New System/First Build

[jholt]

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: Within Next two weeks

Budget Range: 600-1500
System Usage from Most to Least Important: (e.g.: Folding@Home, gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies)

Are you buying a monitor: Yes

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg/cheap but good sites.

Location: Fairbanks, Alaska. :/

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire:Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: in the market.

Additional Comments: going to be used mainly for gaming/Home theater PC. Looking for input on compatibility of the items i have researched a little. If they are completely incompatible, I'm a first timer and have very limited knowledge on this subject; which is why I'm challenging myself with this. Thank you all in advance for the time you are about to put into helping me. I appreciate it greatly.

The following are all NEWEGG item numbers. Please tell me if this sounds like a decent/compatible build:

Item # N82E16811129100 Antec 1200 tower-159.99
Item # N82E16822148681 Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB Hard drive- 119.99
Item # N82E16814127696 GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB video Card- 309.99
Item # N82e16829132007 asus xonar d1 7.1 channel sound card- 73.99
Item # N82E16817151098 Seasonic SS-560km active pfc f3 560W atx12v power supply 134.99
Item # N82E16813157296 ASRock Z77 Pro4 LGA 6Gb/s intel motherboard 109.99
Item # N82E16819115070 Intel Core i7-2600K sandy bridge 1155 95w processer 299.99
Item # N82E16827129067 Pioner bd/dvd/cd writer BDR 207DBKS 89.99
Item # N82E16820147134 Samsung 830 series MZ-7PC128D 128gb sata III SSD 121.99

 

[allanitomwesh]

Don't put a sandy bridge processor on a Z77 motherboard. Get the i7 3770K instead. And a CPU cooler like 212 EVO for overclocking.
You don't need the sound card, your motherboard has hd audio.
Radeon hd7870 is a better card.
Get the asrock extreme 4 if you plan to ever sli/crossfire.
The antec nine hundred two is a cheaper case.

 

[l0v3rboi]

Here is a build that cost less than 1500:

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 ($28.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($77.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.36 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($101.60 @ Mac Connection)
Power Supply: XFX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($122.71 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.98 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.63 @ Amazon)
Total: $1349.21
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-22 11:12 EDT-0400)

You don't really need the i7 as gaming do not use hyperthreading. Also, this build has the best GPU in terms of price and performance. If you want to stick with the 660ti then by all means. It will be able to do all the things you want unless you wanted to burn Bluerays (checked the one you had listed and I didn't think its a blueray writer).

 

[g-unit1111]

Don't put a sandy bridge processor on a Z77 motherboard. Get the i7 3770K instead. And a CPU cooler like 212 EVO for overclocking.
You don't need the sound card, your motherboard has hd audio.
Radeon hd7870 is a better card.
Get the asrock extreme 4 if you plan to ever sli/crossfire.
The antec nine hundred two is a cheaper case.

The Antec 900 is a cheaper case but it certainly isn't better than the 500R. The 7870 is not better than 660TI, at least by what I've been reading, and gaming systems will not benefit from a 3770K.

The following are all NEWEGG item numbers. Please tell me if this sounds like a decent/compatible build:

The sound card isn't needed - you can drop that.

For a <=$1500 build I'd get something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($142.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($118.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($407.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Gunmetal/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($104.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1370.74
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-22 12:58 EDT-0400)

 

[hunterpostit88]

I'm going to discard the build you made sir. Here is something kickass.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fllX
We stayed under your budget being able to XFire.

PS: You don't need a Z77 if you ever buy Sandy Bridge. You need like a P68 or something.
I hope you consider this build

 

[g-unit1111]

I'm going to discard the build you made sir. Here is something kickass.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fllX
We stayed under your budget being able to XFire.

PS: You don't need a Z77 if you ever buy Sandy Bridge. You need like a P68 or something.
I hope you consider this build

A 3770K isn't needed on a gaming system - and way overkill for what the OP needs, and you're way overpaying on that motherboard. The Sabertooth isn't worth the premiums. And where are 2 x 7850 better than a single 670? I haven't seen those benchmarks.

 

[Why_Me]

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: Within Next two weeks

Budget Range: 600-1500
System Usage from Most to Least Important: (e.g.: Folding@Home, gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies)

Are you buying a monitor: Yes

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg/cheap but good sites.

Location: Fairbanks, Alaska. :/

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire:Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: in the market.

Additional Comments: going to be used mainly for gaming/Home theater PC. Looking for input on compatibility of the items i have researched a little. If they are completely incompatible, I'm a first timer and have very limited knowledge on this subject; which is why I'm challenging myself with this. Thank you all in advance for the time you are about to put into helping me. I appreciate it greatly.

