My friend's "new build" (700-800)

[Jeffdom55]

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor - $99.99

Motherboard: MSI 890GXM-G65 Micro ATX  AM3 Motherboard - $84.98

Memory: A-Data XPG Gaming Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory - $48.99

Hard Drive: A-Data XPG SX900 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk - $119.99

VideoCard: HIS H787F2G2M Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5
PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support

Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER-U3 Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ,comes with Three Fans- usb 3.0

PowerSupply: XClio 550W ATX Power Supply - $52.98
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer - $16.99

How does this look? I'll also be getting him aftermarket coolers later. Also, he'll only be using ONE 1920x1080 and a headset. Thanks.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

It'll work, but:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($72.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Hard Drive: Western Digital RE2 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.75 @ Compuvest)
Hard Drive: Sandisk 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($85.21 @ eCost)
Video Card: VisionTek Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Challenger-U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($51.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 430W ATX12V Power Supply ($42.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $777.46
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-07-24 06:27 EDT-0400)

faster cpu
slightly slower but still powerful gpu for 1920x1080 gaming...the 7850 is the current 'sweet spot' gpu
better quality power supply, lower wattage, but with 28 amps on the 12v rail, plenty for this build, which will use about 300W assuming you maximize the fans
120 GB SSD at SATA III + 500 GB HDD at SATA II.

 

[Jeffdom55]

In that specific case, only one fan has a four pin connector. So I could only max one fan sadly. And I may just drop the SSD and get a Z77 motherboard with a 2500k. Or is the SSD THAT worth it?

 

[ScrewySqrl]

for fast boot, the SSD is so very, very worth it -- 15 seconds from power on to ready to use! Load times for WoW regions under 2 seconds.

fans CAN be daisy-chained off a molex as well (and what else will you be using molex for anyway?), and the 309W usage assumes you are using 7 120mm fans in the Challenger U3. (1 front, 1 bottom, 2 side, 2 top, 1 back)

the 3450 and SSD is a better bang-for buck than the 2500K and no SSD

 

[Jeffdom55]

Alright, thanks ScrewySqirl. He told me to ask if he should splurge and get the 2500k and Z77 so he can futureproof his build a bit? This has to last him quite awhile. (Intill he finishes four years of college) I said it was a good idea.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

if you're going to splurge for a z77 and 2500K, then add $30 for a Hyper 212 EVO cooler, as the only point of a 2500K vs 3570K is they overclock about the same.

2500K on Hyper 212 EVO should overclock to 4.2 to 4.5 GHz stable. 3570K to 4.2 to 4.4 GHz stable. both at the max listed overclock are pretty much identical in capability.

if you arent going to overclock or crossfire, theres not a huge advantage in the z77 and 2500K/3570K

 

[Jeffdom55]

I'd love to save him some money, but I don't think a 3450 will last him 3-4 years. I might as well get him a GPU cooler too. He plays Skyrim and other games on his crappy budget laptop, so I think he'll be happy either way for the time being. Thanks ScrewySqril for the help.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

I'd say a 3450 and HD 7850 will last around 3 years for most games at high/ultra, and after 4 years, medium/high

 

[Jeffdom55]

Alright. I'll take your word for it. Should I get him a 40$ fan for his video card or the stock fan will do just fine? Final question, promise.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

stock should be fine

 

[Jeffdom55]

Alright, I appreciate it Sqirl. Thanks for the help.

 

[Jeffdom55]

Best answer selected by Jeffdom55.