Critique My New Build

[torchrider]

Here is what I have decided on for my new build. It will be used for Digital Photo/Video editing, movie watching and some gaming. Please let me know what you think or if you have recommendations/changes.

It does not include Monitor, keyboard, mouse or DVD burner because I already have those.

Corsair Obsidian Series 650D (CC650DW-1) Black Steel structure with black brushed aluminum faceplate ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$179.99

ASUS P8Z77-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$207.99

EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-3662-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$309.99

SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold ((SS-650KM Active PFC F3)) 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply
$139.99

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
$229.99

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$109.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM
$104.99

 

[austing]

Here is what I have decided on for my new build. It will be used for Digital Photo/Video editing, movie watching and some gaming. Please let me know what you think or if you have recommendations/changes.

It does not include Monitor, keyboard, mouse or DVD burner because I already have those.

Corsair Obsidian Series 650D (CC650DW-1) Black Steel structure with black brushed aluminum faceplate ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$179.99

ASUS P8Z77-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$207.99

EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-3662-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$309.99

SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold ((SS-650KM Active PFC F3)) 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply
$139.99

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
$229.99

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$109.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM
$104.99

You picked basicly everything that is the best for the price range. A very good enthusaist build. You did your homework.

I would recomend a Asrock Extreme 4, or 6, if you wanna take a gander.

 

[g-unit1111]

I think you're overpaying a bit on the case and motherboard - you could drop the case to the Corsair 400R, and the motherboard to the Gigabyte Z77-UD3H and save about $100 there. Then you could invest that into a 1TB - 2TB hard drive to compliment that M4, otherwise everything else looks good.

 

[mocchan]

I agree with the above posters about the motherboard, the case may be up to personal preference/how much money you are willing to spend :lol:

If you're wanting a more elegant looking system, the Obsidian 550D is one wicked case. However, if elegance or silence is not your priority and you want more of a price effective solution, I would agree with g-unit's suggestion of a 400R

 

[g-unit1111]

I agree with the above posters about the motherboard, the case may be up to personal preference/how much money you are willing to spend :lol:

If you're wanting a more elegant looking system, the Obsidian 550D is one wicked case. However, if elegance or silence is not your priority and you want more of a price effective solution, I would agree with g-unit's suggestion of a 400R

The Obsidian is a good case but I only recommend it in rare circumstances, I'd go with the NZXT Switch 810 in that price range.

The 550D is a good choice, but I think I'd stick with the 400R/500R instead.

 

[mocchan]

Switch 810! One of my favorites actually :lol: That's a great case if you can catch it on sale (even without a sale it's great).

But yes, I agree. The Obsidian 550D is a very slick case, however, the 500R is nearly identical inside, so I would prefer that considering the price.

 

[g-unit1111]

Switch 810! One of my favorites actually :lol: That's a great case if you can catch it on sale (even without a sale it's great).

But yes, I agree. The Obsidian 550D is a very slick case, however, the 500R is nearly identical inside, so I would prefer that considering the price.

I love the Switch 810 - if they had that when I got my 600T I would have that case instead. But it wasn't an option when I got it.

 

[torchrider]

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback. Help me understand why the recommendations for a different MOBO. I have to be honest and say that I dont know all the feature differences between the boards and may not need the more expensive MOBO. As I said most of my work will be around photo/video editing and movie watching with a small amount of gaming. I want the L77 chip set and the 1155 socket, but beyond that I dont know what I am paying for.

 

[g-unit1111]

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback. Help me understand why the recommendations for a different MOBO. I have to be honest and say that I dont know all the feature differences between the boards and may not need the more expensive MOBO. As I said most of my work will be around photo/video editing and movie watching with a small amount of gaming. I want the L77 chip set and the 1155 socket, but beyond that I dont know what I am paying for.

The Asus and the Gigabyte have pretty much the exact same feature set - the Gigabyte is $50 less.

 

[mocchan]

^ +1

ASUS is more of a premium brand when it comes to some things, if you can get the same feature set as an ASUS board for less, why not get it?

 

[Arlen10]

^+1 All looks good

 

[Kamen_BG]

You could change the case to something like an Antec P280 which will save you some money without compromising on features or quality or the Cooler Master RC 690 Advanced which is only a mid tower but costs a lot less.

You can also save some money on the motherboard.
If you want a great board with lots of features and awesome looks i recommend this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130643

With only those two changes you save around 90-160$.And you're not making your PC ANY worse.

Next up is the power supply.The one you chose is MASSIVELY overpriced.You can get a much better unit overall and also save money.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194093
I recommend taking a look at this one.It's less efficient than the PSU you chose but it will allow you to crossfire later on when you need it.
Or if you don't want to compromise on efficiency you should take a look at the new Rosewill Fortress 750.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182084&Tpk=fortress%20750

And i forgot one thing.If you PC is for gaming you don't need any more than 8GB of RAM.Heck im fine with 4GB!
Mushkin RAM usually overclocks very well.So i think you should get this kit if you want the best performance.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226302

Or this one if you want to save some money
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233202

Or if you REALLY need 16GB RAM (which almost nobody needs because it doesnt boost performance unless you multitask like crazy)
then these are the two kits i think you should consider.
The first one is pretty cheap and just as fast as the kit you picked but costs less.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231556

And the second one is your high-performance choice
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231611

With the money you saved you can upgrade your CPU to Intel Core i7 2600K and most importantly you can upgrade your graphics card to a HD 7970 GHZ Edition like this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202001
Or a overclocked HD 7970
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125413

Both of them are a LOT more powerfull than a GTX 660 Ti.They rival a GTX 680!

 

[g-unit1111]

Next up is the power supply.The one you chose is MASSIVELY overpriced.You can get a much better unit overall and also save money.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817194093
I recommend taking a look at this one.It's less efficient than the PSU you chose but it will allow you to crossfire later on when you need it.
Or if you don't want to compromise on efficiency you should take a look at the new Rosewill Fortress 750.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] ress%20750

I'm not sure I would go with either of those PSUs. The Seasonic is one of the best you can get on the market and I've had bad power supplies believe me, I'm more cautious about the ones I purchase now.

Or this one if you want to save some money
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820233202

No. I have that RAM and it's OK - it doesn't do the job that I thought it was going to do, I'm planning on switching it out with G.Skill or Mushkin RAM in the next few weeks.

With the money you saved you can upgrade your CPU to Intel Core i7 2600K and most importantly you can upgrade your graphics card to a HD 7970 GHZ Edition like this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814202001
Or a overclocked HD 7970
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814125413

Why get the 2600K when you can get the 3770K, unlock PCI Gen 3 and get the full use of that 7970 or 680? It makes no sense to water down a GPU, especially a $400 or $500 one.