You pick the parts. I have been looking at using an Intel core i5 2500k processor, as well as two nVidia GeForce 570's SLI'd (would most likely stick to these unless you can convince me otherwise).
You pretty much get to do the rest (or can modify those with reason). Have fun~!
This will be my first actual build (just upgraded mobo/cpu/psu/ram last weekend, so I have a little experience) so please don't set me up for anything too complicated. By that I mean stick to AIR COOLING. I don't want to get into the whole water cooling thing until I have more experience.
Edit: This is just for the computer itself, not peripherals. So basically; mobo, cpu, cpu fan, ram, vid cards, case, case fans, SSD, HD, optical drive (and whatever else belongs inside).
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Playing a Wizard. Looking for Demon Hunters to play with.
With $2k and two 570's your going to want to get at least a Intel i7 ($300~) and a decent motherboard preferably a ASUS one, like a P67 or something similar. Maybe I didn't emphasize this strong enough actually. With $2,000 you do not want a i5 at all lol! I spent $1,800 on my rig. I made sure I got a i7 (2600k 3.4 gHz) processor.
Oh and make sure you get a nice monitor or two as well!
With 2k, I'd buy dual 7970's and a Core i7 3820 w/ an Asus Sabertooth X79 board and 8 Gigs of Corsair Ram @ 1600MHz
If you're building from scratch though with 0 spare parts, I'd roll with a I7 2600k, 8-16 gigs of RAM preferably Corsair or G.SKill Get an Asus Mobo the maximus extreme-Z board is good. Get a single 7970 or dual 570's. Put it in an NZXT Phantom/CM HAF X/ Silverstone FT02/ Silverstone TJ11(699$) All of these have great air cooling capabilities. You could get a Phanteks CPU cooler, I forget the acxtual model number but It's a monster and is very good at cooling. SSD get a decent 120Gig, OCZ Vertex 3's are really good, Buy a 500Gig HDD for storage and if you watch blu-rays get a decent blu-ray drive any will do.For the psu rock a 700-850 watt XFX or Corsair they're reliable and are future proof so if you ever upgrade some parts you'll be all good.
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I've been told i7 is really for those who want to do some serious editing or design stuff. I most likely won't need it for gaming. BUT your opinion is noted, and I will consider this when making my final purchase.
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Playing a Wizard. Looking for Demon Hunters to play with.
I've been told i7 is really for those who want to do some serious editing or design stuff. I most likely won't need it for gaming. BUT your opinion is noted, and I will consider this when making my final purchase.
Well yes and no, there is an advantage to take an i7 but for most people the price difference with a i5 isn't worth the difference. I mean if you really want to pour in 2000$ yeah why not take an i7, if you want to spare some money though the i5 is probably more approriate.
As for the OP: if you go for an unlocked intel processor you have to take overclocking into account otherwise this is a shame. You can get great performance with only an heatsink. It's still air cooling but it requires you to get a specialized heatsink that is a little trickier to mount in than the basic cooling system.
Also get a really good ram with low lags and fast frequency (don't know whats top nowadays). Also, very important, get a SSD of 128 or 264G and a normal HDD of like 2TB. I'm too lazy to search specifics since it takes time bet also get a good psu (power supply), high enough power but especially take a good brand.
What else... If you have only one screen I can't help but recommend a second one, if your first is top you can get a cheap one as second. I will never go back to 1 screen on my computer, it's so useful for work and gaming + whatever.
See if you'd like a sound card too. Most gamers underrate their sound card don't know why. I mean I don't know why but I often meet guys that have uber gpu and cpu that really show the best graphics ever but then they have only one monitor, there sound is cheap etc... Please don't do that it's like having a smelly ugly car with a porsche engine.
See if you'd like a sound card too. Most gamers underrate their sound card don't know why. I mean I don't know why
Because its not important in the slightest. It has little to nothing to do with how well the game runs, and that's what is really important.
@OP
Most people seem to just be listing stupid shit that cost a lot of money, because you said you had a 2k budget. Personally, I would probably wait a few months for the next generation stuff to get on the market.
Few Tips:
You don't need 16 Gb of memory, 8 gig is fine. The best method is to buy 8 gig now, then buy 8 gig later after the price drops.
