Cutting Costs for First Build

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Cmarciano56

Honorable
May 21, 2013
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Hey all, so this is my first time building a computer and I was hoping I could get what I put together looked over. my budget is 1500$ for this and I want to keep it under that. This computer is going to be used for mostly gaming. I might use it for schoolwork cause I am still in college, but that entails just using Microsoft Office on it. I do have to buy a monitor. Also, I will probably have to buy an OS. Here are the parts I chose:

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing

Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z77 ATX LGA1155

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 (its low profile so it wont get in the way of my cpu cooler)

Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" SSD
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM


Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB

Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black/Orange) ATX Mid Tower


Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V

Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.98)

Total: ~$1500 (with a chosen moniter and windows 7 for an OS)


If you have any recommendations please make them. Is there anywhere in my build where I can cut costs without losing much performance?

Here is my build on pcpartpicker:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/cmarciano56/saved/1GyN
 
Solution
sophiebeth100
The motherboard, to start. The Sabertooth is a ridiculously overpriced motherboard - you can get motherboards that perform just as well, if not better, for half the price! I definitely recommend going for the Extreme4 by Asrock - it's the most popular Z77 motherboard, and with good reason! You won't need that many watts for your build, however it's on sale for $100 which is a steal, particularly for a 750W PSU from Corsair that's gold rated!

This doesn't necessarily make your build cheaper, but I would change your card to the EVGA ACX cooler version. It performs just as well as the Asus, but EVGA have killer warranty and the cooler is just as effective as the Asus!

All the other parts you picked look perfect - you've found some...
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sophiebeth100

sophiebeth100

Honorable
Mar 14, 2013
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The motherboard, to start. The Sabertooth is a ridiculously overpriced motherboard - you can get motherboards that perform just as well, if not better, for half the price! I definitely recommend going for the Extreme4 by Asrock - it's the most popular Z77 motherboard, and with good reason! You won't need that many watts for your build, however it's on sale for $100 which is a steal, particularly for a 750W PSU from Corsair that's gold rated!

This doesn't necessarily make your build cheaper, but I would change your card to the EVGA ACX cooler version. It performs just as well as the Asus, but EVGA have killer warranty and the cooler is just as effective as the Asus!

All the other parts you picked look perfect - you've found some awesome deals, particularly on the case and PSU. Good luck with your build! :)
 
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Tree_Hugger

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Aug 24, 2011
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18,710
Does your college have a software store? I got Windows 7 and Office from my university for $15 and $20 respectively, so might be something you could look into. You could probably cut back on the motherboard, perhaps someone more knowledgeable than me in Intel systems could recommend a cheaper board to meet your needs. You could probably go with mATX if don't plan on using SLI in the future.
 
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