Complete PC Build for $2k

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InvictusSum

18 posts

Geek

#120903 17-Jun-2013 22:11

Hi everyone, I've decided to bite the bullet and try assembling a gaming PC. Since I'm switching from a laptop, I'd be building the actual CPU but also looking for monitor, keyboard, etc, with a budget of around two grand.

My goals are a reasonable degree of future-proofing, so a PSU/Monitor/Case that will last several builds, and CPU/GPU/RAM with upgradability, so that in a year or two I can drop another $1000 or so on it, get a significant bump in performance, and have the whole PC provide good gaming for the next 5 years or more. In particular I'd like to be able to install a second GPU in SLI sometime down the line.

I've put together a possible build based from looking at logicalincrements.com, and pricespy.co.nz, trying to find components that are value for money but reasonably well-respected brands. The list is here: http://pricespy.co.nz/list.php?l=91239&view=m (apparently I am too new to post links).

My main questions are: are there any obvious dud or overpriced components? How can I figure out if the various parts are compatible with the mobo I have chosen? And finally, is there any significant difference in performance between the ATI 7950 and the Nvidia 670 to justify the extra dosh?

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#838392 17-Jun-2013 22:15

Why don't you look at current builds being sold, and get the list of components. Then break those down into cost, and then look where you can save money. I would stick to the better brands like asus etc.

lucky015

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#838420 17-Jun-2013 23:22

I'd tend to avoid ASRock motherboards, Seagate HDD's and Windows 8.

Only other thing I'd really question is the Samsung screen, I tend to prefer as do a number of people Dell panels however like the rest it comes down to personal preference, My system isn't too far off what your building although I've built mine over the beginning of the year and went with a 7970.

Batman

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#838424 17-Jun-2013 23:31

lucky015: I'd tend to avoid ASRock motherboards, Seagate HDD's and Windows 8.

Can you explain to OP why you say that?

mattwnz

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#838426 17-Jun-2013 23:37

lucky015: I'd tend to avoid ASRock motherboards, Seagate HDD's and Windows 8.

Only other thing I'd really question is the Samsung screen, I tend to prefer as do a number of people Dell panels however like the rest it comes down to personal preference, My system isn't too far off what your building although I've built mine over the beginning of the year and went with a 7970.

Are seagates really worse than any other though these days? Although their warranties are poor these days. It's a bit of a dying technology too, so in 5 years we may not see to many still being sold.

lucky015

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#838427 17-Jun-2013 23:38

joker97:
lucky015: I'd tend to avoid ASRock motherboards, Seagate HDD's and Windows 8.

Can you explain to OP why you say that?

Certainly.

ASRock I have had a bad experience with a board from them in the past although It was certainly a few years ago now but it still sits in my mind, May not be the case any-more but I'd still tend to avoid them.

Seagate HDD's seem to be the less preferred for quite a while now since the failure issues at the 200GB mark which was quickly followed by shortening their warranty period and what has been a general dislike of them for a few years now.

Windows 8 on the basis that I and the majority of people who I know as well as those who I have spoken with it do not like it, I'd very heavily recommend trying it before anyone where to look at paying for the displeasure of using it day to day.

DravidDavid

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#838450 18-Jun-2013 01:28

I avoid Seagate for the reasons specified above. Western Digital are rock solid, there is no reason to purchase another brand.

I tend to stick with GIGABYTE motherboards. I've never had an issue with them, where as I've had a few problems in the past with ASRock, ASUS and Corsair.

I swear by SAMSUNG panels. You can't go wrong with them. They maintain their colour accuracy very well across a very long period of time and I've only ever had one fault with the 4 monitors I've had. Even that was a minor design flaw which was fixed when I received the replacement. SAMSUNG support is also amazing. Someone came to pick the monitor up and dropped it back off again. It was great.

Steer clear of NZXT stuff. Their fans constantly break on me and their Phantom case (which I was told was amazing) is plastic crap that vibrates so much it drives me nuts.

Get an after market cooler if you go Intel with the CPU. Don't put their crappy stock cooler on it. If you go AMD, the cooler is 100X better but also 100X noisier.

lucky015

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#838451 18-Jun-2013 01:46

Hyper 212 is always a good CPU cooler, I love mine and so do the 2 others I've talked into them.

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CapBBeard

211 posts

Master Geek

#838490 18-Jun-2013 09:06

Always interesting reading others experiences with brands; personally I swear by Intel (CPU/SSD)/ASUS(MB)/Corsair(PSU/CASE)/EVGA(GFX) and not really bother (perhaps a bit strong) looking at other stuff any more as I've always had great experiences.

I used to swear by Western Digital but have had a few fail lately, meanwhile my quite old Seagates are still fine so have given them another shot. We'll see!

russelo

328 posts

Ultimate Geek

#838614 18-Jun-2013 11:50

DravidDavid:
Get an after market cooler if you go Intel with the CPU. Don't put their crappy stock cooler on it. If you go AMD, the cooler is 100X better but also 100X noisier.

Can you explain why?
I have an i7 on stock cooler running at 100% (doing video conversions) for hours on end. I have coreTemp running to monitor the temperature and it shows the temperature is maxing out around 72deg.

What's the benefit of getting an after market cooler? is 72deg bad for the CPU?
At the moment I'm trying to decide if it's really needed or not.

timmmay

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#838635 18-Jun-2013 12:25

I find Seagate drives absolutely fine. I've had around ten of them, so far only one has reported an errors via SMART.

