1100 Gaming Build. Looking for last minute critique.

good build great gpu for price only thing i can see id change is the 100$ case but that's personal preference
EDIT:
also you don't need the after market cpu cooler unless your will be doing overclocking

Well, with an unlocked CPU and a z77 motherboard, it would be a waste to skip out on overclocking.

@trambo18, you can do better on the SSD in that price range. Look at the Vertex 4, Samsung 830, Crucial M4, or Plextor M5S. All those have a 128gb SSD that's a lot better than the Kingston. You can sometimes even find promos that bring them down to $89.99.

If you're open to AMD cards, you can swap out the 660 Ti for a 7870 GHz Edition. Saves you around $30 for the same performance.

The PSU is overkill unless you're gonna SLI/Crossfire. If you are, keep it.

You might have a hard time installing the CPU cooler with the Rijpaws series. Get the Ares series and save yourself the trouble. Cuts off around $1-2 as well.

i would switch caviar black for seagate barracuda that takes off about $20 with no performance lost

i would personally lower down the case to a $30-50 case and try to upgrade the video card as much as i can.

That cpu @ microcenter is a walk in deal only. Also you can combo that board at microcenter with the cpu and save $50 but again it's a walk in deal only.

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Mid-Tower-Compute... $72.35 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series Black 300R Mid-Tower Computer Case (CC-9011014-WW)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008RJZQSW/ref=s9_simh... $75.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
CORSAIR CX Series CX750 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite... $314.98 save: $25.00 FREE SHIPPING
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... $30.99 & 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 $5 off w/ promo code EMCJNNA225, ends 10/10
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/GIGABYTE-WINDFORCE-PCI-Express-Gr... $299.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 660 Ti WINDFORCE 2X OC Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express 3.0 2x DVI / HDMI / DP SLI Ready Graphics Card Graphics Cards GV-N66TOC-2GD

http://www.amazon.com/Lite--Super-AllWrite-Layer-Drive/... $15.99 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.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $89.99 FREE SHIPPING
SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128B/WW 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Thanks for the replys. I will definitely swap out the case for a 50$ one, i think i got caught up in the 5k reviews on newegg.

Was looking at Rosewill CHALLENGER-U3 Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I understand that the Processor was the walk-in deal. I will most likely purchase for around 230$ from newegg. I looked up the Ares and Gskill RAM for the Asrock Extreme 4s compatibility and the model numbers do not show up, but i have found mixed feelings about them working with the board. My question is are they still compatible?

Definitely looking into overclocking.

Thank your for the recommendation on the RAM because i had seen some complaints about the CPU cooling maybe being too large for some RAM to fit under it.

As for the PSU Im pretty sure the 550w and 650w were very close in price, but I could probably shop around more for a lower cost for a 550W. I just want to make sure I have enough Power.

Thank you Why_Me for the very useful links. I will definitely use them.

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 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($36.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.98 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.44 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $912.32
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

i would do something like this. leaves a few bucks for yourself or if you want to upgrade it to have a better mobo and PSU so you can add in a 2nd card later

if you do upgrade mobo and psu i suggest ud3h or asrock extreme4

for PSU i would get XFX XXX750W or HX750W

i like boulbox's build, although a gtx 670 or hd 7950 would fit in there better than a hd 7870 if that PSU allows  

What are the differences between Radeon 7870 and the GTX 660ti? I kno that their prices differ by about 70$ from what I have seen. I am also not looking to play on multiple monitors and from what I have read the Radeon cards are usually more perferred when doing crossfire/sli

Actually Nvidia cards scale better when you pair them. The difference between Radeons and Geforces:
- Radeons this generation are very good overall performers in games and in computing. Also most Radeon cards have very good price/performance ratios in almost every price segment. I suggest considering hd 7870, 7950, 7970 and there are the Gigahertz Editions.
-Nvidia cards are especially good gamers but they are not doing very well in computing area (depending on the software chosen). I suggest considering GTX 660 (non ti), GTX 660Ti and GTX 670 in this generation.
The main difference between Nvidia and AMD cards becomes obvious depending on the games you choose. Some games are designed Nvidia's architecture in mind, while some favor AMD's.

The 7870 Ghz Edition peforms equal/on par with the 660 Ti.
The 7970 outperforms the 670 at the same price.

At Nvidia's current pricing, the only reason to consider them is if you are in need of CUDA cores, prioritize Nvidia-optimized games, or simply just want Nvidia.

The ASRock z77 Pro4 doesn't look good for Crossfire. The PCI-e 2.0 is only x4. That will bottleneck most mid-high end GPUs.

a few differences i noticed.

