FIRST EVER BUILD $700 -Help needed

Damien Wo

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May 3, 2014
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Hi Guys I'm new to PC building and after doing a bit of research I've decided on the following build. It's a little over $700 but I really like the components. Maybe you guys can give your suggestions and even an alternative built? Thanks for the help :) cheers

BTW: I'm going to be using it for photoshop and a little gaming.
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Damien_Wo/saved/4yNp


 
Solution
This is what I would change:

* CPU to i5 4430 OR i5 3350p (3350p is basically the 4430 but without the integrated graphics wbich you are not going to use anyway).
* Motherboard to b85 (the asrock b85 pro4 is alright)
* The RAM to crucial ballistix sports, it gives you the same performance for a cheaper price =).
* The PSU to a Seasonic M12ii - 520w should be more than enough. At the moment you have quite an expensive PSU but you don't need 80+ gold + the PSU hasn't got enough power for 270 CF (maybe it does, not sure). If you aren't planning on CF, 80+ gold is just extra cost for this system as it is overkill.
*A tip for the case, front airflow is always a good thing to have. I don't know about this NZXT case specific, but cases...

BnG

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This is what I would change:

* CPU to i5 4430 OR i5 3350p (3350p is basically the 4430 but without the integrated graphics wbich you are not going to use anyway).
* Motherboard to b85 (the asrock b85 pro4 is alright)
* The RAM to crucial ballistix sports, it gives you the same performance for a cheaper price =).
* The PSU to a Seasonic M12ii - 520w should be more than enough. At the moment you have quite an expensive PSU but you don't need 80+ gold + the PSU hasn't got enough power for 270 CF (maybe it does, not sure). If you aren't planning on CF, 80+ gold is just extra cost for this system as it is overkill.
*A tip for the case, front airflow is always a good thing to have. I don't know about this NZXT case specific, but cases without front fans tend to have worse airflow / therefore higher temperatures. --> I can highly recommend the Corsair Carbide series!

I hope this will help you improve your build!
 
Solution

Vic 40

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No,these are different sockets,the 3350p is socket 1155,the 4430 is socket 1150.For a B85 motherboard would only the 4430 work when considering just these two.

Looked at what kind of price you were shopping and changed a few things,

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($78.36 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($169.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Enermax ECA3310A-W ATX Mid Tower Case ($73.04 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $700.80
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-05 07:21 EDT-0400)

The gpu is easy to overclock to r9 270X levels,
http://www.overclock.net/t/1449757/gigabyte-r9-270-overclocking-ability

For another nice white case,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-caph240w1
already changed that in my build,but that's all just to show other options.Are you happy with your choice then just pick that one and if needed add another fan to the front.

The next psu should already be enough when you're not going to upgrade to something stronger,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-power-supply-capstone450
for less money are there some higher wattage types,but not gold rated,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-neoeco620c
or
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-power-supply-rs620spm2e3us (also modular)
with this last one and a good motherboard could you even try crossfire with the r9 270 i chose or even the r9 270X.
For another good r9 270x and cheaper than your choice,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvr927xoc2gd

The cheapest motherboard that i would try crossfire on,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z87extreme3
for a bit more,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z87mextreme4
 

Damien Wo

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May 3, 2014
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How's that Enermax case? Thanks for the help! :)

 

BnG

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Nov 1, 2013
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Sorry, meant i5 4440* :$. I have some remarks concerning your links though. Phenom cases look very nice, actually they were my first choice, but structure wise it doesn't have front fans (big -) and the components look plastic. Therefore my eye is on the Corsair Carbide series, it gives you a lot more value for your money.

For the PSU's - The Rosewill PSU is alright, but 80+ gold is overkill. The antec will do the job, but I personally prefer 80+ bronze at least (also the seasonic S12ii/M12ii are probably cheaper and in my opinion are a better choice). I wouldn't take the Cooler Master PSU, a lot of people have problems with them and you pay as much for them as you would for a brand that is more known to have very reliable PSU's.

Going to the Motherboards - The extreme 3 will be fine, but is entry level. If you are on a budget I'd definately recommend it. The extreme 4 is my personal favorite, very reliable and excellent for its price =). Although, the extreme 4 you posted is the Micro ATX one. The regular ATX one will be more expensive!

For the GPU, I like NVidia personally (just upgraded from Radeon 5850 to 2x GTX 670) because I just think they contain less flaws (driver wise) / run less hot. Although, I respect people's opinion for going with an AMD card as the 5850 I owned was far from "bad", I ran into very little problems and did the job well. Looking at the 270x, Gigabyte or Sapphire would be a good choice. My 2x 670 are also from Gigabyte and I must say the cooler from Gigabyte is excellent and the cards in general run less hot compared to most other brands.
 

