90K+ Gaming PC for 100K

[Audi0slave]

Hello TE,

Looking to build a new PC that should last me 3 yrs.

Q: What is your budget?

₹ 1,00,000


Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)

CPU - AMD Phenom II 550 BE
GPU - EVGA 9600GT
M/B - Asus M4A78-E
RAM - Corsair 8GB DDR2
PSU - Corsair TX750
Monitor - Dell STM2220
HDD - 64 GB SSD + 2 TB HDD (1+1)
Cabinet - CM 690

Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)

I want to keep my PSU, HDD's, Monitor, Optical Drive, Mice and Keyboard.

Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.

No clue on current trends so I have no idea what to pick up.

Processor - Has to be something meaty. I've had a lot of fun overclocking my earlier 2 CPU's and I will continue the trend.
GPU - As this rig will primarily be used for gaming again has to be quite good. Will again play around with this so something with a good aftermarket cooler would be preferred.
RAM - 16 gigs for some good low latency modules. Dont know what will be better 2X8GB or 4X4GB.
HDD - Need a 120 GB SSD as I want to load up some games onto it for some really fast loading times. Will not be using my current SSD. Already have 2TB of space which is enough for me.
Motherboard - Something good with a lot warranty as from my experience these give the most head aches. As I plan to OC a lot a feature rich m/b is what I would want.
Cabinet - Nothing too expensive something around 5K. Gonna be stuffed inside my desk and I could care less how good it would look.
Sound Card & Headphones - Little confused here, was planning to buy a headset but was recommeded to buy the ATH-AD700 + Asus Xonar DG + generic mic instead. Though I would skip this and get a good USB headset.
CPU/GPU Cooler - Need some good air cooling for CPU/GPU. I believe good aftermarket cooler usually come with GPU's now (been a long time since I bought one) but if not I would want to invest in a good GPU cooler. CPU cooler is a must for as I will definitely be overclocking it to its full potential.


Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component

Final for a very long time


Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)

Nehru Place


Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market

No


Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware

Gaming


Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.

None though the brand should have good warranty to back it up.


Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?

I play a lot of games and some of them are huge resource hogs.


Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage

Full HD


Q: Are you looking to overclock?

Yep


Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?

Win7/8 64bit

 

[ALPHA17]

@Audi0slave this is what I suggest --

Intel Core i5 3570k ~15000/-
GIGABYTE-Z77X-UD3H ~13000/- OR ASUS P8Z77-V PRO ~16500/-
G.Skill RIPJAWS 8GB x2 1866MHz ~9000/- (don't be fooled with lower latency kits the real world performance improvement is negligible)
GIGABYTE / ASUS GTX670 2GB ~28000/- OR Sapphire HD7970 3GB Vapor-X edition ~34000/-
Crucial M4 256GB SSD ~14000/- (the junior 128GB version comes for ~8200/-. Get these from onlyssd.com)
Corsair Carbide 400R ~5500/- (best cabinet in the price range)

For headphones, personally I am not very good but this is what I recommend (looks good on paper) -- Corsair Vengeance 1500 ~5000/- + ASUS XONAR DX.

No need for an after market GPU cooler as acquiring them will be a pain not to mention the convoluted installation process.

For CPU coolers this is what I suggest --

• Thermalright Silver Arrow ~4200/-
• Noctua NH-D14 ~5500/-
• SVG Tech HOC 40 ~5800/- http://www.techenclave.com/reviews-previews/svg-tech-hoc-40-hoc-128548/p5/#post1597840

Hope this helps, Cheerio!

 

[Audi0slave]

stuff

Thanks for the really quick response. Looks like I'll be saving some of my money.

From my cursory glance Core i5 3570k seems to be recommended a lot for whose who want to build a solid gaming rig. Any point if I shell out more money for i7 3770K? And anything at all from AMD in this department? Or are they still doing terribly in this segment.

Regarding GPU I was hoping to get something from AMD as they tend to have more RAM which I believe is good for future titles, performance wise I'm not too concerned as my 9600GT has made me quite adaptable to playing games at lower resolution and settings. Also any viable SLI/Crossfire at the 30-35K range which would get better performance?

