Where can i cut costs? $1000 first time build

[phillyo2]

Approximate Purchase Date: Hopefully within this month.

Budget Range: about 1000, maybe a little less

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, School/programming, Netflix, normal everyday stuff.

Parts Not Required: Speakers, Monintor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg or microcenter

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: I would Like to use the antec 300 two case and a gtx 670 if possible

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in the future

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Should i get an ssd? Maybe only 500 gb for the hdd? Are there cheaper mice and keyboards that are good for gaming?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8dA2

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Microcenter if bought with i5-3570K)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($86.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($44.28 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G9x Wired Laser Mouse ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1171.18

 

[dudewitbow]

combo a 1 tb hdd with the optical drive to almost basically make the optical drive free. as for ssd, look for one thats on sale(ssds always go on sale at different times) i cant comment on keyboard and mouse since i dont personally use gaming peripherals because i dont really need it

if you might want to sli/crossfire in the future, then get a 650~750w psu. i could give suggestions gonna take a bit of time though

Antec Earthwatts(only if you have a spare power cord) 750w 100$-15%=85$ is one of the choices.

unless you want to drop the sli/crossfire future and settle with a 500-600 single then that can easily cut price down

 

[phillyo2]

Okay thanks, I will definitely combo and try and keep an eye for deals on ssd's. As for the psu, what brand psu would you recommend?

 

[unksol]

PSU is fine for SLI 670s. They are only 170 W cards. (edit: although if you can get the suggested 750W antec for rhe same price might as well)

Personally I would drop the gamng keyboard/mouse/SSD from the build to hit your budget. You'll have a great system and can save from a 128GB SSD and watch sales. 128GB would be much better for game space. The gaming keyboard is really unnecessary and the mouse is an "extra". I'd just pick them up when you have the cash vs skimping on a core component. just my 2 cents

 

[Why_Me]

Approximate Purchase Date: Hopefully within this month.

Budget Range: about 1000, maybe a little less

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, School/programming, Netflix, normal everyday stuff.

Parts Not Required: Speakers, Monintor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg or microcenter

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: I would Like to use the antec 300 two case and a gtx 670 if possible

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in the future

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Should i get an ssd? Maybe only 500 gb for the hdd? Are there cheaper mice and keyboards that are good for gaming?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8dA2

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Microcenter if bought with i5-3570K)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($86.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($44.28 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G9x Wired Laser Mouse ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1171.18

I would drop the SSD for now. I mean you can pick up a 120GB Mushkin SATA 3 SSD @ newegg for $100, and 64GB is lacking. That and SSD's just keep dropping in price every month.

http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-80PLUS-Bronze-Performance-compatible/dp/B005A2RJOI/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1336976327&sr=1-5 $89.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
OCZ ZS Series 750W 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0382101 $39.99
Crucial 8GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL9 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit (Two 4GB Memory Modules)

 

[dudewitbow]

Okay thanks, I will definitely combo and try and keep an eye for deals on ssd's. As for the psu, what brand psu would you recommend?

there is no really to say which brand has an entire lineup that is good but most if not all seasonic psus are great(like the one you picked). is a community made psu list. its also nice to pay attention to psus which have awards as well(like ones marked from johnnyguru)

 

[phillyo2]

How much does an ssd really help? does it only help load times? My thinking was i could speed up windows by getting the 64 gb ssd just as the system drive and some applications that i use daily and possibly a couple games. But if all it does is decrease initial load times of applications or windows itself then i feel that yes i can drop it. And aslo thanks for the replies.

 

[Why_Me]

How much does an ssd really help? does it only help load times? My thinking was i could speed up windows by getting the 64 gb ssd just as the system drive and some applications that i use daily and possibly a couple games. But if all it does is decrease initial load times of applications or windows itself then i feel that yes i can drop it. And aslo thanks for the replies.

When you have more cash pick up a 120 - 128GB SSD so you can put more stuff on it. They are great for games where you load up maps...like BF3, etc... The have a 240GB SSD for around $200 on newegg so by the end of this summer your going to see that same 240GB SSD for under $200.

 

[dudewitbow]

if the ssd is solely for a select small amount of programs and boot up, then its not really necessary since itll shave off seconds of the boot up time. ssds are more prevelant if you run alot of start up programs, or run programs that take long to boot up like design software and few select games. though if you dont mind waiting a bit longer, then a ssd should not be a priority

 

[phillyo2]

Okay, I think ive got it all figured out. I have a higher wattage power supply that is rated highly on that eggxpert list and is the same price, ive taken out the ssd and will just be picking up a better mouse and keyboard when i have the cash available. Thanks everyone. More suggestions are welcome but i think ive got this straight.

 

[unksol]

How much does an ssd really help? does it only help load times? My thinking was i could speed up windows by getting the 64 gb ssd just as the system drive and some applications that i use daily and possibly a couple games. But if all it does is decrease initial load times of applications or windows itself then i feel that yes i can drop it. And aslo thanks for the replies.

For games its just load times. Get in the game faster. quicker level loads. if there are frequent in game loads it can make things seem smoother. I have seen a demo of assassins creed where the horse actually runs "faster" because the environment can.load faster. thats really just a quirk of how they did their loading in the background though, not anything significant.

For windows faster boot up but that's what sleep mode is for as far as I am concerned. and it will feel "snappier".

I am perfectly happy with my Samsung F3 1TB for gaming and OS. One day I'll grab an SSD when they are cheap but I don't feel the need. And 64GB is too small and a pain to constantly have to swap stuffvwhen games can be 10-25 gigs each

 

[phillyo2]

For games its just load times. Get in the game faster. quicker level loads. if there are frequent in game loads it can make things seem smoother. I have seen a demo of assassins creed where the horse actually runs "faster" because the environment can.load faster. thats really just a quirk of how they did their loading in the background though, not anything significant.

For windows faster boot up but that's what sleep mode is for as far as I am concerned. and it will feel "snappier".

I am perfectly happy with my Samsung F3 1TB for gaming and OS. One day I'll grab an SSD when they are cheap but I don't feel the need. And 64GB is too small and a pain to constantly have to swap stuffvwhen games can be 10-25 gigs each

Okay thanks, Yeah i figure from what im coming from anything is going to feel like a big jump in speed so i guess i dont really need the ssd. Ill get one when they are cheaper just so my horse can run faster lol!