New setup - what do you think?

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kinglouse

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Jun 11, 2013
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I'm about to pull the trigger on this setup:

http://oi43.tinypic.com/k4f7sz.jpg

(please ignore the prices, I don't live in the US so this is the cheapest I can get where I live).

Types of software: Dreamweaver, Fireworks, basic web dev tools, nothing heavy.

Types of games: Battlefield 3, would be nice to run Titanfall next year but Battlefield 3 is my priority (actually it's the new Command and Conquer I'm looking to play, which runs on Frostbite 2 so I figure BF3 is a good benchmark).

Also interested in:

Age of Empires 2 HD
Counter-Strike Go

But they are hardly taxing games.
 
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realchaos

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Seeing as you aren't overclocking, the set-up looks alright. There can be a few changes though:
-Have you looked at the i5-4430 with an H87 mini-itx motherboard? It isn't be too much more expensive, possibly around the same price.
-If Haswell is out of your budget range, grab the i5-3470. It is usually cheaper but it will perform nearly the same as the 3570.
-16gb of RAM is usually for people who do editing/programming on a daily basis. You can decide for yourself if you want that 16gb of ram or save the money for a better gpu.
-you want a 1tb standard HDD for storage, unless you have a spare one.
-Please...not that psu. It will only blow up on you sooner or later. Grab a quality 550w psu from XFX, Corsair, Seasonic, Antec (high current gamer series only). The most recommended is the XFX 550w since it is very high quality and usually the cheapest.
 
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realchaos

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Ahh okay you live in Australia.
What is your budget? I can probably stir up something better.
I didn't name a motherboard...I just named the chipset. What you are planning to use, the i5-3570 and asus h77 mini-itx motherboard, is under Intel's 3rd gen processor code-name Ivy Bridge which uses the socket LGA1155.
About a week or two ago, Haswell has released its new 4th gen processor code-name Haswell which uses the LGA1150. It's performance increase wasn't big but it is the newer processor which is why it is recommended
 
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realchaos

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Ahh okay you live in Australia.
What is your budget? I can probably stir up something better.
I didn't name a motherboard...I just named the chipset. What you are planning to use, the i5-3570 and asus h77 mini-itx motherboard, is under Intel's 3rd gen processor code-name Ivy Bridge which uses the socket LGA1155.
About a week or two ago, Haswell has released its new 4th gen processor code-name Haswell which uses the LGA1150. It's performance increase wasn't big but it is the newer processor which is why it is recommended
 
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kinglouse

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Jun 11, 2013
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Great thanks, my budget is about $1100 so the setup I had pictured was just under that. I wasn't all that interested in Haswell because I understand that it's mainly designed for mobility and low power consumption which is not absolutely necessary for desktop.

Basically the specs that I am 100% set on are:

1) I want a GTX 660Ti
2) I want that mini BitFenix Prodigy case
3) I want 16gb ram

Also I have a spare regular HDD which is why I didn't include that in my list.
 
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realchaos

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($319.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($85.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Other: ASUS H87I-PLUS Motherboard ($145.00)
Other: G.Skill Ripjaws 2x8gb RAM ($149.00)
Other: Samsung 840 PRO 128gb ($139.00)
Total: $1135.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-12 16:00 EST+1000)

-You are correct on Haswell. The main difference is the lower power consumption, but it is ALWAYS better to get the newest hardware available.
-Kept the 16gb of ram, but grabbed a 1600mhz one.
-Greatly improved your PSU quality. It won't blow up now.
-I know you said you wanted to keep the 660ti, but I would actually recommend the 7950 over it. The memory bandwidth on the 660ti is horrible.
 
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kinglouse

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Jun 11, 2013
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Great thanks! I think I'm still intent on going with the 660ti because I may be able to get a deal on that one specific component. I'm also thinking maybe I'll boost the CPU to an i5 4670 for another $40.

With that in mind would it still be compatible with that setup?

Also out of curiosity out of all the memory, motherboards and PSU's how did you settle on those 3?

For example this Antec one supports 550w, why would I pick the more expensive one over this?

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_226&products_id=18877

 
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realchaos

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Its all about how the psu is made. The only good Antec psus series are the High current gammer. It is made by seasonic, one of the best psus makers. All the other antec psus are made by other companies, which aren't very reliable in the psu making business.

Boosting the cpu is a waste of money. The i5-4430, i5-4570 and i5-4670 are all the same except the small difference in the stock speed. The stock speed will make little difference, as it will all perform nearly the same. The difference doesn't justify the extra money.

For the memory, you find the cheapest 1600mhz, 1.5v, 9 CAS RAM you can find. Any ram with those specifications should perform the same.

For the motherboard, PCCaseGear only had one H87 mini-itx board so you have no choice. It's a rather high-end h87 board with features you don't need. I wouldn't have suggested such a high end one but you have no option.

For the PSU, again, it's the cheapest 500-600w high quality psu.

I know that it is a BitFenix prodigy, which is a mini-itx case. In mini-itx case, you need a mini-itx form factor board which is the one i listed.
 
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kinglouse

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Jun 11, 2013
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Ok awesome tips on the CPU and PSU. Also they have plenty of mini ITX cases but i just realised why there's only one that suits me...because of the new Haswell CPU! Looks like it really limits my options. Is it still a decent motherboard? Or should I wait for more choices to hit the market?
 
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kinglouse

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Jun 11, 2013
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Great! I guess it's only $40 more than the one I wanted so even if i waited a few weeks for them to get more stock it's not like I stand to save that much. I think it's time to pull the trigger:) Thanks again!
 
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