Is He Ready? Nearly final BDay Gift

[ZeroShadow]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($215.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($247.86 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $888.02
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-12 21:02 EDT-0400)

This is pretty much looking like the final build for my brand new, first ever self built birthday computer. Already bought the GPU ($223.99), the CPU ($215.99), the OS (79.99) AND the motherboard/ram ($137.54) but looking for suggestion on the rest of the parts especially the PSU and a balanced case that is semi quiet yet decent/great airflow.

Since I have a 800 dollar budget that leaves me with about $142.99 left in cash but I'm willing to spend a few more dollars within reason if its worthwhile.($50-60 Dollars Max) Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[ss202sl]

I built one a few months ago, and got a coolermaster HAF case, and have been happy with it. I can hear a little fan noise, but it's not bad, and it was large enough to easily accommodate my hyper 212+ (some cases aren't large enough) Also it was easy to manage cables and runs cool. Your system looks pretty solid, and the only thing i would suggest is maybe adding a SSD, but it isn't a must - only if you have the budget(I wouldn't change anything to be able to afford the SSD).

 

[ZeroShadow]

Yeah I've been looking at the Haf. Cheap, good and nice looking but not really my style. Looking at the Corsair Carbide series right now & really liking it! The PSU and case is what I'm really struggling with.

 

[Onus]

I like the Antec Three Hundred Two. It is a wide case, with plenty of cable management space. The fans are quiet and effective, and it has USB3.0 ports that attach to a mobo's USB3.0 header without needing to be fed out the rear of the case. In general, I also like Rosewill for cases. I will not buy or recommend any product from Crappermaster, no matter how good; the company has been proven to be dishonest in competent technical reviews, and dishonesty should have consequences.
I would replace the hard drive with a WD Black drive that still has a five year warranty, vs. two years for the Seagate.
A quality 500W-550W PSU will be sufficient for your build. Anything made by Seasonic will be good (e.g. Seasonic, XFX, some Antec, some Corsair). Antec, FSP, and Enermax/LEPA are also good.

 

[edtheguy]

Those above are all good cases, I will throw my .02 in for the Corsair 500r - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139009
Good cable management, excellent air flow and plenty of room for more than the stock cooler (although you may want to move she side fan) as well as extra fans. But really, as long as you don't get a budget case it comes down to personal preference.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Very nice system config. Also consider a SSD.

As for the case I like the new Fractal R4.

 

[azeem40]

Those above are all good cases, I will throw my .02 in for the Corsair 500r - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139009
Good cable management, excellent air flow and plenty of room for more than the stock cooler (although you may want to move she side fan) as well as extra fans. But really, as long as you don't get a budget case it comes down to personal preference.

No need to remove the side fan. I can fit one of the largest air coolers, the Noctua NH-D14 in my case with plenty of room to spare, even with the side fan.

 

[edtheguy]

No need to remove the side fan. I can fit one of the largest air coolers, the Noctua NH-D14 in my case with plenty of room to spare, even with the side fan.

That makes it even better then, with the 'factory' fan setup in my case the airflow is so good that my 670's cooler fan almost never needs to run.

 

[ZeroShadow]

I'm a little mad the forums didn't update me until now that I got more replies on my thread. Probably could have saved some cash with the recommended cases. Ended up getting an Eleven Hundred case for $60. Probably way too big and cumbersome for my first case but I got some extra money from fam and was willing to wait for prices of reliable SSDs to fall a little farther.

A little worried that I might not have got a reliable PSU since I purchased a OCZ ModXtreme 600 watt power supply for really cheap. I guesss we will see...

 

[rishiswaz]

A little worried that I might not have got a reliable PSU since I purchased a OCZ ModXtreme 600 watt power supply for really cheap. I guesss we will see...

That PSU should be fine if I recall correctly OCZ PSUs are made by PC Power & Cooling and my friend bought one of those to replace a Raidmax one that came with his case and it has been running with no problems yet (1 year now)

 

[ZeroShadow]

That PSU should be fine if I recall correctly OCZ PSUs are made by PC Power & Cooling and my friend bought one of those to replace a Raidmax one that came with his case and it has been running with no problems yet (1 year now)

Yeah seems like mostly bad luck with just a few people but I hoping not to be one of them! Thanks for the reassurance.