building desktop mainly for home entertainment / multitasking

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gotbeefinyotaco

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Nov 25, 2010
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What I am getting / need:
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K
Motherboard: Best for $200-$300?
PSU:Best around :$150?
Solid State Hard Drive: Crucial M500 240GB or SanDisk Extreme PRO 240GB
Best Looking Case: NZXT Phantom 410 Mid Tower USB 3.0 Gaming Case - Black
2nd Monitor: Best for around $200?
Blue Ray Drive: Best around $100?

What I have:
GRAPHICS CARD:Nvidia GeForce GTX 660
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

The computer is mostly for home entertainment and maybe just light gaming here and there. My current desktop is very outdated with its motherboard, harddrive, cpu and the psu just broke If you could tell me if the parts I have are worth keeping and in your opinions which I should choose for the other parts I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

Edit: Eventually I would like to upgrade the video card and play high end games when I have time but that will not be for awhile.
 
Solution
ferwindjacks
Motherboard: I personally have an ASUS ROG Maximus VI Hero. The VII is out now though. Highly recommend any ASUS MOBO.

PSU: XFX Pro 850w Black Edition is a really good PSU. XFX, Corsair and a few others are all very alike. 850w is overkill but if you want it to be around 150 then there you go. Go down a bit and grab a 750 if you want to save a few bucks though.

Case: Any Corsair or NZXT case would do. Cases are personal preference, they represent you.

Monitor: BenQ or Asus VS248H monitors are good.

I would also recommend upgrading you GPU down the road a bit, as any "light" gaming or graphic intensive apps (home entertainment bit was a bit vague) will not perform in line with that processor. Not saying it's gonna be bottle...
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swiftleeo

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If you don't aready have the CPU, get the 4790k. They are the same price.
 
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ferwindjacks

ferwindjacks

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Motherboard: I personally have an ASUS ROG Maximus VI Hero. The VII is out now though. Highly recommend any ASUS MOBO.

PSU: XFX Pro 850w Black Edition is a really good PSU. XFX, Corsair and a few others are all very alike. 850w is overkill but if you want it to be around 150 then there you go. Go down a bit and grab a 750 if you want to save a few bucks though.

Case: Any Corsair or NZXT case would do. Cases are personal preference, they represent you.

Monitor: BenQ or Asus VS248H monitors are good.

I would also recommend upgrading you GPU down the road a bit, as any "light" gaming or graphic intensive apps (home entertainment bit was a bit vague) will not perform in line with that processor. Not saying it's gonna be bottle necked, that word gets thrown around too much. But paired with that CPU (I'm assuming you already have the CPU, and if not why didn't you go for the i7 4790k??) you should grab a newer card. Nvidia 900 series gets announced this Friday...

 
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Solution
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lightcloud

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Change the CPU to an i7-4790K and get an Asus Maximus VII Hero (the best motherboard for overclocking in the market IMO).

Try the Antec HCG 750M.

Between Crucuial and Sandisk, Crucial is probably the best. But how about Samsung they are famous for their SSD.

Yes the NZXT Phantom 410 is a great case, in fact I plan to get it. However if you plan to get a new high end graphics card (tend to be long) then the drive cage needs to be removed. Which means less bays for the drives. I actually recommend a NZXT Phantom 530.

Note: What I recommended is for gaming enthusiast, how about just buying a basic $700 build for entertainment only??

Note (again): I would really like to guide you but the time here is a bit late. So I'll reply first thing tomorrow morning. :)
 
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gotbeefinyotaco

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Edit: Eventually I would like to upgrade the video card and play high end games when I have time but that will not be for awhile. Should I get a different case if I plan to eventually add a new high end video card?
 
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lightcloud

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I don't believe the NZXT Phantom 530 isn't much of a price jump from the NZXT Phantom 410. So it may be worth investing in a Full Tower to fit longer cards and have better airflow.

But if budget is an obstacle the NZXT Phantom 410 is a great case. I actually plan to get a GTX 770 which means it can't fit in the NZXT Phantom 419 unless I reap move the bays which I would do. So there is no worries at all. :)
 
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swiftleeo

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The HAF X looks better than the Phantom. It is also a full tower and has PLENTY of room. Very easy to work with. I'd recommend it if you have the money for the case. It also has a side window so you can peak inside your sexy new computer.
 
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gotbeefinyotaco

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Nov 25, 2010
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CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K Processor
Motherboard: ASUS MAXIMUS VII HERO LGA1150/ Intel Z97/ DDR3/Quad CrossFireX ATX Motherboard 7
PSU: XFX PRO 850W Black Edition
Solid State Hard Drive: Crucial M500 240GB
Cooler Master HAF X - Full Tower Computer

That's what I ended up buying. Thanks for the help everyone.
 
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