High-End Gaming PCs v3.2: Major Price Cuts + Higher Performance!
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Building a PC has never been easier. We have hundreds of readers who had no experience and who built their first PC with the help of Hardware Revolution. If they can do it, so can you!Start by reading our “Building Your First PC?” article, which covers everything that you need to know to get started. Feel free to join us on the forums to hang out with us and to take all the time that you need to get comfortable with the idea of building your own custom PC. No question is stupid and we’ll all be happy to help you out
Is this the right type of PC for me?
If you’re looking for a high-end Gaming PC, capable of handling any video game maxed out at very high resolutions, in 3D and/or on multiple monitors, you’re at the right place. Otherwise, check out our other Computer Systems or The Best Laptops For Your Money instead.
The Phanteks PH-TC14PE CPU Cooler, available in four colors (White, Red, Orange and Blue), recommended for all Tiers of the High-End Gaming PCs.
Click on a section to jump to it:
- Five Tiers to choose from
- Recommended parts summary
- Computer Builds FAQs
- Recommended parts in details
- Budget/Mainstream Gaming PCs
- Mainstream/High-End SFF Gaming PCs
What’s new in Version 3.2:
Overall, Tiers 8, 10, 11 and 12 are getting performance boosts and all Tiers got massive price cuts, from -$103 all the way to -$225! Read this forums post to see more details about what’s new in v.3.2 of the High-End Gaming PCs.
About Hardware Revolution’s High-End Gaming Computers:
Extreme Performance and Reliability!
1. Our high-end gaming computers feature parts that were not only chosen for the best performance possible at a given price but also for their reliability.
2. All of the Tiers are equipped with SSDs (Solid State Drives), which makes your PC feel more responsive and make games/programs launch much faster than before.
3. Equipped with powerful video cards, to let you play pretty much any game maxed out at 1920 x 1080, 2560 x 1600 or even on multiple monitors and/or with 3D monitors.
4. All Tiers feature a safe and reliable power supply, a case with proper ventilation and an after-market CPU Cooler, so that your PC will not overheat and will last you many years.
Choose Your Tier:
There are five tiers in this article. The Tiers are color coded as such:
Tier 8 (Identified by a Green color): $1743
This Tier features a video card with the fastest GPU on the market: The Radeon HD 7970 3GB. This Tier can handle pretty much every game with maximum details at 1920 x 1080.
Tier 9 (Identified by an Orange color): $2159
Tier 9 takes performance up by a few notches compared to Tier 8, by featuring two Radeon HD 6970 2GB in Crossfire. This Tier will handle any game maxed out at 1920 x 1080 and most games at 2560 x 1600 or on two/three monitors side-by-side. Features a 240GB SSD.
Tier 10 (Identified by a Red color): $2570
Tier 10 brings up performance by featuring two Radeon HD 7950 in Crossfire, an Intel Core i7-3820 for PCI-Express 3.0, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB Samsung 830 SSD.
Tier 11 (Identified by a Fuchsia color): $2926
Tier 11 takes CPU performance up, by featuring the Intel Core i7-3930K six-core CPU.
Tier 12 (Identified by a Dark Red color): $3522
Simply put, this is our most powerful Gaming PC Tier available, with two Radeon HD 7970 3GB in Crossfire. Featuring a larger 512GB Samsung 830 series SSD.
Need a Tier recommendation for a specific video game?
Ask us on the forums: Tell us about the video game, the level of details that you want (i.e. medium, high or ultra details) and finally the resolution (e.g. 1920 x 1080. NOT the size) of the monitor or HDTV that you’ll use.
Recommended Parts Summary:
Main recommendations, upgrades and alternatives:
1. Recommended Components are in Bold, with one or more color(s) for the Tier(s).
2. Suggested Alternatives and Upgrades are in Italic. You can upgrade as many parts as you want to, including parts from higher Tiers.
3. All Parts are interchangeable/compatible with each other, except for the Intel LGA1155 CPUs/motherboards that aren’t compatible with the Intel LGA2011 CPUs/motherboards. Also, the ASUS P9X79 motherboard requires a case that supports SSI CEB motherboards.
in Crossfire
Building this System, Got a Question, Need Help?
Computer Builds FAQs:
I often get questions such as:
- Who are you to tell me which parts to choose?
- Can you suggest me a step by step guide to build a computer?
- Why should I build a PC instead of buying one in a store?
- And many more…
1. You will find the answers to all of these questions and more in this article: FAQ: How to Build Your Own Computer
2. Is this your first build? Here are 10 Quick Tips for 1st Time Builders to get you started.
3. Newly built computer won’t start? I invite you to read Help me: Why won’t my newly assembled PC start or boot?
4. Visit our forums here, where you can join our helpful community and ask questions.
Recommended step-by-step guides to build your PC:
1. Arstechnica Outstanding Guide for Hardware (Building the PC)
2. Arstechnica Outstanding Guide for Software (EFI/BIOS, Windows, etc.)
Free Assistance
If you have any question(s) about the build, simply head over to the forums and our community will be there to assist you.
No worries, there are no stupid questions here on Hardware Revolution. We all started from scratch and learned through our mistakes. We’ll just help you make sure to avoid those mistakes 
If you want to have your final build double-checked and get my opinion on it before ordering, or for anything else, don’t be shy, just post a thread on the forums.
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Recommendations in details:
Motherboard:
Tier 8 and 9:
$150 – ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
Why did I pick this motherboard for Tiers 8 and 9:
In my opinion, the ASRock P67 Extreme4 has the best set of features available on the LGA1155 socket motherboards, many of which that I consider very important for the High-End Gaming PCs:
- Two slots worth of space between the two main PCI-Express 16x slots, which gives the top video card some space to “breath” in order to stay at a reasonable temperature.
- A PCI-Express 1x slot that is located above the top PCI-Express 16x slot, allowing for a dedicated sound card without reducing the airflow to the top video card.
- Nothing short of six fan connectors (Two 4 pins, four 3 pins)
- A USB 3.0 header and an included 2 x USB 3.0 bracket that can installed in an external 3.5″ bay or on a free PCI bracket.
- PS/2, FireWire, E-SATA and USB 3.0 ports, as well as a Clear CMOS button, are all located on the back of the motherboard. The Clear CMOS button alone is hugely useful when you overclock and need to clear the CMOS. No more need to move a jumper, which is a pain compared to using a simple button.
- Power and Reset buttons on the motherboard, allowing you to easily test your PC outside your case.
- Solid Power delivery components and solid cooling for them, ensuring that the motherboard won’t bottleneck your CPU overclocking.
Ports, expansion slots, features, what’s included in the box, etc.
- Ports on the back: 2x PS/2, 6x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.0 (Two more are included with the USB 3.0 header + 2 x USB 3.0 bracket), FireWire, E-SATA, 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ-45 LAN, 5 audi0 ports (for 7.1 sound), Coaxial + Optical S/PDIF Out and finally, a Clear CMOS button.
- Expansion slots: Two PCI-Express 3.0 16x slots (single at 16x or dual at 8x/8x), one PCI-Express 16x 2.0 (running at 4x), two PCI-Express 1x and two PCI slots.
- Other connectors/features on the motherboard: Six fan connectors (Two 4 pins, four 3 pins), four SATA 6.0Gb/s, four SATA 3.0Gb/s, FDD, power and reset buttons, 4-pin Molex connector for additional power for the PCI-Express slots, USB 3.0 header (to be used with included bracket), three USB 2.0 headers (for up to six USB 2.0 ports coming from the headers in total), FireWire header, LED debug, SLI/Crossfire support (obviously) and support for LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156 CPU Coolers.
- Included in the box: Motherboard, four SATA cables, two Molex to SATA power cables, SLI dongle, USB 3.0 3.5″ bracket (as well as an included PCI bracket, if you prefer to put the USB 3.0 ports in a free PCI bracket.), FDD cable, I/O backplate, manual and CD.
