$1800 Build - Looking for final thoughts before purchasing

[smartwind]

I posted a potential build a while back (here)- mainly because I wanted to get some feedback in regards to whether or not my build was practical. Since then I've had more than enough time to think - too much time. I'm ready to build my computer now.

Approximate Purchase Date: This week (hopefully today or tomorrow)
Budget Range: $1500 - $2000 (Before rebates; After shipping)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies
Are you buying a monitor: Yes
Parts to Upgrade: Everything
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com (maybe others if they are reliable and substantially cheaper)
Location: Seymour, Texas, USA
Parts Preferences: Intel, Nvidia
Overclocking: Yes (but only a little)
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: I'd like to get one at 1920x1080
Additional Comments: See parts list below
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading:
The problem I'm seeking to rectify in building my own system is that my current computer (a prebuilt hp laptop) is woefully inadequate when it comes to gaming - it works perfectly fine for everything else, but I'm getting an average of 16 fps on minimum possible graphic options at 1366x768 in Skyrim and 9 fps on minimum possible graphic options at 1366x768 in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - which I have yet to finish because the game is too much of a pain to play at the moment. I want my new system to handle at least 45 fps on most games at 1920x1080.

--

Proposed Build: (PCPartPicker link)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70
Motherboard: AsRock Z77 Extreme4
Heatsink: Phanteks PH-tc14cs_bk
PSU: Corsair AX650
CPU: Intel Core i5 3570K Ivy Bridge
RAM: G.SKILL Value Series 8GB
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
SSD: Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 120GB*
Video card: ASUS GTX670**
Optical drive: Asus 24X DVD Burner
Monitor: Asus VS248H-P***
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder****
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow*****
OS: Windows 7 Professional

*I'm sure this is a good SSD, but are there any better around the same price point?
**Just need to have the video card double checked.
***I really had no clue what I was doing when I chose this monitor - any good?
****Is this a decent gaming mouse?
*****Is this a decent gaming keyboard?

 

[alvine]

nice build sir
i read the newegg reviews when picking out the parts to see users feedback if the product is "good"

for $70 more you can get a 27 inch monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254093

as for the keyboard and mouse its easier to go to a local store such as best buy and try the mouses...see which one you like the most. same goes with the keyboard

 

[dingo07]

it will all work - however, there's ALWAYS room for improvement

not before long you'll have posts from members telling you to choose their parts instead of what you chose

with regard to SSD's, check the Daily Deals section and you will find great deals on them, and read the Articles too

why don't you just read through the forum and choose a build that everyone alreaddy mulled over, that someone else is planning on building? you're going to end up with the same parts anyhow...

 

[spookyman]

My question is do you have a Microcenter in your area?

Despite being retail, you can save some money on your processor and motherboard. They sell 3570ks for $189.99 and get $50 of the motherboard with purchase. You can put the savings towards your graphics other parts.

Though what you are paying for the heatsink you could get a Coolermaster 212 EVO for far less and its a great cooler for the price.

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Windowed-Gaming-CC-9011017-WW/dp/B008B6ONXA/ref=sr_1_13?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1349117688&sr=1-13 $89.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed Gaming Case, Black (CC-9011017-WW)

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-PRO750W-Semi-Modular-80Plus-Supply/dp/B005IUVYA2/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348898998&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.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1066148 $336.98 save: $13.00
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
ASRock Z77 Extreme3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-120mm-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348898432&sr=1-3&keywords=CPU%2Bcooler $32.08 & 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.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231544 $38.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-8GAO

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-24xDVD-RW-Serial-Internal-DRW-24B1ST/dp/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=pd_cp_e_1 $22.89 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive DRW-24B1ST (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Cache-Desktop-Drive/dp/B0088PUEPK/ref=sr_1_17?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1349083416&sr=1-17 $74.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Western Digital 1 TB WD Blue SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-2-5-Inch-Solid-SDSSDX-240G-G25/dp/B006EKJ8UI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1349117474&sr=1-1&keywords=sandisk+240gb+ssd $181.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
SanDisk Extreme SSD 240 GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SDSSDX-240G-G25

http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-WINDFORCE-PCI-Express-Graphics-GV-N670WF2-2GD/dp/B008LZKLF0/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348894087&sr=1-2&keywords=gigabyte+gtx+670 $399.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping | Price after rebate: $379.99
GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 670 WINDFORCE 2X OC Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express 3.0 2x DVI/HDMI/DP SLI Ready Graphics Card GV-N670WF2-2GD

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_bxgy_pc_text_z $91.18 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

Total: $1,379.80 *not including shipping & rebates


http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VS238H-P-23-Inch-Full-HD-Monitor/dp/B005BZNEVQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1349118159&sr=1-1&keywords=asus+23+led+monitor $155.68 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping | Price after rebate: $145.68
Asus VS238H-P 23-Inch Full-HD LED Monitor | 50,000,000:1 ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio; Full 1080P with HDMI

 

[smartwind]

Thanks for all the feedback.

@alvine -I don't really have any local stores, so I usually just go with a good recommendation

@dingo07 - Thanks for the advice - replaced Mushkin SSD with Crucial M4. I have been reading other posts for about six months now and I've noticed that while there is always a good default choice - there is always room for variation.

@spookyman - I don't believe there is a microcenter in the area.

@Why_Me - I like the monitor choice - I think I'll switch mine out for that one. Any mouse/keyboard suggestions?

I think I'll wait until tomorrow to purchase, just in case anyone cares to chime in with thoughts/suggestions.

edit:: I just remembered - I need some speakers so if anyone knows of some 2.0 or 2.1 speaker systems I would appreciate a recommendation.

