Gaming PC Budget $1300

[bamdaman14]

My friend and I are building PCs for gaming and we want to make a system that can play all the high demanding games like crysis, metro, BF 3 at the highest setting and also the upcoming games at a high resolution. We both are going to build the same time and are in the process of picking the parts.

Any suggestions and recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Tu...

Motherboard:
He wants this: ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 S...

I'm not exactly sure what mobo I want,

maybe this: ASRock Fatal1ty P67 PROFESSIONAL (B3) LGA 1155 Int...

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR...

Hard Drive: We both want different ones

CPU Cooler: CORSAIR CWCH60 Hydro Series H60 High Performance L... (to eliminate noise and so the bulky heat sinks don't take up ram slots.

PSU: dont know which one to get because we both are going to be running sli or crossfire

CD Drive: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X... (not a big deal)

Video Card: 2x 6950s or GTX 580

Case: Corsair 650D

 

[entropy13]

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Tu... - $220
CORSAIR CWCH60 Hydro Series H60 High Performance L... - $70
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cac... - $60
Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM D... - $55
MSI Z68MA-G45 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6G... - $130
Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-900 900W ATX12... - $130
EVGA 015-P3-1580-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB... - $450
Corsair Obsidian Series 650D (CC650DW-1) Black Ste... - $190
ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X... - $21
TOTAL: $1326

 

[LAN_deRf_HA]

Ditch the 2600k for the 2500k. You might even gain a few % in gaming performance. If I were doing it all over that's what I would do. Here's a combo with that and a good board for an extra $20 off.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.717777

Much better ram for only $10 more when using this promo code EMCKBKH33 (adds some red back in for you)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231455

Fully modular gold 1000w psu, should be good enough.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341045

 

[bamdaman14]

I'm going with this

Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR...

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cac...

Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-900 900W ATX12...

Corsair Obsidian Series 650D (CC650DW-1) Black Ste...

ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X...

CORSAIR CWCH60 Hydro Series H60 High Performance L...



Video Card: http://www.provantage.com/msi-n580gtxlightning~7MSTI0EN.htm

 

[twilyth]

Is there any reason you didn't consider AMD?

Look at what you get for the same money - 6 cores, same base speed, same boost. Plus you can get an AM3+ board that will work with bulldozer. What is the 1155 going to work with? Nothing.

And isn't it AMD that has the reputation for smoother gaming?

I know it sounds like I'm being critical, and I guess on level that's true, but I'm mainly just curious.

 

[Black Haru]

Is there any reason you didn't consider AMD?

Look at what you get for the same money - 6 cores, same base speed, same boost. Plus you can get an AM3+ board that will work with bulldozer. What is the 1155 going to work with? Nothing.

And isn't it AMD that has the reputation for smoother gaming?

I know it sounds like I'm being critical, and I guess on level that's true, but I'm mainly just curious.

um, no.

if you want bulldozer, wait for bulldozer. don't buy a processor you plan on replacing in a little over a month.

 

[bamdaman14]

2500k is better than the 1100t in terms of gaming and many more reasons, plus you don't need 6 cores for gaming anyway. They are also around the same price too.

 

[Crap Daddy]

Is there any reason you didn't consider AMD?

Look at what you get for the same money - 6 cores, same base speed, same boost. Plus you can get an AM3+ board that will work with bulldozer. What is the 1155 going to work with? Nothing.

And isn't it AMD that has the reputation for smoother gaming?

I know it sounds like I'm being critical, and I guess on level that's true, but I'm mainly just curious.

There is quite a difference in performance between the 2500K and the AMD you pointed out so AMD is not what the man needs today. Next month maybe. For your knoledge a comparison between the 2 CPUs:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/203?vs=288

 

[bamdaman14]

Is there any reason you didn't consider AMD?

Look at what you get for the same money - 6 cores, same base speed, same boost. Plus you can get an AM3+ board that will work with bulldozer. What is the 1155 going to work with? Nothing.

And isn't it AMD that has the reputation for smoother gaming?

I know it sounds like I'm being critical, and I guess on level that's true, but I'm mainly just curious.

also the socket 1155 is going to work with the new ivy bridge processors.

 

[DrunkenMafia]

I would ditch the 580 and go for a 6970, it would save you around $200 bux, you could then fit a good SSD into your build. They are worth every cent once you get one.

580 is only about 12% faster than 6970 @ 1920 res. it also uses less power. You can add another one down the track if need be.

+1 on the 2500k instead of 2600k. everything else looks ok but that ram you chose isn't the best and may restrict your oc a little.
At least these are guaranteed to reach 2000+ on P67:

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR...

 

[DrunkenMafia]

Is there any reason you didn't consider AMD?

Look at what you get for the same money - 6 cores, same base speed, same boost. Plus you can get an AM3+ board that will work with bulldozer. What is the 1155 going to work with? Nothing.

And isn't it AMD that has the reputation for smoother gaming?

I know it sounds like I'm being critical, and I guess on level that's true, but I'm mainly just curious.

3 months ago I would agree but it is just to late now to be buying X6, I can't recommend AMD atm and I am a die hard AMD boi.

Can;t wait for BD btw!!

 

[twilyth]

um, no.

if you want bulldozer, wait for bulldozer. don't buy a processor you plan on replacing in a little over a month.

Thanks for all of the comments and I'll take a look at the anandtech link. I just know that my 2 1090t's seem to put out about the same number of points as my 2 2600k's. But then that just casual observation and if you look at my host stats right now, you might think the X6's are favored, but the current numbers are anomalous.

Anyway, I bow to the collective wisdom of TPU.

I just wanted to respond to this one comment. IIRC, the C0 steppings and the rest of the FX line won't be out until Q1, so it's not necessarily for just a few months. Not a big deal but I wanted to mention that.