Calling all PC gamers (help me out here)

[Irriduccibilli]

Alright, so a while back I was looking for a new PC, and I still am. I want to buy an awesome PC to begin with so I dont have to upgrade it every year. I have decided that I want to build the PC myself, so the only thing I need is the components, and I have a list of components i'm thinking of buying, I just want confirmation if this rig is any good, as I dont know anything at all about PC's (yet I can build them from the bottom... weird huh?)
Check the list of components out here

Cooler Master HAF X Big Tower
Corsair HX 850W PSU
Intel Core? i7 Quad Processor i7-2600
Corsair H50 Hydro Series CPU Cooler
ASUS Sabertooth P67, Socket-1155
Corsair Vengeance? DDR3 1600MHz 8GB CL9
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 570 1280MB AMP!
2x Western Digital Caviar® Blue 1TB
Sony Optiarc DVD±RW Burner, AD-7260S

So I ask you, is this rig any good. Can it run Crysis 2 or Witcher 2?

 

[Archangel768]

It seems pretty powerful. I believe with the cpu, the 2600K is more easily overclockable. Like, being able to get 4.5 - 5ghz just on air cooling with no heating problems.

My friend once purchased a video card manufactured by ZOTAC and had significant problems with it. You might be fortunate and not have those same problems but, I'd recommend another manufacturer just in case. That's if the price difference isn't too major.

 

[jumb]

I'm bad at keeping up with the latest hardware, but in my opinion, make sure also you buy a nice Keyboard, Mouse and even Mousepad (cheap, so totally worth it!) Like consoles, your controller is an important part of gaming. I have a Logitech G15 and G5 and absolutely love them, however there are better ones these days.

 

[Irriduccibilli]

Alright, I have been looking at another graphics card
This:
XFX Radeon HD 6970 2GB

Havent heard about the problems with Zotac though :/

 

[Irriduccibilli]

I'm bad at keeping up with the latest hardware, but in my opinion, make sure also you buy a nice Keyboard, Mouse and even Mousepad (cheap, so totally worth it!) Like consoles, your controller is an important part of gaming. I have a Logitech G15 and G5 and absolutely love them, however there are better ones these days.

I already got a my eyes on a nice keyboard. I'm thinking of buying the Razer Lycosa Mirror keyboard, and I already got a Razer Lachesis 5600 DPI mouse, so i'm good

 

[UltraXan]

I'm bad at keeping up with the latest hardware, but in my opinion, make sure also you buy a nice Keyboard, Mouse and even Mousepad (cheap, so totally worth it!) Like consoles, your controller is an important part of gaming. I have a Logitech G15 and G5 and absolutely love them, however there are better ones these days.

This is essentially my situation. All I know about my computer is that it's powerful and I built it myself, but that's about it. I'm using a G15 keyboard too, and I must say it's a pretty awesome keyboard. I haven't used a G5, but I have used the G500. Similar mouse, but a little upgraded. Now, I'm using a RAT7 gaming mouse, which has WAY more features than the G500, and is WAY more customizable than it as well.

But so long as we're talking about things that isn't computing hardware, I'd also recommend a Creative HS-1200 wireless gaming headset. I used one a long time ago, and replaced it with another when it was wearing out. Sure, it's a $100 headset, but it is VERY worth it.

 

[Irriduccibilli]

I'm bad at keeping up with the latest hardware, but in my opinion, make sure also you buy a nice Keyboard, Mouse and even Mousepad (cheap, so totally worth it!) Like consoles, your controller is an important part of gaming. I have a Logitech G15 and G5 and absolutely love them, however there are better ones these days.

I already got a my eyes on a nice keyboard. I'm thinking of buying the Razer Lycosa Mirror keyboard, and I already got a Razer Lachesis 5600 DPI mouse, so i'm good

No, no, no, no, no.

Do not buy a keyboard for more than $25 unless it has mechanical keys. Here's why. [http://www.overclock.net/keyboards/491752-mechanical-keyboard-guide.html]

The mouse is good, though.

You see, my budget is a bit tight already, and mechanical keyboards costs almost twice as much. I have never been bothered by having to press the keys all the way down, so I think I can settle with the Lycosa. Thanks for the tip though

 

[SpAc3man]

Alright, I have been looking at another graphics card
This:
XFX Radeon HD 6970 2GB

Havent heard about the problems with Zotac though :/

XFX have a bit of a bad rep for warranties and their RMA process. Just a warning.

Your setup looks nice although I would note that the gaming performance gain between the i5 2500 and the i7 2600 is not very big at all. Link to handy graph: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2011/01/03/intel-sandy-bridge-review/10
I would recommend getting the K version of whatever processor you decide on. The small amount of extra money is definitely worth the ability to overclock. Especially when Sandy Bridge is capable of hitting 5GHz on air. You might not want to overclock initially, but its nice being able to get an extra few years out of your CPU once it starts to get out of date.