SSD's I'm quite content with 128 GB ones as currently I manage on my 64GB one and only need some extra space to put 2-3 games in it. When SSD's become more viable in the near future I will surely pick up a larger one.

Also regarding the liquid cooling from SVG Tech, didn't know that they became this easy to use. And very nice to see a desi product here, I will definitely pick something from their product lineup just to support them. Though another worrisome noob query that are they any cause for concern on the long run?

 

[Jakob]

It all depends on you if you want to go with i7 3770K then go for it,Here is a comparison between two-AnandTech - Bench - CPU,Look at it and make up your mind if you want to spend extra 5k for it or not.About AMD they've closed the gap with intel with their recent Vishera lineup but they're still not up to the mark.
For GPU go with Sapphire HD7970 3GB Vapor-X as mentioned above it's the best within that budget.Adding 2XHD7870 Crossfire will give you faster performance than a single HD7970,I don't have the perfect benches though.The cost of HD7870 CF will be around 37k,Your existing PSU will be able to hold that setup.
If you only want to go with 128GB SSD then it'd be available for 8k or so,Go with the same mentioned above.
Here are the benches for HD7870 CF this will clear things-http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/47..._in_crossfire_overclocked_review/index11.html

Thanks for the really quick response. Looks like I'll be saving some of my money.

From my cursory glance Core i5 3570k seems to be recommended a lot for whose who want to build a solid gaming rig. Any point if I shell out more money for i7 3770K? And anything at all from AMD in this department? Or are they still doing terribly in this segment.

Regarding GPU I was hoping to get something from AMD as they tend to have more RAM which I believe is good for future titles, performance wise I'm not too concerned as my 9600GT has made me quite adaptable to playing games at lower resolution and settings. Also any viable SLI/Crossfire at the 30-35K range which would get better performance?

SSD's I'm quite content with 128 GB ones as currently I manage on my 64GB one and only need some extra space to put 2-3 games in it. When SSD's become more viable in the near future I will surely pick up a larger one.

Also regarding the liquid cooling from SVG Tech, didn't know that they became this easy to use. And very nice to see a desi product here, I will definitely pick something from their product lineup just to support them. Though another worrisome noob query that are they any cause for concern on the long run?

 

[maran_11]

What about a asus sabre tooth z77

 

[ALPHA17]

From my cursory glance Core i5 3570k seems to be recommended a lot for whose who want to build a solid gaming rig. Any point if I shell out more money for i7 3770K? And anything at all from AMD in this department? Or are they still doing terribly in this segment.

Regarding GPU I was hoping to get something from AMD as they tend to have more RAM which I believe is good for future titles, performance wise I'm not too concerned as my 9600GT has made me quite adaptable to playing games at lower resolution and settings. Also any viable SLI/Crossfire at the 30-35K range which would get better performance?

SSD's I'm quite content with 128 GB ones as currently I manage on my 64GB one and only need some extra space to put 2-3 games in it. When SSD's become more viable in the near future I will surely pick up a larger one.

Also regarding the liquid cooling from SVG Tech, didn't know that they became this easy to use. And very nice to see a desi product here, I will definitely pick something from their product lineup just to support them. Though another worrisome noob query that are they any cause for concern on the long run?

Gaming performance of the quad-core Core i5 is solid and there is a negligible increment if you decide to go for the top-dog Ivy-Bridge piece OR for that matter the more expensive Sandy-BridgeE processors (X79 chipset). AMD is still a strict no-go in the high performance segment, the performance-power curve bottoms out in tasks like gaming and day-to-day works.

I suggest the Sapphire HD7970 3GB Vapor-X editions OR GIGABYTE GTX670 2GB graphic solutions as most current generation titles are yet to completely max-out these cards. CRYSIS 3 and The Witcher 2 (with Ãœber-Sampling turned ON) are the only games that might be able to bring these to heel.