BnG

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Wouldn't go with the enermax one unless you really like the looks =). The airflow is very limited. For that price you can get a case with a window + at least 2 top fans/ 2 front fans. The enermax case looks like it only has 1 up front and 1 on top =).

If you are looking for a budget case with window/led/enough fans - Sharkoon T28. It will do the job, but if you don't care that much about looks I'd, again, recommend the Carbide =).
 

Vic 40

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No you didn't,that one does have an igp.



You're a corsair fanboy,every case you compare to the carbide series.With "phenom" you probably mean phantom and it does have a 120mm frontfan.



I can't imagine why a psu would be overkill just because it's gold rated?!
The aantec is based on the seasonic s12II platform with somewhat lower cpacitors.When i linked that was it in the list for just under $40.
And i can't imagine why someone would just piss all over a psu just because it's from a certain brand when that brand does make decent units.I will say not all,but this one imo is a good series.



I missed the m-atx part on the extreme 4 and for crossfire would i prefer an atx one,but i only linked these for their crossfire capabilities which have nothing to do with overclocking which is imo the reason why people don't like the extreme 3.For the crossfire,i mean 2 slots @ x8,is it a good choice.
I just want to make clear to the ts when he wants to go for crossfire to go for a decent motherboard with slots that work at x8+x8.




The ts is on a budget and witin that budget are the amd cards imo the better choices.I don't care about the nvidia vs amd discussion.
 

Vic 40

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The ts could get other cases for that money like the next,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-case-elevenhundredv2
but i chose these cases for their color because the ts chose a white one too.

About the air restriction,did you read those reviews because the first 4 are all pleased with the cooling capabilities of the case which means that the airflow is good.Ther's nothing wrong with having "just" two case fans.
 

BnG

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First of all, I meant the 4440 =). I know it has an IGP, but the 3350p doesn't =).

Second, sorry about the Phenom/phantom thing (my CPU is an AMD Phenom :)). Also, I am definately not a Corsair fanboy. 1. I have an Antec 300 case myself. 2. I have done a lot research on the Phantom and Carbide series and it comes down to that the Phantom is worse for aircooling compard to the Carbide. For watercooling the Phantom will serve you very well. The Phantom 410 my first choice when looking for a new case, but I wanted more than just looks. Looks are nice, but a more pleasant gaming experience is better. I won't judge you if you like the Phantom more, but I prefer performance over looks, and that is my opinion =).

About the PSU's, I totally agree on the fact that 80+ gold is a nice extra. I do also think that one should never cheap out on a PSU. But for this build, especially if the OP isn't planning on CF, you don't NEED 80+ gold. 80+ gold is for the for people with a lot of money to spend. As the OP is on a budget, you could better get a cheaper 80+ bronze PSU from a quality brand and use the extra money to upgrade for example the GPU =). About Cooler Master, this one might be a good one. If you have done your research on the PSU I apologize for having said it isn't a good PSU. Although, a lot of the Cooler Master PSU's aren't good. Look online for reviews and see for yourself.
For the Antec PSU, which I mentioned would be sufficient, I just see 80+ bronze as my standard for a PSU. As I mentioned above "never cheap out on a PSU", 80+ bronze is pretty much my standard. I mentioned the Seasonic M12ii as it just a very reliable PSU thoroughly tested and choosen by a lot of builders.

Further more, I agree on the statement you made about the MB =).

Last, the GPU. You said yourself the OP is on a budget, although 80+ gold would be a more suitable choice over 80+ bronze which would cost him more according to you. I agree on the fact that AMD is mainly for people on a budget, and I do know from experience that AMD cards are made for pure performance. NVidia cards tend to be a bit more expensive but have in general less flaws/are more stable driver wise. I also don't really care about the AMD/Nvidia discussion, I just respect a persons choice. If the OP wants AMD, get AMD =). As I mentioned before, the Gigabyte/Sapphire 270x would both be great choices!
 

BnG

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The antec is a great case =). I have the lower end antec 300 and are very pleased with the build quality/ airflow.

For the reviews you looked up, 4 people out of ? from 1 site? That doesn't really mean much to me personally :p. And you are probably right, those 4 people are happy about the airflow looking at the capabilities of that particular case. They might be "happy" about that case, and be "very very happy" about a case with even better airflow =). 2 fans are by no means not enough, but why not get even better airflow for the same amount of money? Now I do not take into consideration looks. I wouldn't want an ugly case either... Although, I am reasonable and think I should get the best cooling for my money. If you don't care about cooling and just about looks, you can choose pretty much every case, but at the cost of performance.