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$1500 Speedy Computer - Picking Parts

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Approximate Purchase Date: Right around Thanksgiving or Christmas (Probably the latter)

Budget Range: $2000 before rebates; $1500 after rebates

System Usage (Top 3 priorities): SPEED!!! (I want to zip through my computer), Minor Photoshop (Nothing too advanced or data crunching, just for the fun of it sometimes), and finally Gaming

Are you buying a monitor: Probably, though it really depends

Parts to Upgrade: None, this is a completely new build

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com for online / Fry's for local

Location: LA, California

Parts Preferences: Not really... I just want reliable brands

Overclocking: Maybe (If it is simple enough, then sure... But if there is a high risk, then no)

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe (Like I said, before... If it's reliable and simple, then why not?)

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200


This will be the first computer I am building. Therefore, I am scared yet excited for what has to come. I've already read many tips and guides, but if you've got helpful info, PLEASE help out a newbie!

Also, this will be built this winter, before 2013 arrives. I've already got a couple parts down, but I want to see what the community can suggest for me first. Then I will post my final build for confirmation.

I am a freshman in highschool, so I'd like to build a PC that can last a solid 4 years for my high school years.

So please! Post any builds, tips, guides etc... for a beginner newbie like me. THANKS! :bounce: 


:sol:  EDIT: This is what I have selected after what I have read below. Please give it a check! :sol: 

CPU Intel Core i7-3770K

CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

Motherboard ASRock Z77 Extreme4

Memory G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB)

Storage Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB

SSD Sandisk Extreme 240GB

Video Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2 GB (Windforce OC)

Case Corsair 500R

Power Supply Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Silver

Optical Drive Asus DRW-24B1ST

Keyboard Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4

Mouse Logitech M500


TOTAL: $1497.48


List of all parts and prices: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jnE6

More about : 1500 speedy computer picking parts

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This will do you well.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jcNE

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jcNE/by_merchant/


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: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.98 @ NCIX US)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($78.57 @ NCIX US)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($389.98 @ NCIX US)

Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Orange) ATX Full Tower Case ($134.98 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Corsair Gaming 800W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($109.98 @ NCIX US)

Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($54.99 @ Amazon)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.62 @ Amazon)

Total: $1440.05

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

If you have any questions, just ask!

An i7 is way overkill for what he wants to do, same thing goes with the Extreme6 mobo. The Extreme4 has an unreal amount of Internal I/O connectors for cheaper. Also 16GB of RAM is also overkill unless you intend on running a RAMdisk of some sort. 8GB is still way more than necessary in an average gaming/surfing computer. Finally, unless you want to upgrade to the 7970Ghz edition, a gtx670 is a far better choice for a ~$400 card. And In my opinion and as a fellow highschooler, I would definitely splurge any extra money on a nice case. Especially since this is your first computer, you want this thing to look good! I would highly suggest the NZXT Switch 810.

Edit: Do yourself a favor and pick up an AOC monitor. They are an extremely well known Canadian brand that sells monitors in the US for dirt cheap considering the quality. They use OEM Samsung led screens, but the prices are considerably cheaper! If you want to really spend some dough, pick up one of their new 27" IPS monitors with a 2mm bezel :D 
Related ressources
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or this..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Intel Core i5-3570K - $230

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
ASRock Z77 Pro4-M - $110

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB CML8GX3M2A1600C9 - $42

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB - $85

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128B/WW 2.5" 128GB - $90

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 - $20

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
OCZ ZT Series 650W Fully-Modular - $100

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Antec DF-85 - $115

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Galaxy 67NPH6DV5ZVX GeForce GTX 670 - $380

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
LG DVD Burner 24X GH24NS90 - $17

price after rebate exclude shipping - $1189


well.. if you just using 1 monitor.. i doubt that you even need to sli for gaming... i think its better to stick with just 1 powerful.. single gpu like gtx 670 or hd 7970 is more than enough to last you for couple of years... and with this setup... maybe you'll only have to upgrade your gpu in 2-3 years time.. while others still intact... stick with 1 gpu is better for power consumption.. and also less driver hassle because sli is quite dependant on driver update to achieve optimum performance... since you only mentioned newegg and frys... so i only suggested parts from newegg.. but if you don't mind purchasing from few more places (like zared619 suggested) you can save more money...

but if you still keen on trying sli.. then you'll have to buy larger psu.. and also full-sized atx board for that purpose.. although i would like to suggest you to buy 256gb cap for the ssd
but it also comes with higher price tag.. but to me 128gb is quite little considering how much space can a game takes nowadays.. so if you don't mind spending more.. get 256gb ssd.. while case is dependant on personal preferences.. ecspecially with this model.. not everyone will like its look.. but i suggest this because it already has great default cooling setup.. comes with 7 fans.. you don't have to alter anything..

