What's over/under kill in this build? $1,000-1,200 range

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satyr9

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Apr 3, 2013
3
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10,510
Hopefully it's not annoying to be asked this, but I'm curious if I'm emphasizing or missing one thing in this. Performance is needed mostly for gaming (even then I'm a civ, sim, minecraft more than crysis type). I do CS work too, but my current build still handles that work fine still so this won't be an issue here. All prices are just my preferred vendor (nearby for pick-up), but if I'm getting hosed I'd like to know

Mobo: Azus P8Z77 -V LX - $130.00
CPU: 3570k - $230.00
Fan: CM 212P - $30.00
GPU: EVGA 660 2GB - $230.00
SSD: Samsung 840 250GB - $190.00
(have a 1TB standard internal to swap in already as secondary)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 1600 2x 4GB - $70.00
PSU: Thermaltake 500W TR-2 - $50.00
Case: Undecided still but $50-70 rather than the full tower (just want front USB3)
OS: Windows 7 HP - $100.00
Disc Drive: 20 bucks 'cause it feels weird not having one

Total now: $1,100.00

I'd go cheaper if something here's overkill or $150 more if there's a dramatic upgrade. One thing would be advice about quiet. Quieter is better, but I'm not willing to pay too much of a premium for it.

I like my builds to last a long time - partly why I'm asking here is 'cause I haven't paid attention to parts for at least 2-3 years until I decided it's time for a new one recently - so I want the board to have pci-e 3.0 for the card I replace with in a few years with the inevitable RAM upgrade, and the SSD 'cause I'll want it badly before this system dies I'm pretty sure. Fan is 'cause I've always wimped out of the OC part, but I want to do it this time, even if it's conservative, but let me know if I'm missing something important with that in mind.

I'll do a lot of reading before actually attempting, but I'd rather be prepared in advance.

Any input is greatly appreciated, and thanks in advance,

Jay
 
Solution
Swordkd
That build is really solid. The only things I would suggest is swapping out the PSU for a different brand, swap out the 660 for a Radeon 7870XT, and changing the Motherboard from the LX to the LK(LX doesn't support Crossfire or SLI).

Using the ever popular pcpartpicker.com , I came up with:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory...
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miketen587

miketen587

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Aug 23, 2012
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10,640
Build looks pretty nice to me. The only thing I would suggest is maybe going a different route with the PSU. Maybe a 500w from Cosair or Seasonic.

If you're looking to save money, the first thing I would do is downgrade to a 120GB ssd.
 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

Splendid
Oct 3, 2012
2,795
1
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That build is really solid. The only things I would suggest is swapping out the PSU for a different brand, swap out the 660 for a Radeon 7870XT, and changing the Motherboard from the LX to the LK(LX doesn't support Crossfire or SLI).

Using the ever popular pcpartpicker.com , I came up with:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($159.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($234.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.96 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1071.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-03 14:16 EDT-0400)

You could certainly spend less money on the case, but the Fractal has good reviews and is known for being quieter than most. The PSU is a Seasonic OEM I've heard(quality brand), is rated at 600w and is semi-modular(meaning the only permanently attached cable will be the 20+4 pin motherboard power cable).
 
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T

technoholic

Distinguished
Feb 27, 2008
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19,160
Based on Swordkd's build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($92.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.96 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1100.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-03 14:25 EDT-0400)
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Jul 27, 2011
42,538
815
104,940
I'd ditch that power supply - Thermaltake is not a recommended PSU vendor. I also think the SSD is kind of overkill.

For $1200 I'd suggest this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($63.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($70.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1218.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-03 14:37 EDT-0400)
 
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H

hel1011

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Jul 31, 2012
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+1 ^^^^^^^
 
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S

satyr9

Honorable
Apr 3, 2013
3
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10,510
Wow, thank you all so much for the quick responses. 128GB SSD I considered, but I have like 100GB of programs I'd want in there from the jump, so I'm willing to spend the extra for the space (BTW, I'm Canadian and have a Tiger Direct and Canada Computers very nearby my home and work so I like going in and buying in person, unless I'm gonna save a bunch on a part).

As for Video cards, I try to keep it around CPU cost 'cause I always get sucked into 30 bucks more gets you this, 50 bucks more gets you that, and all of a sudden I'm looking at a $550 card that I don't need. I've considered a 7870 and a 660ti. There's an ASUS 660 for 210 that got me to 660 instead of 7870, not sure why I've got the 230 one in my queue right now (I'll buy in person, but I research it online). Although the last two cards I've had were one ATI and one Nvidia and I have a small, but hardly insurmountable, Nvidia bias (7870 is 240ish and 660ti is 280ish I think). I was at higher cards with a 3770k and was getting into $1500.00 range, which I'm pretty sure is overkill for what I need (well need is a weird word 'cause I likely don't need this build either), but depending on specials and deals I may go 7870 or 660ti, nothing's set in stone. Prefer 200-250 for video card though 'cause otherwise it's a runaway train for me, I just get sucked in. I'm sure the 670 is badass, but I'm just too cheap to spend that on one part. And for a single monitor at 1920x1080 I doubt I'll even max out the 660 for a while.

I will go up a board to LK though for sure. I don't really plan on sli/crossfire, but there's very little price difference and I like to keep my options open.

As for PSU, I'm really uninformed and find it a hard topic to research online. What are you getting for the 10-20 bucks to go from thermaltake to corsair or seasonic? Is it stability for OCing or something more fundamental to performance? I went with the cheaper version at the wattage I thought was reasonable (not including the dozens I've never heard of that can be 10 bucks cheaper) 'cause I just don't understand what I'm getting for the extra. I'm not against the money, I just don't like to assume it'll be better 'cause it's more expensive.

 
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T

technoholic

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Feb 27, 2008
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Then 7870xt is the best bang for your buck unless you heavily value and use Physx, Cuda and Adaptive V-Sync
 
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S

satyr9

Honorable
Apr 3, 2013
3
0
10,510


Thanks for the link, which has already lead to several other links. I have come across discussions before, but I like something simple like that chart, at least as a gateway to more involved stuff. I'm certainly not looking to save 20 bucks and endanger my new build, so I really appreciate the advice. I'll make sure I make an informed decision (likely corsair or antec 'cause I've had great experiences with both in the past).

I'm going to call this solved so you guys can help someone else. It's great to get a bit of feedback.
 
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