Similarly you don't need dual Video cards. You would be far better off buying one good video card, and then later buying another later for significantly less.
Don't blow a lot of money on a case. Its just a box that houses the components....it does almost nothing.
Motherboard: Make sure it has support for USB 3.0 and PCIe 3.0
Processor: The difference between I7 2600k and 2500k for gaming is almost nil.
PSU: Make sure it is a single 12v rail. Be aware of what you are going to run so you can get the right watt power supply, too much and you waste money, too little and you are hindering your system. This is a crucial part when it comes to gaming, and you need to make sure you do your homework on how much juice your system is going to use.
For example,
7970 will use about 300 watts under full load
I7 2600k will use about 165 watts under full load.
These #s will of course change greatly if you overclock.
Also anyone who suggests you only buy X brand don't know WTF they are talking about. Every company makes good and bad products, and they should be judged on a per case basis.
I also don't recommend blowing 2k on a computer unless you have a good job, and just have money to blow. When you buy top of the line components you are paying almost exclusively for research and development of said products. The difference between a 1k and 2k machine is nothing to write home about.
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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"
See if you'd like a sound card too. Most gamers underrate their sound card don't know why. I mean I don't know why
Because its not important in the slightest. It has little to nothing to do with how well the game runs, and that's what is really important.
@OP
Most people seem to just be listing stupid shit that cost a lot of money, because you said you had a 2k budget. Personally, I would probably wait a few months for the next generation stuff to get on the market.
Few Tips:
You don't need 16 Gb of memory, 8 gig is fine. The best method is to buy 8 gig now, then buy 8 gig later after the price drops.
Similarly you don't need dual Video cards. You would be far better off buying one good video card, and then later buying another later for significantly less.
Don't blow a lot of money on a case. Its just a box that houses the components....it does almost nothing.
Motherboard: Make sure it has support for USB 3.0 and PCIe 3.0
Processor: The difference between I7 2600k and 2500k for gaming is almost nil.
PSU: Make sure it is a single 12v rail. Be aware of what you are going to run so you can get the right watt power supply, too much and you waste money, too little and you are hindering your system. This is a crucial part when it comes to gaming, and you need to make sure you do your homework on how much juice your system is going to use.
For example,
7970 will use about 300 watts under full load
I7 2600k will use about 165 watts under full load.
These #s will of course change greatly if you overclock.
Also anyone who suggests you only buy X brand don't know WTF they are talking about. Every company makes good and bad products, and they should be judged on a per case basis.
I also don't recommend blowing 2k on a computer unless you have a good job, and just have money to blow. When you buy top of the line components you are paying almost exclusively for research and development of said products. The difference between a 1k and 2k machine is nothing to write home about.
I'll address some things you said here.
1. Sound card are useless for gaming.... Well ain't that anything BUT the truth. If you're an audiophile too and you really know how to squeeze the sound from a good soundcard then go for it. It makes the world of a difference.
2."don't blow a lot of money on a case it's just a box that houses your components" I've never heard a more wrong statement. EVER! Your case is so important. If you plan on Watercooling eventually and you buy a cheap ass case for 60 bucks you're clearly going to screw yourself. If you're never going to watercool but want to get some high quality components then the case means more than almost anything. It's great if you bought a 7970 but having just a decent case with minimal airflow means CRASHES GALORE. You'll need an adequate case for cooling your parts. That's a fact.
3. To your comment on anyone telling you X brand is better. It's not because we want to limit his choices but it's because it's completely true. All my Asus products worked fine. The reason I had said to go with Seasonic Corsair or XFX is because they all use the same parts and are of very high quality. Sure sometimes you get a DOA but you have to go for a brand that has less DOA's you don't want a 5/8 chance you'll get a DOA part I'd much rather go with a brand that has a 1/8 chance.
4.The reason we listed the high priced shit is because well hes got 2k to blow, if he only plans on gamign then you're right he doesn't need half the crap but without his specific needs I can't go into detail. What if he's a photo editor too? He'll need more than just 16 gigs of RAM. and honestly if he has the money don't buy a LGA 1155 board buy a LGA 2011 future proof your system a little. They're all able to hold 64 Gigs of Ram run hexa and quad core processors and have PCIe 3.0 and USB 3.0
Dual video cards are up for debate, depends on his resolution what settings he wants to play at, etc... So really I can recommend it if he wants to be running BF3 maxed at 2560x1440 but not if he's going to be playing Diablo 3 at 1440x900.
