cable management.   All the while, being easy to clean, maintain and be very quiet.   

[amulford]

Thank you guys for the input so far.  It's greatly appreciated.

I see the point about the case.  I like the Fractal listed above, especially the washable filters. 

Will I still have the room for a second GPU if I decide I need one?

I see the point about the power supply, too. Right now I am sitting around 450W.  I If I decide to go water cooled or add fans, would I need to go bigger?   My audiophile history has me in a bind there.  I want to have headroom if I need it down the road.

[Masherbrum]

Thank you guys for the input so far.  It's greatly appreciated.

I see the point about the case.  I like the Fractal listed above, especially the washable filters. 

Will I still have the room for a second GPU if I decide I need one?

I see the point about the power supply, too. Right now I am sitting around 450W.  I If I decide to go water cooled or add fans, would I need to go bigger?   My audiophile history has me in a bind there.  I want to have headroom if I need it down the road.

Yes there is plenty of room for a second GPU.

[Debrody]

Totally unbalanced.
-an i5 is a better CPU for that money, might be a little bit more expensive, especially with the fitting mobo, but the much less power consumption might worth considering going intel.
-that is a single lower-mid range GPU with the consumpion of ~120 Watts. I dont know what you would like to do with that puter though, but for 1600$ its possible to get something much better. A 280x for example. 2GB vRAM is also enough for everything what any existing GPU can calculate.
-1000W PSU - why on earth? A quality 550-600W is enough for every single GPU setup, a high end SLI/CF can run really fine on a 850W one... an 1000W one is just like throwing money out from the window.

here is my advice:
i5 K model, suitable mobo
16 gigs of ddr-1600 ram (the one you listed)
280x-290(custom cooling) GPU
Seasonic 600W psu
drives of your choice
case of your choice

[SirNuke]

+1 debrody.

Good tower and PSU are cool but this is way overkill, put some of that money in actual gaming power  As much as I was an AMD fanboy this CPU is crap for gaming at its price point.