Opinions on i7 custom PC build

This is a very uneven build. The cpu is very strong but the video card is very weak. You could do SO much better for the money. Would you be willing to build it your self?

There is absolutely NO way I would be that. I wouldn't buy that for $1000, much less $1488

I think you can build a better computer than that, they spent too much on the appearance, but its the innards that really count. a GTX 650 Ti is not a good graphics card.

No need for a Z87 motherboard when you're not overclocking or using multiple graphics cards. Also no need for such a big CPU cooler.

The GTX 650 Ti is alright for moderate gaming. The Core i7-4770 is unnecessarily expensive for gaming, but might be worth it for Photoshop etc.

You also don't really need a 650W PSU, though given the alternatives in that ebay build I'd stick with it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($326.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($80.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($499.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Source 530 ATX Full Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Cooler Master JetFlo 95.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($16.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Cooler Master JetFlo 95.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($16.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1482.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-27 16:58 EDT-0400)

If you're looking to build the PC yourself might I suggest this build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H87-G43 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.79 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.24 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($73.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280X 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($312.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Silverstone 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($105.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($60.64 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1127.56
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-27 20:23 EDT-0400)

Mid-grade gaming kind of went out the window, lol. But those are all good builds. A lot more value for money, particularly for gaming.

The point of the ssd + hard drive is that you can install windows on the ssd and then use the hard drive as storage only. This makes for a blazing fast system. I chose the Xeon over the i7 because the Xeon IS an i7 at a much cheaper price. That makes it a great value if you don't plan on overclocking. I prefer windows 7 but I don't think it would make any difference if you went with 7, 8, or 8.1.

Sounds like there's no need for you to spend any more than this

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3zCZ5
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3zCZ5/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3zCZ5/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H87-G43 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.79 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($82.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($234.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1086.68
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-27 17:20 EDT-0400)

Anywho, Turbo for your builds, is there a reason to pick MSI > ASUS or Asrock? The motherboards confuse me the most. I really don't care what it looks like, I want one that is capable of handling upgrades.

Click to expand...

I chose that motherboard for no other reason than it is a good deal for the price. I usually recommend the ASRock B85 Pro4 for $69.

Why are you guys even giving her an i7/xeon when she doesn't need one...
I don't think you need an i7, and I also think you could get away with spending alot less money, while still having upgrade paths in the future. You can add another gtx660 and SLI them if you need to, and I was able to include a monitor worthy of the system itself.

The computer itself won't be super freaking huge, so you can put it on top of a desk as well.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H87M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($87.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($154.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1042.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-27 17:45 EDT-0400)

Why are you guys even giving her an i7/xeon when she doesn't need one...
I don't think you need an i7, and I also think you could get away with spending alot less money, while still having upgrade paths in the future. You can add another gtx660 and SLI them if you need to, and I was able to include a monitor worthy of the system itself.

The computer itself won't be super freaking huge, so you can put it on top of a desk as well.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H87M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($87.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($154.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1042.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-27 17:45 EDT-0400)

Click to expand...

She??? Did I miss something? lol

First of all, you may be right about not needing a Xeon/i7, but "she" said that "she" would be doing some video editing so why not if "she" can afford one? You're build is a mere $44 less than mine yet it is worse in most ways. I see you included a monitor but "she" didn't indicate that one was necessary. Why would you chose two 1TB hdds that add up to $114 when one 2TB hdd costs $83? The H87 chipset does not support SLI so getting a 2nd GTX660 is not an option. There's also no need for an aftermarket cooler in this build.

Yes, he's correct I am a she. I hope that doesn't change anything.

Click to expand...

Haha no of course not. I was just wondering where he got that info from. There was no indication in any of your texts about your gender.



Months ago, I was helping on a thread, and there was a similar situation to this, but that time, the OP was a guy and he was not happy about being assumed a "she" lol

I had to laugh that you put quotations around each "she" throughout that entire post (Sans one of course). Lol

As for the best tower for the money, CTurbo nailed it with either one of his previous builds. The SSD will be top notch for OS storage, and plenty more storage to be had from another regular HDD. The Xeon E3-1230 V3 will be a great CPU going forward, and the GTX 760/R9 290 will handle the games you've posted here very nicely.

Well I think my build for $1299 would be awesome, and I couldn't even justify spending anymore than that. Really the $1086 build would be plenty for "midrange gaming"

I based it on her name. It sounds like a girls name. Aizu being feminine, and chan demoting... a diminutive/cared about/pet-like person.

I got her 2 1 TBs for safety, so she can either Raid-1 them, or keep her applications on one HDD and media on another. I also got her WD caviar blues because they have a much better warranty and quality than the seagate barracudas.

The aftermarket cooler is because stock coolers suck, they are loud and perform unsatisfactorily. Unless you're only web browsing and word processing.

h87 DOES support sli, just not triple sli, so you can only have 2 cards.

"The H87 chipset is very similar to Z87, but lacks a few important features including CPU overclocking. While this chipset can easily handle SLI/Crossfire configurations by allowing the 16 PCI-E lanes from the CPU to be divided into either a single x16 slot or dual x8 slots, it does not support triple SLI/Crossfire configurations.

Like Z87, H87 supports Rapid Storage Technology, Smart Response Technology (otherwise known as SSD Caching), six SATA 6Gb/s ports and six USB 3.0 ports. Unlike Z87, it adds Small Business Advantage support, but removes support for Lake Tiny (SSD caching performance and power optimization). Finally, it supports two DIMMs per memory channel so it will be able to utilize up to four sticks of RAM.

H87 provides most of the same features as Z87 including plenty of SATA 6Gb/s and USB 3.0 ports. The only major features it lacks is CPU overclocking support and support for triple SLI/Crossfire configurations. Unfortunately, many motherboard manufactures attempt to push users to Z87 motherboards by limiting the number of ports and headers on their H87 motherboards. Because of this, Z87 motherboards are sometimes a better choice than H87 even when you do not need overclocking or triple SLI/Crossfire."

I just tried saving her money if she didn't need to spend it to fit her needs.

My builds even cheaper without a monitor, I just chose one because it's likely she has a fairly generic monitor, and having a good monitor can actually make quite a difference. It's a 23" 1080p 2ms response time, she she can actually get good frame rates in games. Or she could just add it to the monitor she already does have, because once you go two monitors, you never go back.

I've built a $3000 computer in the past, and after using it for a few months, I wasn't nearly as happy with it's performance compared to the money I spent, So now I spend a lot more time thinking about what I actually NEED in a computer when I build one, and how much I should realistically spend.

You could swap out the Nvidia card on the less expensive build for an R9 series card. That way Crossfire support (H87) is there for a fairly inexpensive GPU upgrade.