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks for all the feedback.

@alvine -I don't really have any local stores, so I usually just go with a good recommendation

@dingo07 - Thanks for the advice - replaced Mushkin SSD with Crucial M4. I have been reading other posts for about six months now and I've noticed that while there is always a good default choice - there is always room for variation.

@spookyman - I don't believe there is a microcenter in the area.

@Why_Me - I like the monitor choice - I think I'll switch mine out for that one. Any mouse/keyboard suggestions?

I think I'll wait until tomorrow to purchase, just in case anyone cares to chime in with thoughts/suggestions.

edit:: I just remembered - I need some speakers so if anyone knows of some 2.0 or 2.1 speaker systems I would appreciate a recommendation.

I'm a Logitech fan but that's a personal preference. That build I posted puts you into a 240GB SSD which is the smallest SSD you should have imo for your budget. You don't want to stick the heavy money into the storage drive, you want it put into your SSD seeing that's where you want to load all your games onto. That board I posted was just recently released and other than two less SATA 6/b ports (which most likely you will never need) that board is identical to the extreme4. That XFX psu I posted is manufactured by Seasonic as are all XFX psu's and it's modular. I just threw that case in there to show you a cheaper alternative to a windowed case, but that build allows you to add another one of those factory over clocked GTX 670's later on in SLI.

 

[mastrom101]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/j5cF

 

[Somebody_007]

I've used plenty of mice and keyboards in this range let me just share what I found:

mice: Deathadder is a great mouse, although not really my type(just not my taste, I found other mice more comfortable).

The R.A.T. series are sumblime IMO although they are quite expensive. There may be slightly more comfortable mice, but all in all I loved the styling and build quality of this. People say that it's not nice to use. I disagree the RAT 7 was amazing, again though not the MOST comfortable mouse, but still very very comfortable.

Steelseries ikari laser: This mouse is super simple, but quite perfect(your hand just merges with the mouse). If you don't like too many features or lights. This is the way to go.

logitech g500: My main mouse at this point, quite cheap and very very nice to use, the cable sucks though. At this price however still the best bargain IMO.

I've had other mice aswell in this category like cooler master and microsoft, but they aren't worth mentioning.

Also note that a good mousepad is as important as a mouse. The steelseries 7d(I think that's what it's called) is a pretty cheap good hard(I think hard mousepads are much better) mousepad.

Keyboard:

Microsoft sidewinder x4/x6: I did kind of like these although the styling may not appeal to all. The typing was great but no feet on the x6 was a downside,also the detachable numpad was a bit weird. The x6 is also quite old by now I believe.

logitech g110: Pretty good keyboard, not a fan of the styling though. This is a perfect all rounder though.

I use the corsair k60 now. Which is quite wonderful. Would definately reccomend it. Pricy though. The black widow seems to be a good mechanical keyboard too though. IMO mechanical is much nicer.

And lastly: Some people will very much disagree with this, but do not buy a cheap case. It doesn't affect performance, but I think it's very important that your case is quiet and looks and feels like the high performance PC that it is.

 

[smartwind]

Okay - further changes to my build: PCPartPicker link

@Why_me - I think a 240gb ssd might be a bit much as most games benefit mostly from faster load times I'll only be sticking the games I play rather often on the ssd. If I find 128gb is too little I can always purchase a secondary ssd somewhere down the line. I'm liking the extreme4 over the extreme3 because of the extra sata ports (I have some hard drives lying around I'll probably use). On the power supply I'm looking for at least an 80 Plus Bronze rating - switched the corsair out for a rosewill. Pretty set on the case. Definitely not going to do SLI, but I may add more pci-e cards in the future.

@mastrom101 - Is there any notable difference between 1333 and 1600 speed difference in memory? Not sure I trust OCZ for an ssd. Not sure I trust MSI (here). Pretty set on the case. Did change power supply to one similar to what you posted.

@Somebody_007 - Thanks for the advice - I just wanted to make sure the mouse and keyboard were okay. Definitely agree with you about the case.

Also, I found these speakers - Logitech X-140 5 watts 2.0 Speakers - are there any better for under $50?

 

[mastrom101]

Okay - further changes to my build: PCPartPicker link

@Why_me - I think a 240gb ssd might be a bit much as most games benefit mostly from faster load times I'll only be sticking the games I play rather often on the ssd. If I find 128gb is too little I can always purchase a secondary ssd somewhere down the line. I'm liking the extreme4 over the extreme3 because of the extra sata ports (I have some hard drives lying around I'll probably use). On the power supply I'm looking for at least an 80 Plus Bronze rating - switched the corsair out for a rosewill. Pretty set on the case. Definitely not going to do SLI, but I may add more pci-e cards in the future.

@mastrom101 - Is there any notable difference between 1333 and 1600 speed difference in memory? Not sure I trust OCZ for an ssd. Not sure I trust MSI (here). Pretty set on the case. Did change power supply to one similar to what you posted.

@Somebody_007 - Thanks for the advice - I just wanted to make sure the mouse and keyboard were okay. Definitely agree with you about the case.

Also, I found these speakers - Logitech X-140 5 watts 2.0 Speakers - are there any better for under $50?

1600MHz is slightly faster and i highly recommend it for the extra ($5?) cost.
OCZ SSD's are actually extremly good and highly recommended.
Fair enough on the GPU, any of these three should do the trick depending on your preference:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-test-review,3217-16.html
Alright that's fine for the case.
Good choice.

Keep the SSD at 120GB btw

 

[smartwind]

Thanks for all the input. I'm ready to order now.

@mastrom101 - upgraded to 1066 memory

 

[smartwind]

Best answer selected by smartwind.