My First Build. Advice Needed

Simran Veer · Jul 5, 2013

Hey guys
Im new here. I recently had my laptop break and decided to upgrade to a desktop pc. Since Im on a budget I decided to build a desktop rather than buy it. I mainly play WOW and some Battlefield 3. I dont want an insane desktop just something that will run these games on decent settings. My buget is around 800. I know this build is more than that so I decided to ask on here and see where I can cut down the costs. The only thing I want in my build for sure is the core i5 and the gtx 660. Im not sure if i want to overclock it, so advice in that area would be awesome. Also i want a wireless adapter in it so kindly guide me in the right direction.

Also I know the bitfinix prodigy is tough for a first build but I really like the case design and am willing to work with it

Any advice would be appreciated
Thanks

This is what Ive come up with so far.

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: ASRock Z77E-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $913.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-05 07:02 EDT-0400)

Budge414 · Jul 5, 2013

Overclocking will honestly do very little for gaming performance, you're better off saving the money and either holding onto it, or putting towards a better GPU if gaming is the primary use.

This is my suggestion, and my reasoning/thinking behind it.
- Scaled the CPU down, saves some money to put towards other parts at little performance hit. A 3570 might give you like 1 or 2 extra fps and it's $20 more.
- Swapped the motherboard. Since you have no need for overclocking with the 3470, a H77 board will be fine. Includes on-board WIFI. Again cutting down the cost.
- Slightly upgraded the SSD to the faster and more reliable Extreme 120GB, also from Sandisk, for an extra $10.
- 430 Watts is plenty for this build. The PSU is Semi-Modular as an added bonus, perfect for a Mini-ITX build in helping to save space and improve airflow.

You now have the option to stick with the 660 that you have chosen or for $10 more than your initial build, upgrade to a GTX 760 (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42761kr, the 760 equivalent of the card you chose or the http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42763kr with their new dual fan cooling design, which will give you better temps at the same price), which has slightly better performance than a 660 Ti.

So, this is the build with your chosen 660:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.64 @ Outlet PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H77N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($110.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($25.00 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $866.52
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-05 09:24 EDT-0400)

Simran Veer · Jul 5, 2013

Budge414 :

Overclocking will honestly do very little for gaming performance, you're better off saving the money and either holding onto it, or putting towards a better GPU if gaming is the primary use.

This is my suggestion, and my reasoning/thinking behind it.
- Scaled the CPU down, saves some money to put towards other parts at little performance hit. A 3570 might give you like 1 or 2 extra fps and it's $20 more.
- Swapped the motherboard. Since you have no need for overclocking with the 3470, a H77 board will be fine. Includes on-board WIFI. Again cutting down the cost.
- Slightly upgraded the SSD to the faster and more reliable Extreme 120GB, also from Sandisk, for an extra $10.
- 430 Watts is plenty for this build. The PSU is Semi-Modular as an added bonus, perfect for a Mini-ITX build in helping to save space and improve airflow.

You now have the option to stick with the 660 that you have chosen or for $10 more than your initial build, upgrade to a GTX 760 (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42761kr, the 760 equivalent of the card you chose or the http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42763kr with their new dual fan cooling design, which will give you better temps at the same price), which has slightly better performance than a 660 Ti.

So, this is the build with your chosen 660:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.64 @ Outlet PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H77N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($110.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($25.00 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $866.52
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-05 09:24 EDT-0400)

This is perfect. Thanks a lot
I have a question regarding the cpu cooler. Do i really need it or can i do without out it. also would you recommend the bitfinix led case fan.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/bitfenix-case-fan-bfflpro23030grp
Basically do i need both of these or can i do without them.

Budge414 · Jul 5, 2013

Simran Veer :

You could do without the CPU cooler I guess, it kind of depends, will the machine be doing anything other than gaming at all? Almost any CPU cooler is a better option than using the stock heatsink. If you want to save some money for a fan I would recommend at least getting this: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr910htx3g1

That big L.E.D fan will look badass at the front. Move the front 120mm fan that comes with the case to the back to make room for the 230mm. Just take note that the ITX motherboard has only 1 fan header (Use it for the 230mm), which means only one case fan's (and the CPU fan) speed can be controlled, every other one will be connected to a molex connector from the PSU using an adapter (comes with the fan) and will run at full speed. Not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes they get a little loud. All in all, more fans is never a bad thing.

Simran Veer · Jul 5, 2013

Budge414 :

Simran Veer :

You could do without the CPU cooler I guess, it kind of depends, will the machine be doing anything other than gaming at all? Almost any CPU cooler is a better option than using the stock heatsink. If you want to save some money for a fan I would recommend at least getting this: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr910htx3g1

That big L.E.D fan will look badass at the front. Move the front 120mm fan that comes with the case to the back to make room for the 230mm. Just take note that the ITX motherboard has only 1 fan header (Use it for the 230mm), which means only one case fan's (and the CPU fan) speed can be controlled, every other one will be connected to a molex connector from the PSU using an adapter (comes with the fan) and will run at full speed. Not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes they get a little loud. All in all, more fans is never a bad thing.

Alright. Ill just go with the fans then.
Thanks again. You've been a great help

Simran Veer · Jul 6, 2013

Budge414 :

Simran Veer :

You could do without the CPU cooler I guess, it kind of depends, will the machine be doing anything other than gaming at all? Almost any CPU cooler is a better option than using the stock heatsink. If you want to save some money for a fan I would recommend at least getting this: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr910htx3g1

That big L.E.D fan will look badass at the front. Move the front 120mm fan that comes with the case to the back to make room for the 230mm. Just take note that the ITX motherboard has only 1 fan header (Use it for the 230mm), which means only one case fan's (and the CPU fan) speed can be controlled, every other one will be connected to a molex connector from the PSU using an adapter (comes with the fan) and will run at full speed. Not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes they get a little loud. All in all, more fans is never a bad thing.

After some research i decided to go with this cpu cooler.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rrh10122fkri
Just because its a bit smaller and cheaper. also do you think i need to upgrade the power supply since im gonna be using the gtx 760? will 430w be enough.
Thanks again

Budge414 · Jul 6, 2013

430w will be enough because it is a good quality PSU. If you want room for maybe a few more HDDs and prefer the fan to spin less to make it quieter then go for the CX500M for only $2 more than your initial build. Some of the prices have gone down since the first build I gave you!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master RR-H101-22FK-RI 30.0 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($14.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H77N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($101.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $915.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-06 19:41 EDT-0400)

Simran Veer · Jul 6, 2013

Budge414 :

430w will be enough because it is a good quality PSU. If you want room for maybe a few more HDDs and prefer the fan to spin less to make it quieter then go for the CX500M for only $2 more than your initial build. Some of the prices have gone down since the first build I gave you!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master RR-H101-22FK-RI 30.0 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($14.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H77N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($101.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $915.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-06 19:41 EDT-0400)

Perfect. Thanks again. You've been a huge help.
I wouldve been totally lost if it wasnt for you.

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