Is my Gaming build good enough?

safo

Hi LebGeeks, first post here, long time lurker :)

Past week I've been working on getting a gaming PC, through the forums I found a site called pcandparts, what a godsend for us geeks eh?

anyway heres the build, neatly made into an excel sheet (All parts from pcandparts.com)

Link to build

My major problem is finding a PSU for this build, I got a non-brand PSU 650W and was advised against using it as it may damage my parts and void my warranty. Further googling skills I found this, however it's not in stock and they will let me know by Thursday.

I just can't find any PSU's above 600W in Lebanon..major annoyance as its the last part I need for my build and sad that pcandparts is out stock with anything above 500W >_>

Also would like to know if my EVGA GTX 680 would fit in the Thermaltake Commander-MSI case, wasn't sure what to look for regarding those dimensions.

Would like a better gaming keyboard than the one pcandparts has if you can suggest me one (has to be non-mechanical, really annoyed by the clicky noise), already own a mouse, the RazerNaga for my MMO needs.

So, good build or not?

AVOlio

Most of your Specs are pretty good. But heres a few things i (and probably more people in the forum) will advise you to do,
-1st.
Your Rig is meant for gaming, so you should save some money on the CPU .
Perhaps put the extra money away to get a better case. Maybe get a case with a Built in 600+ PSU like the Inwin X-Fighter with 750W.
And yes PcandParts are out of stock on PSU's now. lol seems that i am the last one who got the Gigabyte 800W Pro Odin.
But for your GPU, yes it Can fit in the Commander MSI as its 25cm within 31cm.

-2nd.
You should consider about getting quality HDD not size HDD.
Your best choice is Western Digital.

-3rd.
You should really stay away from LG Monitors, always head towards Samsung when it come to TVs or Monitors.
I personally am leaning towards a 3D LED Samsung Monitor at the moment,
But i dont know, i might end up with just normal PX2370 Samsung LED.

-4th.
Why wouldnt you choose a mechanical keyboard ?! Its the sounds of the keys that make you sound like a REAL gamer !
Im getting the Gigabyte Osmium mechanical keyboard myself. Epic.

safo

-1st.
Your Rig is meant for gaming, so you should save some money on the CPU .
Perhaps put the extra money away to get a better case. Maybe get a case with a Built in 600+ PSU like the Inwin X-Fighter with 750W.
And yes PcandParts are out of stock on PSU's now. lol seems that i am the last one who got the Gigabyte 800W Pro Odin.
But for your GPU, yes it Can fit in the Commander MSI as its 25cm within 31cm.

-2nd.
You should consider about getting quality HDD not size HDD.
Your best choice is Western Digital.

-3rd.
You should really stay away from LG Monitors, always head towards Samsung when it come to TVs or Monitors.
I personally am leaning towards a 3D LED Samsung Monitor at the moment,
But i dont know, i might end up with just normal PX2370 Samsung LED.

-4th.
Why wouldnt you choose a mechanical keyboard ?! Its the sounds of the keys that make you sound like a REAL gamer !
Im getting the Gigabyte Osmium mechanical keyboard myself. Epic.

Mechanical keyboards are way annoying for my setting, I have a room dedicated for my pc and workdesk shared with my brother and I'm sure he'll be annoyed by the constant ticking :)

I'm fine with the i7 as price isn't really the issue here.

The Inwin Xfighter looks awful, I don't want that kind of case (looks gaudy). I like the Thermaltake cases far more.

How bad is the 3TB I got? surely it can't be that bad, never had bad experiences with Seagate.

I think I'll go for the Samsung since I know they are the lead in quality screens, but does it support full HD and get the best out of my GPU?

PSU, I just called Macrotronics to check their stock as they are fresh out from the Showroom. I'll have an answer by Thursday, but I think it's going to be a no since the models I'm ordering are discontinued :(

AvoK95

Get 2 x 4GB HyperX Blue RAMs (It's better than 1x8GB), I have the HD 7970 fits fine with my case (V3) so the 680 would fit no problem. You can get a far better PSU than that Thermaltake. I'd recommend XFX or Gigabyte,, or anything that is 80Plus certified at least. Try looking at MEIT for a PSU.
Get the Samsung PX2370 instead of that LG monitor. Samsung gives a far better picture than LG.

