New Homebuilt! First Attempt :D

[overlord4142]

Hi guys, I decided a while back I would save up enough to build a mid-high end gaming PC so I could play games with my friends who don't own consoles. My budget was $1200 Canadian and I built myself my first computer for $1120, which is rather awesome in my opinion.

My Specs:
Intel Core i5 760 Overclocked to 3.56ghz
8GB Corsair XMS3 1600mhz RAM
Gigabyte GA-P55-UD4P
Gigabyte GTX460 1GB at stock speeds
OCZ ModXtremePro 700W PSU
Katana III CPU Cooler
1x Western Digital 1TB HDD
1x Seagate Barracuda 250GB HDD (for movies, music, pictures etc..things I don't want lost in case I need to wipe my computer)
Windows 7 64bit Home Premium
HAF 922 Case

Here are pictures of my build

Post your comments, concerns (if any) and if you have any tips or recommendations for me on things I should probably change let me know, because this was my first time ever doing this. I think I did a pretty good job trying to hide the wires for a beginner, and my experience overall with building my computer was rather pleasant and easy. I will definitely build another one if I ever need to.

 

[boiler1990]

Concerning that movies/pictures/etc HDD, I would make a backup on an external disc or something. Even though you may not wipe your system, the hard drive can still fail or be corrupted (it happens). Keep in mind that it's not necessarily more secure than if it were on your boot drive.

Personally, I think 8GB of RAM was a bit overkill; most games don't even use 4, and most games will respond better with better/more GPUs. If you ever look into giving your system a boost in the near future, I would consider buying a second 460. Also, you can easily overclock your 460 using MSI Afterburner. I have my pair OCed to 850MHz core, 1700MHz Shader, and 2000 MHz Memory clock, and I can play Metro 2033 and other DX11 games on highest settings.

 

[overlord4142]

I had 4GB to start with, but my Dad randomly went out and got me another 4GB of the exact same brand and model so I just plopped it in lol. I tried your overclocking scheme and my temps went up from 23 degrees idle to 30 degrees idle lol, but I guess its worth the boost in performance. I will definitely get a second Gigabyte GTX460, as my old gpu from my first ever computer was a x1650 Pro, which is horrible compared to what I have now, and I just want it to keep getting better

 

[boiler1990]

My GPU temps didn't increase at all, but that is most likely due to the External Exhaust design (pushes air through the back of the expansion port slots rather than somewhere else into the case).

Just keep in mind that your GPU(s) may run about 70C under 100% load; if they get consistently above 80C I would downclock or see if there's a better cooling solution (more fans if you don't have the maximum number the case can support, etc).

Glad your new build is serving you well!