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See if you'd like a sound card too. Most gamers underrate their sound card don't know why. I mean I don't know why
Because its not important in the slightest. It has little to nothing to do with how well the game runs, and that's what is really important.
@OP
Most people seem to just be listing stupid shit that cost a lot of money, because you said you had a 2k budget. Personally, I would probably wait a few months for the next generation stuff to get on the market.
Few Tips:
You don't need 16 Gb of memory, 8 gig is fine. The best method is to buy 8 gig now, then buy 8 gig later after the price drops.
Similarly you don't need dual Video cards. You would be far better off buying one good video card, and then later buying another later for significantly less.
Don't blow a lot of money on a case. Its just a box that houses the components....it does almost nothing.
Motherboard: Make sure it has support for USB 3.0 and PCIe 3.0
Processor: The difference between I7 2600k and 2500k for gaming is almost nil.
PSU: Make sure it is a single 12v rail. Be aware of what you are going to run so you can get the right watt power supply, too much and you waste money, too little and you are hindering your system. This is a crucial part when it comes to gaming, and you need to make sure you do your homework on how much juice your system is going to use.
For example,
7970 will use about 300 watts under full load
I7 2600k will use about 165 watts under full load.
These #s will of course change greatly if you overclock.
Also anyone who suggests you only buy X brand don't know WTF they are talking about. Every company makes good and bad products, and they should be judged on a per case basis.
I also don't recommend blowing 2k on a computer unless you have a good job, and just have money to blow. When you buy top of the line components you are paying almost exclusively for research and development of said products. The difference between a 1k and 2k machine is nothing to write home about.
I'll address some things you said here.
1. Sound card are useless for gaming.... Well ain't that anything BUT the truth. If you're an audiophile too and you really know how to squeeze the sound from a good soundcard then go for it. It makes the world of a difference.
2."don't blow a lot of money on a case it's just a box that houses your components" I've never heard a more wrong statement. EVER! Your case is so important. If you plan on Watercooling eventually and you buy a cheap ass case for 60 bucks you're clearly going to screw yourself. If you're never going to watercool but want to get some high quality components then the case means more than almost anything. It's great if you bought a 7970 but having just a decent case with minimal airflow means CRASHES GALORE. You'll need an adequate case for cooling your parts. That's a fact.
3. To your comment on anyone telling you X brand is better. It's not because we want to limit his choices but it's because it's completely true. All my Asus products worked fine. The reason I had said to go with Seasonic Corsair or XFX is because they all use the same parts and are of very high quality. Sure sometimes you get a DOA but you have to go for a brand that has less DOA's you don't want a 5/8 chance you'll get a DOA part I'd much rather go with a brand that has a 1/8 chance.
4.The reason we listed the high priced shit is because well hes got 2k to blow, if he only plans on gamign then you're right he doesn't need half the crap but without his specific needs I can't go into detail. What if he's a photo editor too? He'll need more than just 16 gigs of RAM. and honestly if he has the money don't buy a LGA 1155 board buy a LGA 2011 future proof your system a little. They're all able to hold 64 Gigs of Ram run hexa and quad core processors and have PCIe 3.0 and USB 3.0
Dual video cards are up for debate, depends on his resolution what settings he wants to play at, etc... So really I can recommend it if he wants to be running BF3 maxed at 2560x1440 but not if he's going to be playing Diablo 3 at 1440x900.
1. Doesnt help performance, and quality is marginally better. I bet most people couldn't even tell the difference.
2. Says the guy who suggested a $600 case FFS. There are lots of cases in the $70 range that will work just fine Water cooling is by no means needed. Hell you could put your computer components on a slab of wood and it would work fine.
3. Your personal experiences mean diddly shit. There are technical reviews and tons of customer feedback on just about any part. Compared to that, someone saying "lolz asus" is like a bad joke.
4. I already said that. 64 gigs is total overkill, and those boards are buggy as new technology often is. Besides, he could buy a good LGA 1155 board now, and if he needed upgrade in the future then he could buy a NEW LGA 2011 board. And it would cost about the same, and likely be far more stable.