Everything else seems awesome!

You should note that a mouse will be a lot better in games than a keyboard. Your aiming will be more accurate. Don't forget to get a 1200+VA UPS.

You can also RAID 2x2TB drives intead of 1x3TB. That would run alot faster.
You can also get a better case like the InWin EC031.

Also get a CPU cooler. I wouldn't overclock with that stock cooler. Ivy bridge CPUs run hot. Mine ran in 80s in stock.

AVOlio wroteMost of your Specs are pretty good. But heres a few things i (and probably more people in the forum) will advise you to do,
-1st.
Your Rig is meant for gaming, so you should save some money on the CPU .
Perhaps put the extra money away to get a better case. Maybe get a case with a Built in 600+ PSU like the Inwin X-Fighter with 750W.
And yes PcandParts are out of stock on PSU's now. lol seems that i am the last one who got the Gigabyte 800W Pro Odin.
But for your GPU, yes it Can fit in the Commander MSI as its 25cm within 31cm.

-2nd.
You should consider about getting quality HDD not size HDD.
Your best choice is Western Digital.

-3rd.
You should really stay away from LG Monitors, always head towards Samsung when it come to TVs or Monitors.
I personally am leaning towards a 3D LED Samsung Monitor at the moment,
But i dont know, i might end up with just normal PX2370 Samsung LED.

-4th.
Why wouldnt you choose a mechanical keyboard ?! Its the sounds of the keys that make you sound like a REAL gamer !
Im getting the Gigabyte Osmium mechanical keyboard myself. Epic.

You should stick to the gaming section and away from the Hardware section :D

safo

AvoK95 wroteGet 2 x 4GB HyperX Blue RAMs (It's better than 1x8GB), I have the HD 7970 fits fine with my case (V3) so the 680 would fit no problem. You can get a far better PSU than that Thermaltake. I'd recommend XFX or Gigabyte,, or anything that is 80Plus certified at least. Try looking at MEIT for a PSU.
Get the Samsung PX2370 instead of that LG monitor. Samsung gives a far better picture than LG.

Everything else seems awesome!

You should note that a mouse will be a lot better in games than a keyboard. Your aiming will be more accurate. Don't forget to get a 1200+VA UPS.

You can also RAID 2x2TB drives intead of 1x3TB. That would run alot faster.
You can also get a better case like the InWin EC031.

Also get a CPU cooler. I wouldn't overclock with that stock cooler. Ivy bridge CPUs run hot. Mine ran in 80s in stock.

AVOlio wroteMost of your Specs are pretty good. But heres a few things i (and probably more people in the forum) will advise you to do,
-1st.
Your Rig is meant for gaming, so you should save some money on the CPU .
Perhaps put the extra money away to get a better case. Maybe get a case with a Built in 600+ PSU like the Inwin X-Fighter with 750W.
And yes PcandParts are out of stock on PSU's now. lol seems that i am the last one who got the Gigabyte 800W Pro Odin.
But for your GPU, yes it Can fit in the Commander MSI as its 25cm within 31cm.

-2nd.
You should consider about getting quality HDD not size HDD.
Your best choice is Western Digital.

-3rd.
You should really stay away from LG Monitors, always head towards Samsung when it come to TVs or Monitors.
I personally am leaning towards a 3D LED Samsung Monitor at the moment,
But i dont know, i might end up with just normal PX2370 Samsung LED.

-4th.
Why wouldnt you choose a mechanical keyboard ?! Its the sounds of the keys that make you sound like a REAL gamer !
Im getting the Gigabyte Osmium mechanical keyboard myself. Epic.
You should stick to the gaming section and away from the Hardware section :D

Appreciate all the comments guys, if you are suggesting pieces please make sure they are available on the site or in Lebanon at least :p
I sure hope you're listing the parts from the site, because thats my limited place to get them :)

Also I have 2 of those RAMS (x8gb = 16gb total).