CPU Coolers compatibility: CPU Coolers that are compatible with the LGA1156 socket are also compatible with the LGA 1155 socket. Some LGA1155 motherboards, including the ASRock P67 Extreme 4, also support LGA 775 CPU Coolers.
Chipsets: Currently available for the LGA1155 socket are the H61, H67, P67 and Z68 chipsets.
- H61 and H67 supports the integrated GPU found in the CPU and thus allow for video output without a discrete video card. However, they do not support CPU overclocking.
- P67 does not support the integrated GPU found in the CPU, but does support CPU overclocking.
- Z68 brings the best of both worlds. It supports the integrated GPU (for QuickSync) and overclocking at the same time. It also support “SSD Caching”. It’s not without its faults though, more on this below.
Z68: About Intel’s QuickSync and SSD Caching:
Z68 allows you to access the IGP from the CPU, which allows you to take advantage of Intel’s QuickSync, a technology that lets you use the IGP in your CPU to accelerate video conversion (amongst other things), allowing you to convert video faster than with just a CPU.
However, the drawback is that the quality of converted videos is lower than if they are converted with a CPU. This is subjective though, so the loss in quality might be an acceptable drawback for you, if you value the time than you gain.
As for SSD Caching, AnandTech has two excellent articles on the subject:
- Intel Z68 Chipset & Smart Response Technology (SSD Caching) Review
- Z68 SSD Caching with Corsair’s F40 SandForce SSD
In short, while SSD caching is an interesting technology, you’re better off using your SSD as your boot drive and manually managing where your applications and games get installed (SSD or HDD), if you want the best performance possible, all the time.
For a Gaming PC: P67 or Z68?
From a performance point of view, both P67 and Z68 offers identical performance.
The exception to this is when you use a Z68 motherboard in tandem with Virtu (a program that intercepts the dedicated GPU and the IGP calls, to direct the calls to the right GPU (depending on whether you’re gaming with the dedicated GPU or converting videos with the IGP) which actually decrease performance within video games, by 5-10%. Note that if you don’t use Virtu, performance is not affected.
If Virtu is not used, performance is identical on both platforms, but then you’re not using the IGP to convert videos, making P67 just as good as Z68.
On top of that, most Z68 motherboards feature video outputs ports (VGA, DVI and/or HDMI), which take space that could be used for additional USB, FireWire, E-SATA and other actual useful ports that are present on P67.
In short:
- If you absolutely want to use Intel’s Quick Sync to convert videos, despite the lower quality of converted videos and that you don’t mind the performance hit (5-10%) in video games, go with a Z68 motherboard.
- If you don’t care about Quick Sync, don’t intend to use SSD Caching (which as I explained above, you don’t want to use anyway) and would rather have the extra ports, go either with a P67 motherboard or a Z68 motherboard without the extra ports, unless you can get a good deal on a Z68 motherboard.
Z68 Alternative motherboard:
- $205 – ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA1155 Z68 SATA III USB3.0
– If you want a Z68 motherboard for Tier 8/9, are a fan of ASUS motherboards (or want to avoid ASRock motherboards), want an included Bluetooth dongle or want an Intel Gigabit network controller, the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 is an excellent alternative.
- $255 – ASRock Z68 PROFESSIONAL GEN3 LGA1155 Z68 SATA III USB 3.0
– If you want a motherboard with tons of connections (4xUSB 3.0, dual LAN, etc.), 10 SATA ports and other features that you’d expect from an high-end motherboard, the ASRock Z68 Professional is a good choice.
Tier 10, 11 and 12:
$250 – ASRock Extreme6 LGA2011 X79 SATA6Gb/s USB3.0 8xDIMM
Why did I pick this motherboard for Tiers 10, 11 and 12:
Simply put, it is unmatched when you consider the features that it offers and its relatively low price for a LGA2011 motherboard.
For $250, you get eight RAM slots, solid CPU power delivery, four USB 3.0 ports, E-SATA and FireWire on the back of the motherboard + two more USB 3.0 ports via the USB 3.0 header, a bundled 2x USB 3.0 ports panel that can be installed either in a 3.5″ bracket on the front of your case or via a PCI bracket on a PCI slot on your case.
The ASRock X79 Extreme 6 has two slots of space between the two main PCI-Express 16x slots, allowing the top video card (for Crossfire/SLI setups) to have enough room to “breathe” and run at safe temperatures.
All of these reasons are why I’m recommending it for Tier 10, 11 and 12.
Features:
- Two slots worth of space between the two main PCI-Express 16x slots, which gives the top video card some space to “breath” in order to stay at a reasonable temperature.
- Nothing short of six fan connectors (Two 4 pins, four 3 pins)
- A USB 3.0 header to plug in the case’s front USB 3.0 ports.
- PS/2, FireWire, E-SATA and USB 3.0 ports, as well as a Clear CMOS button, are all located on the back of the motherboard. The Clear CMOS button alone is hugely useful when you overclock and need to clear the CMOS. No more need to move a jumper, which is a pain compared to using a simple button.
- Power and Reset buttons on the motherboard, allowing you to easily test your PC outside your case.
- Solid Power delivery components and solid cooling for them, ensuring that the motherboard won’t bottleneck your CPU overclocking.
Ports, expansion slots, features, what’s included in the box, etc.
- Ports on the back: 2x PS/2, 4x USB 2.0, 4x USB 3.0 (Two more on the front of the case with the USB 3.0 header), FireWire, E-SATA, 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ-45 LAN, 5 audi0 ports (for 7.1 sound), Coaxial + Optical S/PDIF Out and finally, a Clear CMOS button.
- Expansion slots: Three PCI-Express 3.0 16x slots (16x, 16x, 8x), two PCI-Express 1x and two PCI slots.
- Other connectors/features on the motherboard: Six fan connectors (Two 4 pins, four 3 pins), five SATA 6.0Gb/s, four SATA 3.0Gb/s, power and reset buttons, 4-pin Molex connector for additional power for the PCI-Express slots, USB 3.0 header (to be used with included bracket), two USB 2.0 headers (for up to four USB 2.0 ports coming from the headers in total), FireWire header, LED debug and SLI/Crossfire support.
- Included in the box: Motherboard, four SATA cables, two-way and three-way SLI dongles, I/O backplate, manual and CD.
CPU Coolers compatibility: Only LGA2011 CPU Coolers are supported. Many LGA1155/1156/1366 can be made compatible using an additional adapter.
Alternative
- $253 – ASUS P9X79 LGA2011 X79 SATAIII USB 3.0 8xDIMM
– This is a very good alternative to the ASRock Extreme 6, especially if you’re a fan of ASUS motherboards. The only reason that I don’t recommend it as my main recommendation for Tier 10-11-12 is that it doesn’t have an USB 3.0 header, a shame considering its price.
- $330 – ASUS SABERTOOTH X79 LGA2011 USB 3.0 SATA III 8xDIMM
– The ASUS Sabertooth X79 features a ceramic-coating on its heatsinks, to provide better heat dissipation, “TUF” Capacitors, Chokes and MOSFETS, which are certified by military standard to ensure greater durability and best of all, a 5 years warranty.
- $380 – ASUS P9X79 WS LGA 2011 X79 SSI CEB
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CPU:
Tier 8 and 9:
$324- Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4-3.8GHz Turbo HT Unlocked Multiplier
For the High-End Gaming PCs Tier 8-9, I recommend one of the best CPU available on the market, when it comes to performance in video games and in most scenarios.
It only gets slightly outperformed by the Core i7-3820 and Core i7-3930K, which are more expensive and run on a more expensive platform and are recommend for higher-end Tiers.
Isn’t the Core i7-2700K faster?
Yes, it is. It is basically a Core i7-2600K with a 100MHz speed bump and oh, a $36 price bump too. I do not recommend it, considering that you could simply bump the multiplier up on the Core i7-2600K and save yourself a cool $36.
Why am I recommending the Core i7-2600K over the Core i5-2500K?
