Suggestions On Gaming Rig GEAR!

[ColossalAssassin]

Right now Im in the works of creating a custom PC. I need to save up some money still though. I have a low budget desktop computer and the specs aren't even worth mentioning lol. I would have a nice gaming laptop but it broke and it's going to cost me $750.00 + to fix it. Since I've always wanted to build my own custom gaming PC I figured I'd might as well start now. My plan is to use either a Corsair Obsidian 800D or a Corsair Obsidian 650D for my case. The 800D is for future add-ons like water cooling as such, I'll have way more room with the 800D. For my motherboard I want a MSI Z77A-GD80 with a Intel Core i7 3770K CPU. I know for a fact that I want to use an aftermarket CPU Cooler, most likely a Corsair H100i or H100. For RAM I want 16GB of Corsair Vengeance low profile RAM 4x4GB sticks of blue RAM. For storage I want Corsair Force 3 Series 120GB SSD to put my OS on which will be Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit and a few games on as well. For a media storage I will use a Seagate Barracuda 3TB 7200RPM HDD. My GPU will either be 2 MSI GeForce GTX 2GB 660's running in SLI or 1 EVGA GeForce GTX 4GB 670 Superclocked. Lastly for my PSU I'll use a Corsair AX860I 860W Power Supply. If you have any comments on what I should or should not get after reading my gaming rig Christmas List then be sure to let me know. Thanks, I will put everything in list form below so it is easier to read:

My Gaming Rig Wish List:

- Corsair Obsidian 800D (Case)
- MSI Z77A-GD80 (Motherboard)
- Intel Core i7 3770K (CPU)
- Corsair H100i (After Market CPU Cooler)
- 16GB Corsair Vengeance low profile 4x4GB Blue (RAM)
- Corsair Force 3 Series 120GB For OS & Games (SSD)
- Seagate Barracuda 3TB 7200RPM Media Storage (HDD)
Two choices for my GPU or GPU's
- 2 MSI GeForce GTX 2GB 660 SL9 (GPU)
- 1 EVGA GeForce GTX 4GB 670 Superclocked (GPU)
- Corsair AX860I 860W (Power Supply)

Hopefully some of you can help me decide on a video card and perhaps give me some pointers on personal experience's with any of the things I've listed above for my dream gaming machine. Thanks again to anyone who has read all of this.

 

[CPMFW]

will the rig be used for anything other than gaming?

 

[Josh Weston]

800D isn't that good for watercooling and it's a hot box for air cooling. Look at something like the Switch 810, CM Storm Stryker/Trooper etc.

Even if you're only going to be gaming on this, i'm guessing you're just as shallow as I am and thus would much prefer an i7 over an i5 for such an expensive system.
That being said, you do only need 8GB of RAM for gaming.

The Corsair SSD's good, but it's not the best. Check out the Samsung 840 Pro (this very site recently did a review of it, as it happens - great SSD).
I'd avoid Seagate if possible. Too many bad things to read about them in terms of reliability, although I know that a lot of people have never had any issues with them. I'd go for the WD Caviar Greens - you don't need fast drives for storing music/photos etc.

If you're gaming on a single screen 1080p monitor you don't need a 4GB graphics card. By the way you've worded it, you seem to think that SLI doubles the amount of useable VRAM - this is not the case. Two 2GB cards in SLI still equals 2GB of useable memory.
I'd recommend either a GTX670 with a 680 PCB for future watercooling (EVGA FTW edition or this here Zotac card: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...rd+with+FREE+Torchlight+Game+?productId=53625), or a r7970. In terms of raw performance the 7970 is the winner, as AMD's new drivers have really made the card shine. The only downside is that the 7970s draw more power than their nVidia counterparts.

 

[JMMP]

800D isn't that good for watercooling and it's a hot box for air cooling. Look at something like the Switch 810, CM Storm Stryker/Trooper etc.

Even if you're only going to be gaming on this, i'm guessing you're just as shallow as I am and thus would much prefer an i7 over an i5 for such an expensive system.
That being said, you do only need 8GB of RAM for gaming.

The Corsair SSD's good, but it's not the best. Check out the Samsung 840 Pro (this very site recently did a review of it, as it happens - great SSD).
I'd avoid Seagate if possible. Too many bad things to read about them in terms of reliability, although I know that a lot of people have never had any issues with them. I'd go for the WD Caviar Greens - you don't need fast drives for storing music/photos etc.

If you're gaming on a single screen 1080p monitor you don't need a 4GB graphics card. By the way you've worded it, you seem to think that SLI doubles the amount of useable VRAM - this is not the case. Two 2GB cards in SLI still equals 2GB of useable memory.
I'd recommend either a GTX670 with a 680 PCB for future watercooling (EVGA FTW edition or this here Zotac card: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...rd+with+FREE+Torchlight+Game+?productId=53625), or a r7970. In terms of raw performance the 7970 is the winner, as AMD's new drivers have really made the card shine. The only downside is that the 7970s draw more power than their nVidia counterparts.

+1 Josh! Can't say anything more!!!

 

[yassarikhan786]

I would opt for the 650D as I have one and I love it . For the SSD I would go for a Crucial M4 or as Josh has mentioned a Samsung 840. I've had my Force 3 for over a year and it has been fairly reliable, with slight issues now and then. I bought an M4 about a month and a half ago and it hasn't given me any issues to date. I know the time difference between purchases is quite significant, but I would still suggest the M4 over the Force 3. From my short experience with the SSD and what other members say/think with regards to the M4, it should be fairly high on any list

 

[ColossalAssassin]

Well to answer CPMFW's question I will be using this pc more for the gaming aspect but I will also use it for some graphic design. There are times when Im not at work and I want to do a quick sketch or design something on Photoshop. I use a lot of Adobe's software for little videos or graphic design, that's why I felt the i7 3770 to be necessary for this build. I use After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Fireworks, Flash and Dreamweaver... Not that often though it will be needed. I will be getting a 27" 1080 monitor and eventually adding another 2 onto that within time. I want to have a 4GB GPU because the way gaming is going I don't want to have to buy a next gen card every year, I want this to last me as long as possible. For an example Metro 2033, that game absolutely eats up graphics cards so I want something that will last me a good amount of time. With that being said I really do appreciate the help and pointers. I will be watercooling this system in the time to come, I want to add a full loop with a 360 radiator and maybe a 280 rad in the front of the case. I have a full shop at my disposal to do any cutting/mod's needed to fit the watercooling system into my case. Anyways I'll leave it at that and I'll read what other help you all can give me. Thanks again, I really appreciate it.