Motherboard wise you have made a solid choice. Another option is one of the Asus P8P67 motherboards. I think the Pro version is the closest in terms of price. The Sabretooth supposedly has a very small performance gain when it comes to games, while the P8P67 has been shown to be more of an all-rounder.

Case wise, awesome case for cooling, space, etc. Although I must warn you that its fucking huge. 55cm high and 59cm long (21.65" high, 23.23" long). Personally I love massive cases. Just make sure its not too big for you.

Are you planning on using the two HDDs in a RAID array?

 

[Irriduccibilli]

Alright, I have been looking at another graphics card
This:
XFX Radeon HD 6970 2GB

Havent heard about the problems with Zotac though :/

XFX have a bit of a bad rep for warranties and their RMA process. Just a warning.

Your setup looks nice although I would note that the gaming performance gain between the i5 2500 and the i7 2600 is not very big at all. Link to handy graph: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2011/01/03/intel-sandy-bridge-review/10
I would recommend getting the K version of whatever processor you decide on. The small amount of extra money is definitely worth the ability to overclock. Especially when Sandy Bridge is capable of hitting 5GHz on air. You might not want to overclock initially, but its nice being able to get an extra few years out of your CPU once it starts to get out of date.

Motherboard wise you have made a solid choice. Another option is one of the Asus P8P67 motherboards. I think the Pro version is the closest in terms of price. The Sabretooth supposedly has a very small performance gain when it comes to games, while the P8P67 has been shown to be more of an all-rounder.

Case wise, awesome case for cooling, space, etc. Although I must warn you that its fucking huge. 55cm high and 59cm long (21.65" high, 23.23" long). Personally I love massive cases. Just make sure its not too big for you.

Are you planning on using the two HDDs in a RAID array?

I think I am going to stick with the Zotac GTX 570 AMP
I want to use an i7 processor as it is more future proof, I dont want too have to change it when the i5 gets outdated. Also, I get a copy of Operation Flashpoint Red River along with the i7 processor

I'm fine with the case being huge and all, space isnt really a problem for me so i'm fine

I cant really say that I have been planning on using my harddrives in a RAID array though. To be honest, being the complete PC newbie that I am I dont really know what that means

 

[Engineseer]

Ok, just some notes off the top of my head...

1)The HAF is an ok tower. I have a Cooler Master myself, they could use a little bit more work on the ergonomy.
2)Just check that the PSU is at least 80 to 85% certified. Wattage is ok.
3)The processor is just fine. Think about the i7-2600K version (as mentioned before) with the unlocked multiplier if you want to use the...
4)...H50 for overclocking. Personally, i do not trust Corsair that much with the cooling, but it seems decent enough. It is not capable of extreme OC, but that's ok.Just add a couple 120mm fans on the tower for exhaust and consider the airflow.
5)I do not trust ASUS, too many burned mb's on my hands. More of a MSI fanboy, myself.
6)Memory is ok, I am thinking of using them myself.
7)First time I heard of ZOTAC. From what i hear, they are not that great (and rather loud). I have a MSI (military grade series) 4890 and love it. No heat,noise or stability issues, and it is OC'ed already. It will be upgraded to a 6970 in the summer.
8)I would suggest to buy a 640Gb Caviar Black and use it for as Main System drive and a huge Green (2Tb) for data storing.
9)All DVDs are the same...aren't they?

This rig can run Crysis 2 and Witcher 2 at the same time, i think.

 

[Irriduccibilli]

Ok, just some notes off the top of my head...

1)The HAF is an ok tower. I have a Cooler Master myself, they could use a little bit more work on the ergonomy.
2)Just check that the PSU is at least 80 to 85% certified. Wattage is ok.
3)The processor is just fine. Think about the i7-2600K version (as mentioned before) with the unlocked multiplier if you want to use the...
4)...H50 for overclocking. Personally, i do not trust Corsair that much with the cooling, but it seems decent enough. It is not capable of extreme OC, but that's ok.Just add a couple 120mm fans on the tower for exhaust and consider the airflow.
5)I do not trust ASUS, too many burned mb's on my hands. More of a MSI fanboy, myself.
6)Memory is ok, I am thinking of using them myself.
7)First time I heard of ZOTAC. From what i hear, they are not that great (and rather loud). I have a MSI (military grade series) 4890 and love it. No heat,noise or stability issues, and it is OC'ed already. It will be upgraded to a 6970 in the summer.
8)I would suggest to buy a 640Gb Caviar Black and use it for as Main System drive and a huge Green (2Tb) for data storing.
9)All DVDs are the same...aren't they?

This rig can run Crysis 2 and Witcher 2 at the same time, i think.