Stock cooler is fine for most people, most of the time. I got a Noctuna cooler with dual 140mm fans to keep it cooler and quieter, massive thing it is, but it's overkill.

Hammerer

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#838638 18-Jun-2013 12:32

lucky015:
joker97:
lucky015: I'd tend to avoid ASRock motherboards, Seagate HDD's and Windows 8.

Can you explain to OP why you say that?

...

Windows 8 on the basis that I and the majority of people who I know as well as those who I have spoken with it do not like it, I'd very heavily recommend trying it before anyone where to look at paying for the displeasure of using it day to day.

On contemporary hardware and compared with Windows 7, I would always choose Windows 8 because new technologies are better integrated - that includes features that are under the hood and not as visible as the new interface. The performance I get on my 64-bit laptop appears to be better than Windows 7. The change in interface didn't take much to get used to once you get a few key concepts.

But I haven't tried any high-performance games yet because they're on my Windows 7 desktop. So there may be specific gaming issues that I'm not aware of.

shadybrothers

236 posts

Master Geek

#838645 18-Jun-2013 12:51

I would go the GTX 670 over the 7950, the prices are dropping enough that you can pick up a second GTX 670 in a couple of months fairly inexpensively for SLI. GTX 670 in SLI puts out more grunt than a GTX Titan or GTF 780 for around the same price.

Are you looking at overclocking your CPU? If not you may want to look at the non K model - but its not that much more for the K model. This will also determine whether you need the after market cooler too.

Have a look at this build, I think that it will be quite adequate for your needs, SSD for OS and applications, 2TB for storage etc. The PSU is enough to power the system and another GTX 670 down the line, if you ever feel the need for more ram you can add another 2x8gb sticks. You are free to add your monitor, keyboard, mouse etc.

All prices from http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/

Or to make it simpler, check out this prebuilt system - http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/systems/systemdetail.asp?sysid=127&systypeid=4 add your own peripherials.

this is a slap in the face!

grant_k

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#838652 18-Jun-2013 13:04

DravidDavid: I avoid Seagate for the reasons specified above. Western Digital are rock solid, there is no reason to purchase another brand.

Agreed. I've had no problems with WD whereas 2 Seagates have failed in recent years, so I won't be buying any more.

InvictusSum

18 posts

Geek

#838723 18-Jun-2013 14:26

Hi Guys,

I've replaced the HDD with a WD (same price), and the ASRock mobo with a Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H. It costs a little more, but I want a good mobo, and this one seems well reviewed. If anyone has a link to how to read and understand mobo specifications, I'd be really grateful - Im sure the gigabyte will do everything needed, but I'd like to do my due dilligence.

lucky015: Only other thing I'd really question is the Samsung screen, I tend to prefer as do a number of people Dell panels however like the rest it comes down to personal preference, My system isn't too far off what your building although I've built mine over the beginning of the year and went with a 7970.

Would would you recommend instead? The Dell S2340L?

DravidDavid:Steer clear of NZXT stuff. Their fans constantly break on me and their Phantom case (which I was told was amazing) is plastic crap that vibrates so much it drives me nuts.

Get an after market cooler if you go Intel with the CPU. Don't put their crappy stock cooler on it. If you go AMD, the cooler is 100X better but also 100X noisier.

I didn't think I had anything from NZXT, but there are so many acronyms I might have missed it - what specifically did you mean?

As for coolers ...

lucky015: Hyper 212 is always a good CPU cooler, I love mine and so do the 2 others I've talked into them.

Is that the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo? I'll probably pick that up if I can find room in the budget.

Hammerer: On contemporary hardware and compared with Windows 7, I would always choose Windows 8 because new technologies are better integrated - that includes features that are under the hood and not as visible as the new interface. The performance I get on my 64-bit laptop appears to be better than Windows 7. The change in interface didn't take much to get used to once you get a few key concepts.

But I haven't tried any high-performance games yet because they're on my Windows 7 desktop. So there may be specific gaming issues that I'm not aware of.

This is where I'm leaning. I'd almost certainly be buying one OS or another, so it seems sensible to get the newer one, all else being equal. Assuming I can I'll probably install 8 on my XP laptop at the same time.

shadybrothers: I would go the GTX 670 over the 7950, the prices are dropping enough that you can pick up a second GTX 670 in a couple of months fairly inexpensively for SLI. GTX 670 in SLI puts out more grunt than a GTX Titan or GTF 780 for around the same price.

Are you looking at overclocking your CPU? If not you may want to look at the non K model - but its not that much more for the K model. This will also determine whether you need the after market cooler too.

Have a look at this build,

My thinking is lining up with yours - the 670 isn't too much more, and I would like nvidia over ati, just to make a change. I'm undecided on overclocking, and the price difference is small enough that I'll pay the extra for the option.

As for the alternate build, I appreciate it, but I'm having a hard enough time staying within budget as is, and yours starts at $2.4k without peripherals! Plus, there is a certain satisfaction in vetting the components yourself.

shadybrothers

236 posts

Master Geek

#838743 18-Jun-2013 15:44

That monitor you have selected is only 1920 x 1080 - you will only need a GTX 660Ti to drive that - no point putting 2x GTX 670's in there for that ;)

If not overclocking no need for the aftermarket cooler, the stock will be fine.

In regards to your "degree of future proofing" dropping another $1000 on this next year will be a waste, you should save up that extra $1000 now and buy the decent kit that will last you the next 5 years ;)

this is a slap in the face!

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