First Time Builder - Are these parts good enough?

[Adrian_JH]

Hey everyone! This will be my first post here on Tomshardware. I have been using this website as reference to much of my research with computer parts and hardware so i decided it was time to join.

Anyway, Im building my first computer ever and i have done extensive research on sooo many things over the last 7 days and I have compiled a few parts to build my PC which I believe are good enough.

However any suggestions and comments on how to save on cash or improve my build will be greatly appreciated! Okay here goes.

Computer Case: C283-2071 ::Cooler Master SGC-1000-KWN1 Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case - ATX, Micro ATX, 4x Ext 5.25", 1x Ext 3.5", 6x Int 3.5", 1x 200mm Red LED Fan, 1x 120mm Fan, 2x USB 3.0 Ports, 2x USB 2.0 Ports, Black(22.6 lbs) - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7258569&sku=C283-2071


Motherboard: A455-2042 ::ASUS P8Z77-V LX Intel 7 Series Motherboard - ATX, Socket H2 (LGA1155), Intel Z77 Express, 2400MHz DDR3 (O.C.), SATA III (6Gb/s), RAID, 8-CH Audio, Gigabit LAN, USB 3.0, PCIe 3.0, CrossFireX Ready(2.6 lbs) - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2406888&sku=A455-2042


CPU: I69-3570K ::Intel Core i5-3570K BX806237i53570K Processor - Quad Core, 6MB L3 Cache, 3.40GHz (3.80GHz Max Turbo), Socket H2 (LGA1155), 77W, Fan, Unlocked, Retail(0.9 lbs) - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2373004&sku=I69-3570K


GPU: E145-0670 ::EVGA 02G-P4-2670-KR GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card - 2GB, GDDR5, PCI-Express 3.0, DVI-D, DVI-I, HDMI, Display Port, DirectX 11(2.5 lbs) - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2580889&sku=E145-0670


Power Supply: U12-41563 ::Ultra X4 Modular 850-Watt ATX Power Supply V2 - 850W, 135mm Fan, ATX, 80+ Silver, Active PFC, Nvidia SLI, ATI Crossfire X, Vibration Dampener Included, Lifetime Warranty with Registration(9 lbs) - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1583411&sku=U12-41563


Hard Drive 1: O261-6380 ::OCZ VTX3-25SAT3-120G Vertex 3 Solid State Drive - 120GB, 2.5", SATA III (0.5 lbs) - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=91218&sku=O261-6380

Hard Drive 2: Western Digital WD10EALX Caviar Blue Hard Drive - 1TB, 3.5", SATA 6Gbps, 7200 RPM, 32MB - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7288051&sku=TSD-1000EALX


Memory Modules: K24-9917 ::Kingston HyperX Genesis 8GB (2 x 4GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, 9-9-9-27 CAS Latency, Intel XPM Ready Desktop Memory Kit (0.15 lbs) - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7104116&sku=K24-9917


CPU Cooling: N126-1024 ::Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler - 140x140x25mm, i5, i7, 775, AM2(5.15 lbs) - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5592441&sku=N126-1024


GPU Cooling: Accelero Twin Turbo II VGA Cooler for NVIDIA - http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Coolin...=Accelero+Twin+Turbo+II+VGA+Cooler+for+NVIDIA


Monitor: A179-2150 ::Acer S211HL bd 22" Class LED Monitor - 1080p, 1920x1080, 12000000:1 Dynamic, 5ms, VGA, DVI (10.4 lbs) - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6416892&sku=A179-2150


CD/DVD Drive - L12-1312 OEM ::Lite-On IHAS124-04 Internal DVD Writer - DVD+R 24X, DVD-R 24X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, DVD+R DL 8X, SATA (OEM)(0.3 lbs) - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4829307&sku=L12-1312 OEM


Optical Mouse: S19-806901T ::OEM Black PS/2 Optical Scroll Mouse - 3 Button, Black, PS/2, OEM(1 lbs) - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1365845&sku=S19-806901T


Keyboard: L23-7316 ::Logitech 920-000914 Illuminated Keyboard(3.45 lbs) - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4181421&sku=L23-7316


Wireless/Bluetooth Networking:

A455-0007 ::ASUS USB-BT211 Mini Bluetooth Dongle - USB 2.0, Up to 3.0Mbps, Bluetooth v2.0 + EDR, Up to 100 meters(0.4 lbs) - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6764430&sku=A455-0007

TP-Link TL-WN822N High Gain Wireless N USB Adapter - 300Mbps, Mini USB 2.0 Port, Dual 3dBi Omni Directional Antennas - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=788262&sku=T141-1050


The Total cost of everything I have here comes to $1670.21. Does the Price match to the complete picture here? Lend me your thoughts and opinions please.

 

[g-unit1111]

First off fix your links. It looks good but with a few things to keep in mind:

1. That power supply is an *ABSOLUTE* no - Ultra PSUs are among the worst in the industry - I've used a couple of them and they're just flat out junk. I had an X3 and it constantly shut down my system left and right. Go with this instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703027

No one should buy Ultra's crap under any circumstances. They don't even list Ultra junk on PC Part Picker. :lol:

2. GPU coolers are a total waste of money - if a GPU vendor (EVGA especially) finds out that you've been using an aftermarket cooler, they will void your warranty, and on a $400 GPU, you don't want to be SOL if that happens. Drop this entirely.