You people seriously need to learn to think.
You can build a high-med machine for half the price of a top of the line machine, and it will still max out the games. Later you can upgrade it, (more memory, dual video card) and get even more life out of it. Even if you have 2k to spend, there is no point in blowing it on stupid shit like a $600 case, or dual 570s.
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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"
1. Doesnt help performance, and quality is marginally better. I bet most people couldn't even tell the difference.
2. Says the guy who suggested a $600 case FFS. There are lots of cases in the $70 range that will work just as well at cooling. Water cooling is by no means needed. Hell you could put your computer components on a slab of wood.
3. Your personal experiences mean diddly shit. There are technical reviews and tons of customer feedback on just about any part. Compared to that, someone saying "lolz asus" is like a bad joke.
4. I already said that. 64 gigs is total overkill, and those boards are buggy as new technology often is. Besides, he could buy a good LGA 1155 board now, and if he needed upgrade in the future then he could buy a NEW LGA 2011 board. And it would cost about the same, and likely be far more stable.
You people seriously need to learn to think.
1. Although it doesn't help "performance" It sure as hell adds a different depth to the game. I know it certainly helped me out. Then again you need to buy a good headphone and I have a really nitpicky sense of hearing so I take not of very subtle details in music, as well as games. Maybe just my personal preference.
2. The only reason I suggested that case is based on reviews it is the case best suitable for air cooling. I know almost no one is going to buy that unless they're running like quad 7970's and an Oc'ed 3930k but still It's an option. If you haven't noticed I'm big on future proofing my computers.
3.not true, What makes my review any less effective or informative than the people on newegg of tigerdirect. I'm merely stating from my research the brands I've named have usually been very good.Asus has a broad spectrum of products but for motherboards they are top of the line. And XFX Corsair and Seasonic all use the same high quality parts and they are all top of the line PSU's. Again from what I found during my research.
4. Well 64 isn't complete overkill. If you're a photo editor who likes to have lots of layers and stuff in the photo, 64 gigs is sooooo much better than 8. It really sucks having a limit especially when you're trying to be creative. OFC new tech is buggy, but from what I've read the LGA 2011 boards out perform the lga 1155 boards most of the time. and there's always a price hike in new tech so that's kinda unavoidable.
It's not that I'm not thinking, I'm just thinking on a broader sense since he didn't give us specific wants or needs. Had he said I am just gaming, I would've said get a triple monitor setup dual vid cards an i5 2500k and an nzxt Phantom with 6-8 gigs of RAM and a 700 watt XFX psu and a decent 120 gig SSD, with a 500gig-2TB hdd for storage. I mean it just bases off of what the user needs. I know when I looked for my build I went for that HT and the extra two cores. I want to start up a stream and a youtube channel and I know I need more cores for that stuff. I also know I like photo editing and creating so I knew i needed more than the standard 8 gigs of ram. again It's not that we're not thinking, it's just that we're thinking in a broader sense than you. I agree with most things you said but not all.
2
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Not even Death will save you from Diablo Bunny's Cuteness!
All I am saying is there is a big difference between $2000 to spend, and $2000 to waste. If he has money to waste, then by all means get the top of the line components. Dual 7970s with 1200 watt power supply etc...
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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"
I have a 6 core processor, 8GB of ram a high RPM 500gb hard drive a 2gb Nvidia graphics card and a 750 watt power supply and I only paid $500. There's a price comparison.
EDIT: If you ever consider watercooling, just drop your computer in a circulated fish tank filled with mineral oil. It runs 10x quieter, cooler, and mineral oil is not conductive so it wont short anything out or damage any components.
See if you'd like a sound card too. Most gamers underrate their sound card don't know why. I mean I don't know why
Because its not important in the slightest. It has little to nothing to do with how well the game runs, and that's what is really important.
Excuse me but why do we care about performance in the first place? Considering that we are on D3 forum, I assume that it's not to get fast build times when coding but rather to make games run with good FPS on high graphics settings. All in all, to get a pleasant gaming experience.
That being said, I don't see how graphic experience is any more important than sound experience. FPS drops are as much annoying as buzzing and humming coming out of your headphones/speakers.
If you do have the extra money that you want to spend, replacing your sound card will be much more noticeable (assuming that you have adequate sound system) than jumping from 85 to 100 FPS (random numbers, the point is that anything above your screen refresh ratio is irrelevant).
