$800 Gaming setup. A few questions/feedback

[Shadowmaru]

This is what I've come up with for a $800 gaming rig. My setup will be connected to a 42” Panasonic Viera I have all my wireless peripherals, and I have an OS. Aside from gaming I will need to use the computer for art design. (not sure which programs I will get yet.)

I’ve browsed the forums a bit and I have shopped around Newegg. (This is the site I prefer to buy from.)

I don’t really plan on overclocking or SLI at this time.

Here are my two links from pcpartpicker:

ASrock/CoolMaster : http://pcpartpicker.com/p/io6d

Gigabyte/Roswill: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/io7D

*links updated 9/24/12 6:30am

Could you please explain the difference between these two mobo’s?

I’m leaning toward the CM case, but Roswell seems nice too. Any way you guys can help me choose? (I like multiple USBs and hard drives.) This is my first time custom building so I want the case to last awhile.


I think I’ve gotten it as close as I can to $800 but if there is anyway we can shave off some $$ I might be able to upgrade another part with that $20 or so.

(Pretty much all my questions have been answered, I'll keep this post up for a bit for feedback, opinions or if anyone finds a sweet bundled deal.)

 

[excella1221]

I like the ASRock/CM build better. :]
It's Rosewill* by the way.

The ASRock z77 Extreme4 is the best bang for buck LGA1155 in the price range.
The CM is bigger, spacier, than the Rosewill Challanger. I would rank them #1 and #2 respectively in that price range for best cases.
The CM has more External 5.25" and Internal 3.5" than the Rosewill Challenger, but the RC has an extra External 3.5".

Your PSU is alot already. No need to change. If anything, you can go down to 500w.

That HDD is only SATAII. Get this instead.

You can shave off $10 by changing the RAM to G.Skill Ares 8gb (2x4gb).
Another $15 by getting the i5-3450.

Stick with the Sapphire imo.

 

[willyroc]

Save $50 by going with an i5-3470 and an Asrock H77-M mobo. Go with the first build btw, and 600W is a bit overkill but I guess it's fine and it isn't too big.

 

[Shadowmaru]

I swapped out the storage drive, and can sub in this power supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013 Just want to make sure its as dependable as Cosair. (If the ESP 12v is not important I can go with: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027 )

The Ares are only $1 cheaper than Ripjaw on new egg so I just kept those in.

Any money I could save would go back into the build, so I don't really want to downgrade CPU, Graphics or Mobo.

Thanks for the tips and if anyone else has ideas they are welcome to share.

I am leaning toward the Asrock/CM build too. ^.<

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Three-Hundred-Two-Gaming/dp/B006TVQTHW/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348458686&sr=1-5 $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Antec Three Hundred Two Gaming Case, Black

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030 $54.99 $10 off w/ promo code CollegeSave10, limited offer
Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1061683 $105.98 save: $8.00
ASRock B75 PRO3 LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PV38G160C9K

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1053748 $206.98 save: $10.00
Intel Core i5-3470 Ivy Bridge 3.2GHz (3.6GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i53470
SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner SATA Model SH-222BB/BEBE - OEM

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST1000DM003/dp/B005T3GRNW/ref=sr_1_8?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348464501&sr=1-8 $74.98 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1 TB 7200RPM SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST1000DM003

 

[excella1221]

The Ares are only $1 cheaper than Ripjaw on new egg so I just kept those in.

I'm not sure what you were looking at but:
RAM on your pcpartpicker link: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (4 x 2GB)

RAM I linked: G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)

 

[Shadowmaru]

I typed in the wrong memory at pcpartpicker, sorry for the mix up. Here are the ones in my cart on newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314 (PCpartpicker is also incorrect on the mobo price. its $134.99 on new egg.) I updated the link, it should be correct now.

@Why_Me Thanks for the bundle suggestions, if they are around in a couple weeks when I get the $$ in. I'll take em into consideration.

 

[excella1221]

The 500w you linked should be enough. Though if it were me, I'll take the 550w PSU just to be above safe. It has 44amps on the +12V rail which is quite impressive for the wattage.

 

[Shadowmaru]

There were a couple of deals on newegg today, so I dropped the i5 3550 and went with the i5 3450 (Saved $15 and after some research "people" say if you don't overclock then you don't really need anything higher then this cpu.)

When I added the components to my cart the "freebie" was : Team Xtreem 8gb memory http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313080 but I don't know this brand and it obviously isn't in the top 5 brands that are recommended on these boards.

Should I give this memory a try and put my savings into a better GPU? Or is there not really much difference if I toss $50 bucks into another card? (I am leaning toward keeping the g.skill and just hooking up a friend or saving the memory for non-gaming computer)

The voltage is 1.65 and my g.skill is 1.5v so they are not compatible right?

 

[Why_Me]

There were a couple of deals on newegg today, so I dropped the i5 3550 and went with the i5 3450 (Saved $15 and after some research "people" say if you don't overclock then you don't really need anything higher then this cpu.)

When I added the components to my cart the "freebie" was : Team Xtreem 8gb memory http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313080 but I don't know this brand and it obviously isn't in the top 5 brands that are recommended on these boards.

Should I give this memory a try and put my savings into a better GPU? Or is there not really much difference if I toss $50 bucks into another card? (I am leaning toward keeping the g.skill and just hooking up a friend or saving the memory for non-gaming computer)

The voltage is 1.65 and my g.skill is 1.5v so they are not compatible right?

Look at the 3450 also. It's a quad core and it saves you some money. And see what the reviews on that RAM say. Just because something isn't seen on here every day doesn't mean it's a dud. That RAM might be a deal if it works. I mean all RAM has to do is work and it's just as good as any other RAM of the same rated speed. Also look at bundle / combo deals on newegg. Like see what each and ever cpu combo's with. It takes a few minutes to do but you find some real bargains that way.

 

[Shadowmaru]

Thanks for reminding me about the bundles. I'm browsing for additional ones now. (I swapped out the 550 psu for your 520 psu and it is saving me some more.)

Currently down to $737 on price.

The reviews were mostly positive. Some people had to change the mobo speed to get them to 1600 and some had 1 stick come DOA. I dropped the G.Skill and will see how it goes. If anything I have to wait 2 more days for the g.skill to come if they are DOA.

(Browsing bundles.)

Any comment on whether I should just save the $$ or put it back into a GPU? (Not sure if this build can eek out anymore juice.) Currently thinking of just saving the $$.

Current setup http://pcpartpicker.com/p/iJNw @ Newegg price.

 

[excella1221]

1.65v of RAM is considered generally bad for Intel processors, but not the point that it'll fry the system.

 

[Shadowmaru]

Compatibility bad or strain on the processor bad? Overheating? Sorry I don't know too much about ram.

 

[excella1221]

More on strain on the CPU. Pretty sure all DDR3 RAMs are compatible with about anything.
Anything not exceeding 1.5v is acceptable.

 

[Why_Me]

More on strain on the CPU. Pretty sure all DDR3 RAMs are compatible with about anything.
Anything not exceeding 1.5v is acceptable.

+1

 

[sleekz]

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=27518187
edit: your build isn't bad.