- The Core i7-2600K runs 100MHz faster both at its base frequency and in Turbo modes, than the Core i5-2500K
- The Core i7-2600K comes with Hyper-Threading, unlike the Core i5-2500K. While Hyper-Threading does not improve performance in the vast majority of games, it helps with your system responsiveness and it clearly improves performance in multi-threaded programs, such as video conversion, 3D rendering, etc.
- Finally, the Core i7-2600K comes with 8MB of L3 cache, compared to the 6MB of L3 cache for the Core i5-2500K. It’s not a big difference, but cache size do affect performance in some video games, in a significant way in some cases. This is a case of more is better.
A recap on SandyBridge:
Intel current generation of CPUs, known under the codename SandyBridge (SB from here on) is here. Replacing Intel’s LGA1156 Clarkdale (Known as Core i3/i5/i7 3xx, 5xx and 8xx) CPUs, the LGA1155 based SB CPUs (Known as Core i3/i5/i7 i21xx, i23xx, i24xx, i25xx and i26xx) bring in a 10%-50% performance improvement and lower power consumption, compared to the previous-generation of LGA1156 Clarkdale CPUs.
Socket: LGA1155
Sandy Bridge CPUs use the socket LGA 1155 and thus is incompatible with older motherboards based on LGA1156 or LGA775 sockets.
CPU Coolers compatibility:
However, CPU Coolers that are compatible with the LGA1156 socket are also compatible with the LGA 1155 socket. Some LGA1155 motherboards support LGA 775 CPU Coolers too. The recommended ASRock Z68 Extreme 4 does support LGA775 CPU Coolers.
Chipsets:
Currently available are the H61, H67, the P67 and the Z68 chipsets.
- H61/H67 supports the integrated GPU found in the CPU and thus allow for video output without a discrete video card. However, it does not support overclocking via the CPU multiplier (more on this later).
- P67 does not support the integrated GPU found in the CPU, but does support overclocking via the CPU multiplier.
- Z68 brings the best of both worlds. It supports the integrated GPU (for QuickSync) and overclocking at the same time.
Overclocking: Get the most performance out of your PC!
The Core i7-2600K is fairly easy to overclock and I actually recommend that you overclock it, in order to unleash the full power of your PC.
With the previous generations of Intel CPUs, to overclock, all you had to do was to raise the BCLK (baseclock) or FSB frequency, until you reached the limit of your CPU and/or motherboard and/or cooling solution.
With SandyBridge, this is no longer the case: the 6-series chipsets integrate the clock generator. What once was a component on the motherboard, the PLL is now on the 6-series chipset die. The integrated PLL feeds a source clock to many other controllers (e.g. SATA) to the CPU itself. The problem will that is if you if you raise the BCLK frequency, you will also raise the frequency of many other controllers and that will cause your PC to crash. So forget overclocking via the BCLK.
To overclock, you’ll want to raise the CPU multiplier. Here’s an excellent guide on how to overclock the Core i7-2600K (It was written with the P67 chipset in mind, but the process is the same with the Z68 chipset).
The Core i7-2600K vs the competition:
Now that I’ve quickly explained SandyBridge (See AnandTech full review of SandyBridge for more details) to you, let’s compare the Core i7-2600K to the competition.
Compared to the competition:
AMD’s most powerful offering now is the FX-8150. I went with the Core i7-2600 for the following reasons:
- The Core i7-2600 wins the majority of test and is particularly outstanding in video game tests, according to AnandTech.
- The Core i7-2600 uses close to 75W less at load, according to AnandTech.
V.S. the previous generation: Curious to see how Sandybridge performs compared the previous generations of CPUs from Intel and AMD? Check out those charts from AnandTech:
- Core i5-760 V.S. Core i5-2500
- Core i7-870 V.S. Core i7-2600
- Phenom II X4 980BE V.S. Core i5-2500
- Phenom II X4 980BE V.S. Core i7-2600
- Phenom II X6 1100T BE V.S. Core i5-2500
- Phenom II X6 1100T BE V.S. Core i7-2600
Alternative
- $360 – Intel Core i7-2700K LGA1155 Quad-Core 8MB L3 3.5-3.9GHz Unlocked
– If you want THE fastest LGA1155 CPU, the Core i7-2700K is what you want.
Tier 10
$352 – Intel Core i7-3820 LGA2011 Quad-Core 10MB L3 3.6-3.9GHz
Launched on February 14th 2012, the Core i7-3820 is the quad-core variant of the LGA2011 Sandy Bridge-E architecture.
With a 3.6GHz stock frequency, it’s the fastest quad-core CPU that Intel currently offers and if you combine that with its 10MB L3 cache vs 8MB for the Core i7-2600/2700, it makes the Core i7-3820 a slightly faster gaming CPU.
More importantly, by using the i7-3820, you get to use the LGA2011/X79 platform, with PCI-Express 3.0, which is necessary not to bottleneck the performance of two Radeon HD 7950 or two Radeon HD 7970 in Crossfire.
Overclocking:
The Core i7-3820 is a partly unlocked CPU. What does this mean? Well, it means that its multiplier is limited to 43x, so overclocking the chip relies either on:
A- Turbo, in which case the Core i7-3820, you can raise the frequency by 400MHz, or four Turbo bins. This means that the fastest your chip will run is 4.3GHz but with only one core active. If you have four cores active the fastest your chip can run is 4.0GHz.
B- Raising the bclk: Unlike Sandy Bridge LGA1155 CPUs, Sandy Bridge-E LGA2011 CPUs can be overclocked by raising the bclk without any problem.
If you want a fully unlocked LGA2011 CPU to make overclocking easier, via the multiplier, you’ll need to get either the K-series Core i7-3930K, recommended below for Tier 4, or the Extreme Edition Core i7-3960X.
LGA1155 PCI-Express 2.0 8x/8x vs LGA2011 PCI-Express 3.0 16x/16x:
LGA1155/P67 or Z68 platforms are currently limited to PCI-Express 2.0 (Gen 3 motherboards should get PCI-Express 3.0 with an Ivy Bridge CPU) and if you run two cards in SLI or Crossfire, each card gets 8x of PCI-Express 2.0 bandwidth, or 4GB/sec both downstream and upstream. With the LGA2011/X79 platform, you get PCI-Express 3.0 and if you run two cards in SLI or Crossfire, each card gets 16x of PCI-Express 3.0 bandwidth, or 16GB/sec both downstream and upstream.
PCI-Express 2.0 8x/8x provided enough bandwidth to previous generation cards, such as the Geforce GTX 580 or Radeon HD 6970, to not impact performance by more than 1-3%, or in other words, in a insignificant way.
However, the Radeon HD 79xx cards will get bottlenecked by a PCI-Express 2.0 8x/8x setup, as seen here on AnandTech (PCI-Express 3.0 4x = PCI-Express 2.0 8x bandwidth wise), which is why Tier 10 features the Core i7-3820 with the LGA2011/X79 platform, in order to not bottleneck the recommended two Radeon HD 7950 in Crossfire and also to future-proof your PC, making it ready for future video card upgrades, without limiting performance.
Tier 11 and 12:
$679 – Intel Core i7-3930K LGA2011 Six-Core 3.2-3.8GHz Turbo Unlocked Multiplier
Why am I recommending the Core i7-3930K over the Core i7-2600K and the Core i7-3820 for Tier 11 and 12?
While most games will not benefit from six cores, most of them will benefit from the larger 12MB L3 cache (8MB on the i7-2600).
Mind you, video card bound performance will not see much, if any of a performance boost, but games that are CPU bound will see a nice performance boost. In those cases, you can expect an additional 5-10% additional performance compared to the Core i5-2500/i7-2600.
Because there’s more than just gaming:
I also realize that most people dropping this kind of cash on a PC are PC enthusiasts and do more than gaming on their system.
Outside of gaming, the Core i7-3930K offer substantially more performance over the Core i7-2600K in many applications, thanks to its six cores with Hyper-Threading. The fact that the X79 platform offers quad-channel memory support and full speed PCI-Express 3.0 at 16x/16x doesn’t hurt either.