Which 2TB drives do you suggest? I honestly have no clue regarding speed and performance. Just went for a good brand + storage.

As for the mouse and keyboard. Since I'm on a high end laptop, I just got a gaming mouse(Razer Naga) so I only need a keyboard for now.

Dimensions of the casing are an issue here. I don't want anything too tall, something along Mid-Tower is best, the Commander MSI was a perfect fit for my needs.

which CPU cooler do you suggest from the site? The shop said they'll tell me if extra cooling is needed.

Some guy is selling a Pro Odin on elmazad, used though. Seeing as all my parts are brand new seemed logical for me to not get a used part for my original parts. How much of a danger is it to get a used PSU like the gigabyte Odin 800W? He claims it's in "Excellent condition"

I have a UPS 1600W, I hope thats enough?

AvoK95

All the parts are from PCandParts.
You don't need 16GB. 16GB is overkill. People who do video rendering only need 16GB. I got 8GB and I actually tried to max it out and couldn't get it over 6GB. 8GB is more then enough. Get 2x 4GB Hyper X RAMs.

There is no such thing as a "Good brand" in hard drives. It all depends on the experience you've had with the brands. Some people prefer WD over Seagate and some vise versa. I personally find WD more reliable over Seagate, but you may find it the other way around (Depending on the experience you will have) a 2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 is cheaper than a 2TB WD Black drive. So I'd just get 2 x 2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 drives and RAID them. An SSD is not really necessary but I guess is fine. But the only performance gain you'll notice is just loading times.

I would suggest the ThermalTake CLP0564 Frio. You can always get the OCK version but I guess it would be fine if not an extreme overclocker.

Don't get any used parts mixed up with new parts, that will cause lots of problems. Contact MEIT as they have tons of Gigabyte products and get an 800W Odin.

Also, do you mean your UPS is 1600VA or 1600W ?

safo

AvoK95 wroteAll the parts are from PCandParts.
You don't need 16GB. 16GB is overkill. People who do video rendering only need 16GB. I got 8GB and I actually tried to max it out and couldn't get it over 6GB. 8GB is more then enough. Get 2x 4GB Hyper X RAMs.

There is no such thing as a "Good brand" in hard drives. It all depends on the experience you've had with the brands. Some people prefer WD over Seagate and some vise versa. I personally find WD more reliable over Seagate, but you may find it the other way around (Depending on the experience you will have) a 2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 is cheaper than a 2TB WD Black drive. So I'd just get 2 x 2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 drives and RAID them. An SSD is not really necessary but I guess is fine. But the only performance gain you'll notice is just loading times.

I would suggest the ThermalTake CLP0564 Frio. You can always get the OCK version but I guess it would be fine if not an extreme overclocker.

Don't get any used parts mixed up with new parts, that will cause lots of problems. Contact MEIT as they have tons of Gigabyte products and get an 800W Odin.

Also, do you mean your UPS is 1600VA or 1600W ?

You're suggesting parts that are out of stock, couldn't find the CLP0564 Frio :(

Does the Commander MS-I have room for 3 Hard drives if I get 2 2TB HDD, and 1 128GB SSD?

I don't know how much VA it is, but for sure it's its 1600 wattage (the UPS)

MEIT website isn't opening :(

Khaled

AvoK95 wroteThere is no such thing as a "Good brand" in hard drives. It all depends on the experience you've had with the brands. Some people prefer WD over Seagate and some vise versa. I personally find WD more reliable over Seagate, but you may find it the other way around (Depending on the experience you will have) a 2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 is cheaper than a 2TB WD Black drive. So I'd just get 2 x 2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 drives and RAID them. An SSD is not really necessary but I guess is fine. But the only performance gain you'll notice is just loading times.

I have a couple of things to mention but will mention them later, but as a quick note here cause i have to leave :

Do not, under any circumstance, RAID those Seagate green drives.

I have one of those myself and to tell you the truth I have never had a seagate drive failing on me, as opposed to western digital where i lost 4 till now and the fifth is currently being replaced because it was DOA. Still, as seagate looked reliable to me i still suggest that you dont raid 2 TB drives. At least not performance raid 0. Green drives performance becomes way too unstable for some weird reason when RAIDed.