3. Switch out your SSD - OCZ has a really iffy reputation with their SSDs, especially on the Vertex series even with their new Indilinx controller. Get this instead as it's far better: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

4. The Bluetooth module isn't a necessity, and neither is the aftermarket GPU cooler. Drop both of those and invest that money elsewhere.

5. For $1600 I'd suggest things a bit differently:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($189.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1582.87
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

Add whatever monitor and peripherals you want and you're good to go. I don't suggest those things on builds as they're entirely personal preference.

 

[Adrian_JH]

First off fix your links. It looks good but with a few things to keep in mind:

1. That power supply is an *ABSOLUTE* no - Ultra PSUs are among the worst in the industry - I've used a couple of them and they're just flat out junk. I had an X3 and it constantly shut down my system left and right. Go with this instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703027

No one should buy Ultra's crap under any circumstances. They don't even list Ultra junk on PC Part Picker. :lol:

2. GPU coolers are a total waste of money - if a GPU vendor (EVGA especially) finds out that you've been using an aftermarket cooler, they will void your warranty, and on a $400 GPU, you don't want to be SOL if that happens. Drop this entirely.

3. Switch out your SSD - OCZ has a really iffy reputation with their SSDs, especially on the Vertex series even with their new Indilinx controller. Get this instead as it's far better: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

4. The Bluetooth module isn't a necessity, and neither is the aftermarket GPU cooler. Drop both of those and invest that money elsewhere.

5. For $1600 I'd suggest things a bit differently:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($189.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1582.87
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

Add whatever monitor and peripherals you want and you're good to go. I don't suggest those things on builds as they're entirely personal preference.

Thanks for the quick reply.

1. The Cooler on the GTX 670 is enough to keep it cool under loads?

2. Why Samsung HDD and not Western Digital?

3. How did you get your links to appear like that? Do you type in the html syntax code for it or click something?

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks for the quick reply.

1. The Cooler on the GTX 670 is enough to keep it cool under loads?

2. Why Samsung HDD and not Western Digital?

3. How did you get your links to appear like that? Do you type in the html syntax code for it or click something?

1. Yes - but like I said you don't want to use an aftermarket cooler or things could end badly. I've had techs tell me that they've voided many a warranty for using an aftermarket cooling solution, and I think it's even somewhere in EVGA's warranty guidelines. As long as you have your air flow setup correctly you won't run into any heating issues. I'd suggest reading this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-airflow-heatsink,3053.html

2. I like both and have both, some Western Digital models are better than others (Caviar Black is better than Caviar Blue, which is better than Caviar Green), pretty much all Samsung drives are from the same manufacturer.

3. This website is extremely helpful, I just copied and pasted from there: www.pcpartpicker.com

 

[Adrian_JH]

1. Yes - but like I said you don't want to use an aftermarket cooler or things could end badly. I've had techs tell me that they've voided many a warranty for using an aftermarket cooling solution, and I think it's even somewhere in EVGA's warranty guidelines. As long as you have your air flow setup correctly you won't run into any heating issues. I'd suggest reading this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-airflow-heatsink,3053.html

2. I like both and have both, some Western Digital models are better than others (Caviar Black is better than Caviar Blue, which is better than Caviar Green), pretty much all Samsung drives are from the same manufacturer.

3. This website is extremely helpful, I just copied and pasted from there: www.pcpartpicker.com

When i copy and paste it only appears as normal text but not as a hyper link that i could click on. Either way thank you for the fast replies man, ill take your advice and ill do some changes and repost to see if it looks any better.

How do i choose different merchant on pcpartpicker, it always chooses the first thing in line...chooses ncix when i want newegg

 

[g-unit1111]

When i copy and paste it only appears as normal text but not as a hyper link that i could click on. Either way thank you for the fast replies man, ill take your advice and ill do some changes and repost to see if it looks any better.

How do i choose different merchant on pcpartpicker, it always chooses the first thing in line...chooses ncix when i want newegg

In PC Part Picker - when you click on the button that says "BB Markup", it will take you to a window and you can choose a single merchant from there.

 

[Adrian_JH]

In PC Part Picker - when you click on the button that says "BB Markup", it will take you to a window and you can choose a single merchant from there.

Ok Thanks. I did some looking and changed a few things while keeping a few. How does it look now?

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($137.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer S231HLbid 23.0" Monitor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Logitech 920-000914 Wired Slim Keyboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech M125 Wired Optical Mouse ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1594.41

 

[g-unit1111]

Ok Thanks. I did some looking and changed a few things while keeping a few. How does it look now?

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($137.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer S231HLbid 23.0" Monitor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Logitech 920-000914 Wired Slim Keyboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech M125 Wired Optical Mouse ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1594.41

That looks way better than the initial build - I always try to persuade people not to buy crap brands like Ultra or waste their money on things they don't need, but that looks pretty good.

 

[Adrian_JH]

That looks way better than the initial build - I always try to persuade people not to buy crap brands like Ultra or waste their money on things they don't need, but that looks pretty good.

Okay, so I did some thinking and I do not think i can afford that 1500$ price...so i once again did some changes to the build while trying to maintain some sort of performance....i am not an over clocker, so that helped with reducing the price of some of the things i need to get.

I am however having difficulty choosing a gfx card. I would like to if i can keep the price tag at around 900 - 1100$ this time around. The choices I have made were between the gtx 570 or 670 or a decent amd card. Any suggestions?