Want to build the best gaming computer I can for $2600

klepto12

klepto12

Posts: 1,116   +13
hello i want to build the very best gaming computer i can for around $2600 i have thought of a ton of builds but just can't choose between them all any help would be appreciated. I want to include a 24" monitor with this purchase but was just wanting to get everyone's take on the matter.

i would like to go intel on this build with just 6 Gigs of ram. I was thinking that i might could get an intel 6 core but hard to swallow almost $900 bucks just for a cpu anyways i dont need a mouse or keyboard thanks a lot any help is appreciated.
 
Well idk how much you know but if you really want a good gaming computer.
i7 900 series

ati 5970 xfx GPU

dominator RAM

gigabyte x58 ud5

corsair 1000W PSU or NZXT 1000w (both very stable and very very nice psu's)

and on that i7, noctua NH-D14 is a really good cooler if im not mistaken. about 80 bucks. That should be in an approximate range of 2.6k

Again, just a ballpark answer just wanted to help a little bit.
 
Hmm, try this build on for starters:
Grand Total = ~$1600 inc. shipping but without considering any rebates, discounts or taxes.

This PC should rip through anything with ease, and you have $1000 more to spend, if you want any fancier cooling or a better video card, or a larger monitor, or all of the above! Enjoy. :)
 
How about this build:

CPU: Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - $295
Colling: Scythe Ninja 3 SCNJ-3000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - $53
MB: ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $200
GPU: XFX HD-687A-ZNFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity - $280
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 998679 - $140
SSD: Corsair Force CSSD-F120GB2-BRKT 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive - $230
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $90
PSU: CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-750HX 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - $140
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Full-Tower ATX Case - $130
Monitor: ASUS MS238H Glossy Black 23" 2ms Ring stand & Ergo-fit LED backlight LCD Monitor Slim Design - $180

Total: ~$1750 - not including shipping.
You also have an extra ~$850 to spend, so you can get better stuff.
 
good suggestions guys but i think i want a little more muscle in the video card department also i will post the build i was thinking about when i get back. might i add i have a 1tb wd black drive already for back up so go crazy.
 
 
How about something like this? You could switch around some parts but I think you get my direction. If you are looking for pure performance I believe the GTX 580 will be the single fastest GPU even after the Radeon 5970 comes out, however if that is the case it'll be definitely cheaper and could possible be the better buy for price/performance.

CPU: Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz - $295
HSF: Noctua NH-D14 - $90, this HSF should give you plenty off OC headroom.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX - $210
RAM: G.SKILL PI 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $160
Optical Drive - LITE-ON Black 4X BD-ROM 8X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA - $65 - If you need a burner too I say this LITE-ON should work fine. Of course you don't need to go with Blu-Ray but with that budget it seems strange to me not too.
GPU: GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 - $525
or SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 Crossfire - $510
SSD: Corsair Force 120GB - $230 - $200 after MIR
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB - $90
PSU: CORSAIR TX Series 950W 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply $150 - $120 after MIR - More then you need but it's pretty good price, if it's to much I'd say the Corsair 850TX or 750HX would work too.
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF X - $180
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate OEM - $180

Total: ~ $2200

For a monitor I'd say something like the Dell 24in UltraSharp U2410 1920x1200 would be great, except it's pretty pricey @ $600 :D .
 
Relic said:
How about something like this? You could switch around some parts but I think you get my direction. If you are looking for pure performance I believe the GTX 580 will be the single fastest GPU even after the Radeon 5970 comes out, however if that is the case it'll be definitely cheaper and could possible be the better buy for price/performance.

CPU: Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz - $295
HSF: Noctua NH-D14 - $90, this HSF should give you plenty off OC headroom.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX - $210
RAM: G.SKILL PI 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $160
Optical Drive - LITE-ON Black 4X BD-ROM 8X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA - $65 - If you need a burner too I say this LITE-ON should work fine. Of course you don't need to go with Blu-Ray but with that budget it seems strange to me not too.
GPU: GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 - $525
or SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 Crossfire - $510
SSD: Corsair Force 120GB - $230 - $200 after MIR
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB - $90
PSU: CORSAIR TX Series 950W 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply $150 - $120 after MIR - More then you need but it's pretty good price, if it's to much I'd say the Corsair 850TX or 750HX would work too.
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF X - $180
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate OEM - $180

Total: ~ $2200

For a monitor I'd say something like the Dell 24in UltraSharp U2410 1920x1200 would be great, except it's pretty pricey @ $600 :D .
Click to expand...

relic i like most of that i have windows and a 1tb wd black drive already what did you think of the build i posted ?
 
