Building Gaming Machine for Graduation present!

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infotechexchange123

Honorable
May 30, 2013
5
0
10,510
Budget: $800 (before OS)
Wants: Basically looking to get the best bang for the buck for a friend whose parents wants me to build their son a gaming machine. I'd like to get an SSD if possible .


Currently have: I have 750W Corsair modular power supply, 1TB 7200 RPM WD Drive, Optical drive

Below i what I've picked out so far, I don't need to have that exact case - I just want something that stands out and makes him go "OMG!" when he sees it.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147053

Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116782

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130643

** I chose the motherboard because it currently comes with a 1x 8GB stick of RAm for free
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148661

Graphics:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125414

Subtotal: $794.96

What would you guys change up (if anything) to fit a OS SSD in there, so the computer boots up fast? Typical games he plays is Starcraft 2, League of Legends, MMO's like Guild Wars 2 and probably some newer games as well.

Pretty much looking for sheer performance for that price range.

 
Solution
marshallbradley
Fair enough. Yes the HAF is a solid case as well. Personally I think there's better out there though.

Perhaps you should give the recipient the option though, as cases are a very subjective thing (unless it's a surprise of course).

In fact, since you're getting an mATX motherboard anyway, why not go the whole hog and get an mATX case too! Like I said, great for taking to Uni (or wherever) and there are some really sweet looking cases out there, such as the NZXT Vulcan (honestly I love the looks, and portability features) or the Corsair 350D, which has much more of a sleek, refined look. The quality of the Corsair is amazing as well (as usual).

You can select my answer as the best solution <3

M
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RaisingTheBarHD

RaisingTheBarHD

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May 8, 2013
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well you would need an CPU cooler, since you arent getting the 3570k to be able to OC a coolermaster 212 evo would work fine and the ssd would be about $100 for a good one like a samsung 840 120GB
 
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marshallbradley

marshallbradley

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Sep 24, 2012
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Well personally I'd stay clear of a full tower. It may have the "wow" factor, but his parents (nor him) probably don't want to have that truck sized monster wasting space. Go for a mid tower. I think the Corsair C70 has some of the best "WOW" factor there is for cases (esp. if you go with the Military Green).

That motherboard is very overpriced for your needs. You can't even over-clock with the CPU selected, so it's pointless. It would be much cheaper to get a H77 (even without free RAM).

Otherwise it's fairly good. Here's what I'd buy:

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($178.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.25 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP900 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($297.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair C70 Military Green (Green) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $795.19

It's a rather small SSD, but 64GB is plenty for just a boot drive and 3-4 games.

@RaisingTheBarHD I don't think you understand how overclocking works at all. You can't over-clock on the 3350P at all (unless you mean changing the BLCK frequency, which is dumb) with or without a CPU cooler.

Best of luck,

M
 
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marshallbradley

marshallbradley

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Sep 24, 2012
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Yes it will work. You can spend more money on a full sized ATX motherboard, but it seems a bit pointless, given he is unlikely to add in any expansion cards (and he can still add 2 expansion cards to that motherboard anyway). The case has different motherboard mounting points for microATX boards. It also gives him the option of going down a case size, to a micro ATX case, without any hassle (I find this is very, very useful for example when moving to Uni, and space is much more limited than at home).

No you don't. The stock fan will be more than sufficient.

M
 
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infotechexchange123

Honorable
May 30, 2013
5
0
10,510
What do you think of: COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN3-GP

I personally don't like mail-in rebates that give the 99.99 price point of the case you selected.

By the way, how do I provide internet hugs for you?
 
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marshallbradley

marshallbradley

Honorable
Sep 24, 2012
746
0
11,060
Fair enough. Yes the HAF is a solid case as well. Personally I think there's better out there though.

Perhaps you should give the recipient the option though, as cases are a very subjective thing (unless it's a surprise of course).

In fact, since you're getting an mATX motherboard anyway, why not go the whole hog and get an mATX case too! Like I said, great for taking to Uni (or wherever) and there are some really sweet looking cases out there, such as the NZXT Vulcan (honestly I love the looks, and portability features) or the Corsair 350D, which has much more of a sleek, refined look. The quality of the Corsair is amazing as well (as usual).

You can select my answer as the best solution <3

M
 
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Solution
RaisingTheBarHD

RaisingTheBarHD

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May 8, 2013
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What im saying is since he isnt OC then he doenst need like a h100i or a Noctua but the Coolermaster 212 EVO would be better than the Heatsink that comes with the CPU, i know you cant OC that cpu
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Jul 27, 2011
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You really don't if you're not overclocking, and on a budget of $800, the SSD can wait. It's better to put more money in the GPU. But if the OP has a hard drive, there's better SSDs than the standard Samsung 840.

This would be a much wiser use of funds:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($178.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($82.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.50 @ Amazon)
Total: $834.01
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-30 14:05 EDT-0400)

- Switched out the case (better than the Thor)
- Full ATX motherboard
- Added SSD
 
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