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First Build in the $1200 Range

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Hello,

I'm interested in building a multi-purpose system for both school and light gaming. Pretty much the only computer game I play currently and in the near future is DOTA 2. I'm also a structural engineering student at UCSD and would like to be able to run certain programs in the near future from my own desktop rather than going to the labs. Programs such as MATLAB, Solidworks, and AutoCAD.

Approximate Purchase Date: Before 4th of July Sales end
Budget Range: $1000-$1300 Don't want to rely too much on rebates to bring the price down but they're welcomed.
System Usage from Most to Least Important:Engineering programs, DOTA 2/gaming, web browsing, word processing etc
Parts Not Required: Monitor and maybe mouse
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, Frys
Country: USA
Parts Preferences: Intel CPU/NVIDIA GPU but will consider AMD. I just find CUDA very intriguing.
Overclocking: Maybe, nothing too extensive
SLI or Crossfire: Not planning on it
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080. Might move to dual monitors in the future
Additional Comments: I already have an Intel 330 180gb SSD that I was gona use in my laptop but will probably use with this. Don't want to spend too much on a keyboard. Might just use an old one I have. Also I plan on picking up the CPU from Microcenter. The 30 mile drive is worth the $60 bucks

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/b5Xp

More about : build 1200 range

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Here's just a few idea's to look at. Seeing how your considering dual monitors I would look for a card with more VRAM like that GTX 660 at the bottom of this post. It's due out sometime in July and that 3770K has built in Intel HD 4000 Graphics which would easily get you by until the release of that card.



http://www.corsair.com/carbide-series-300r-compact-pc-g... <----- another look at that case

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Pro4/ <----- another look at that board along with a link to the latest bios


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $79.99 - $69.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING $10 off w/ promo code EMCNDHB29, ends 7/4
Corsair Carbide Series 300R Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $59.99
SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite... $184.98 save: $15.00
ASRock Z77 Pro4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $92.99 FREE SHIPPING
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML16GX3M4A1600C9B

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006EKJCWM/ref=ox_sc_a... $110.18 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
SanDisk Extreme SSD 120GB GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s2.5-Inch Solid State Drive- SDSSDX-120G-G25

or....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006EKJ8UI/ref=ox_sc_a... $210.02 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
SanDisk Extreme SSD 240GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive- SDSSDX-240G-G25


http://videocardz.com/nvidia/geforce-600/geforce-gtx-66... $300 (due for release near the end of July)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 660

Why_Me said:
Here's just a few idea's to look at. Seeing how your considering dual monitors I would look for a card with more VRAM like that GTX 660 at the bottom of this post. It's due out sometime in July and that 3770K has built in Intel HD 4000 Graphics which would easily get you by until the release of that card.



http://www.corsair.com/carbide-series-300r-compact-pc-g... <----- another look at that case




its a decent enough case but its designed for a dual fan radiator to be fitted to the top . Unless the OP wants to pay for a corsair H100 its best avoided because otherwise the cooling is not that good
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Outlander_04 said:
how is the cooling good?

Like most of corsairs cases its average or OK but not great

With the Corsair cases the Carbide and Graphite series cases have pretty good cooling and airflow imo unlike the Corsair Obsidian series cases. I wouldn't use one of those Corsair Obsidian cases if I was given one for free. Their a hot box.

Dw Why_Me. He just enjoys to pick on me. I've seen enough of his posts to see what kind of person he is. I have the Carbide 500R and it is the BEST case I have ever had. Great airflow. I am sure the 300R is just the same.

azeem40 said:
Dw Why_Me. He just enjoys to pick on me. I've seen enough of his posts to see what kind of person he is. I have the Carbide 500R and it is the BEST case I have ever had. Great airflow. I am sure the 300R is just the same.


Corsair 500R cpu temp at load =60 C
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4972/corsair-carbide-500r...

Antec 300 two cpu temp at load = 53 C
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5462/antec-three-hundred-...

Since the 300 two is about half the cost of the 500R , I'd say the corsairs results were terrible

Outlander_04 said:
the Corsair 300 is better than the 500R but its still not a good value case .

Well let's see.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $79.99 - $69.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING $10 off w/ promo code EMCNDHB29, ends 7/4
Corsair Carbide Series 300R Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.corsair.com/carbide-series-300r-compact-pc-g...

Two 120mm/140mm top fan mount locations
Two side panel 120/140mm fan mount locations
Two front panel 120/140mm fan mount locations
Includes one front-mounted 140mm fan and one rear 120mm fan

Quote:
The 300R is equipped with two fans for intake and exhaust, and the integrated dust filters on the front and bottom intakes are easy removable. There's room for you to install five more fans, including mounting points for two side panel 120mm fans for drawing cool air directly over your GPUs. If you're building a multi-GPU gaming rig, proper graphics ventilation is essential.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $69.99 + $7.99 Shipping
Antec Three Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Upgraded 2 x USB 3.0

1 x 120mm rear TwoCool Fan
1 x 140mm top TwoCool Fan

120mm side intake fan (Optional)

Washable air filters

Thanks for the input guys. As to your recommendations:

How does the Pro4 Motherboard compare to the extreme 4?

Do you have any opinions on workstation graphics cards? I feel like one is necessary to run the engineering applications well but how badly will the games performance suffer?

Does anyone have any actual opinions on the Antec Eleven Hundred? I have no problem spending a little extra on the case because I view it as a good investment because it should be something that lasts and is what everyone sees.

I'll pass on the SSD's and stick with the Intel 330 I already have.

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