Do note that the Core i7-3930K does not include an Intel stock CPU Cooler, which doesn’t matter mind you, since I recommend an after-market CPU Cooler, for low-noise and overclocking potential.
Regarding the price and availability of the i7-3820 and i7-3930K:
Both of them have been hard to find in stock for some time now and while Amazon has some in stock, they are unfortunately priced above their MSRP. Newegg is “selling” them for lower prices, but nearly never has it in stock (when it does, it’s for 15 minutes…) and/or requires you to buy it with at least another part, as part of a “combo”, a move by Newegg that I despite. Hence why I’ve linked to Amazon, since they actually have it in stock and don’t require you to buy another part that you may not necessarily want.
Alternative
- $1050 – Intel Core i7-3960X LGA2011 Six-Core 15MB L3 3.3-3.9GHz Unlocked
– The best of the best. The Intel Core i7-3960X “Extreme Edition” is the fastest consumer CPU that money can get you. Compared to the Core i7-3930K, you get an additional 3MB of L3 cache and 100MHz more. You don’t buy this CPU because it offers a great bang for your buck, no. You buy it because you want THE fastest CPU available and/or as a bragging right. Not that I encourage it, but who am I to tell you how to spend your hard-earned money, right?
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Video Card:
A few important recommendations and notes regarding video cards:
- Get the latest version of the video card drivers directly from AMD or Nvidia. That way, you’ll be sure to get the latest bug fixes as well as the best performance possible from your video card(s).
- To confirm whether Crossfire or SLI is working or not, use GPU-Z which will show that information to you in the last field at the bottom of the program.
- SLI Guide: How to enable SLI, check if SLI is enabled, actually working in your game and what to do if it’s not is a great guide from the Notebook Review forums. If you know of a similar guide that covers Crossfire, let me know, I’ll make sure to add it to the article.
- When using two or more video cards in Crossfire or SLI, you want to connect your monitors into the top video card, i.e. the video card that is the closest to the CPU.
- Most video cards require one or two PCI-Express 6 or 8 pin power connector(s) to be plugged into them to function properly. Make sure that your power supply comes equipped with enough 6 and/or 8 pin connectors for your video cards. I mention this requirement in the power supply section. Of course, I double-checked that already for the recommendations in this article, I simply mention it if you decide to modify a Tier.
Tier 8:
$560 – Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB
Simply put, this card features the fastest single-GPU on the market. It also has a reputation as an excellent card for overclocking, with a lot of potential.
If you want one of the fastest video card solution without messing with Crossfire, SLI or dual-GPU video card setups, this is the way to go.
For more info about it, read our article: 10 Facts about the Radeon HD 7970
More performance at 5760 x 1080/1200: If you want more performance to play at 5760 x 1080/1200, simply go with the two Radeon HD 6970 in Crossfire that I recommend for Tier 9, or if you can afford it, two Radeon HD 7950/7970 in Crossfire for ~$900/~$1100.
Tier 9:
$700 – Two XFX Radeon HD 6970 2GB in Crossfire
Offering performance close to two Geforce GTX 580 in SLI, while consuming close to 250W less at load and costing ~$250-300 less.
Two Radeon HD 6970 in Crossfire remain an excellent solution, even after the introduction of the Radeon HD 7950 and the Radeon HD 7970.
Think about it: Two Radeon HD 6970 will set you back $700, compared to ~$550 for a Radeon HD 7970, while offering higher performance than a single Radeon HD 7970 in most cases.
Best performance on multiple displays (3840 x 1080 or 5670 x 1080)
$700 – Two XFX Radeon HD 6970 2GB in Crossfire
Hence why if you intend to game at 5760 x 1080, without 3D, $700 – Two XFX Radeon HD 6970 2GB in Crossfire
Alternative for Gaming on a single 3D monitor:
When it comes to 3D Gaming, Nvidia currently has a much better solution than AMD, hence why I recommend $620 – Two MSI Geforce GTX 560 Ti 448 Twin Frozr III PE/OC in SLI
Upgrade for Ultra High-End 3D Gaming Performance
If you desire even more performance for 3D Gaming at higher resolutions (i.e 3840 x 1080 or 5760 x 1080), or if you want to be a bit more future-proof, I recommend that you go with Tier 10/11 or Tier 12 video cards recommendations.
Also do note that if you upgrade your video cards, you’ll most likely have to upgrade your power supply too. See the power supply section for more information on this.
Tier 10 and 11:
$900 – Two Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB in Crossfire
Easily outperforming both two Radeon HD 6970 in Crossfire or two Geforce GTX 580, two Radeon HD 7950 3GB in Crossfire are a force to be reckoned with.
They are also a “bargain” compared to two Radeon HD 7970 3GB in Crossfire, offering performance that isn’t that far behind, while costing $220 less.
Then again, if you want even more performance, what is $220 on a $2000+ budget. 10% more or so. Food for thought if you want the best video cards available on the market right now.
If you consider that many users of Radeon HD 7950 report being able to overclock them to the point where their performance match the Radeon HD 7970, you can also choose to save some cash and overclock instead. Consider upgrade your power supply (see power supply section) and your video card cooling (see cooling section) for optimal overclocking results.
Tier 12:
$1120 – Two Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB in Crossfire
If you want the best performance possible, without consideration for anything else, two Radeon HD 7970 in Crossfire are the way to go.
If you want to play video games on multiple monitors, this is the best solution available to you.
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RAM:
Tier 8 and 9:
$37 – Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600MHz 1.5v
Games are starting to take advantage of more than 4GB of RAM.
Also, if you’re like me and like switching back (Alt-Tab or Alt-Esc) to your desktop to check something while pausing your game and keeping it open, along with a bunch of open programs, 8GB will greatly improve the responsiveness of your PC vs 4GB.
With games taking more and more RAM and this trend only continuing in the future, 8GB is what I’d consider the minimum that I’d recommend for a High-End Gaming PC.
This explains why Tier 8 and 9 come with 8GB of RAM.
Besides, with the low price of RAM and the small difference in price between 4GB and 8GB of RAM, might as well go with 8GB or 16GB, as recommended for Tier 10 and above.
Tier 10, 11 and 12:
$95 – Corsair 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3 1600MHz
If you’re like me and like switching back (Alt-Tab or Alt-Esc) to your desktop to check something while pausing your game and keeping it open, along with a bunch of open programs, 16GB will further improve the responsiveness of your PC compared to 8GB.
Also, if you intend on keeping this Gaming PC for more than say, 1-2 years, 16GB is worth it, especially now, considering that RAM prices have been dropping and haven’t been this low in a long time.
Heck, 16GB of RAM now costs less than $100, which used to be the price for 4GB a bit more than a year ago or so, so take advantage of those low prices to stock up on RAM.
That way, you know that you’ll be future-proof for a while and that you can alt-tab out of your games with minimal lag.
Why you should not buy two separated kits instead of one complete kit:
If you’re considering a Tier 10, 11 or 12 and that you’re comparing Tier 8-9 RAM kit with Tier 10-11-12 RAM kit, you’re probably asking yourself “Why not buy two Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) instead of spending more on the Corsair 16GB (4 x 4GB) kit?”
The reason is simple: Compatibility. While on paper and specifications wise, the two $37 – Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) kits are identical to each other and will work just fine separately, there might some very slight difference in how they run, which could cause issues if you put two of those kits together. By buying one kit with all the sticks that you want, you ensure that those sticks were tested all together and that they are all compatible with each other.
Maximum amount of RAM: LGA1155 motherboards in this guide support four sticks of RAM, for a maximum of 32GB (4x8GB) of RAM. However, the LGA2011 motherboards in this guide supports eight sticks of RAM, for a maximum of 64GB (8x8GB) of RAM.
