New build but am I overspending?

[jrv8]

New Build Time! Really excited to do this, but want to make sure I dont have any glaring weaknesses in my build! Thanks so much for your time!

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: Next week after I get paid but essentially ASAP

Budget Range: Less than $1200, almost 1/3 going into my Video Card

System Usage from Most to Least Important: GAMING, video streaming Web Surfing, General Use

Are you buying a monitor: At a Later Date



Parts to Upgrade: EVERYTHING

Do you need to buy OS: Yes - Windows 7 Home Edition 64 bit

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (e.g.: newegg.com, TigerDirect.com Anywhere that's good!)

Location: Annapolis, MD USA

Parts Preferences: No parts from the past but I am leaning towards Intel CPU

Overclocking: No (Don't know how to do it/what it is)

SLI or Crossfire: Same as OCing but not a preference

Your Monitor Resolution: Highest possible but will be using a 1080p television in the meantime

Additional Comments: I plan on using this as a gaming intensive build, not for work or anything. I would like to be able to run HIGH settings and am looking to play Borderlands, Skyrim, Diablo 3, Metro 2033 (and the new one), Far Cry 3...Basically anything and everything!

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My Laptop is junk and can't run any of the newer games coming out and I think it would a ton of fun to build my own.



Parts wise I am look at this so far (completely open to suggestions!!):

Case: NZXT Phantom 410 CA-PH410-B3 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Orange Trim Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146092

Hard Drive: Hitachi GST Deskstar 7K1000.D HDS721010DLE630 (0F13180) 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145533

Video Card: EVGA 02G-P4-2670-KR GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (I also like the 7950)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130782

PSU: Rosewill HIVE Series HIVE-650 650W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182132

RAM: G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-1866C9D-8GAB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231550
Side Note - I don't know much about picking RAM so this has no real reason other than good reviews/price

MOBO: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

PROCESSOR: Intel Core i5-3570 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115233

Blu Ray Drive: ASUS Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247

OS: Windows 7 Home 64 bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

 

[g-unit1111]

Three things:

1. Hitachi HDs have a tremendously high fail rate - more than most brands. Get Western Digital, Seagate or Samsung.

2. I'm not sure about that PSU - I'd get the Corsair TX650 instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020

3. If you're buying the 3570 *AND* Z77 - get the unlocked version or don't get it at all. It makes no sense to have that kind of CPU and motherboard and then not be able to get the freedom to overclock. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

Be sure to get a cooler if you get the 3570K: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

Otherwise everything looks good to me. Don't take store reviews seriously though - they're completely baseless most of the time. That G.Skill Ares RAM is good.

 

[jrv8]

Great Advice, I was wondering about a cooler.

Thanks alot for the heads up on the hitachis too!

 

[ArcticWonder]

If you're only using one monitor, you don't need 2GB of VRAM (graphics card) you can go with 1GB to save money.

 

[jrv8]

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

This is what I'm ending at right in the price range!!!

 

[jrv8]

Good call Arctic Wonder thanks a lot!

 

[jrv8]

from what I'm seeing the 670 only comes in 2gb are you thinking I dont need a 670?

 

[g-unit1111]

Good call Arctic Wonder thanks a lot!

What ArcticWonder said isn't entirely true - it all depends on what resolution your monitor is running at. If you want to use higher resolutions you'll need more VRAM.

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

This is what I'm ending at right in the price range!!!

You linked to the parts list - click on the button that says BBCODE Markup and then copy and paste.

from what I'm seeing the 670 only comes in 2gb are you thinking I dont need a 670?

No - get a 670, that advice is wrong.

 

[jrv8]

What ArcticWonder said isn't entirely true - it all depends on what resolution your monitor is running at. If you want to use higher resolutions you'll need more VRAM.

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

This is what I'm ending at right in the price range!!!

You linked to the parts list - click on the button that says BBCODE Markup and then copy and paste.

from what I'm seeing the 670 only comes in 2gb are you thinking I dont need a 670?

No - get a 670, that advice is wrong.

Sorry about that heres the parts list

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 ($27.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($349.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black/Orange) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1153.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[Sakkura]

I would recommend this PSU instead of the TX650, it's plenty for your needs:

XFX Core Edition PRO 550W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013

Edit: And if you're not overclocking, you can get a cheaper motherboard and CPU without losing any performance.

 

[g-unit1111]

Sorry about that heres the parts list

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 ($27.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($349.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black/Orange) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1153.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

That looks good to me!

I would recommend this PSU instead of the TX650, it's plenty for your needs:

On this kind of budget I'd only add room for SLI / Crossfire if requested. Otherwise stick with the single card config.

Edit: And if you're not overclocking, you can get a cheaper motherboard and CPU without losing any performance.

But then you forfeit access to the multiplier. And if you do decide to you'd have to completely replace the motherboard which really isn't a good idea. It's a tradeoff either way.

 

[ArcticWonder]

What ArcticWonder said isn't entirely true - it all depends on what resolution your monitor is running at. If you want to use higher resolutions you'll need more VRAM.

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

This is what I'm ending at right in the price range!!!

You linked to the parts list - click on the button that says BBCODE Markup and then copy and paste.

from what I'm seeing the 670 only comes in 2gb are you thinking I dont need a 670?

No - get a 670, that advice is wrong.

Also if you're a big fan of high resolution texture packs it will take more VRAM. Sorry for overlooking that :\