Please assist with new build. . .using wife's Mac (have pity) $700-900

[raven1970]

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR REVIEWING THIS

Approximate Purchase Date: 24 Hours

Budget Range: $700-900

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Surfing the Internet, MS-Office Apps, Quicken, Photos and movies

Parts Not Required: DVD Drive, monitor, mouse, keyboard, case, speakers (2.1, don't require high end audio)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg

Country: Texas, USA

Parts Preferences: Intel, MSI but open to other MB, EVGA video, Seasonic PSU

Overclocking: Would like potential for possible light overclocking

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Coming from AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ with a 8800GTS with I think like 320MB RAM. Played lots of WoW and Diablo 3, lots of older FPS from 3-4 years ago. Actually, a lot of newer games ran pretty decent to be honest, but ready to take to next level (lost PC in recent power outage and not worth trying to figure out what is causing Bad Pool Caller error and BSD on boot. . .no cant repair or even reinstall on HD).

I cannot decide on graphics card. 480 seems overkill and we leave PC on all day in small office, so it gets warm in office. Cooling for PC is adequate. Older Antec case, but 2 side vents that I have an 80 and 92 installed I think and front 80 and rear 120. Will have DVD and at least 1 HD for data plus one new for OS to replace the toasted one (which was like a 240 GB I think). Everything is currently SATA in old system except 1 HD, but oh well. Old PC lasted 6 years and will be missed. RIP.

I think I am around high $700 without graphics card. I really prefer Nvidia. I think PSU can be scaled back? Looking at GPU around $100-150 range and stuck. A lot of ATI fans. I "think" SLI on MB I picked is only if PCIE 3 cards. Which is fine. Thinking that processor with lower end GPU might handle most things at decent quality? Later upgrade?

Looking for quiet too, so please keep in mind for PSU recommendation if changed.

Here's what I have been looking at:

Western Digital RE4 WD5003ABYX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $99
Buying based on passed experience with brand
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136697

Seasonic X650 Gold $139.99 (maybe this is overkill and could scale back to a bronze. . .I think I added when considering the 480)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL $46.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

MSI Z77A-G45 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS $142.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130645

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 $239.99
BX80637I53570Khttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

Windows 7 64bit Premium OEM $99 (was still running XP, and install disk is still XP SP1)

Thanks again!

 

[adgjlsfhk]

Looks good, get a cheaper psu.

 

[quilciri]

Definitely scale back PSU, a gold isn't much more efficient than a bronze. Good choice on brand, though

The 3570k will save you a bit on power, but the 2500kis a better overclocker and if you live near a microcenter, you can get a 2500k for $170.

performance/reliability is a wash on midrange to high end consumer HDD's, so you can save $25 by going with a WD cav. blue. 500gb.

That'll give you a video card budget of $200-$335 depending on which parts yo swap and whether you can get to a microcenter. The best cards in that range are:

Nvidia:
$200 - 560 ti: (Zotac has one for $180 after MIR)

$220 - 480 gtx: (stronger than 560 ti, but a little hot and bit of a power hog)

$400 - 670 gtx: slightly out of budget, but great performance.

There is one AMD card in that range that is a pretty fantastic deal right now.
$250 - 7850: stock peformance on par with 570/480, but achieves 50% overclocks on stock cooler, at which point it tops a 580. the 7850 uses less power than any of the NVIDIA offerings as well (though the 600 series is nearly as efficent)
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18389760

Good luck!

 

[raven1970]

Thanks for the replies. Going with the bronze pretty much for sure. Would this be ok for 7850?

SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095

+3.3V@24A, +5V@24A, +12V1@24A, +12V2@24A, -12V@0.8A, +5VSB@2.5A

Been out of graphics card shopping for a long while, and wasn't sure if 24A was enough compared to whatever Gold had and others that were double that.

Was looking at 3570k because was not planning to overclock really, and kind of like the idea of new technology to match the mb. But, I have been going back and forth on that one.

Couple of reasons for using Newegg. 1st, no tax for me and tax with Microcenter. 2nd, this is not a planned purchase. I have to finance, and can do through my Newegg account for 12 mo 0% and pay off easily and don't use credit cards for store purchases. . . meaning no cash for microcenter.

