$900 Bet: First Time Build General Questions

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autotroph

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Jul 22, 2013
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10,510
Hello! Long story short: if I can put together a working computer by the end of the year, I win a $900 bet. I’ve spent a lot of time considering my build, but I’d really appreciate it if someone could give it a sanity check. Your feedback would be invaluable as I have little hardware experience.

Budget: < $1400 would be excellent but nothing set in stone

Usage: StarCraft 2, misc other games, lots of Adobe CS6, Java/Python/R development, some video editing, maybe live streaming in the future

Notes: My peripherals are taken care of. I only use internal storage as a cache to dump files into external storage (close to 2 TB available), so that’s why I plan to get the 240GB SSD instead of a traditional hard drive. A year or two from now I’d consider adding in another GPU. I’d love to hear advice on the processor/mobo pairing as my heart isn’t too set on what I have down. Overclocking is something I’d like to have available in the future but don’t plan on messing with for now. Will the stock heatsink and case fans be enough cooling in the meantime?

Click me to see the parts list

Also, is the compatibility note simply saying that I need to find some sort of USB 3.0 to 2.0 adapter cable? How should I deal with this?

Thanks for reading, and I’m open to whatever suggestions you may have!
 
Solution
ingtar33
here is a slight changeup. I changed the case to another edition of the 300, one with usb 3.0 plugs, changed the gpu... it's a lateral move that saved some cash, saved a little cash with the ram, and an ssd change, used most of the saved cash to give you a solid cpu cooler.

All together this is a slightly better build, for a little less money.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($83.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix...
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ingtar33

ingtar33

Glorious
Dec 17, 2012
9,019
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45,840
here is a slight changeup. I changed the case to another edition of the 300, one with usb 3.0 plugs, changed the gpu... it's a lateral move that saved some cash, saved a little cash with the ram, and an ssd change, used most of the saved cash to give you a solid cpu cooler.

All together this is a slightly better build, for a little less money.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($83.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($265.66 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N180UBE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($17.31 @ Amazon)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.68 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1318.55
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-22 17:26 EDT-0400)
 
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Solution
A

autotroph

Honorable
Jul 22, 2013
7
0
10,510


You, sir, are a magician. Thanks for the quick reply! My only reservation is that some people have reviewed the cooler you picked out as a little difficult to install. Do you think a total novice can handle something like H80i with only the internet for help? Also the G.Skill memory has a slightly lower base price than the Crucial. Is there a reason apart from the $20 discount through 7/29 to go with the Crucial? I don't mind, just trying to learn.

Very nice catches with the graphics card and SSD! From what I can tell, they really are almost identical. You made my Monday!
 
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ingtar33

ingtar33

Glorious
Dec 17, 2012
9,019
199
45,840


I have a h100, installed in a case not made for a 240mm radiator. I can't imagine it gets harder then that. So i'll give you some insight. The hardest part will be mounting the cooler onto the motherboard with the motherboard outside the case. Which means you'll then have to mount the motherboard with the cooler attached... and believe me that stupid radiator+fan is unwieldy and annoying. Once the motherboard is mounted (it will be a pain) mounting the rad/fan should be simple. I'd use either the top case vent, or the back of the case vent. whichever is more continent to you (or works better). i'd mount it as an exhaust, meaning it will help vent air from your case.

Regarding your question about the ram... there is no reason why the gskill is cheaper other then it's a sale.. all ram is pretty much the same... for the most part. Corsair ram is good but nothing so special i'd drop an extra 20 on it over a kit of good gskill, the only ram i'd ever pay a premium for is mushkin redline... and that's just because i'm a fan of it. Generally when you're talking about an intel IB cpu, the ram is about the least important part of your build. That chip is almost completely immune to fast or slow ram, and generally performs the same no matter what. I still went with 1600 because there is some miniscule changes in performance up to that point for intel, so technically you're at the best speed for an IB. Had the price been significantly less for slower ram, and price been an issue for you, i would have suggested something slower because really, the performance difference is almost unmeasurably small.
 
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A

autotroph

Honorable
Jul 22, 2013
7
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10,510


I know it's a little late, but I just wanted to thank you for the tips on installing the cooler. I'm planning on ordering the parts by this weekend. Cheers!
 
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