That being said, I don't see how graphic experience is any more important than sound experience. FPS drops are as much annoying as buzzing and humming coming out of your headphones/speakers.
You can play the game on mute, try playing w/o the video card. Actually now that I think about it, most people turn the sound and/or music off while playing as they find it monotonous.
I can't recall any humming or buzzing while I played with onboard sound....might be a personal problem. Besides, a buzz won't affect your gameplay, a huge drop in FPS will. There is a huge difference between ensuring the game runs smoothly, and the quality of sound.
If you do have the extra money that you want to spend, replacing your sound card will be much more noticeable (assuming that you have adequate sound system) than jumping from 85 to 100 FPS (random numbers, the point is that anything above your screen refresh ratio is irrelevant).
For this game that is certainly true, but oddly enough these software companies keep making more graphic demanding games for some damn reason.
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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"
See if you'd like a sound card too. Most gamers underrate their sound card don't know why. I mean I don't know why
I haven't bought one in decade or so. Could never tell the difference when I switched, but maybe some people can. If you have money to blow, then fine....buy it along with some good speakers. If you don't get descent speakers, then you are definitely just wasting your money though, which is just another expense.
The sound card IS important. Many game crashes and problems originate from a bad sound card (look up MW2 issues, BF3 issues etc). Although, to be honest, "bad" may be the wrong term, since the most important thing for a gamer is to make sure your sound card is well supported and receives periodical driver updates as problems arise. I'd recommend the newer Creative cards. Some top-of-the-line motherboards also come with well-supported high quality integrated sound cards.
Onboard is fine imo. I haven't had any issues in years.
He said he's buying a computer with a $2k budget. Who are you to judge? A few months after your few months there's another generation of hardware, so it's generally pointless to wait unless you're just weeks away from major updates.
I am not judging him. I am making sure he knows the difference between 2k to spend and 2k to waste.
A ~1k computer can run any game on max, so there is no reason to spend 2k.
Lots of kids go overboard on their 1st build, i know I did.
Wrong on the latter. RAM price is now at an all-time low, so it's definitely the best time to buy a lot of RAM. You never know what the future holds, just look at how last year's Tsunami affected for example the HDD prices. If you want a little future-proofing, which is something you can afford with the aforementioned budget, now is the time.
Its possible I suppose, but seems rather unlikely.
Its pretty cheap regardless so it doesn't matter a whole lot.
Wrong. The case matters significantly, as depending on chassis cooling you can have temperature differences of several C, even going to double digits in some cases. Good air flow ensures lower running temperatures for ALL components, thus prolonging their life and/or allowing more overclocking headroom.
Plus a chassis needs to look cool. Seriously.
There are lots of good cases with adequate air flow for less than $100. Whether you think it looks cool is subjective. Personally I would rather my computer go fast, than look like it goes fast.
That's why, with a $2k budget, you go for Sandy Bridge-E and i7 3820. Great overclockability and relatively low cost on the processor itself + LGA2011 should be compatible with the upcoming Ivy Bridge-E, so you have a safe upgrade path a couple years down the road.
Assuming he is the slightest bit interested in OC'ing.
I never understood the fascination with it myself, and he is a noob to boot.
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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"
These forums give out a bad image since apparently nobody's providing the OP with the answers he requested (builds with $2k budget), but rather spew out personal opinions and misinformation.
As long as your definition of better is FPS you won't notice, then sure it will run it better.
I havent given any personal opinions other than maybe the sound card debate. Waste of money imo, but some people like high quality sound. However, it should be one of the last things you consider as a gamer concerned with performance, which is obvious.
The build you posted has so much waste in it its laughable. One could easily make an comparable gaming machine for far far less. Buying top of the line components means you are paying for research and development for next to no gain, if any, in actual performance, and often times a lot of bugs.
Is getting absolute shit customer reviews by many people.
Just pure waste....suggesting stupid shit just because it costs a lot.
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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"
These forums give out a bad image since apparently nobody's providing the OP with the answers he requested (builds with $2k budget), but rather spew out personal opinions and misinformation.
As long as your definition of better is FPS you won't notice, then sure it will run it better.