Alright, i'll look into it. Thanks for the tip

 

[Amondren]

I'm bad at keeping up with the latest hardware, but in my opinion, make sure also you buy a nice Keyboard, Mouse and even Mousepad (cheap, so totally worth it!) Like consoles, your controller is an important part of gaming. I have a Logitech G15 and G5 and absolutely love them, however there are better ones these days.

I already got a my eyes on a nice keyboard. I'm thinking of buying the Razer Lycosa Mirror keyboard, and I already got a Razer Lachesis 5600 DPI mouse, so i'm good

I have a Razer Keyboard they are really great I highly suggest it.

 

[Samwise137]

Everything looks pretty good to me. I know AMD hardware a bit better than I know Intel at the moment but you should have no problem running Crysis 2 etc. on it. Happy building!

 

[Irriduccibilli]

Everything looks pretty good to me. I know AMD hardware a bit better than I know Intel at the moment but you should have no problem running Crysis 2 etc. on it. Happy building!

Thanks, cant wait to get my hands on it now
I'm probably not going to buy it before september, i'm starting at my job on august 21st so I have to wait till then. Until then I just need to finish my exams right now (1 down, 6 to go) and then I have to look forward to a 3 month long summer vacation... yes, 3 months. I'm probably going to find a summerjob, 3 months is a long time

 

[AWAR]

Do you really need a water cooler? You don't seem to be interested in overclocking are you? I think you should best leave these stuff to the more professional users.
I'm afraid it can't run Crysis 2. Only a few PCs available at the moment can run it such as Tianhe-I [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianhe-I] and Jaguar [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_%28computer%29] - on medium graphics mind you.

 

[octafish]

Any reason you are going for the H50 over an air cooler? Those closed loop H2O coolers won't come close to a decent air cooler, and they aren't much quieter. I'd also recommend the i5 2500k over the i7 2600k because if you are overclocking you'll probably be turning hyper-threading off and the cache difference is minimal.

 

[SpAc3man]

I think I am going to stick with the Zotac GTX 570 AMP
I want to use an i7 processor as it is more future proof, I dont want too have to change it when the i5 gets outdated. Also, I get a copy of Operation Flashpoint Red River along with the i7 processor

I'm fine with the case being huge and all, space isnt really a problem for me so i'm fine

I cant really say that I have been planning on using my harddrives in a RAID array though. To be honest, being the complete PC newbie that I am I dont really know what that means

Pretty much RAID is a thing where you set up the HDDs to behave in certain ways to suit you. Usually for data security in the case of drive failure but also for some performance gains if you are willing to sacrifice data security.

For example a RAID 1 array means the HDDs are mirror copies of each other. If one drive dies you don't lose your data although you only get the capacity of a single drive. RAID 0 means the HDDs have data written in an alternating manner (called striping) to increase performance although it also doubles chance of data loss due to drive failure.
Waste of time unless its a data server if you ask me.

Seeing as you are not using a RAID array, one suggestion is to drop the second 1TB drive for a low power 2TB drive if you would like the extra space for a large movie collection or something, HDD performance isn't important for videos. If not then stick with the second 1TB.

I would agree with that plan for the CPU. I would most likely do the same.

Also you should check out the Corsair H60. Performs between the H50 and H70 but is quieter than both.

 

[Irriduccibilli]

I think I am going to stick with the Zotac GTX 570 AMP
I want to use an i7 processor as it is more future proof, I dont want too have to change it when the i5 gets outdated. Also, I get a copy of Operation Flashpoint Red River along with the i7 processor

I'm fine with the case being huge and all, space isnt really a problem for me so i'm fine

I cant really say that I have been planning on using my harddrives in a RAID array though. To be honest, being the complete PC newbie that I am I dont really know what that means

Pretty much RAID is a thing where you set up the HDDs to behave in certain ways to suit you. Usually for data security in the case of drive failure but also for some performance gains if you are willing to sacrifice data security.

For example a RAID 1 array means the HDDs are mirror copies of each other. If one drive dies you don't lose your data although you only get the capacity of a single drive. RAID 0 means the HDDs have data written in an alternating manner (called striping) to increase performance although it also doubles chance of data loss due to drive failure.
Waste of time unless its a data server if you ask me.

Seeing as you are not using a RAID array, one suggestion is to drop the second 1TB drive for a low power 2TB drive if you would like the extra space for a large movie collection or something, HDD performance isn't important for videos. If not then stick with the second 1TB.

I would agree with that plan for the CPU. I would most likely do the same.

Also you should check out the Corsair H60. Performs between the H50 and H70 but is quieter than both.

I have been thinking of buying a Caviar Green 1TB main HDD and a second Caviar Green 2TB HDD for my movie collection and other types of media. Both should be low-power HDD's