Upgrades:
- If you want 32GB of RAM on a motherboard with four RAM slots, I recommend the: $280 – G.SKILL 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3 1333 1.5v
- If you want 32GB of RAM on a motherboard with eight RAM slots, get the: $170 – G.SKILL 32GB (8 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 1.5v
- If you want 64GB of RAM on a motherboard with eight RAM slots, get the: $540 – G.SKILL 64GB (8 x 8GB) DDR3 1333MHz 1.5v
Heatsinks and CPU cooler clearance:
Every kit that I recommend in this guide feature either no heatsinks or not too tall heatsinks that don’t raise too much above the RAM sticks.
Why?
- Because RAM heatsinks barely make any difference when it comes to RAM temperatures. Besides, even if you overclock it/raise the voltage (at your own risk), RAM temperatures aren’t a problem as long as you have decent airflow in your case.
- Tall RAM heatsinks can get in the way of larger aftermarket CPU Coolers, preventing you from installing your aftermarket CPU Cooler!
Important: RAM can require manual configuration within the BIOS to reach its full potential or function properly!
By default, some RAM kits will boot at lower frequencies than they are rated for. This is perfectly normal, it does not mean that your RAM is defective.
You simply have to go within the BIOS/UEFI (The first thing that you see when your PC starts) and enable XMP, for your RAM to function at its rated speed. If XMP is not available or doesn’t work for some reason, you can adjust the RAM settings manually, such as frequency (In MHz, usually linked to the CPU, look for a CPU:RAM ratio) and timings (a series of numbers, such as 9-9-9-24). Refer to your motherboard manual and your RAM specifications for more information.
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Storage:
- Quick tip: Get the most performance out of your SSD, by selecting AHCI in your BIOS/EFI options. Unless you use two SSD or HDD in RAID 0 or 1 that is, in which case you want to select RAID.
SSD FAQ:
If you wondering “Who are SSDs for?”, if you want a quick recap on what a SSD is, wonder about reports of SSDs slowing down over time or want to learn more about TRIM and/or TRIM with RAID, I invite you to read our SSD FAQ.
I also invite you to read this article of mine, updated monthly, for other recommendations: The Best SSDs and HDDs For Your Money.
Tier 8:
$269 – Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 2.5″ 240GB SATA III SSD
Replacing the Corsair Force GT 180GB SSD, the Mushkin 240GB offers 60GB more storage capacity at a similar price with slightly lower performance (8.5 vs 9) and similar great reliability.
Of course, with an High-End Gaming PC, you have the right to expect an high-end storage solution. A long time ago, I asked you in a poll what would be the minimum acceptable capacity for a SSD for you in a build. The majority of you said 160GB.
Now that the prices of SSDs are going down and that their reliability is going up, I feel comfortable with recommending them for the high-end Gaming PCs.
With nothing short of 240GB, this SSD is above the minimum acceptable capacity for a SSD that most of you want and is enough to handle Windows and many games. At $268 for 240GB, it’s also very close to the magical $1 per GB!
Tier 9, 10 and 11:
$370 – Samsung 830 Series 256GB SATA 6.0Gb/s SSD
Replacing the Corsair Force Gt 240GB SSD, the Samsung 830 Series 256GB offers similar performance, superior reliability and 16GB more storage capacity, for a similar price, making it very easy to recommend it over the Corsair Force GT 240GB.
For Tier 9, 10 and 11, you gain an extra 76GB of storage capacity over Tier 8.
Tier 12:
$720 – Samsung 830 Series 512GB SATA 6.0Gb/s SSD
For Tier 12, we’re bumping the total SSD storage capacity to 512GB.
The Samsung 830 series offers stellar performance, with top-notch reliability, at a very reasonable price.
With 512GB to play with on your SSD and 1TB (or more if you upgrade it) on the hard drive, I doubt that you’ll run out of space anytime soon .;)
For other options and more information on SSDs, I recommend that you read our own The Best HDDs and SSDs For Your Money article.
Hard Drives:
All Tiers:
$105 – Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm 1TB SATA 6.0Gbps ST1000DM003
The Seagate Barracuda 1TB ST1000DM003 is a top-notch hard drive and what a drive it is!
This is the fastest consumer hard drive currently available on the market, with nothing short of 1TB of storage capacity, plenty to handle your video/music/picture collection.
It is also one of the most reliable hard drive on the market.
1TB isn’t enough for you?
Then I recommend either the $150 – Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm 2TB SATA 6.0Gbps ST2000DM001
Major flooding in Thailand resulting in limited availability and higher prices for hard drives:
If you were not aware of this yet, there has been a horrible flooding in Thailand, which has resulted in:
A- a horrible human tragedy. My thoughts are with the people of Thailand.
B- Western Digital and Seagate (who now pretty much owns Samsung hard drive division) been forced to cut down their production of hard drives due to either factories or suppliers of hard drive parts that were affected by the flooding.
The result of this is lower availability and higher prices for hard drives.
As I’m writing this line, on February 22nd 2012, prices have been slowly decreasing in the last month, with the Seagate Barracuda 1TB ST1000DM003 now at $105 vs $120-125 last month. Heck, the Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM001 went down from $180 to $150 in the last month.
No one know exactly when the situation will return to normal, but at this rate, it shouldn’t take much more than a few months.
SATA II 3.0Gb/s vs SATA III 6.0Gb/s: No performance difference for hard drives!
SATA 3.0 Gb/s (SATA II) and SATA 6.0Gb/s (SATA III) refer to the speed of the connection between the drive and the motherboard.
However, the best hard drives reach about 160MB/s (or 1.28Gb/s) in best scenarios. SATA 3.0Gb/s is plenty enough to handle that and for hard drives, SATA 6.0Gb/s does not offer any performance advantage, since the hard drives can’t even max out a SATA II 3.0Gb/s connection.
Only SSDs take advantage of SATA 6.0Gb/s due to their higher transfer rates.
In other words, if you take two otherwise identical hard drives, the SATA III model will not be faster than the SATA II model. SATA III for hard drives is just a marketing scheme 
Reliability
Reliability wise, the Samsung F3 tops the chart, followed closely by the Seagate Barracuda and then the Western Digital Caviar Black is right behind them. The Hitachi drives are the least reliable, with a 3% return rate, all according to an article by Hardware.fr.
All hard drives and all SSDs are prone to failure though, which is why you should Have a Backup System that you can rely on!
SATA Cables: Make sure you have enough!
Just make sure that you have enough SATA cables: The two main recommendations for the motherboards in this guide include four SATA cables. Keep in mind that you’ll need one SATA cable for your optical drive, one for the hard drive and one for your SSD too. Also, all SATA cables can handle SATA III 6.0Gb/s, there are no such thing as a SATA III 6.0Gb/s cable.
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Optical Drive:
All Tiers:
$16 – LG SATA 22X DVD Burner
This drive is able to read and burn CDs and DVDs. Silent, compatible with all major formats including DVD-RAM.
The motherboard includes four SATA cables (One or two will be used for the SSD, one for the hard drive and one for this DVD Burner), so no need to worry about cables, unless you get additional drives.
Also, seeing as DVD Burners often go out of stock, here are a two alternatives that you can use to replace it. All are SATA based.
Upgrades:
If you’d like to watch BluRay movies or TV shows, this $58 – ASUS Black 12X BD-ROM SATA Blu-ray will do the job. However, note that it can only read CDs, DVDs and Bluray disks, not burn any of them.
If you want the ability to burn Blu-Ray disks as well, then the $70 – LITE-ON Burner 12X BD-R 16X DVD 48X CD SATA is what you want.
Regarding Blu-Ray playback:
As far as I know, you still require a specific software to playback Blu-Ray disks on a PC.
Based on various reviews and feedback on various forums, PowerDVD 12 3D Ultra is the software that I recommend to you.
Note that you’ll need at least the Pro version for Blu-Ray playback.
It is fully compatible with Windows 7 and shouldn’t give you any problems.
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Case:
Tier 8 and 9:
$130 – COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper 3x200mm 1x120mm fan controller
For Tier 8 and 9, I went with the Cooler Master Storm Sniper, a case loved by a lot of people for its looks, features and price.
