my son's 1st computer build - please help

dorris · Sep 30, 2013

This year I will be giving my son a gaming computer for his birthday. Due to an extremely limited budget I am buying the parts and letting him build it which will also serve as a learning experience.
These are the parts that I think will work together.
I would welcome any advice as I have never been involved with computer building before.
Here is my list.
CASE
Corsair Carbide Series 300R Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Model #:CC-9011014-WW

MOTHERBOARD
MSI Z87-G43 LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX High Performance CF Gaming Intel Motherboard
Model #:Z87-G43

VIDEO CARD
MSI Gaming N760 TF 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card
Model #:N760 TF 2GD5/OC

POWER SUPPLY
CORSAIR GS700 700W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU ...
Model #:CP-9020064-NA

PROCESSOR
Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80646I54670K
Model #:BX80646I54670K

HARD DRIVE (SOLID STATE)
SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-7TE120BW 2.5" 120GB SATA III TLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Model #:MZ-7TE120BW

INTERNAL HARD DRIVE
Western Didgital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5” Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
Model #:WD1002FAEX

MEMORY
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 15000) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9B
Model #:CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9B

DVD BURNER
SAMSUNG DVD Burner SATA Model SH-224DB/RSBS
Model #:SH-224DB/RSBS

WIRELESS ADAPTER
TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 Dual Band Wireless N900 PCI Express Adapter, 2.4GHz 450Mbps/5GHz 450Mbps, IEEE 802.1a/b/g/n, WEP/WPA/WPA2
Model #:TL-WDN4800

Choose these after watching youtube videos and reading forums.

Thank you so much for your time.

Marcopolo123 · Sep 30, 2013

budget and location please.

rolli59 · Sep 30, 2013

Nice build but this tool might be helpful to get the best prices/parts http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

dorris · Sep 30, 2013

Location Maryland (although I will most likely be buying parts on line as I do not have transportation)
Budget: Up to $1,200

markwp · Sep 30, 2013

Your selection is really pretty good. I do have a couple of suggestions:

1. The corsair GS supplies are ok, but you can do better with THIS one at the same price.

2. Since you are getting the k model Intel, I'm guessing your son will be messing with overclocking. The stock cpu cooler will NOT be adequate for overclocking and you should plan to get an aftermarket cooler such as the Hyper 212 EVO or Xigmatek GAIA.

3. Assuming he will be overclocking and has an aftermarket cooler, the ram you have chosen will have clearance issues with the bottom of the aftermarket cooler. The tall heat spreaders serve no effective purpose other than "bling". Vengence also makes low profile (no big heatsinks) that will work just as well. Personally, I always buy low profile if for no other reason than to provide even a small amount of better airflow - the less obstructions sticking up, the better the airflow and the cooler the temperatures.

Mark

Marcopolo123 · Sep 30, 2013

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.29 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85-HD3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($67.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N180UBE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.00 @ Newegg)
Total: $934.71
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-30 14:38 EDT-0400)

you can downgrade to 550w+ power supply
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-s12ii620bronze
choosed 750w because its pretty cheap and you have the option to add a second gpu, but 1 hd 7970 is more then enough for the next 1-3 years...

dorris · Sep 30, 2013

Thanks to all of you for the links and suggestions I will spend this evening checking out the recommended sites and parts.

Search

my son's 1st computer build - please help

dorris

Honorable

Marcopolo123

Marcopolo123

Honorable

rolli59

Titan

dorris

Honorable

markwp

Dignified

Marcopolo123

Honorable

dorris

Honorable

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page