I havent given any personal opinions other than maybe the sound card debate. Waste of money imo, but some people like high quality sound. However, it should be one of the last things you consider as a gamer concerned with performance, which is obvious.
The build you posted has so much waste in it its laughable. One could easily make an comparable gaming machine for far far less. Buying top of the line components means you are paying for research and development for next to no gain, if any, in actual performance.
Case + PSU combo for less than your PSU or the Case you listed.
Just pure waste....suggesting stupid shit just because it costs a lot.
That case is laughable at best if you'll be doing Dual GPU's or even a 7970 or a hell a 6950. I had a similar case and a 6950 and i had so many heat issues. A case needs to have the proper airflow for your build. Simple as that. Without the correct airflow you're fucked as shit. I'm nto saying you have to buy the TJ11 which is 700 bucks but It's certainly a good option. The FT02 or Rv02-E are amazing alternatives and so are the Haf X and NZXT Phantom. Those are all well within his price range.Especially since he's looking for a dual GPU setup.
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You pretty much get to do the rest (or can modify those with reason). Have fun~!
This will be my first actual build (just upgraded mobo/cpu/psu/ram last weekend, so I have a little experience) so please don't set me up for anything too complicated. By that I mean stick to AIR COOLING. I don't want to get into the whole water cooling thing until I have more experience.
Edit: This is just for the computer itself, not peripherals. So basically; mobo, cpu, cpu fan, ram, vid cards, case, case fans, SSD, HD, optical drive (and whatever else belongs inside).
Oh and make sure you get a nice monitor or two as well!
If you're building from scratch though with 0 spare parts, I'd roll with a I7 2600k, 8-16 gigs of RAM preferably Corsair or G.SKill Get an Asus Mobo the maximus extreme-Z board is good. Get a single 7970 or dual 570's. Put it in an NZXT Phantom/CM HAF X/ Silverstone FT02/ Silverstone TJ11(699$) All of these have great air cooling capabilities. You could get a Phanteks CPU cooler, I forget the acxtual model number but It's a monster and is very good at cooling. SSD get a decent 120Gig, OCZ Vertex 3's are really good, Buy a 500Gig HDD for storage and if you watch blu-rays get a decent blu-ray drive any will do.For the psu rock a 700-850 watt XFX or Corsair they're reliable and are future proof so if you ever upgrade some parts you'll be all good.
Edit: rofl...link: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4974703&CatId=1510
Well yes and no, there is an advantage to take an i7 but for most people the price difference with a i5 isn't worth the difference. I mean if you really want to pour in 2000$ yeah why not take an i7, if you want to spare some money though the i5 is probably more approriate.
As for the OP: if you go for an unlocked intel processor you have to take overclocking into account otherwise this is a shame. You can get great performance with only an heatsink. It's still air cooling but it requires you to get a specialized heatsink that is a little trickier to mount in than the basic cooling system.
Also get a really good ram with low lags and fast frequency (don't know whats top nowadays). Also, very important, get a SSD of 128 or 264G and a normal HDD of like 2TB. I'm too lazy to search specifics since it takes time bet also get a good psu (power supply), high enough power but especially take a good brand.
What else... If you have only one screen I can't help but recommend a second one, if your first is top you can get a cheap one as second. I will never go back to 1 screen on my computer, it's so useful for work and gaming + whatever.
See if you'd like a sound card too. Most gamers underrate their sound card don't know why. I mean I don't know why but I often meet guys that have uber gpu and cpu that really show the best graphics ever but then they have only one monitor, there sound is cheap etc... Please don't do that it's like having a smelly ugly car with a porsche engine.
Because its not important in the slightest. It has little to nothing to do with how well the game runs, and that's what is really important.
@OP
Most people seem to just be listing stupid shit that cost a lot of money, because you said you had a 2k budget. Personally, I would probably wait a few months for the next generation stuff to get on the market.
Few Tips:
You don't need 16 Gb of memory, 8 gig is fine. The best method is to buy 8 gig now, then buy 8 gig later after the price drops.
Similarly you don't need dual Video cards. You would be far better off buying one good video card, and then later buying another later for significantly less.
Don't blow a lot of money on a case. Its just a box that houses the components....it does almost nothing.