- Cooling wise, this case includes three 200mm and one 120mm case fans, insuring proper cooling for your Gaming PC. Best of all? They are hooked up to the case fan controller, allowing you to easily strike the right balance between cooling performance and noise (or lack of!).
Features wise, you get:
- 4x USB 2.0, 1x FireWire (unfortunately not supported by the motherboard), 1x E-SATA, Audio out, MIC in at the top
- A integrated fan controller that handles the 4 included fans.
- Case feet stands, for additional stability.
- An hole on the back panel, to easily install after-market CPU Cooler without having to remove the motherboard from the case.
- Various holes and space to route and hide your wires.
You’ll probably point out the lack of USB 3.0 ports, to which I’ll reply: The recommended motherboard comes with a 3.5″ 2xUSB 3.0 bracket that can be installed in a front bay
Tier 10, 11 and 12:
$200 – Rosewill BLACKHAWK-ULTRA 3x230mm 5x140mm
For Tier 10, 11 and 12, I picked the Rosewill Blackhawk Ultra, which comes with nothing short of 8 fans, three massive 230mm fans and five not so small 140mm fans. Talk about massive cooling!
Remember that it will be hooked up to a fan controller, allowing you to slow it down for less noise. This GPU duct and the fan in it will help keep the video cards cool, allowing you to reduce their fan speed, allowing for less noise.
Cooling wise, this case includes three 230mm and five 140mm case fans. Two of the 140mm are behind the drive bays, directing their airflow straight at the video card(s).
Features wise, you get:
- 4x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, Audio out, MIC in at the top
- Support for up to ten SSDs/Hard Drives.
- Support for the largest motherboards.
- An hole on the back panel, to easily install after-market CPU Cooler without having to remove the motherboard from the case.
- Various holes and space to route and hide your wires.
Alternatives
Pretty much any of these cases can be used as alternatives. If you do go with a dual video cards setup though, make sure to pick a case with plenty of airflow, to ensure proper cooling for your video cards. Feel free to double-check with us on the forums if you’re not sure.
- $110 – LIAN LI PC-K9B
- $125 – NZXT Phantom Black
- $125 – NZXT Phantom White
- $125 – NZXT Phantom Black/Orange
- $125 – NZXT Phantom Red
- $125 – NZXT Phantom White/Red
- $125 – NZXT Phantom Black/Green
- $127 – NZXT Phantom Pink
- $130 – Rosewill Thor V2
- $140 – Rosewill Thor V2 White
- $146 – Corsair Graphite 600T Black
- $140 – Antec P280
- $144 – Silverstone RV03B-W Matte Black
- $144 – Silverstone RV03B-WA Black/Gray
- $145 – Azza HURRICAN 2000 Blue LEDs
- $145 – Azza HURRICAN 2000 Red LEDs
- $150 – Antec DF-85
- $160 – Corsair Graphite 600T White
- $160 – Antec Twelve Hundred V3
- $160 – Antec Lanboy Air Red
- $163 – Antec Lanboy Air Yellow
- $170 – NZXT Switch 810 Black
- $170 – NZXT Switch 810 White
- $180 – Antec Lanboy Air Blue
- $180 – Corsair Obsidian Series 650D 1x120mm 2x200mm
- $180 – LIAN LI PC-A70F Aluminum 2x140mm 2x120mm
- $180 – COOLER MASTER HAF X Blue Edition
- $220 – CM HAF X Blue LEDs 1x140mm 1x200mm 2x240mm + GPU Duct
- $220 – Rosewill Blackhawk Ultra
- $240 – SILVERSTONE Fortress FT02S-W Silver
- $240 – Thermaltake Level 10 GT
- $274 – Corsair Obsidian Series 800D 3x140mm
- $280 – Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow Edition
- $290 – SilverStone TJ10-B
- $300 – LIAN LI PC-P80
- $315 – Cooler Master Cosmos II
- $330 – SilverStone TJ10-B Nvidia Edition
- $340 – LIAN LI PC-X900B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower
- $350 – SILVERSTONE Temjin Series TJ07-BW Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower
- $400 – LIAN LI PC-P80NB Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower
- $415 – LIAN LI PC-V2120X All Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower
- $660 – SILVERSTONE Temjin Series TJ11B-W Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower
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Power Supply:
Tier 8:
$140 – NZXT HALE90-750-M 750W Modular 80 PLUS Gold
This power supply is capable of delivering up to 750W, not that you should rely on this information only as I often point in posts such as Warning: 6 Surefire Ways of Blowing Up Your Computer Due to an Inadequate Power Supply, but more importantly 62A on the 12V line, the most important factor when it comes to choosing a power supply for a gaming computer.
It is 80 Plus Gold certified, to insure good efficiency, a lower power bill, less heat and noise, compared to a less efficient and/or lower quality power supply.
The 850W model was reviewed by JohnnyGuru, who had this to say about it:
The Hale90 850 watt unit is a very stable, very efficient, and very powerful example of power supply engineering, and there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t run out and buy one.
80 PLUS?
80 PLUS refers to a certification from an independant group that a PSU meets their requirements for the specified level of efficiency. Here’s a chart that shows the different required levels of efficiency depending on the specific 80 PLUS certification:
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_PLUS
Modular power supply?
A modular power supply is one that allows you to only plug in and only use the power cables that you actually need, instead of being stuck with a bunch of unused power cables that you need to hide somewhere in your case, that are resulting in less of a cable mess.
Tier 9 and 11:
$210 – KingWin Lazer LZP-1000 1000W Modular 80 PLUS Platinum
Capable of delivering 1000W and 83A on the 12V line.
This Power Supply is 80 PLUS Platinum certified, the 2nd highest certification and truly the highest currently seen on power supplies. This will ensure that it creates little heat and doesn’t run with a lot of noise.
This is a modular power supply, allowing you to only plug in and only use the cables that you actually need, resulting in less of a cable mess.
HardOCP reviewed it and had this to say about it:
The Kingwin LZP-1000 is another in what has become a string of excellent products from Kingwin. From top to bottom, the LZP-1000 is a contender with the best 1000W power supplies we have seen to date. The LZP-1000 features excellent voltage regulation, excellent efficiency, outstanding DC Output Quality, is very quiet, and has very good build quality. Really, this unit, like the Seasonic Platinum-1000 we recently reviewed, hits just about all of the right buttons.
Tier 10
$165 – NZXT HALE90-850-M 850W Modular 80 PLUS Gold
This power supply is capable of delivering up to 850W, not that you should rely on this information only as I often point in posts such as Warning: 6 Surefire Ways of Blowing Up Your Computer Due to an Inadequate Power Supply, but more importantly 70A on the 12V line, the most important factor when it comes to choosing a power supply for a gaming computer.
It is 80 Plus Gold certified, to insure good efficiency, a lower power bill, less heat and noise, compared to a less efficient and/or lower quality power supply.
It was reviewed by JohnnyGuru, who had this to say about it:
The Hale90 850 watt unit is a very stable, very efficient, and very powerful example of power supply engineering, and there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t run out and buy one.
Tier 12:
$220 – Seasonic X-Series X-1050 1050W Modular 80 Plus Gold
Capable of delivering 1050W and 87A on the 12V line.
This Power Supply is 80 PLUS GOLD certified, to ensure that it exhaust as little heat and creates as little noise as possible too.
This is a modular power supply, allowing you to only plug in and only use the cables that you actually need, resulting in less of a cable mess.
The Seasonic X-1050W was reviewed by TweakTown here, who gave it a 95% score and had this to say about it:
Seasonic has once again proven why it is often the choice of enthusiasts. The X-1050 performed nearly flawlessly on our test bench through all of our tests. The voltage regulation is at 1% or less across all three rails which is almost unheard of and rarely seen. DC output quality was almost amazing, staying under 30mV of ripple under full load. Topping it off, the unit excels past the minimum for 80Plus Gold certification.
Performance aside, the Seasonic X-1050 has the rest of the package as well. The full modular design coupled with short and long cables ensure that you only have the cables you need in your system. Seasonic backs the unit with a five year warranty and when you add in the price of the unit, it becomes a no-brainer. The X-1050 gives you a win-win no matter how you look at it.
