$900 quiet gaming PC, your thoughts on the specs?

gary king

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Mar 5, 2013
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What are your thoughts on the specs below? It's a purely gaming PC, nothing else. Also, I want it to be quiet, so I opted for the slightly more expensive Fractal R4.

In particular, your thoughts on the motherboard? I've had experience with almost all these parts, but not the motherboard. Also, PPP says the build will max out at 304 W, so my 430 W power supply should be more than enough (unless I ever plan on upgrading my GPU)?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.79 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($113.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.79 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($95.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($19.00 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $872.26
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-08 16:46 EDT-0400)
 

carowden

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Jul 11, 2012
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the motherboard should work just fine for what you need, in fact you dont need anything that nice. you could get by with a h77 or something cheaper because you will not be overclocking.

also the fan on the 660 can be somewhat loud (i have the same gpu). its not unbearable, but you will notice it under load. you might opt for one that has two fans if youre solely going for noise control. they do put heat out into the case, but they are quieter.
 

gary king

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Mar 5, 2013
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I'm guessing the i3 is not overclockable so you figured from that? Yeah, I'm not planning to overclock.

Also, I'll look into a different GTX 660 then.

 

carowden

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Jul 11, 2012
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right, cant overclock it. but while i think the i3 can do it, you might be able to do a cheaper mobo and an i5...ora different mobo an amd 6300, which is what i assume AMD Radeon is gonna throw at you so i'll let him do it haha
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($178.09 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($265.66 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $904.66
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-08 16:15 EDT-0400)

maybe you want something more powerful than gtx 660 :)
 
Solution

gary king

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Mar 5, 2013
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Yeah I was continuously debating with myself on the GTX 760. If I were to stay with the i3-3220, would that bottleneck the GTX 760?
 

gary king

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Mar 5, 2013
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Okay I am convinced to change the PSU, at least away from the one I have now. Probably to the 550 W that was recommended. Also I will look into a different GTX 660, although the other versions have different problems like too much vibration, etc. apparently so I'll have to consider that, too.

I think I'll stick with i3-3220 and GTX 660. Also, regarding the motherboard, I always constantly flip between micro ATX or ATX, but I think I'll stick with ATX for now because I might want some of that future expandability, I'm not sure yet.

Also, I mistakenly linked to the US version of the PPP page. I've now updated the OP with the Canadian prices, since those are the ones that are applicable to me. The specific micro ATX board that was listed is $100 more in Canadian dollars, but I've seen some good ones for $70, so I know that micro ATX is good for the wallet if I ever plan to go that route.