Under $1,500 Gaming/Production Build

Saieno · 2012-05-13, 09:11 PM

So I bought some parts for my brand new PC, which will be my main gaming and production machine. Currently I'm using an AMD Athlon II X4 CPU, 4GB Generic RAM, 300GB HDD, 75GB HDD, and GeForce 250 GTS. Obviously its about time for an upgrade, so I tried to get the most performance I could for the lowest price possible. I'm pretty happy about it, but let me know what you think!

Note: All prices rounded to the nearest dollar.

Red NZXT Phantom 410 Case - $80.00 (gift card)

The NZXT Phantom 410 was an easy choice, especially since its Red and I represent Terran Republic! Aside from that it features innovative right mounted HDD rails for easy hard drive replacement and management. It also comes equipped with a dual radiator water cooling solution with a clearance of 30mm, an interior pivot 120mm/140mm fan slot, the capability of installing up to 8 fans, a single 30W fan control, and just for good measure an internal 2x USB 3.0 headers that directly connect to the motherboard.

Biostar TPower X79 Motherboard - $185.00

I chose the Biostar TPower X79 because of the 256-bit quad-channel memory configuration, 8-layer PCB with 2 oz copper construction for power and ground layers, 9 phase power design and all solid capacitors, and BIO-Remote 2 which uses your Android or Apple device as a remote control. There's also NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX support in combination with the new PCIe 3.0 capabilities to boost graphics performance.

Intel Core i7 3820 Sandy-Bridge CPU - $265.00

I know the Ivy-Bridge has released, but I went with the Sandy Bridge based on benchmarks, availability, and affordability. Of course it features Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, 4-channel memory, large cache size, overclocking, and the ability to enable uncompromised 2 x 16 multicard NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX graphics configurations.

Raidmax 850W PSU - $90.00

The Raidmax seemed like the best match for my system, as it allows for expansion later on if needed. It features 850 watts of stable and quiet power, four independent +12V rails with 80 PLUS Gold efficiency, a 135mm fan, modularized cable design, and multi-GPU capability.

SanDisk Extreme 120 GB SSD - $100.00 (gift card)

I wanted to have the SanDisk Extreme for the sequential read speeds of 550 MB/s and sequential write speeds of 510 MB/s. It has no spinning platters, so it stays cool and quiet during use and draws less power than a traditional 7,200 RPM hard drive, which I'll also be using.

WD Caviar Black 1TB HDD - $100.00 (promotion)

It's the most widely used hard drive that I know of, simply because it works and does its job well. They high performance electronics architecture with a rock solid mechanical architecture to deliver cool drive operation, no-touch head technology, and leading-edge vibration protection to ensure enhanced reliability and sustained data throughput.

G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 16GB 2133MHz RAM - $90.00 (promotion)

It's clocked at 2133MHz, looks awesome, and performs fantastic with my motherboard and processor. For the price and performance, couldn't ask for a better deal.

Corsair H100 Liquid Cooler- $100.00

When talking about pre-assembled closed-system liquid coolers, the H100 is the best out there. The H100 features the latest cooling performance technology, simple installation, and maintenance-free operation. It includes a low-profile, light-weight cooling unit with a micro-channel copper cold plate and a split-flow manifold for superior cooling, and digital fan control, allowing selection between low-noise, balanced, and maximum cooling modes.

ASUS 24X DVD Burner - $15.00 (gift card)

I chose the ASUS 24X DVD Burner because of the affordability and its a power saving drive that allows you to permanently delete the data on rewritable discs.

EVGA GeForce 670 GTX GPU - $400.00

Obviously with the 680 GTX sold out everwhere, the 670 GTX seemed to release right when I needed it to. Overall the performance sits right below a GTX 680 reference, and for $100 less that's nothing to be ashamed about. The GeForce GTX 670 is a very powerful card that is very capable of 1920x1080 maxed out gaming in the latest games.

Total - $1,425.00

termhn · 2012-05-13, 09:54 PM

Everything looks pretty good to me. Only comment is that you still probably don't need a 850W power supply with all that. Even 750W would be overkill. Still, it does allow more room for SLI or triSLI. I personally don't like the look of Phantom cases, but that's obviously a personal opinion

Saieno · 2012-05-13, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by termhn

Everything looks pretty good to me. Only comment is that you still probably don't need a 850W power supply with all that.

Well I'd estimate it'll use about 583W as it sits now, but if I end up adding another 670GTX it'll be using about 837W. If I tri-sli I'll need a new PSU, but I'm not really interested in doing that.

Goku · 2012-05-13, 10:23 PM

My only issue is the power supply. Raidmax doesn't really make quality units. Looks great over all though. Enjoy it.

Vancha · 2012-05-13, 10:41 PM

Edit: Oh, this is already bought and paid for? I er...I take that back.

Edit II: I guess I don't take it back, since I just got quoted.

Originally Posted by Goku

My only issue is the power supply. Raidmax doesn't really make quality units. Looks great over all though. Enjoy it.

Wow, really? I thought you'd rip this one apart.

Saieno, are you planning on doing enthusiast-level overclocking? Otherwise the CPU, Mobo, CPU cooler, RAM and possibly PSU would all seem to be overkill. Also, where are you getting your prices? I looked up the RAM because it seemed unbelievably cheap, and the Ripjaws Z-Series 2133mhz is about $40 more expensive than that on Newegg.

Saieno · 2012-05-13, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by Goku

My only issue is the power supply. Raidmax doesn't really make quality units. Looks great over all though. Enjoy it.

I did a lot of research on the PSU, and I've never had an issue with Raidmax. The packaging for the PSU was actually really slick and came in a kind of tackle-box almost so I can keep my extra PC components in it. It's also got a ton of 5 egg reviews on Newegg and nothing but positive 5 star reviews on Amazon.

Originally Posted by Vancha

Saieno, are you planning on doing enthusiast-level overclocking? Otherwise the CPU, Mobo, CPU cooler, RAM and possibly PSU would all seem to be overkill. Also, where are you getting your prices? I looked up the RAM because it seemed unbelievably cheap, and the Ripjaws Z-Series 2133mhz is about $40 more expensive than that on Newegg.

I do heavy 3D modeling, high resolution texture/drawing work, high resolution video editing, rendering and encoding. All of these things can really stress a CPU, GPU, and requires lots of memory to sustain productivity. As far as the RAM price, I had used a promo code at the time that made it cheaper than the 1600MHz sticks.

Vancha · 2012-05-13, 10:58 PM

That's fair enough then I guess. The way you quoted the product descriptions and fit them into your justifications sounded adorably naive, so that threw me off.

Saieno · 2012-05-13, 11:10 PM

Originally Posted by Vancha

That's fair enough then I guess. The way you quoted the product descriptions and fit them into your justifications sounded adorably naive, so that threw me off.

Just did that to give some meat to the post lol.

Goku · 2012-05-14, 06:10 AM

I still refuse to touch anything with the raidmax label on it.

Saieno · 2012-05-14, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by Goku

I still refuse to touch anything with the raidmax label on it.

Same with me and Galaxy. We all have our preferences.

Rbstr · 2012-05-14, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by Vancha

That's fair enough then I guess. The way you quoted the product descriptions and fit them into your justifications sounded adorably naive, so that threw me off.

Personally, I was raging at the lack of links to anything.

Saieno · 2012-05-14, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by Rbstr

Personally, I was raging at the lack of links to anything.

I'll fix that for you, however keep in mind that some of the sites I wouldn't really suggest buying from simply because I don't have much experience with them. I did get my parts, but I was very hesitant.