Alternatives
- $270 – Seasonic X-Series X-1250 1250W Modular 80 Plus Gold
- $291 – ENERMAX MAXREVO 1350W 80 PLUS GOLD Modular
– If you want a power supply that can handle pretty much any setup and/or want to future-proof for a long time for pretty much any upgrade, this will do it.
Power Consumption:
How to calculate power consumption:
I recommend using the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator. Here are the settings that I used:
- For Tier 8-9: Core i7-2600K overclocked to 4.5GHz, 1.4v Vcore voltage (fairly realistic and safe), 90% TDP
- For Tier 10: Core i7-3820 running at stock frequencies
- For Tier 11-12: Core i7-3930K overclocked to 4.3GHz, 1.35v Vcore voltage, 90% TDP
- Motherboard: High-End Desktop
- Video Cards depends on the Tier, make sure to select Crossfire or SLI
- Four sticks of DDR3
- Two regular SATA + 2 Flash Drive
- 1 DVD-RW/DVD+RW Drive
- Sound Blaster PCI Card (which represents the dedicated sound card)
- 8 USB Devices
- Fan Controller
- 2 x 120mm regular fans, 6 x 120mm LED fans
- System Load: 90%
- Capacitor Aging: 20%
A quick note about the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator:
While this is the main tool that I use to estimate power consumption, do note that my recommendations also take into account my personnal experience (over 11 years) and some additional research on my own to verify these numbers. This is why you may notice that the numbers that I give below may or may not match what the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator gives you. When in doubt, stick with my numbers or ask us on the forums.
Give your power supply some overhead:
While you can match a 650W PSU with a 630W requirement, it is good practice to add at least 100W of overhead, so that your PSU doesn’t run at full capacity all the time, as that will reduce its lifespan, increase its chance of failure, increase its heat output and its noise output.
Estimated Power Consumption, per Tier:
According to the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator, with the settings that I described above and my own research, it is estimated that this system will require at load (peak usage), the following numbers. The minimum requirements are in Italic, while my recommendations (including overhead) are in Bold:
- 590W/700W with the Core i7 2600K (4.5GHz/1.4v) and the Radeon HD 7970. Requires one PCI-Express 6-pins and one PCI-Express 8-pins power connections for the video card.
- 800W/900W with the Core i7 2600K (4.5GHz/1.4v) and two Radeon HD 6970 in Crossfire. Requires two PCI-Express 6-pins and two 8-pins power connections for the video cards.
- 880W/1000W with the Core i7 2600K (4.5GHz/1.4v) and two factory overclocked Geforce GTX 560 Ti 448 in SLI. Requires four PCI-Express 6-pins connections for the video cards.
- 700W/800W with the Core i7 3820K (stock frequency) and two Radeon HD 7950 in Crossfire. Requires two PCI-Express 6-pins and two 8-pins power connections for the video cards.
- 800W/900W with the Core i7 3930K (4.3GHz/1.35v) and two Radeon HD 7950 in Crossfire. Requires two PCI-Express 6-pins and two 8-pins power connections for the video cards.
- 930W/1050W with the Core i7 3930K (4.3GHz/1.35v) and two Radeon HD 7970 in Crossfire. Requires two PCI-Express 6-pins and two 8-pins power connections for the video cards.
Overclocking your video cards?
Add 30W per card if you don’t touch the voltage of the video cards, 75W per card if you do raise the voltage. Keep in mind that overclocking your video cards will raise their temperatures, even more so if you increase the voltage, so make sure to monitor your video cards temperatures! You want to keep the temperatures below 90C for long-term reliability. Note that if the video cards are factory-overclocked, I already considered this in my calculations, only add wattage if you indeed to overclock them further more.
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Cooling:
CPU Cooler:
All Tiers:
$90 – Phanteks PH-TC14PE White CPU Cooler
- Cheap? Nope.
- Light? Nope.
- Small and easy to install? Nope.
So why am I recommending this huge, hard to install and expensive CPU cooler?
Because it excels at one thing:
It offers outstanding cooling performance, while making not much noise.
The Phantek PH-TC14PE is considered one of the, if not THE best CPU Cooler on the market, outside of $250+ custom water-cooling setups.
While the Corsair H100 offers ever so slightly better cooling performance, it does that at the expense of noise, being way more noisy than the Phantek PH-TC14PE.
That’s right: Not only does the Phantek PH-TC14PE offers top-notch cooling performance, but it does that while being pretty quiet.
Compatibility:
It’s compatible with both LGA1155 and LGA2011 platforms, hence why it’s recommended for all Tiers.
Available in four colors: It is available in four colors, with both the heatsink and the fans that are colored, allowing you to pick the color that will suit your build the best
Get a free PWM external adaptor:
Phanteks are giving away PWM external adaptors for their PH-TC14PE CPU cooler. The PWM external adaptor will convert the PH-F140 fan into a PWM controlled fan. This will allow you to achieve silent or maximum performance automatically.
The new PWM external adaptor can be requested free of charge here, for all current Phanteks owners. Only a proof of purchase is required. Future shipments of PH-TC14PE series will include the PWM adapter.
Why not go with a liquid-cooling CPU Cooler, such as the Corsair H100?
There are a few reasons not to go with a liquid-cooling CPU Cooler:
- Similar cooling performance, but with a much higher noise level, compared to high-end air CPU coolers.
- Higher cost ($110 for Corsair H100 vs ~$90 for high-end air CPU Cooler)
- More possible points of failure (pump, tubing and fans vs only fans)
- Risk of a leak, which can damage many other components!
In the end, a high-end air CPU Cooler is less likely to fail, cannot possibly leak liquid/damage other components, offers similar cooling performance with less noise and costs less.
Upgrade your video card cooling for lower temperatures and less noise!
$84 – ARCTIC COOLING ACCEL-X-7970 Video Card Cooling Radeon HD 6xxx/7xxx – Compatible with reference models of the Radeon HD 6xxx and 7xxx series, which is what I recommend in this guide, this after-market video card cooler will greatly reduce the temperature of your video card(s) as well as greatly reduce the noise from them. Also compatible for Crossfire setup. Highly recommended if you want to overclock your video card to the edge.
Thermal Compound
The Phanteks PH-TC14PE comes with the high-quality and high-performance PH-NDC thermal compound, so you don’t need to buy any thermal compound separately.
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Fan Controller:
$26 – Sunbeamtech Fan Controller, 6 Channels, Up to 30W each
For any Tier, the $26 – Sunbeamtech Fan Controller, 6 Channels, Up to 30W each
This fan controller is capable of handling six channels (with several fans by channel if you daisy-chain them), with 30W (2.5A at 12V) available per channel.
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Sound Card:
All Tiers:
$27 – ASUS XONAR_DG 5.1 PCI
While integrated sound cards have gotten much better in the last few years, they are still no match for a dedicated sound card when it comes to delivering the highest sound quality, hence why I recommend a dedicated sound card here.
After all, who wants the best in graphic quality with sub-par sound quality?
Alternatives:
- $120 – Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty PCI-E x1
- $139 – Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion w/ Front Panel
- $79- ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 Channels PCI Express x1
- $292 – ASUS XONAR_XENSE 7.1 + Sennheiser PC350
- $185 – HT OMEGA eClaro 7.1 24-bit 192KHz PCI-E x1
Compatibility wise, since you’ll be using dual video cards setups for Tier 9-10-11-12, I only recommended PCI-Express 1x cards, that will fit above your video cards (with the ASRock P67 Extreme 4 motherboard). PCI sound cards are to avoid, since they’ll get either very close to a video card (resulting in higher GPU temperatures) or because there simply isn’t a PCI slot for them.
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Network:
Ethernet RJ-45 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN: Integrated on the motherboard
Integrated with the motherboard, the Ethernet RJ-45 network adapter will allow you to access your local network and Internet, using a standard LAN cable.