Motherboard: Make sure it has support for USB 3.0 and PCIe 3.0
Processor: The difference between I7 2600k and 2500k for gaming is almost nil.
PSU: Make sure it is a single 12v rail. Be aware of what you are going to run so you can get the right watt power supply, too much and you waste money, too little and you are hindering your system. This is a crucial part when it comes to gaming, and you need to make sure you do your homework on how much juice your system is going to use.
For example,
7970 will use about 300 watts under full load
I7 2600k will use about 165 watts under full load.
These #s will of course change greatly if you overclock.
Also anyone who suggests you only buy X brand don't know WTF they are talking about. Every company makes good and bad products, and they should be judged on a per case basis.
I also don't recommend blowing 2k on a computer unless you have a good job, and just have money to blow. When you buy top of the line components you are paying almost exclusively for research and development of said products. The difference between a 1k and 2k machine is nothing to write home about.
Epicurus
I'll address some things you said here.
1. Sound card are useless for gaming.... Well ain't that anything BUT the truth. If you're an audiophile too and you really know how to squeeze the sound from a good soundcard then go for it. It makes the world of a difference.
2."don't blow a lot of money on a case it's just a box that houses your components" I've never heard a more wrong statement. EVER! Your case is so important. If you plan on Watercooling eventually and you buy a cheap ass case for 60 bucks you're clearly going to screw yourself. If you're never going to watercool but want to get some high quality components then the case means more than almost anything. It's great if you bought a 7970 but having just a decent case with minimal airflow means CRASHES GALORE. You'll need an adequate case for cooling your parts. That's a fact.
3. To your comment on anyone telling you X brand is better. It's not because we want to limit his choices but it's because it's completely true. All my Asus products worked fine. The reason I had said to go with Seasonic Corsair or XFX is because they all use the same parts and are of very high quality. Sure sometimes you get a DOA but you have to go for a brand that has less DOA's you don't want a 5/8 chance you'll get a DOA part I'd much rather go with a brand that has a 1/8 chance.
4.The reason we listed the high priced shit is because well hes got 2k to blow, if he only plans on gamign then you're right he doesn't need half the crap but without his specific needs I can't go into detail. What if he's a photo editor too? He'll need more than just 16 gigs of RAM. and honestly if he has the money don't buy a LGA 1155 board buy a LGA 2011 future proof your system a little. They're all able to hold 64 Gigs of Ram run hexa and quad core processors and have PCIe 3.0 and USB 3.0
Dual video cards are up for debate, depends on his resolution what settings he wants to play at, etc... So really I can recommend it if he wants to be running BF3 maxed at 2560x1440 but not if he's going to be playing Diablo 3 at 1440x900.
1. Doesnt help performance, and quality is marginally better. I bet most people couldn't even tell the difference.
2. Says the guy who suggested a $600 case FFS. There are lots of cases in the $70 range that will work just fine Water cooling is by no means needed. Hell you could put your computer components on a slab of wood and it would work fine.
3. Your personal experiences mean diddly shit. There are technical reviews and tons of customer feedback on just about any part. Compared to that, someone saying "lolz asus" is like a bad joke.
4. I already said that. 64 gigs is total overkill, and those boards are buggy as new technology often is. Besides, he could buy a good LGA 1155 board now, and if he needed upgrade in the future then he could buy a NEW LGA 2011 board. And it would cost about the same, and likely be far more stable.
You people seriously need to learn to think.
You can build a high-med machine for half the price of a top of the line machine, and it will still max out the games. Later you can upgrade it, (more memory, dual video card) and get even more life out of it. Even if you have 2k to spend, there is no point in blowing it on stupid shit like a $600 case, or dual 570s.
Epicurus
1. Although it doesn't help "performance" It sure as hell adds a different depth to the game. I know it certainly helped me out. Then again you need to buy a good headphone and I have a really nitpicky sense of hearing so I take not of very subtle details in music, as well as games. Maybe just my personal preference.
2. The only reason I suggested that case is based on reviews it is the case best suitable for air cooling. I know almost no one is going to buy that unless they're running like quad 7970's and an Oc'ed 3930k but still It's an option. If you haven't noticed I'm big on future proofing my computers.