The following are all NEWEGG item numbers. Please tell me if this sounds like a decent/compatible build:

Item # N82E16811129100 Antec 1200 tower-159.99
Item # N82E16822148681 Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB Hard drive- 119.99
Item # N82E16814127696 GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB video Card- 309.99
Item # N82e16829132007 asus xonar d1 7.1 channel sound card- 73.99
Item # N82E16817151098 Seasonic SS-560km active pfc f3 560W atx12v power supply 134.99
Item # N82E16813157296 ASRock Z77 Pro4 LGA 6Gb/s intel motherboard 109.99
Item # N82E16819115070 Intel Core i7-2600K sandy bridge 1155 95w processer 299.99
Item # N82E16827129067 Pioner bd/dvd/cd writer BDR 207DBKS 89.99
Item # N82E16820147134 Samsung 830 series MZ-7PC128D 128gb sata III SSD 121.99

From a fellow Alaskan take my word that you want to purchase from Amazon if you want to save $$ on the shipping charges. This build down below allows you to add another one of those video cards later on in SLI. That Corsair case comes with a built in multi channel fan controller, dust filters, LED on/off switch, etc... That BluRay writer down below is the retail version. You can find the BluRay reader for cheaper but unless you already have the software you want the retail version and not the OEM.


http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Tower-Gaming-CC-9011012-WW/dp/B005E983JW/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1345408103&sr=1-5 $118.98 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 500R Mid Tower Gaming Case CC-9011012-WW

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-PRO750W-Semi-Modular-80Plus-Supply/dp/B005IUVYA2/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1345408203&sr=1-3 $111.71 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping | Price after rebate: $101.71
XFX PRO750W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80Plus 750 Watt Power Supply (Silver)

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-P8Z77-V-LK-Intel-Motherboards/dp/B007RIFKTY/ref=sr_1_10?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1345417445&sr=1-10&keywords=Intel $145.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping | Price after rebate: $105.99
Asus P8Z77-V LK Intel Z77 DDR3 LGA 1155 Motherboards

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i5-3570K-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B007SZ0E1K/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1345409169&sr=1-1 $229.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I53570K

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005O65JXI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=A2EUTVCJXLAJ4K $33.49 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

http://www.amazon.com/Patriot-Memory-Extreme-Masters-PC3-12800/dp/B008MF3R82/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1345410074&sr=1-1&keywords=Patriot+Memory+Intel+Extreme+Masters+8+GB $44.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Patriot Memory Intel Extreme Masters 8 GB (2 x 4GB) PC3-12800 CL9 Memory Kit - PVI38G160C9K

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Electronics-Computer-Drive-BDR-2207B5PK/dp/B00834SING/ref=pd_cp_pc_0 $89.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Pioneer Electronics USA Blu Ray Computer Drive, BDR-2207B5PK

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-ST2000DM001-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal/dp/B005T3GRN2/ref=sr_1_2?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1345655020&sr=1-2 $113.46 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Seagate ST2000DM001 Barracuda 7200RPM 2 TB SATA 6 GB/s NCQ 64 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive

http://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-7PC128B-WW/dp/B0077CR60Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1345655637&sr=1-1&keywords=samsung+128gb+ssd $109.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
SAMSUNG 830 Series 2.5-Inch 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7PC128B/WW

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008SBX6GI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER $309.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping | Price after rebate: $299.99
MSI N660Ti PE 2GD5/OC Graphics Cards N660Ti PE 2GD5/OC

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_b $90.30 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

Total: $1,285.42 *not including mail in rebates



http://www.amazon.com/VS228H-P-21-5-Inch-Full-HD-Monitor-Black/dp/B005BZNDOO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1344807205&sr=1-1&keywords=asus+21.5+led+monitor $136.40 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
ASUS VS228H-P 21.5-Inch Full-HD LED Monitor (Black) | 5ms; 50,000,000:1 ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio; Full 1080P with HDMI

http://usa.asus.com/Display/LCD_Monitors/VS228HP/#overview <----- another look at that monitor

http://www.asus.com/Display/Features/Splendid_Technology/ <----- ASUS Splendid Technology


http://usa.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z77V_LK/ <----- another look at that ASUS board along with a link on there to the latest bios update

http://www.corsair.com/carbide-series-500r-mid-tower-case.html <----- another look at that Corsair case up above

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_660_Ti_Power_Edition/ <----- review w/benchmarks of that MSI GTX 660 ti listed in this build.

 

[hunterpostit88]

Go to gpureview. There it will prove my point.

 

[l0v3rboi]

Go to gpureview. There it will prove my point.

It is true that performance is better. For the $500 price tag of two though, I don't think its worth it at the moment. Besides, you can easily overclock the gtx 670 and come pretty close.

 

[g-unit1111]

It is true that performance is better. For the $500 price tag of two though, I don't think its worth it at the moment. Besides, you can easily overclock the gtx 670 and come pretty close.

Not only that it's a bit of a moot point since you can always add another one later. To me SLI / Crossfire is usually a last resort - it's mainly when the GPU is at the end of the line you can extend its' life by adding a second or third one. Initially you always want to get the single strongest card you can as opposed to two weaker ones.

 

[allanitomwesh]

The Antec 900 is a cheaper case but it certainly isn't better than the 500R. The 7870 is not better than 660TI, at least by what I've been reading, and gaming systems will not benefit from a 3770K.

The following are all NEWEGG item numbers. Please tell me if this sounds like a decent/compatible build:

The sound card isn't needed - you can drop that.

For a <=$1500 build I'd get something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($142.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($118.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($407.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Gunmetal/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($104.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1370.74
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-22 12:58 EDT-0400)

I said 902 not 900. Anyway, nice build.I'd change the corsair psu though http://newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104164