Wireless Networking:
If a LAN network is not an option or if a wireless network is preferable for you, know this before you use wireless for a Gaming PC:
The problem with wireless is that:
- It’s not as reliable as LAN, with signals dropping out, interference and the like.
- It induces additional latency compared to LAN, which is the last thing that you want when you’re playing online, especially with first-person shooters.
In short, for reliability and getting a low ping, LAN is simply superior (and cheaper!).
Recommended wireless adapters:
If you understand that and still want to go with wireless, here are my suggestions:
My general recommendation is the $20- Rosewill RNX-N180UBE Wireless USB 2.0 Dongle 802.11b/g/n w/ 5 dBi Antenna, which connects in a USB 2.0 port. It comes with a base, so that you can move it away from the PC for better reception and a 5dBi external antenna to improve reception further more. It support 802.11b/g/n, with transfer rates up to 300Mbps. For $20, it’s unbeatable and it offers a great bang for your buck!
The best solution is the $57 – TRENDnet TEW-684UB Dual Band 802.11b/g/n 450Mbps USB2.0
Recommended wireless routers:
Need a wireless router too? No problem. Here are my recommendations, in an ascending order of performance and price:
- $30 – TP-Link WL TL-WR841N 300Mbps
– A great basic no-frill fairly reliable 300Mbps router.
- $50 – TP-LINK TL-WR1043ND 300Mbps USB
– Similar to the one above, but with an extra antenna and a USB port, to share a printer, storage, etc.
- $89 – D-Link DIR-645 300Mbps USB
– Higher performance than the TP-LINK TL-WR1043ND, hangs out with more expensive routers, but at a lower price.
- $129 – ASUS RT-N56U Dual-Band 600Mbps
– High-performance dual-band router, with great looks too!
- $179 – Apple Airport Express 3×3:3
– One of the few routers that offers 3×3:3 for maximum throughput and range. Also one of the most user-friendly and one of the most reliable.
Recommended operating systems:
The operating system cost, if there’s one, is not included in the total cost. The two reason for this are:
- The budget only considers hardware.
- You may be able re-use a previous license, go with an open-source OS such as Linux or, if you’re so inclined and are aware of what you’re doing, use torrents.
If you decide that you need an OS, here are some recommendations:
Windows 7
Despite Linux gaining more and more support, Windows still is the platform of choice for compatibility at the moment. Considering that you’ll have 4GB of RAM or more, along with a dedicated video that also has memory (512MB or 1GB), you’ll need a 64-bit version, as 32-bit is limited to 4GB of memory for the entire system, which is not enough now, nor in the future if you decide to upgrade.
Windows 7 is by far better than Windows Vista, looks better, more functional, less annoying, consumes less resources and brings DirectX 11 to the table.
Three Available Versions:
- Windows 7 Home Premium: The basic edition, with all the looks, most of the functionality and DirectX 11.
- Windows 7 Professional: If you want the virtual XP mode, you’ll need at least the Professional edition. Also required if you want to backup to a network, using the built-in backup mode in Windows. Also good to know: You’ll need at least the pro version to take advantage of Remote Desktop Connection.
- Windows 7 Ultimate: To help protect data on your PC and portable storage devices against loss or theft with BitLocker and to work and switch between 35 languages.
OEM vs Retail:
The OEM version allows you to only install it once on a computer. You cannot transfer the license to another computer in the future and you do not receive support from Microsoft. It’s the same type of license you get when you get Windows on a desktop or laptop that you buy from Dell, HP and such. It’s less expensive, but gives less flexibility. Ideal if you intend on keeping your computer for many years.
The Retail version is the full version, which allows you to transfer the license to another computer in the future and you can call Microsoft if you need any form of support. Ideal if you intend on upgrading/changing your computer down the road.
Other than that, you get the same features on both, only the license differs. The price between the two differs obviously.
OEM Versions:
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM SP1
– $99
- Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit OEM SP1
- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit OEM SP1
Retail Versions:
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Retail
– $173
- Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Retail
– $200
- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Retail
– $270
Linux
A lot of people these days boot more than one OS. Linux is a wonderful choice: powerful, cool, and cheap. Take your pick of distribution and have fun! For Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, and Mandriva, try Distrowatch.com, Cheapbytes.com, LinuxQuestions.org or one of the many others.
While Linux does not offer the wide compatibility of Windows with video games, gaming on Linux is still possible, through projects such as Wine, Cedega and Crossover. For more on the topic of Linux Gaming, I invite you to read this excellent article from AnandTech: Linux Gaming: Are we there yet?
What about Word processing, Excel and other Windows-based programs that you need? Linux, being an open platform, has many free alternatives for you. For Word/Excel and such, try LibreOffice.
Cost: Free
Conclusion
What do you think of the latest version of the High-End Gaming PCs?
Let me know if you have any suggestion to improve this article and let me know your opinion by leaving a comment below.
Don’t agree with my choices? Have a better idea?
Feel free to leave a comment. There’s always place for improvement and after some research I may change the part according to your suggestion.
Building this PC?
If you build this system, I invite you to share your experience on how well it runs: What applications do you use, what type of work do you do, how well does this PC performs, is there anything that slows it down? Your feedback will help other people make an informed decision on what to buy for their own needs.
Do you need a guide on how to build a computer, need help or do you have some questions?
- Consult our: FAQ: How to Build Your Own Computer
- Also, if this is your first build, here are 10 Quick Tips for 1st Time Builders to get you started.
- Finally, if your newly built computer won’t start, I invite you to read Help me: Why won’t my newly assembled PC start or boot?
- Need help? Head over to our forums here!
Join us on our forums!
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this article, feel free to leave a comment below and remember, you can join us on our forums to discuss with everyone else the build that you’re planning to build, ask your questions and join our helpful community!
Build your Gaming PC today!
Why should you?
For the same price, you’ll get more performance out of your custom PC, or you’ll save money while getting the same performance compared to a retail PC. Not to mention that retail PCs come with tons of bloatware and limited warranties. Why settle for less?Stop relying on HP, Dell and other companies:
Build your own custom PC today. It’s easier than you think!This Build includes all the parts/cables that you need and it was double-checked to ensure compatibility. Simply order your parts, set aside some time, grab a screwdriver and build your own personal PC. No worries, we’ll (the HR community) be there to assist you if you have questions or need help.
Then you’ll be able to say, “See that computer over there? Yeah, I built that.” Talk about being proud of a job well done.
Want or need a less expensive Gaming PC? No problem.
If you’re looking for a Gaming PC that costs less than these High-End Gaming PCs, but that boots and launch games/applications nearly as with a SSD (Solid State Drive) and that can handle most of the latest video games at a 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution at their maximum graphic settings, head over to our Mainstream Gaming PCs article.
If you’re looking for a Gaming PC on a tight budget, head over to our Budget Gaming PCs article.
Want or need a Gaming PC in a much smaller case? No problem.
Tier 4 or Tier 5 of the Mainstream HTPCs (Home-Theater PCs)/SFF (Small Form Factor) Gaming PCs are Gaming PCs that come in a much smaller Mini-ITX case.
Performance wise, Tier 4 of the Mainstream HTPCs/SFF Gaming PCs is equivalent to Tier 1 of the Budget Gaming PCs, while Tier 5 of the Mainstream HTPCs/SFF Gaming PCs is equivalent to Tier 2 of the Budget Gaming PCs.
Do note that they both come with a SSD (Solid State Drive), meaning that they boot and launch games/applications much more quickly than the equivalent Budget Gaming PC.
If you want more power, check out the High-End HTPCs/SFF Gaming PC, which, at its stock settings, offers performance equivalent to about Tier 6 of the Gaming PCs, while still being in a case that is more compact than the usual Gaming PC case.
However, thanks to its outstanding pre-assembled, all-in-one liquid-cooling, it can be overclocked to offer even more performance, without sacrificing reliability nor noisy.
All of those builds being designed to be used in a living room, so you can rest assured that they are very quiet too.
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Category: Gaming PC
