First Time Builder $1400

_Shadow_

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Jun 27, 2012
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Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: 1 - 2 Weeks

Budget Range: $1400 After Rebates / After Shipping / Including Monitor

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Mostly Gaming, Photoshop, School Work

Are you buying a monitor: Yes, I think I was looking at this monitor Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236175&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Parts to Upgrade: Just the computer and monitor

Do you need to buy OS: No i have a copy of Windows 7 64 bit

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Whatever is cheapest

Location: City, State/Region, Country - Massachusetts (USA)

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU with Nvidia GPU

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Probably in the future but not soon

Your Monitor Resolution: I want a monitor 23' - 24' 1920x1080 no more then $200

Additional Comments: Quiet, Will last for at least 3 years

Why Are You Upgrading: I am switching from console to pc and my laptop can not run the games i want to play such as: Dayz, BF3, Skyrim, Fallout, Portal

What I am thinking:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($85.88 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($108.49 @ Adorama)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($407.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1372.26
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-18 19:02 EDT-0400)

If I could save $50 somewhere that would be nice so then I could get a different case.
 

_Shadow_

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Jun 27, 2012
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could you recommend a board because its the one part im not sure about

EDIT: nvm just clicked ur link
 

geraldfryjr

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Dec 31, 2009
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You can save $30 by using this case,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146081

I have it and I think it is a very nice.

It will also fit a Corsair H100 water cooling system that also works like charm and is something that should be seriously considered if any overclocking to be done.

I also have the same power supply and it is an excellent unit and I wouldn't use anything less.

Although I have an AMD FX6100 it is extremely overclocked at 4.95 and I have had no power or cooling issues and runs flawlessly.

FWIW

jer :)
 

_Shadow_

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Jun 27, 2012
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Hey guys i have a question now, would it be better to get another 670 to put in sli or to just get a new card when i want to upgrade?
 
I just noticed you last something quiet, SLI is the last thing you will want if you want a quiet PC. Graphics cards are always the loudest thing in the system, 2 of them might get noisy, especially under load.

EDIT: Unless you plan on playing over 3 monitors or something, I'd avoid SLI.
 
actually, the R3/4 and the corsair 550D do a excellent job of keeping things quiet.

if you are going to do no SLI, id suggest something around 500w such as the pc power and cooling mk3 600w (cheaper than 500w). it sells for 49.99 after MIR at microcenter (online)
 

_Shadow_

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Jun 27, 2012
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Do you think this would be enough power for an overclocked 670 and i5 at 4ghz? Also would it work with future cards like a 770?
 

geraldfryjr

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Use this calculator,

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

Make sure that you add any possible future up grades too.

Also stick with a quality power supply it doesn't pay when one fails and takes out your motherboard and/or CPU.

I had one take out a motherboard once but the CPU survived.
Luckily the AMD opty 185 had a 3 year warranty and I sent it to them to check it.

I am still running on that very same machine with a new motherboard and power supply five years later.

jer :)
 

geraldfryjr

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Your build maxed out and overclocked with two GTX670's and 8 drives,8 usb devices and one ssd comes to at least 845 watts !!

With two GTX670's and just 2 hard drives comes to 650 watts.

With one GTX670 and just 2 hard drives comes to 553 watts.

I would stick with the supply you have selected.

FWIW

jer :)
 
I find that very hard to believe, I just used the calculator myself and it came out at 350-400W with a single card (overclocked) or 400-450W with heavy capacitor aging (meaning what it might be more like after a few years of heavy usage.)

500W is more than enough for an overclocked i5 and GTX 670 (including HDD's, SSD and fans etc.)
 

geraldfryjr

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You must not have included any potential up grades.

I included 6 fans,4 ram sticks,overclocking to 4.8ghz and a H100 watercooler.
These options alone comes to at least an extra 150watts from a base value.

A second GTX670 adds another 111 watts without overclocking the card or cards.

Just because a power supply says 750 watts on it doesn't mean that it will be using that much power as it only supplies what is needed even if it is just 50watts.

I don't use the capacitor aging factor as I believe that it is a irelavent factor unless the thing is really old and is something that one should not have to worry about if a quality unit is used.

The ripple voltage is what you want to watch out for and the TX series is good as I almost got one after reseaching nearly every review that I could find.
I got a ZT instead because it was on sale and was cheaper at the time and a little better I believe.

I believe in performance but I also believe in budget as well.
Unfortunately the power supply is something that one should not skimp on and that is where they get you.

FWIW

jer :)
 
Yeah I'm not telling him to skimp, I'm just saying 750W isn't required for a single 670. Maybe if he gets 2 of them and overclocks everything and has 10 hard drives and 10 fans, then 750W would be advisable. My guess is that he won't want that if he wants a quiet system though.
 


1: its kinda dumb to even touch 4.8ghz on a ivy bridge chip. you dump waaay too much heat into the rig and dont get much of a performance increase
2:the zt isnt that great compared to a tx series psu. if you did more research, you could have gotten a xfx 750w and it would be the exact same as the tx but cheaper or the same price (the 100 dollar model gets you modularity, and 80+ silver). then again the zt is fully modular so you cant complain too much
 

geraldfryjr

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Yes, I couldn't remember exactly which one was better but the difference wasn't much between the two compared to many of the other ones.
XfX was on my list as well but at the time the ZT was on sale and had a rebate so it was the best deal.
Also I preferred the modular design as well.

I know that 4.8 is a bit high but the difference from 4.5GHZ is less than 10 watts.

It doesn't hurt to account for a little headroom as the overclock on the CPU is only about 30 to 50 watts depending on the voltage required to get there.

jer :)