Everything I have posted is everything you need and more. 1920X1200 is a good res and you won't really need to upgrade for a while, so I wouldn't waste your money on a new monitor.

You could overclock to a steady 4.3 GHz with no voltage changes with no issues.

The 670 will overclock really well, even up to 680 speeds.

Believe me, for around $1500, you can't get any better.

BTW. Ripjaws RAM will not work with an aftermarket cooler, especially the D14, it is immense. You need low profile RAM like corsair vengeance or Gskill ARES.

Dupontrocks11 said:
An i7 is way overkill for what he wants to do, same thing goes with the Extreme6 mobo. The Extreme4 has an unreal amount of Internal I/O connectors for cheaper. Also 16GB of RAM is also overkill unless you intend on running a RAMdisk of some sort. 8GB is still way more than necessary in an average gaming/surfing computer. Finally, unless you want to upgrade to the 7970Ghz edition, a gtx670 is a far better choice for a ~$400 card. And In my opinion and as a fellow highschooler, I would definitely splurge any extra money on a nice case. Especially since this is your first computer, you want this thing to look good! I would highly suggest the NZXT Switch 810.

Edit: Do yourself a favor and pick up an AOC monitor. They are an extremely well known Canadian brand that sells monitors in the US for dirt cheap considering the quality. They use OEM Samsung led screens, but the prices are considerably cheaper! If you want to really spend some dough, pick up one of their new 27" IPS monitors with a 2mm bezel :D 


For video editing, an i7 and 16GB of RAM are definitely not overkill.

mastrom101 said:
For video editing, an i7 and 16GB of RAM are definitely not overkill.


OP said Minor Photoshop... I think he can live with 8GB and an i5 lol.

And even then, unless you are a hardcore renderer, the 3570k is perfectly fine. I run a highly edited HD youtube channel off of an i5 and 8GB of ram, and I've had no bottlenecks or performance difference.

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-PRO750W-Semi-Modular-80Plus-S... $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?Ite... $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... $29.99 & 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=N82E168... $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/Lite-On-Super-AllWrite-Layer-Driv... $17.99 Free Standard Shipping (3-5 days)
Lite-On Super AllWrite 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive - Bulk - IHAS124-04 Version C (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Cache-Desktop-Dri... $84.59 & 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-SD... $180.00 & 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/gp/product/B008LZKLF0/ref=ox_sc_a... $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

Total: $1,200.24 *not including shipping & rebates


http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-300R-Mid-Tower-Ga... $79.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 300R Mid-Tower Gaming Case - CC-9011014-WW

or...

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Tower-Gaming-Comp... $91.98 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 400R Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case - CC-9011011-WW

or...

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Computer-X-Dock-RC-... $115.98 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master HAF XM Mid Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0 Ports and X-Dock (RC-922XM-KKN1)

or...

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Tower-Gaming-CC-9... $118.98 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 500R Mid Tower Gaming Case CC-9011012-WW

Don't be scared--it's not that hard. I finished my first build as a total newb that was acutally a pretty high end gaming rig and I have had 0 problems with it.

Be sure to use this video guide by newegg. The narrator is really helpful. I just had an open laptop playing the video as I worked. Just don't cut corners or try to wing it because there are little things to do that make a big difference; just follow the guide and do all the steps he reccomends and you cant go wrong. Even though the guide is a year or so old the principle is all there and I used it for a modern rig. I will say though, when you apply the theral paste, dont do his method--just go to the site of the company that puts out the thermal paste you are using and they will give detailed instructions on how to do it right. I recomend the IC Diamond brand, but I'm sure there are other good ones out there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw

OH! I should add, I used a build that Why_Me gave me to build a rig a couple of months ago and it is totally sick. It crushes every game I throw at it and I had zero compatibility issues :D  I would totally trust his advice and reccomend his builds to anyone -- he knows what he is doing for sure!