I don't suggest CrossFire / SLi in your shoes because at 1920 x1080 there will be no increase in performance (to show thanks to 60Hz panel refresh rate) while the power consumption will go up exponentially. Unless you plan to get a 27" 2560 x1440 resolution panel OR game in Surround 3D I do not see you running out of graphics horse-power anytime soon.

Go for the Crucial M4 128GB ~8200/- then from onlyssd.com.

You can contact SVG Tech themselves (National tarrif apply) and ask all the questions although I have rarely heard a closed loop solution going bad mid-way.

Hope this answers your queries. Cheers!

 

[gattaga]

@ALPHA17 - Instead of going for SVG, wouldn't the OP be better off using a H100? or maybe I missed something in the review.
I am building almost a similar system for myself, except all the graphics power(Dota 2 works awesome on HD 6670 1Gig DDR5) and will be going for i7 cause there is a huge impact when compiling. I would not be going the OC route I guess, and hence I don't think I need the Z77 board.
@Audi0slave - sorry for hijacking the thread..

 

[ALPHA17]

@ALPHA17 - Instead of going for SVG, wouldn't the OP be better off using a H100? or maybe I missed something in the review.

Well you missed the part where the HOC40 completely crushes the Corsair H100.

And if you are not over-clocking you certainly do not need even a HOC 20. You will be better served with something like a Cooler Master Hyper T4 / 212 EVO ~2000/- which will allow effective heat-dissipation, silent operation of the RIG and won't burn a hole in your pocket.

 

[gattaga]

@ALPHA17 - sorry for asking the wrong question. I wasn't asking for a cooler for myself. I have a Cooler master TX3 or something. I was asking for the OP. HOC40 might shave a couple of degrees under max load, but I really dont think OP would reach max load. I am guessing it would pretty much be the same under normal to light load. But Corsair are an established market player, and tried and tested. It would translate into a better after sales service. So in my opinion H100 would be a better option.

 

[ALPHA17]

sorry for asking the wrong question. I wasn't asking for a cooler for myself. I have a Cooler master TX3 or something. I was asking for the OP. HOC40 might shave a couple of degrees under max load, but I really dont think OP would reach max load. I am guessing it would pretty much be the same under normal to light load. But Corsair are an established market player, and tried and tested. It would translate into a better after sales service. So in my opinion H100 would be a better option.

Ummm... you have a point about Corsair's service chain.

But considering the SVG Tech offerings performance, pricing and being a localized product by an enthusiast of the segment I expect the service to be decent (if not good) and the reliability at par with what Corsair's OEM can cook up.

In the end it is up-to the OP, his interaction with @nikolain and whether he wants to go for a Corsair H100 OR with the SVG Tech HOC 40.

 

[Audi0slave]

Thanks for the opinions.

Will definitely be buying SVG Tech HOC 40 if I plan to go for liquid cooling.
Regarding Overclocking I will try to max out whatever the CPU is capable of. Mainly because I'm currently playing planetside 2 (mmofps with huge amount of players in a single server) and apparently no CPU is good enough for it.
Also any thoughts on the Asus Sabertooth Z77?
To put an end to any concerns to which CPU I should take I just want to know two things. Does the i7 3770k OC better? And considering a couple of years down the line will i7 3770k seem a better buy over i5 3570k?

 

[maran_11]

check this linghttp://www.techenclave.com/pc-buying-advice/time-upgrade-140556/p2/

 

[ALPHA17]

Thanks for the opinions.

Will definitely be buying SVG Tech HOC 40 if I plan to go for liquid cooling.
Regarding Overclocking I will try to max out whatever the CPU is capable of. Mainly because I'm currently playing planetside 2 (mmofps with huge amount of players in a single server) and apparently no CPU is good enough for it.
Also any thoughts on the Asus Sabertooth Z77?
To put an end to any concerns to which CPU I should take I just want to know two things. Does the i7 3770k OC better? And considering a couple of years down the line will i7 3770k seem a better buy over i5 3570k?

You can look at the ASUS SABERTOOTH, it is a premium-grade product with solid build quality and performance. Definitely consider it.