@Relic
I think you can forget about the G.Skill Pi's + Noctua NH-D14...the heatspreaders are way to high to have clearance with the cooler. I'd suggest this Corsair kit. A little cheaper at $135 with tight enough timings to suggest some overclocking headroom if desired. Other than that little detail, all looks good.

@klepto
I doubt that the UD5 offers any tangible benefits over the UD3R -mostly some extra (highly priced) bling and some extra connectivity- most of which runs off a lower performing controller. If you go with Relic's suggestion (and my personal preference) of UD3R then get the Revision 2.0 board.
 
@DBZ Ya I completely forgot about that, the Noctua NH-D14 is such a monster.

@klepto Our builds are quite similar with just a couple variations. I personally prefer the Noctua NH-D14 over the CORSAIR Hydro H70 it's $20 cheaper and from benchmarks I've read they are pretty much neck & neck. DBZ's Corsair Kit suggestion is better and definitely no problems with tall heat spreaders, I also think the UD3R is the better choice.

Regarding SSD's in raid 0, this HardOCP article might interest you.
 
Klepto, thank you for looking into some of the parts i posted. I posted them because i buddy of mine has that exact build and he gets upwards of 300 FPS MAXED in BF:BC2. The noctua will give you better thermal performance over that hydro h70. If i was you I would go with the 5970. Workhorse of a card. you can PM if you have any specific questions. btw a nice little 64 gb SSD is nice for games because you load into maps faster. so you can get to vehicle sor w/e faster. i have one and when i load in a prety much just flip a quarter to which vehicle ill get
 
The ZT-10D is quieter and moves more air than both the aforementioned coolers.

The OCZ Agility 2 is slower than the SandForce controller based Force series.

At this power level, go for nothing less than an 80PLUS Gold certified PSU.

Your choice of video card would depend on the resolution you intend to game at. Unless you plan to use NVIDIA's Surround or ATI's EyeFinity, or plan to game exclusively at 2560x1600 with a 30" screen, anything more powerful than the HD 6870 is more or less wasted, IMHO.

Go for the OCZ kit I or hk suggested; hk's choice is better, and Reapers OC very well (as I can attest).
 
i like everyone's suggestions so what would be the best SSD i want at least a 120gb also is the corsair 850 wat psu i posted good? i really want the gtx 580 or 6970 i have never had top of the line and thats what i want in the video card department with min fps being my big worry. Also what would be the best MB in your opinion's over the gigabyte boards is the udr3 worth not getting the udr5?
 
@klepto
Corsair Force(mentioned earlier) or OCZ Vertex 2 SSDs are the best, because they have the latest SandForce controller.
The PSU you posted(850TX) is good, but I recommend getting a Corsair AX850($160 after MIR), or a Corsair AX750, which costs $22 less.
I think you should get the UD3R board because it is almost identical, and costs much less. The only advantage the UD5 has is the 12+2+2 power phase design, and a second LAN chipset.
 
Any SandForce SF-1200\1500-based SSD would be the best option IMHO. Since price is not a big factor for you, I'd suggest the Patriot Inferno series, for the large warranty coverage.

The Corsair is good, but as I stated, any 80Plus Gold PSU will be a better buy; I recommend the Kingwin LZG-850W or the OCZ Z Series 850W.

And yes, go for the cheaper of the two boards; the UD5 is not worth the price premium IMHO.

Lastly, as I stated before, gaming performance will be largely decided by the resolution you play at; at 1920x1080, a single HD 6870\GTX 580 would suffice, and you can add another one later if you feel you need more performance, or you buy a larger monitor in the future that is capable of a higher resolution, or both.
 
thanks guys i have a lot to think about but i think i really want the corsair cooler since it wont get in the way and will leave me good OC headroom any other suggestions would be appreciated i know a lot about building computers just want the best gaming computer i can get for the money and an SSD is really the only thing that i want so my system isnt held back.
 
If you really want something on the high-end GPU wise you should wait and see what the 6970 has to offer. I personally don't think it will surpass the GTX 580 but it will likely come close and at a very good price.

Also the Hydro H70 is on sale for Black Friday if that is still the cooler of your choice.
 
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