Hi,

I’m planing on building a custom gaming PC for the release of Crysis 3 next year, with a budget of about $1600, can anyone give some advice on what would be the best set up to get Crysis 3 to look as good as possible for the budget

Thanks

I think that's more money than you need, but I'm afraid I can't help you because I'm in a different zone so we have different prices, but you should specify at which resolution are you planning to play it, if you are only using a 19'' screen then you shouldn't worry about getting a super powerful card.

It depends on what technology is out at the time, but if you were to build one today I'd go with this.

Intel Core i5 3570K ~ 200
Motherboard ~ 150
8GB (2x4GB) 1600 RAM ~ 50
Full Tower ATX Case ~ 200
Corsair 1200w PSU ~ 200
Corsair H100 Liquid Cooling CPU Kit ~ 100
Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 (2X) ~ 800
DVD Drive ~ 20

Total ~ 1720

That's just a rough estimate, and it doesn't take monitors or gaming peripherals into account. You could always slim off the CPU cooler and case a little bit, and if you needed a monitor, drop the second 670. Then of course without the second 670 you could get a cheaper PSU as well. But that should max Crysis 3 no problem.

Edit: Just exchanging out the H100 for a Hyper 212+ would bring the cost down to about 1650, and going with a midtower case would then take you to about 1550 - 1600, right on budget :)

Talon:
Are you **** Mad?
Corsair 1200w PSU ~ 200 ... OMG
That's excessive .. an absolute No-Go.
2 GPUs?

SLI is a No Go.

Man, so many guys here on mycrysis who don't have any knowledge of good PC configurations at all ..
I don't want to blame you, Talon.

Talon's build was just too extreme from the mainstream, you can't blame the guy for that. It's Pc gaming after all (Better specs, better performance).

I don't blame him ... but that build isn't even a "high end pc build" - it's crap.

Not necessarily crap, more of Mid-level (Better than entry-level at least) and close to extreme. Just to be fair.

Haha I'm personally running a 570 and a 775w, I was just trying to fill this guys insane budget.

I was just trying to give this guy a rough estimate of what he could get. A single OC'd 670 is probably enough to max the game, and if it isn't then picking up a second one will be cheaper when the game is out.

If it was my own budget and money I wouldn't drop 1600 on a PC.. I didn't put much research into giving this guy a rough build sketch.

:)

I agree with CryNick.

A few pointers OP:

- Do NOT, under ANY circumstances, go Multi-GPU. This includes single cards with multiple cores, like the GTX690. Buy the highest-performing single-GPU card you can get your hands on. Whether AMD or nVidia, just wait until after the game is released and let the benchmarks decide.

- Super-high MHZ/super-low latency RAM barely makes a difference, just go with decent enough. Say, 1600MHz CL9 latency. Like Kingston HyperX 1600MHz.

- When shopping for a PSU, don't cheap-out but don't be excessive either: Buy an expensive brand, but don't go overboard with the power, just get enough with a slight headroom. Corsair, OCZ, Thermaltake are a few brands you can look into. For ultra-end PCs, Corsair is my personal favorite.

Remember that total watts aren't the only thing: Combined Amps of 12v rails are THE most important thing to look for, as this powers the most power-hungry part in your PC: The graphics card.

Graphics cards come with a requirement of amps. Exceed it somewhat. Not too much, but somewhat. Don't stop at just meeting it.

- When shopping for a CPU, let GAME BENCHMARKS decide, as opposed to synthetic performance benchmarks. Whether you go for AMD and Intel doesn't matter so long as you know what you are buying, and this you will know through GAME BENCHMARKS and NOTHING ELSE. Personally, AMD max-end CPUs with a slight Overclock, while significantly weaker (and cheaper) than Intel ones, provide far enough juice to get the most performance off my GPU. You decide for yourself.

- When shopping for a motherboard, you want to look into it supporting your CPU, having as good as power-phase design as possible (for overclocking) and supporting everything you need supported (for instance RAM speeds or, in the case of AMD, higher HT speeds). You will also need to be on the lookout for the chipset (Southbridge and Northbridge). Better ones mean more durability and better overclocking.

Also, go for ATX form factor instead of smaller ones.

- When shopping for a CPU cooler, let benchmarks decide. High-end CPU coolers usually support all reasonably modern CPU sockets, but look into it as well.

- When going for Liquid Cooling, remember that your parts must be specially built for it: Besides the pump, the liquid and the tubes, you need all your parts to sport coolers specifically built for watercooling.

- When shopping for a case, go for full-towers and install fans in a push-pull configuration (usually front pull rear push). Avoid side-fans when doing this, as they disrupt your airflow. You might also want to install filters here and there to avoid dust buildup inside the case, but so long as you're using Air Cooling, be comfortable with the idea of cleaning the inside of your PC AT LEAST every half a year. Me, I open it every so often and clean it whenever I deem necessary.

Also, if Liquid Cooling, make sure your case has Liquid Cooling holes to accomodate the tubes. Most full-towers have them, but check it out either way.

- You want an SSD for the OS and the most demanding of games (obviously you wouldn't waste precious SSD space on call of duty). Let benchmarks decide on the performance, and personal preference decide on the space/price ratio.





A final word: Liquid cooling is not necessary for gaming or high-end rigs. Performs better, yes. Avoids dust, yes. But I personally avoid it, I find it unbearably troublesome.