As far as most things go, the Core i7 and Core i5 are at par in all departments save when the formers hyper-threaded cores get utilized. So you are covered in that department, down the line depending on how much the next generation consoles bring to the table you might see the Core i7 giving you slightly improved performance in gaming OR no change. So this is totally your call.

Take the Core i7 3770k if you will be playing a lot of MMO games.

 

[naive_harry]

Just wondering, with ps4 specs leaked and most of the games on PC are console ports, is it worthwhile to buy i7 rather than i5.

 

[harry_houdini]

Except for Planetside 2, I cannot see any difference in fps in almost all games out there today.
In Planetside 2, people claim the i7 gives approx 10 fps more than the i5.
Now if Planetside 2 is the signal for new upcoming games would be, then i7 is recommended but, there is a but here.
There is an argument whether it is bad optimization in Planetside 2 or the game is just on a very huge scale.
People are divided. @ALPHA17 any idea?

 

[Audi0slave]

Now if Planetside 2 is the signal for new upcoming games would be, then i7 is recommended but, there is a but here.

Well MMOFPS games are a reality now. PS2 is doing somewhat good, development team looks keen to improve it. More MMOFPS are to arrive, I see Crytek's Warface and Firefall in closed beta atm. These kind of games will be extremely resource heavy and therefore I want to build a solid PC for them.

In Planetside 2, people claim the i7 gives approx 10 fps more than the i5.

Yea I watched twitch.tv video of PS2 developer mentioning a 10 fps boost from i5 3570k to i7 3770k. Don't know why but looks like the extra 2MB cache helps.

There is an argument whether it is bad optimization in Planetside 2 or the game is just on a very huge scale.

The optimization and huge scale of PS2 have their sides. PS2 is not badly optimized its horribly optimized, it mostly stresses a single core and is not able to evenly distribute its tasks on multicore processors. So to run it optimally it needs fast performance from a single core. Only highly overclocked ivy bridge and some sandy bridge processors are able to give 50-60 fps on high settings. But still in certain areas of the game which are heavily contested for, you have multiple hundred infantry contacts, scores of tanks and aircrafts engangements going on. Now in this kind of scenario absolutely no rig is able to boast more than 30 fps and this is where the developers of the game shy away to mention that it will improve on lower to mid end rigs when they start rolling out optimization patches. I've seen many people mention that in large scale combats low FPS problems will be there.

 

[ALPHA17]

Well MMOFPS games are a reality now. PS2 is doing somewhat good, development team looks keen to improve it. More MMOFPS are to arrive, I see Crytek's Warface and Firefall in closed beta atm. These kind of games will be extremely resource heavy and therefore I want to build a solid PC for them.

The optimization and huge scale of PS2 have their sides. PS2 is not badly optimized its horribly optimized, it mostly stresses a single core and is not able to evenly distribute its tasks on multicore processors. So to run it optimally it needs fast performance from a single core. Only highly overclocked ivy bridge and some sandy bridge processors are able to give 50-60 fps on high settings. But still in certain areas of the game which are heavily contested for, you have multiple hundred infantry contacts, scores of tanks and aircrafts engangements going on. Now in this kind of scenario absolutely no rig is able to boast more than 30 fps and this is where the developers of the game shy away to mention that it will improve on lower to mid end rigs when they start rolling out optimization patches. I've seen many people mention that in large scale combats low FPS problems will be there.

Go for the Core i7 and be done with it. I don't think you should risk everything, imagine if you get a dud chip (for over-clocking) what then at-least with the Core i7 the base performance is playable.

 

[harry_houdini]

Well MMOFPS games are a reality now. PS2 is doing somewhat good, development team looks keen to improve it. More MMOFPS are to arrive, I see Crytek's Warface and Firefall in closed beta atm. These kind of games will be extremely resource heavy and therefore I want to build a solid PC for them.

Yea I watched twitch.tv video of PS2 developer mentioning a 10 fps boost from i5 3570k to i7 3770k. Don't know why but looks like the extra 2MB cache helps.