 

[quilciri]

For a single 7850, a 500w PSU is more than you'll ever need. The card only draws 101w at full load; so if you're playing metro 2033, torrenting, and burning a DVD simultaneously, your system won't draw more than 300w.

have fun!

 

[quilciri]

Oh, and if you're not planning to overclock, then a 3550 would serve you just as well as the 3570k. Even the multiplier locked versions can be overclocked a bit via the FSB.

enjoy!

 

[raven1970]

Oh, and if you're not planning to overclock, then a 3550 would serve you just as well as the 3570k. Even the multiplier locked versions can be overclocked a bit via the FSB.

enjoy!

Thank you. Decided that I will do some overclocking most likely, as it seems a shame not to. Anyone want to chime in on final build before I pull trigger?


Western Digital RE4 WD5003ABYX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $142 (comes with both Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premier Elements 11 (can shave $43 off if I drop, but that heck of deal and was using Version 5 of Photoshop Elements)
Buying based on passed experience with brand
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136697

SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL $46.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231314

MSI Z77A-G45 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS $142.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813130645

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 $239.99
BX80637I53570Khttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+ $34.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

Windows 7 64bit Premium OEM $99 (was still running XP, and install disk is still XP SP1)

THE FINAL QUESTION. . .7850? Keep reading about issues, but great performance, and what brand? Does it matter?

MSI R7850 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC Radeon HD 7850 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Video Card $259
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127663
Best reviews on Newegg

SAPPHIRERadeon HD 7850 OC 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ( 11200-01-20G ) $259
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102984
Most reviews on Newegg


TOTAL is putting me around $1050. . .$150+ over budget. I need to scale back slightly. Would like to take at least $100 off. Can I do modest overclocking with stock cooling on i5-3570K as that would help if I could drop cooling?

I could shave some money off and forego the overclocking and go 3550, no extra CPU culling and just the WD HD. That takes about $ 100 off.

 

[quilciri]

Western Digital RE4 WD5003ABYX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $142 (comes with both Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premier Elements 11 (can shave $43 off if I drop, but that heck of deal and was using Version 5 of Photoshop Elements)
Buying based on passed experience with brand
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136697

Ah, I wasn't aware you wanted the software. Dunno what the pricing is on those, but if it's a good deal, stick with it.

SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095

You can drop down to a 500w PSU and still have room for expansion (at absolute max load, this system would be around 300w with the 7850)

THE FINAL QUESTION. . .7850? Keep reading about issues, but great performance, and what brand? Does it matter?

MSI R7850 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC Radeon HD 7850 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Video Card $259
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127663
Best reviews on Newegg

SAPPHIRERadeon HD 7850 OC 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ( 11200-01-20G ) $259
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102984
Most reviews on Newegg

Either one of those cards is good, but the ASUS Direct CU has the best stock cooler and is the same price on newegg.

You can also get essentially the same sapphire card for $10 cheaper - the version you linked is a factory overclocked card.

TOTAL is putting me around $1050. . .$150+ over budget. I need to scale back slightly. Would like to take at least $100 off. Can I do modest overclocking with stock cooling on i5-3570K as that would help if I could drop cooling?

I could shave some money off and forego the overclocking and go 3550, no extra CPU culling and just the WD HD. That takes about $ 100 off.

the stock cooler would be fine for small overclocks.

good luck!

 

[raven1970]

Thanks quilciri,

Ordered this morning. Went with the Asus 7850. Also decided to say what the heck, and ordered the Solo II case and two 120 fans for the front. My use of PC is in home office in cabinet with open front to back ventilation and have been eyeing that case for some time. Perfect that I waited until this morning, as newegg sent coupon code for Windows 7 that took $20 off and one for WD drive that took I think another $20 off. Malwarebytes with lifetime updates for $10 with another coupon.

First time really using ATI, outside of Llano system I built my son as a budget PC. See how that goes, but seems no matter where I look, 7850 is clearly the best bang for buck solution out there currently.

Thanks again.

 

[raven1970]

Best answer selected by raven1970.

 

[quilciri]

Nice!

Cheers