Comment on/Rate this build - upgrades?

[azeng97]

Hi everyone,

I recently built a mid-range multitasking/light gaming PC, and I was wondering how well I chose the parts. I am also planning a $100-$200 upgrade, and I want to know what I should place as a priority. So I would appreciate any feedback on the choice of parts, as well as which parts I should upgrade next.
Parts:
CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K overclocked to 4.2GHz $225
HSF: Xigmatek Gaia SD1283 Dual 120mm Fan $46
Mobo: ASRock Z68 Extreme 3 Gen 3 $132
VGA: Powercolor HD6670 $71
Case: Sharkoon T9 Value Edition Red $62
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM SATA3 $101
RAM: Transcend DDR3 1333 2 x 4GB $38
PSU: ThermalTake Litepower 700W 80+ $77
ODD: LiteOn DVD-RW 24x $21

I'm considering a VGA upgrade, SSD for SRT or Case upgrade

Thanks!

 

[psychodegu]

I'm not sure, but I don't like your PSU, seems like a off brand. If you get a better Video Card you could push this from a light gaming computer to a real power house. A 20 to 64 Gb ssd is nice for going iSRT (aka ram cashing your Hdd), check out your mother board manual on this z68 feature.

If your ok with the PSU, go for the VGA, and wait on the ssd. I'd try to get a hold 6870 or 6950. On the other hand you could go for the gtx 560 or 560ti. Personally I would save up until you can get the graphics card that can really get you system to shine.

 

[Crush3d]

Agree, I'd look into a graphics upgrade. Find something you like and save up to get it if necessary.

 

[Raiddinn]

The parts inside a PSU work much more efficiently when it is cold than they do when it is hot.

As near as I can tell, Thermaltake tests the maximum power of all of their PSUs in Antarctica.

What this means to us is that we should expect them to be able to deliver half or less of the wattage on the label in regular room temperatures.

They have a pretty long history of this sort of thing, so even if they try to come out with a high quality model, which they may have done with the one the OP has, it is hard to trust the quality of the device.

A rule of thumb that I have gone by in the past is that a PSU should cost $1 or more per 10w in the base price if it is high quality.

The one the OP has is $71 for 700w, which would suggest it is a high quality PSU. Still, there is a lot of doubt in my mind, because of their long history of trying to mislead customers.

In any event, as long as you are doing light gaming with a 6670 the PSU is probably fine. I don't know that I would trust it if you tried to step up the video card, though.

That being said, the thing I would spend the $200 on if I were you is a SSD. It will help reduce boot times and load times of everything considerably which makes many people much happier about their user experience.