The optimization and huge scale of PS2 have their sides. PS2 is not badly optimized its horribly optimized, it mostly stresses a single core and is not able to evenly distribute its tasks on multicore processors. So to run it optimally it needs fast performance from a single core. Only highly overclocked ivy bridge and some sandy bridge processors are able to give 50-60 fps on high settings. But still in certain areas of the game which are heavily contested for, you have multiple hundred infantry contacts, scores of tanks and aircrafts engangements going on. Now in this kind of scenario absolutely no rig is able to boast more than 30 fps and this is where the developers of the game shy away to mention that it will improve on lower to mid end rigs when they start rolling out optimization patches. I've seen many people mention that in large scale combats low FPS problems will be there.

To be frank such mad resource hog games can never achieve a wider success and hence would not be a commercially viable. The number of people using this High end systems in comparison to total number of gamer out there is low. Just check out the number of people wanting to play this game but can't even after having more than decent systems. I know people who have resorted to XBOX or PS3 instead of spending mad amounts on a PC. After 3-5 years may be but at the moment such resource hogging = doomed to fail. In this age of multi core processors if some developers are coming out with a game that uses only one, then its a sad thing.

Go for the Core i7 and be done with it. I don't think you should risk everything, imagine if you get a dud chip (for over-clocking) what then at-least with the Core i7 the base performance is playable.

The chances of getting a dud and the chances of getting a very good chip are both rare. Mostly chips lie in moderate range.

If we understand the working of hyperthreading, with this kind of badly optimized game, i7 is no better than i5. A little fps gain is not worth the price difference in my opinion.
Now again consider if there is some mad game, even though it is designed to work with all 4 cores. But if that mad :bleh: game is completely maxing out the cores, in that case.
i7's hyperthreading is rendered useless. It will be almost equal to an i5 because the very basis of hyperthreading is using up unused CPU power. But if something is already using everything, there is nothing left unused, so hyperthreading will end up being a useless thing in that way * conditions apply :bleh:
Also there is no guarantee than a 3770k overclocks better than 3570k. It is all a matter of luck. For compression and video or photo editing, the added advantage is clearly seen but for gaming, I do not think so.

But if OP, if you are that unsure, dont be so mate. Dont spend 1 lakh and feel uneasy. Too much money would be spent to buy those unsure, uneasy, disturbing, confusing feelings always haunting you if you should have gone for the i7 and not i5. As Dear Alpha17 said, get the 3770k and be done with it.

Cheers

 

[Audi0slave]

Going to buy some of the components tomorrow or on sunday. Shortlisted these

i5 3570K/ i7 3770k (will make up my mind when purchasing)
Asus Sabertooth Z77
Gskill Ripjaws 16GB (8x2)
Corsair Carbide 400R
Corsair 180GB ForceGT SSD
Audio Technica AD700
Asus Xonar DX


Will purchase the GPU and SVG HOC 40 around mid feb when I have more funds.

Any ideas where I can pick this up in Nehru Place, Delhi. Also how is flipkart when it comes to prices of computer components?

Also where can I find a clip on mic like this http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ here

 

[ALPHA17]

i5 3570K/ i7 3770k (will make up my mind when purchasing)
Asus Sabertooth Z77
Gskill Ripjaws 16GB (8x2)
Corsair Carbide 400R
Corsair 180GB ForceGT SSD
Audio Technica AD700
Asus Xonar DX


Will purchase the GPU and SVG HOC 40 around mid feb when I have more funds.

Any ideas where I can pick this up in Nehru Place, Delhi. Also how is flipkart when it comes to prices of computer components?

In certain cases because of the free delivery component flipkart's ~500/- -->750/- increment over the base price seems justified, rest of the time it looks stupid (over-priced) and I strongly suggest that you avoid hard-drive purchases from them.

For SSD's the best place is onlyssd.com and I suggest that you avoid the Corsair ForceGT series and go for the Crucial M4 series OR OCZ Vertex4 series. Buy SSD | SSD Price | SSD For Laptop | Buy Solid State Drives in India

Most of the components should be available at the following establishments in Nehru Place --

• SMC International
• Computer Empire

Hope this helps. Cheerio!