Medium-High sturdyGaming Build - Please review my choices

[inquartata]

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ASAP, meaning within a month unless I gain a lot by waiting a bit longer

BUDGET RANGE: 1000-1200 Before rebates, Hard (Living in Finland, Newegg prices used as a guide)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, movies, surfing, multitasking several applications

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com (for reference only). As long as it is a representative price it should be ok (meaning I should be able to find it at that price).

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Finland

PARTS PREFERENCES: Mainly looking for an i5/p55 platform. Was checking out i7 but the added costs and questionable benefits turned me off of it) would like a full tower case with dustfilters and preferably a removable motherboard tray. I know, I am asking a lot.)

OVERCLOCKING: In the beginning probably just a bit, later on definitely CROSSFIRE: Later on probably, but not yet.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: No need for bling, looking for silence and quality. In it for the long run. Realizing that you can't really futureproof anything so I am looking for a solid build that i can stretch out and a good case/psu that I can use in later builds (plural) when I will inevitably have to switch out the motherboard and processor.

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Here is what I've got so far, please give suggestions for getting the cost down while maintaining the quality. Also, if anything seems unbalanced (bottlenecked, overkill, unsuitable etc) please suggest replacements. Thank you in advance everyone,

-Inquartata


Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840 $179,99

ProductPSU: Corsair HX850 $179,99

Processor: i5 750 $194,99

Processor Cooler: Noctua NH-U12P SE2 for socket 1156 $74,99

Motherboard: GA-P55-UD3R $139,99

RAM: G.Skill ECO 2x2GB 1600 DDR3 7-8-7-24, 1.35V $109,99

Graphics: Asus Radeon HD 5850 $299,99

Harddrive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB $84,99

Total: $1264,92 so I need to shave off at least $65...now where to take it from...

 

[inquartata]

Sorry for the triple post.

 

[mavanhel]

Just a few places I can see where you can shave off some bucks:

Do you really need 1TB of space right off of the start? Save $30 by going with the 500GB F3.

You could maybe save a few bucks by going with different RAM, maybe something like this G.SKILL Ripjaws.

Do you really need a modular PSU? Sure it's great for cable managment and stuff but if you're getting a full tower cable management probably won't be that big of a deal for you.

Finally you could save a bit on the case if you went with the Cooler Master HAF 932 or even with the HAF 922. I know it says the 922 is a mid tower, but it's a pretty massive mid tower.

Hope this helps.

One other thing, I've noticed you don't have an Optical Drive. Any reasonably priced DVD read/writer will do fine.

 

[inquartata]

Thanks for the input. I like the idea of saving money on the harddrive...never even thought about not really needing that much space until later and there is space available to add drives in the ATCS 840 so why not.

The modular PSU is also a good point. I probably wouldn't need one as long as the cables are long enough. A non-modular one would be a lot cheaper but what about the quality? Won't it suffer? For example the 850TX has been so-so from what I've heard while I haven't heard anything but good things about the 850HX.

The HAF would be my first choice, if not for a couple of things. No filter, no removable motherboard tray and I feel it is ugly as **** .

An optical drive is still uncertain, I might get one for free from a friend so I'm not budgeting it.

 

[mavanhel]

No problem. As for the HX vs. TX, to the best of my knowledge the only difference is the modularity, and Corsair makes high quality PSUs, so personally I wouldn't worry about it. Also sounds like you've got a good deal with the optical drive.

So, I was just thinking, and I'm building *almost* the same machine (with the HAF 922 and a different mobo) and I was confused as to why yours was so much more expensive, but I think it has to do with the CPU cooler. Some very good things have been said about the Cooler Master Hyper 212 at $30. Apparently it's a bit of a pain to install, but by working through it people don't seem to have much of a problem. That right there will save you $45 and put you back into budget range with the savings from the HDD.

 

[deadlockedworld]

I have to agree with the case-- it seems like the best place to cut a little bit.

Other than that your only option would be to step the crossfiring/PSU down a notch...

 

[inquartata]

@mavanhel

If that's correct about the tx/hx being basically the same then I might very well go with the tx and save there.

As for the Cooler Master Hyper 212, it is inexpensive, but it doesn't perform nearly as well.

What motherboard are you using btw. Asus?

@deadlocked world
The HAF was my first choice too but the deciding point was that it doesn't haf (bad pun intended) any filters. Well, that and I think it might be one of the ugliest cases I've ever seen. Some like it and I have been trying to like it too but it is just not what I am looking for. I agree though that the ATCS 840 is a bit on the expensive side.

 

[mavanhel]

Well, you could look into the Antec 1200 at $20 cheaper. It still has air filters and I find it has a fairly neutral look to it although I'm not sure if it has a removable mobo tray.

 

[inquartata]

No removable motherboard on the Antec although it is an option... Seems the HX and TX are not the same btw. They are both made by CWT but the 850HX has newer internals (ripple voltage, line regulation). The HX also has a two year longer warranty of course.

 

[mavanhel]

Well then, looks like I was wrong. Just a quick thought, I just remembered that you live in Finland, and as such, won't be able to order off of newegg. At this point it might be a good idea for you to take your plan to computer stores around you or Finnish computer sites and see if they will save you money. If there is a big retailer near you it's possible that they could give you a discount if you buy everything at once directly from them.

 

[inquartata]

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com (for reference only).

Way ahead of you. Will of course not be buying from NewEgg, although it would be nice if I could...
Though it better this way so that people can comment and check the links. Not many here read Finnish I presumed.

Thanx for all the advice though. Will look into the Antec once more.

-Inq

 

[tecmo34]

No removable motherboard on the Antec although it is an option... Seems the HX and TX are not the same btw. They are both made by CWT but the 850HX has newer internals (ripple voltage, line regulation). The HX also has a two year longer warranty of course.

You will not go wrong with purchasing the 850TX... It is a high quality PSU. The HX series is similar to Antec's SP series. They are their highend PSU but both the Corsair TX and Antec EA PSU are very good and as a cost savings, it is a great option. Here is another great alternative to the Corsair PSU... SeaSonic M12D SS-850 850W ATX12V V2.3/EPS12V V2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail, which SeaSonic is one of the best PSU manufacturers you can buy. Here is jonnyGURU's review... http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=127

 

[inquartata]

Think I've read that review. Yes, Seasonic would be a definite option at that price. Unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to find any higher than 650W available online here up in the north. Still, will keep my eyes peeled. It looks like a good choice.

Is this the one you meant when you mentioned the Antec EA PSU? Couldn't find it on NewEgg so this is one available on one of the online shops I would actually buy from.

 

[tecmo34]

Think I've read that review. Yes, Seasonic would be a definite option at that price. Unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to find any higher than 650W available online here up in the north. Still, will keep my eyes peeled. It looks like a good choice.

Is this the one you meant when you mentioned the Antec EA PSU? Couldn't find it on NewEgg so this is one available on one of the online shops I would actually buy from.

If you buy the Antec 1200, I would HIGHLY recommend that Antec PSU you listed. It is designed specifically for the Antec 1200 case (only will fit in the Antec 1200, P183 and P193) and is one of the better PSU you can buy.