New gaming build

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   Finally looking to upgrade to a new gaming rig and everyone told me this is the place to do it. I haven't built a pc in a really long time so I'm behind on everything and am pretty much flying blind as far as hardware's concerned. so looking for help creating a solid starting point or complete build.

Budget:
$2500-3000 Preferably on the lower end of that but if there's significant improvements I'm game for around 3k

Usage:
100% for gaming, no need for anything else. I mostly play first person shooters so being able to play BF3 super smoothly on high/ultra settings would be ideal if that's possible in my budget.
I don't need a ton of HD space, and could easily get by with 250GB or less

Special needs:
Noise and looks aren't a concern, just performance

Thanks in advance for the help!

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ryanh Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 06 May 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2	Quote Reply Topic: New gaming build Posted: 06 May 2012 at 4:46pm
	Finally looking to upgrade to a new gaming rig and everyone told me this is the place to do it. I haven't built a pc in a really long time so I'm behind on everything and am pretty much flying blind as far as hardware's concerned. so looking for help creating a solid starting point or complete build. Budget: $2500-3000 Preferably on the lower end of that but if there's significant improvements I'm game for around 3k Usage: 100% for gaming, no need for anything else. I mostly play first person shooters so being able to play BF3 super smoothly on high/ultra settings would be ideal if that's possible in my budget. I don't need a ton of HD space, and could easily get by with 250GB or less Special needs: Noise and looks aren't a concern, just performance Thanks in advance for the help!

bprat22 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5160	Quote Reply Posted: 07 May 2012 at 5:44am
	Hi ryanh...Welcome to the forums. Here's a great build to check out. Config # 685253 Cost $ 2394 Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 3770K 3.50 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core) (Requires Z77 Motherboard) Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 (Intel Z77 Chipset) (Features Thermal Armor and Thermal Radar) System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 750W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (1TB Western Digital/Seagate/Hitachi/Samsung (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB (Includes PhysX) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 Extreme Performance H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: - No Thanks Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks LaserMark: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires Pro/Deluxe/Sabertooth Motherboard) Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Game: - No Thanks Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks External Storage: - No Thanks Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Large) Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty This gives you the best air cooled case, a great and very dependable cpu cooler, the D14, and the gtx680. You didn't mention monitor size or resolution, but if it's a 24" or less with 1920x1080 resolution or less, the single gtx680 will play BF3 on Ultra settings and stay above 60 fps most of the time, occasionally when things get crazy, dipping into the 50's but still great play. On high settings this card will rock that size monitor. Another option for less money and the same gaming performance, is the ODE lvl 4. It has the HD 7970 card which is about the same as the 680, some games its better and some it isn't. Here's a link that compares them . http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/508?vs=555 Plus the ODE has blu-ray and a SSD drive whickh I don't think you care about. The custom config allows sli, 2x gpu, later on , the ODE doesn't. See what you think and good luck

ryanh Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 06 May 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2	Quote Reply Posted: 08 May 2012 at 3:21pm
	Ah i did forget the monitor size, but you guessed it, 1920x1080. Thanks for your help seems like a really solid starting point. My only question is, would it make sense to put a little extra cash into this up front and do an SLI setup right off the bat or if it may be better to use this setup for a while and upgrade when it's really necessary? Thanks again!

bprat22 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5160	Quote Reply Posted: 08 May 2012 at 5:39pm
	Depends upon your needs. For BF3 on ultra settings, occassionally dipping into the 50's fps, a single 680 is great. If you need 60plus fps at all times then a sli 680 would be needed. Outside maps like Operation Firestorm on ultra, everything maxed out, will dip into the 50 fps with single card. You might not even notice it. Basically, if it is in the budget go sli. If not try one and add later. I think a single will play great.,but your call as always.