3.not true, What makes my review any less effective or informative than the people on newegg of tigerdirect. I'm merely stating from my research the brands I've named have usually been very good.Asus has a broad spectrum of products but for motherboards they are top of the line. And XFX Corsair and Seasonic all use the same high quality parts and they are all top of the line PSU's. Again from what I found during my research.
4. Well 64 isn't complete overkill. If you're a photo editor who likes to have lots of layers and stuff in the photo, 64 gigs is sooooo much better than 8. It really sucks having a limit especially when you're trying to be creative. OFC new tech is buggy, but from what I've read the LGA 2011 boards out perform the lga 1155 boards most of the time. and there's always a price hike in new tech so that's kinda unavoidable.
It's not that I'm not thinking, I'm just thinking on a broader sense since he didn't give us specific wants or needs. Had he said I am just gaming, I would've said get a triple monitor setup dual vid cards an i5 2500k and an nzxt Phantom with 6-8 gigs of RAM and a 700 watt XFX psu and a decent 120 gig SSD, with a 500gig-2TB hdd for storage. I mean it just bases off of what the user needs. I know when I looked for my build I went for that HT and the extra two cores. I want to start up a stream and a youtube channel and I know I need more cores for that stuff. I also know I like photo editing and creating so I knew i needed more than the standard 8 gigs of ram. again It's not that we're not thinking, it's just that we're thinking in a broader sense than you. I agree with most things you said but not all.
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Epicurus
EDIT: If you ever consider watercooling, just drop your computer in a circulated fish tank filled with mineral oil. It runs 10x quieter, cooler, and mineral oil is not conductive so it wont short anything out or damage any components.
#72 US Wizards in Vanilla D3 - Aranoch#1167
That being said, I don't see how graphic experience is any more important than sound experience. FPS drops are as much annoying as buzzing and humming coming out of your headphones/speakers.
If you do have the extra money that you want to spend, replacing your sound card will be much more noticeable (assuming that you have adequate sound system) than jumping from 85 to 100 FPS (random numbers, the point is that anything above your screen refresh ratio is irrelevant).
You can play the game on mute, try playing w/o the video card. Actually now that I think about it, most people turn the sound and/or music off while playing as they find it monotonous.
I can't recall any humming or buzzing while I played with onboard sound....might be a personal problem. Besides, a buzz won't affect your gameplay, a huge drop in FPS will. There is a huge difference between ensuring the game runs smoothly, and the quality of sound.
For this game that is certainly true, but oddly enough these software companies keep making more graphic demanding games for some damn reason.
Epicurus
Onboard is fine imo. I haven't had any issues in years.
I am not judging him. I am making sure he knows the difference between 2k to spend and 2k to waste.
A ~1k computer can run any game on max, so there is no reason to spend 2k.
Lots of kids go overboard on their 1st build, i know I did.
Its possible I suppose, but seems rather unlikely.
Its pretty cheap regardless so it doesn't matter a whole lot.
There are lots of good cases with adequate air flow for less than $100. Whether you think it looks cool is subjective. Personally I would rather my computer go fast, than look like it goes fast.
Assuming he is the slightest bit interested in OC'ing.
I never understood the fascination with it myself, and he is a noob to boot.
Epicurus
I havent given any personal opinions other than maybe the sound card debate. Waste of money imo, but some people like high quality sound. However, it should be one of the last things you consider as a gamer concerned with performance, which is obvious.
The build you posted has so much waste in it its laughable. One could easily make an comparable gaming machine for far far less. Buying top of the line components means you are paying for research and development for next to no gain, if any, in actual performance, and often times a lot of bugs.
For example,
http://www.newegg.co...st=Combo.855586
Case + PSU combo for less than your PSU or the Case you listed.
Ohh and this motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131800
Is getting absolute shit customer reviews by many people.
Just pure waste....suggesting stupid shit just because it costs a lot.
Epicurus
That case is laughable at best if you'll be doing Dual GPU's or even a 7970 or a hell a 6950. I had a similar case and a 6950 and i had so many heat issues. A case needs to have the proper airflow for your build. Simple as that. Without the correct airflow you're fucked as shit. I'm nto saying you have to buy the TJ11 which is 700 bucks but It's certainly a good option. The FT02 or Rv02-E are amazing alternatives and so are the Haf X and NZXT Phantom. Those are all well within his price range.Especially since he's looking for a dual GPU setup.