Please critique what I think is the best possible build for $700

[abrown221]

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=14939552

I have spent a long time looking up parts and benchmarks. The graphics card is easily overclockable to perform close to a gtx 470. I am thinking of trying to scrap together the money around christmas for this. I am new to the forums and am really pulling for a great response from you guys Let me know what you think or maybe where i can cut costs. Thanks!

 

[Pengle]

Switch the PSU, that PSU seems to cheap to be a 575W.
Switch to a Samsung Spinpoint F3

 

[abrown221]

Samsung spinpoint is a HD....

 

[abrown221]

Also,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188063
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130264&cm_re=lga_1156_motherboard-_-13-130-264-_-Product

 

[Deleted member 217926]

The spinpoint F3 is a better drive on great sale right now. Here is the 1TB model for $56 with free shipping.

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=HD-HD103SJ&title=Samsung-SpinPoint-F3-HD103SJ-1TB-SATA2-7200rpm-32MB-Hard-Drive

Ditch that power supply! NEVER use a $20 PSU!!!! It will die and take other parts with it. Here is a good QUALITY PSU for $49.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139018

 

[abrown221]

Awesome, thanks for a heads up on the PSU. Now the build has been changed.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=14939552

Its a little more expensive than I had hope... Any idea where I can cut costs? Think I could save some cash on black friday? Or do they generally not have deals on this kind of stuff.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Same price better case. Includes 3 x 120mm and 1 x 140mm 3 speed fans.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

That GTX460 has an extra $25 mail in rebate making it super cheap.

I still recommend the Corsair PSU over the OCZ. it is cheaper as well.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Forgot to say that Spinpoint F3 I linked to was only $2 more for the faster 1TB model. Seriously worth it in my opinion.

 

[wortwortwort]

Samsung Spinpoint F3 is always the best choice for HDDs.

Get the Corsair PSU.

Antec 300 is good.

 

[abrown221]

I thought about getting a case with better ventilation, but i decided against it just because what i have inside of it wont be that incredibly powerful. I am mainly getting the case because during winter and summer break I am bouncing back and forth between friends houses would like to bring it around to game with. If you dont mind me asking, why go with the corsair? I am hesitant because it has 1 review and 4 eggs, while the OZ have 500 some odd reviews and 5 eggs.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Corsair is a higher quality brand. It is a brand new line of power supplies so thats why there are no reviews. Look at the HX or TX line reviews and you will see how good they are.

I have done close to 20 builds with that 300Illusion and it is one of the best cases in it's price range.

 

[abrown221]

Awesome, Corsair it is.

When it comes to the case, will it make that noticeable of a difference in performance for me to switch? It may take the temperature down 2 or 3 degrees, but other than that are there any other advantages? I was really pumped for the handle and its portability

Oh, and the rest of the machine? Will it run everything out right now? Last me a long time? Easily upgradeable? Easily overclockable? Best choice for price with the GPU? Best choice for price with the CPU?

Sorry about all the questions, im a poor college student and this is the first PC I have built by myself, want to get it right the first time!

 

[coldsleep]

I'm not sure I'd get that Corsair 500 CX. Note that it's not 80+ certified, and says "up to 80% efficiency".

Consider this Silverstone ST50F-ES instead. It's a little more, but not as expensive as the OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

^ Is right about the PSU. Get the Silverstone. Corsair are among the best but so are Silverstone. If you want to overclock add this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&cm_re=hyper_212-_-35-103-065-_-Product

The case is up to you. The NZXT has decent cooling as well. It is likely not as "solid" a case though.

 

[abrown221]

Alright ill get the silverstone. Is the cooler absolutely necessary if i am thinking about overclocking? What about if i just overclock the graphics card?

 

[Deleted member 217926]

An i5 750 with that cooler will run all day just fine at 4ghz or better. I would get the cooler lol.

 

[coldsleep]

If you don't plan on overclocking the CPU, you don't need the cooler. If you're just planning on overclocking the graphics card, you shouldn't need anything additional.

 

[abrown221]

Best answer selected by abrown221.

 

[abrown221]

Thanks guys. Looks like this system is ready to go. I appreciate all the help

 

[Twoboxer]

Dunno where you are in your build after all the advice, but as far as psus are concerned, this is the highest-quality 500W+ psu at the lowest price:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094&cm_re=seasonic_520w-_-17-151-094-_-Product

Since you are not using a dual core cpu with integrated graphics, you should use the P55 chip set. Since you want a microATX, here's one:

Gigabyte mATX http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GA-P55M-Ultra-Durable-Motherboard/dp/B002MAPSAI (It's out of stock at Newegg)

If you aren't overclocking, you can drop to Mushkin or G.Skill 1333 cl9 memory and not notice the difference, though the savings is only $13.

I guess you are partial to MSI, but you should compare the 460 you chose to this one:

Gigabyte GTX 460 $180 after MIR:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125333&cm_re=gtx_460_1gb-_-14-125-333-_-Product

(I personally like the little Vulcan case!)

In any case, enjoy the build!

 

[abrown221]

Twoboxer, why do i want the p55 chipset vs the h55 chipset? What are the differences? benefits of one over the other?

 

[abrown221]

also, can that gigabyte motherboard overclock easily?

 

[Twoboxer]

First, I guess the main benefit of the P55 chipset (can run x8-x8 PCIe slots) doesn't really apply to this board nor for your application. The subtraction of graphics support probably doesn't save much power either lol.

Sorry again, but I don't know of any reviews OCing either the Giga or the MSI board.

Just a little more comfortable with either Asus or Giga, and a board I've used (stock) before.