My first PC build and first post!!!

[michaelnm]

1. Budget & Location

I'd like to keep it under $2000, i'm at $1700 with the current parts I have picked. I'm in South Carolina, but I keep the AC on most of the time.  

 

2. Aim

The computer will be used  for gaming, school, programming, etc.. Basically just want a beast build!! I want it to be able to handle any game at max settings, I have Crysis 2-3, Skyrim, Oblivion, Borderlands, GTA, Medal of Honor. And I want to be able to rip movies from dvd or blu-ray and convert them, render gameplay without a problem. 

 

3. Monitors

I'm going to eventually have 2 maybe 3 ASUS VG248QE monitors. But for now i'm sticking with my LG 32le5400  32" 1080p tv. 

 

4. Peripherals

I already have a 2012 Razer Mamba and a Blackwidow Ultimate 2013, not planning on switching. 

 

5. Why are you upgrading?

I've had a MSI "gaming" laptop (GT683R-242US V1) for the past 2 years that has been running flawlessly, but I want to build a PC that'll be my main system for the next couple of years.    

 

6. these are the parts from the build I'm planing on doing

 

Case:   Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl Window 
Motherboard:    MSI Z77-GD65 Gaming 
CPU:     Intel i7 3770K 
RAM:    Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB 
GPU:    EVGA GTX 680 Classified 4GB 
PSU:    NZXT HALE90 V2 850W 
CPU Cooler:    Corsair Hydro Series Liquid CPU Cooler H100i 
Storage: Sandisk 120GB SSD and Western Digital 1TB Caviar Green HDD (own both already)

Optical Drive: External Pioneer USB 2.0 BD/DVD/CD Burner BDR-XD04
Extra fans:    Corsair SP120 Quiet Edition Twin Pack Fans
Add-On Card:   Gigabyte Bluetooth 4.0/Wi-Fi card 

 

Eventual Upgrades:

Optical Drive:   Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS 
A second SSD to be put in raid 0 with the one I already have

 

Here's a link to all the parts

http://amzn.com/w/1MLPZFNPMK2IH

 

If anyone wants to suggest something go right ahead. None of this is set in stone, to me they just seem to be the best parts for the cheapest cost to my wallet. I've gone back and forth on every part, i've even made an excel sheet with all the parts on it so i could keep track. And like i said, any suggestions are welcome and wanted. 

 

[xToFxREAPER]

the memory is kind of overkill, why not go for g.skill or corsair vengeance to save yourself a few bucks? otherwise the build looks great

[CaptiveCloud]

Gpu: Unless you're going to be gaming on 3 screens 4GB of RAM is overkill, I'd even suggest getting a 770, it's cheaper then a 680 but performs the same.

Ram: Overkill as well, i'd say corsair vengeance o g.skill is great for your build and it's much cheaper.

[extremescouter]

Looks great apart from the aforementioned RAM, and the GTX 780 just came out, as well as the 770. The GTX 770 is essentially a 680, but better for $100 less. 

[michaelnm]

I was looking at the 770 and 780, just wasn't sure. Would SLI of any of these cards be overkill?

[CaptiveCloud]

I was looking at the 770 and 780, just wasn't sure. Would SLI of any of these cards be overkill?

I would have to say yes, if you get a single 780 you will be able to throw nearly anything at it and play it at max settings.

[WoodenMarker]

I would have to say yes, if you get a single 780 you will be able to throw anything at it and play it at max settings.

Not Metro. Even the titan struggles at 20fps with that game.

[CaptiveCloud]

Not Metro. Even the titan struggles at 20fps with that game.

Depends on your resolution as well, on 1080p with very high settings and ssaa X4 it's able to get 40fps, which is playable, though not optimal.

I will admit though that there are exceptions, there are a few games that are insanely demanding.

[WoodenMarker]

You're using a lot on money on things you don't need. 

For your purposes, a 3570k will perform just as well.

The platinums are a waste of money.

An 850w is overkill even for 780/titan sli.

 

Here's what I would change: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/11Ik1

The NH-D14 is a powerful and quiet cooler. It is quite a bit more quiet than the h100i's pump.

You could go with a cheaper z77 board. Got a G41 instead. The functionality you lose shouldn't affect the build.

Got a Samsung 840 250GB. It's cheaper and will work almost just as well as it is a wonderful ssd.

Went with a 780. Considering you want to play "max settings", this is as close you will get. Keep in mind metro last light brings even the titan to its knees when maxed out.

Got a more reasonable psu. The ea650w will be more than enough for this build.

[michaelnm]

Since Haswell just came out, should I stick with the ivy bridge setup or switch some parts for haswell?

[michaelnm]

What about this for a haswell build?

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/12zXU

[WoodenMarker]

What about this for a haswell build?

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/12zXU

DAT MOTHERBOARD is a waste of your budget. Get the cheapest z87 board and you'll be fine. Overclocking is more limited by the processor than the motherboard for normal overclocks because of Haswell's voltage regulator. 

You can get cheaper memory. Pretty much all CL9 1600 memory will be the same.

The 850w is overkill. The 780 can run on a cx600.

 

In summary, your money can be better spent elsewhere.

[michaelnm]

Alright here is my latest rehash of parts. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/13kCt

 

The reason i'm going with an AX750 is because I may go sli in the distant future, but i want enough extra room for a sound card or more than one hdd, but mainly for it being completely modular. 

 

As always, suggestions and critiques are welcome. 

 

And let me know where you think the best place to buy these from are. I was going with Newegg and Amazon since I can't buy all of these parts from one place. 

[VVR4ITH]

For your purposes, what you plan on getting is overkill, and unless you want to burn through your entire budget, consider getting something like this.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/13pEw

As for your SLI situation, I can count the number of people on one hand who actually need a multi-GPU setup. I recommend getting one powerful card as opposed to two.

 

One other thing to consider is the VRam on your card.  If you're going to use Surround/Eyefinity, get something with at least 3GB.

 

[WoodenMarker]

Alright here is my latest rehash of parts. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/13kCt

 

The reason i'm going with an AX750 is because I may go sli in the distant future, but i want enough extra room for a sound card or more than one hdd, but mainly for it being completely modular. 

 

As always, suggestions and critiques are welcome. 

 

And let me know where you think the best place to buy these from are. I was going with Newegg and Amazon since I can't buy all of these parts from one place. 

Newegg and Amazon are excellent for parts.

 

The gold psu is still overkill for future sli. A bronze psu will do for that.