I will link u later but need to get going now. Will add more when im back tonight.

AvoK95

safo wroteYou're suggesting parts that are out of stock,

I look before I post. You were just unlucky enough that, after I posted it, it went N/A :P
You can always get the Jing. It has almost the same performance as the Frio.

The case does support that much hard drives, but 1 slot might be blocked from the 680. And since Khaled claims that 2 green drives don't run good in RAID. I would just get a regular 3TB HDD + SSD (It's actually a great combination). You can also get a WD Green drive.

safo wroteMEIT website isn't opening :(

Here is the info section on their Facebook fan page. I guess you can contact them from there.

@Khaled, any more suggestions ?

safo

AvoK95 wrote
safo wroteYou're suggesting parts that are out of stock,
I look before I post. You were just unlucky enough that, after I posted it, it went N/A :P
You can always get the Jing. It has almost the same performance as the Frio.

The case does support that much hard drives, but 1 slot might be blocked from the 680. And since Khaled claims that 2 green drives don't run good in RAID. I would just get a regular 3TB HDD + SSD (It's actually a great combination). You can also get a WD Green drive.

safo wroteMEIT website isn't opening :(
Here is the info section on their Facebook fan page. I guess you can contact them from there.

@Khaled, any more suggestions ?

Great news! I found a Gigabyte Odin Pro 800W PSU!, so happy right now :'), cost me $150, decent price if you ask me! (the used one was going for $150!)

Also I'll stick to my Hard disk setup, I didn't think it was faulty to begin with. I'm going to avoid any unnecessary modifications like RAIDing and Overclocking until it has a significant change..

Thanks for the CPU cooler suggestion, I'll add it to the list :)

regarding noise, do you think the built in fans will be loud? should I opt for better or silent ones?

AvoK95

Where did you find the PSU ? The price seems very good!

safo

I just received a call from my Dad saying he found one, turns out the store that supplies his company with PC Hardware had some of those in stock. So he just bought it off I guess. I'll get more details when he's home :p

Anywho, here's what the build looks like so far. Any compatibility issues? I hope the case can handle all that!

Here

Is the optical drive good enough? just put it there out of impulse. If you can suggest me a better one. Doesn't have to be blu-ray

AvoK95

The rig looks epic! I wouldn't change a thing.

About the DVDRW. It really doesn't matter what brand you get. They're all the same. You can always go up to a BlueRay Drive if you want. That way you can watch BlueRay films.

safo

is this monitor any good? I might have some dimension issues with the Samsung one (base too big)

HP 2311x Wide 23" LED

safo

Bummer, still need a PSU..he got a 1200W >_>

I seriously need a PSU thats above 600W and less than 900W

xterm

safo wroteis this monitor any good?

Many of us use the PX2370, it's quite slick, smooth and powerful.

(I myself use 3 of them!)

safo

xterm wrote
safo wroteis this monitor any good?
Many of us use the PX2370, it's quite slick, smooth and powerful.

(I myself use 3 of them!)

I guess I'll be the heretic here and go for the HP monitor, liked the refresh rate and the looks of it, haven't seen a single bad review about it.

you guys know any places that sell gaming keyboards? other than razer stuff from Virgin?

MEIT fresh out of PSUs from 600-800W PSUs..whats with this country and Power supplies? :/

AvoK95

Dude 150$ for a 1200W PSU is a STEAL! Don't worry, if your PC won't use 1200W it won't draw it from the wall.

About the monitor, it has the same 60Hz refresh rate as the PX2370. I own one too, thinking about 3 more later. It's an amazing monitor. Never go for looks. Often crappy products always look good.
Get the PX2370, and you will not regret it.

safo

I seriously need a 600W+ power supply..I checked with all the distributors around here I just can't find a place with 600W-900W PSU, theres only this guy on elmazad with a used one which I don't think is a good idea getting it.

AvoK95

Ge the 1200W which your dad got for 150$. You will have a lot more headroom for the same price.