I went with the corsair 500R series and I love it. Great quality and you will have options for future upgrades and cooling.

I noticed that a poster above mentioned that if you went SLI in the future you would need a bigger power supply. That may be true depending on how big a supply you are currently using. However, I run two ASUS 670 non-top editions with a 750 watt power supply with no problem whatsoever. I don't know about other cards though.

nstiver said:
OH! I should add, I used a build that Why_Me gave me to build a rig a couple of months ago and it is totally sick. It crushes every game I throw at it and I had zero compatibility issues :D  I would totally trust his advice and reccomend his builds to anyone -- he knows what he is doing for sure!

I went with the corsair 500R series and I love it. Great quality and you will have options for future upgrades and cooling.

One of the best post on this board by far.

CPU Intel Core i7-3770K

CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO *Get the D-14 instead. If that's too much, get a i5 and a d-14.

Motherboard ASRock Z77 Extreme4

Memory G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB)

Storage Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB

SSD Sandisk Extreme 240GB *Get a Vertex 4

Video Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2 GB (Windforce OC) I would consider the 7950 as well.

Case Corsair 500R *Fractal Design R4 or NZXT Phantom.

Power Supply Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Silver *Slightly overkill

Optical Drive Asus DRW-24B1ST

Keyboard Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 * Look at this instead http://www.amazon.com/Razer-Lycosa-Programmable-Backlit...

Mouse Logitech M500 *Also consider the Deathadder

if you can take a trip to microcenter... i suggest you taking this one..

http://www.microcenter.com/product/388577/Core_i5_3570K...
Core i5 3570K - $190

and i suggest you look at newegg and look at both cards

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Galaxy 67NPH6DV5ZVX GeForce GTX 670 GC - $380 after rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD - $400


the galaxy card although it is using blower style cooling which may result in higher temps but 1 good thing about this cooler is that it exhaust all the heat at the back rather than circulating in the case which will affecting other components..

while if you prefer aftermarket solution... i prefer gigabyte windforce 3x edition as it is one of the best custom cooled gtx 670 in the market... not to mention both cards employs gtx 680 pcb.. which has more power phase... also both are clocked higher than the windforce 2x edition..

If we are talking peripherals, don't bother getting razer. I would try your luck with a mechanical keyboard. It is what top gamers use and it improves your typing speed. Not to mention its so satisfying to click on the keys.

Definitely look into Cooler Master, Corsair, and maybe Rose will if you are looking for a great built keyboard. The reason I leave out Razer is because the quality control is terrible on the Blackwidow series.

As for a mouse, instead of a M500 mouse, get a G500 mouse. Extremely amazing mouse. Also consider the Roccat Kova, Mionix Naos, and the Logitech G9x.

Peripherals are really just what you think looks the best, but see if you could try out some mechanical keyboards and some mice before you buy.

Peripherals are really hard to recommend because there is no, benchmarks or physical measurement to grade them, it is just personal experience. I personally use a standard logitech k320 keyboard and a logitech g700 mouse. I really enjoy the g700 as it is wired and wireless with programmable buttons. Its fantastic.

mastrom101 said:
CPU Intel Core i7-3770K

CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO *Get the D-14 instead. If that's too much, get a i5 and a d-14.

Motherboard ASRock Z77 Extreme4

Memory G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB)

Storage Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB

SSD Sandisk Extreme 240GB *Get a Vertex 4

Video Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2 GB (Windforce OC) I would consider the 7950 as well.

Case Corsair 500R *Fractal Design R4 or NZXT Phantom.

Power Supply Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Silver *Slightly overkill

Optical Drive Asus DRW-24B1ST

Keyboard Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 * Look at this instead http://www.amazon.com/Razer-Lycosa-Programmable-Backlit...

Mouse Logitech M500 *Also consider the Deathadder


There's a common misconception that the Hyper 212 Evo is a "cheap" cooling solution, but that's far from facts. Time and time again the Evo has proved to beat other coolers three times it's price. It doesn't beat the D-14 but it comes damn close for a third of the price. I have achieved an overclock of 4.5ghz running at amazing temps with my evo and the slightly hotter i5-3570k.

Don't discount the Evo because it's cheap. It's used by everyone for a reason!
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