670 uses less energy than most of AMD highend products.

amd cfx has less microstuttering than nividia's SLI

also for my build up there, if you do not want to upgrade in a while, then just grab a 7970 GHz edition and just upgrade by cards, like sell your old one and buy a new one when the 7970 GHz does not perform up-to-par anymore.(if doing that you can upgrade PSU into a 550-650W not needed but if you want to be safe since it is cutting it pretty close)

well thats why i left space for him if he wanted to think about adding another card.

just upgrade mobo into a extreme4 or ud3h(i prefer gigabyte) then switch PSU into a 750W(can go 850W but a 7870 doesnt use as much power as a 7970) and you can switch case into a CM since i also do not like NZXT that much

+1 on the Extreme4 and UD3H. The ASRock is cheaper and still quality; The Gigabyte is quality and has been in the motherboard business wayy longer. So it's your call really.

The 7870/GHz can Crossfire with 650w and still have 100w+ headroom for something else.

The 7970 can CF with 750w, I agree. The 7970 GHz can too but it will push the PSU to its limits so an 850w is suggested.

The differences between the extreme4 and the extreme3 I posted are minimal. The extreme4 has 4x SATA 6/b ports and runs a 8+4 power phase config. The extreme3 I posted has 2x SATA 6/b ports and runs a 8+3 power phase config. Other wise those boards are identical.

OK too clear some things up, since this is kind of overwhelming for myself.

I am looking to Overclock, but I am not interested in running multiple graphics cards or play across multiple monitors. 1920x1080.

Would boulbox's build save me money and provide me with a high performance pc? or would my build which i have reviewed be a better match?

Also am having trouble with picking a PSU because I have no clue how much power my PC will actually use. If anyone could set me in the right direction, that would be much appreciated.
I am was also looking at the seagate HDD and I saw that it only had a 1 yr warranty while the WD HDD has a 5 year. Is the warranty worth the extra 20$?

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 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) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.98 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill Challenger-U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1043.88

I still do not know how I feel about the Radeon video card and the Extreme 3. For a last point I am not looking to be changing parts on this PC for a couple years. If that helps solve my situation with some of the other parts. It will help eliminate parts that may provide extra ultilities that I do not need.

Dear, did you even read any of our replies at all?
The only you thing you changed from your first build in the first post is the casing.

Why_Me has a good point as well. If you don't need the extra features the Extreme4 provides, then the Extreme3 is a good choice. You save $25 that way too.

If no plans on a second vid card then skip the extreme4 and find a cheaper board meant for a single card like this one down below.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $84.99 FREE SHIPPING
ASRock Z75 Pro3 LGA 1155 Intel Z75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard



This psu down below is manufactured by Seasonic for XFX and I would take it over a Rosewill any day of the week.

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-ATX-550-Power-Supply/dp/B004R... $65.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
XFX ATX 550 Power Supply - P1550SXXB9

If you're not gonna use a 2nd video card, then there is little point to an Extreme 3/4.
You're better off with the motherboard in boulbox's build. I prefer your choice of RAM and HDD. The WD Black's 5-year warranty is worth it IMO since the HDD is one of the things we'll WANT to take with us on our next upgrades.

Basically, your build that I quoted is good, all you need to is change motherboard to the ASRock z77 Pro3 or 4, and you can downgrade to a 500-550w PSU since you only want 1 GPU.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
There's nothing bad about Rosewill, they are high quality PSUs manufactured by ATNG. They're cheap because Rosewill is a Newegg house label.

About the GPU, it's your choice if you want Nvidia or AMD. The 660 Ti performs on par with the 7870 GHz, but the latter is cheaper. Get the Nvidia if you're more comfortable with a Nvidia card, and you don't mind shelling out extra cash.

Another reason could be if you need to make use of CUDA cores.

IMO skip 7870 and 660ti and try to reach hd 7950 or gtx 670 if you can

I will definitely be switching my board to the Asrock Pro4 and I have changed the PSU to the one Why_Me recommended.

As for the graphics card i can get the 660ti for around 300$ while the 7950 is about 20$ more at the most, but it is mainly around 300$. I do play games such as Guild Wars 2, WoW, LoL, Diablo3, and SC2. The 7870 is also around 230$, but if im willing to shell out 300$ for a high performance card should I just buy a 7950 or a 660ti? If there are not a lot of differences between the AMD and Nvidia im perfectly fine choosing the card with the better overall performance for a single gpu and 1920x1080.

I should have really thought my post out more from the start. It seems like such a hassle to answer my questions one at a time.

HD 7950 is a raw performance beast with a very high price to performance ratio. Its performs similar to a 7970. This card is a beast with 384bit memory interface which means that it can handle high resolutions with high level of anti-aliasing. 7950's compute performance is mostly much higher than that of gtx 660 ti's. So it can accelerate your video transcoding and image editing tasks. Some games though prefer Nvidia's architecture (like Battlefield 3 for example), thus will run better on 660ti than on AMD's cards. Check out this charts it will guide you and give you a perspective about comparison.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/550?vs=647&i=371...

Looks like after I did some more research myself that the 660ti suits my 1920x1080 setup. Seems like a lot of people recommend the HD 7950 if you are looking to play at higher resolutions over 1920x1080. Thanks also for the helpful comparison graph.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill Challenger-U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $982.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Best answer selected by trambo18.