New PC Build $800 (Need Advice)

Suisiders

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Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next 2 months.

Budget Range: As close to $800 as I can get after rebates and shipping.

System Usage: Gaming, simple tasks like word documents, surfing the internet, etc.

Why Are You Upgrading: Need a personal computer with capability for hardcore gaming without spending all my money.

What games do you play: BF3, Crysis 2, CIV V, Borderlands 2, Starcraft 2, and Metro 2033.

Are you buying a monitor: No, I have a 1920x1020 monitor

Parts to Upgrade: All, except the graphics card I have a EVGA GTX 670 FTW 2gb

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: No specific website required.

Location: Dallas, TX, United States.

Parts Preferences: Corsair, Intel, and Nvidia, but open to suggestions.

Overclocking: Yes (4.5Ghz and higher in the future)

SLI or Crossfire: In the future when my card becomes a little outdated.

Additional Comments: This is my first computer build, so any advice will be greatly appreciated!

My Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ke0v
 
Solution
they are about the same with the lightning and the vapor x beating the rest. the difference would be around 3-5c at most

yeah i realized a 7970 might not fit too well inside a antec 302. id suggest getting the corsair 300R instead

Dupontrocks11

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Everything looks pretty good, but you should probably pick up an optical drive to install windows with, unless you want to use a flashdrive which I don't recommend.

Also, change out that Hyper 212 + for and Hyper 212 Evo. You'd never hit 4.5GHZ with a 212 +. As an alternative, you could buy a Noctua NH D-14 (which the best air cooler) or a Corsair H-100 (which is the best water cooler. But it all depends on what you want for temps.
 
getting a ftw is a bad choice in my opinion but its still pretty good. a msi power edition or a gigabyte windforce are much better choices. they will cool way bettter

you are not reaching 4.5ghz and above with a air cooler. i did it but i was using the biggest one which is the noctua nh-d14. and anything beyond 4.5ghz isnt worth it given it takes a ton more volts to reach higher clockspeeds while only gaining a small amount of performance

the u12p se2 is on sale right now and is a better option than the hyper 212 plus

get this
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kety
 

Suisiders

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Thanks for the suggestions! I would also rather stay with the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 over the Asus P8Z77-V LK, Because its cheaper and overclocks better. The Corsair Vengeance RAM I picked is also low profile not the one with the high heat sinks. So there will be no issue with heat sink clearance. Just found out there is a MicroCenter 30 minutes away from where I live! AWESOME!!! :D

Now I have a few questions :D

1- Is it a good idea to only have an SSD without having a Hard Drive to back it up? If so then which one should I get OCZ Vertex 4 128gb or Crucial M4 128gb?

2- Would the H80 be better than the NH-D14? I can get both for the same price.

3- Would the HAF 912 be better a better choice than the Corsair 300r? I'm looking for a case that has good airflow, really good cable management, and not to big because my computer is on my desk.

4- ASRock Z77 Extreme4/Extreme6 or P8Z77-V Pro or Gigabyte UD5H? Which one overclocks better and is more stable?

 

Dupontrocks11

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1: DEFINITELY get a harddrive. You may not realize it now, but we all have so much crap. I'm using a computer that I build the other day, and my 256 GB SSD has almost 128GB filled, and that's only games and essentials. I would suggest a 1TB HDD or better to store movies, games and other crap on. As for what SSD, a Mushkin Chronos Deluxe tested fastest I believe, in last months SSD testing, but a Samsung 830 or a Crucial M4 are both fantastic options.

2. The H-80 would perform better than the NH-D14 and if you wanted to overclock to 4.5Ghz, I would suggest water cooling.

3. The HAF 912 will uncomfortably small for a radiator and a 670 (in my opinion.) So I would suggest upgrading to a HAF 932 (which is what I have), or another full tower case such as a NZXT switch 810 or a Rosewill Thor.

4. I like the Extreme4, it is extremely stable and overclocks very well, but I think TheBigTroll will have some support for the P8Z77-V when he comes around. I use an Extreme4 and recommend it to everyone, so that's my opinion. Another mobo to suggest would the the Gigabyte Ud5h which is the choice board for overclocking. It has a dual bios which can save your butt when you are overclocking.
 
1: you can always add a hard drive later on. its easier to add a hard drive to a rig than to add a SSD to a rig
2: dont bother with cheapo watercooling. D14 or the U12P SE2 (only 39.99 and performs slightly under the D14) is the way to go. watercooling is only good when you go custom.
3: 300R but i usually recommend the antec 302
4: i have the z77-v LK. great board but i bought it when its cheap. the extreme4 and the Lk are about as great. just pick one.
 

Suisiders

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Decided this setup might be the best for me. Gonna just go for the NH-D14 since I want to overclock to 4.5ghz at least with good temps. Gonna take your advice TheBigTroll, "you can always add a hard drive later on. its easier to add a hard drive to a rig than to add a SSD to a rig"

CPU&Mobo: i5 3570k + ASRock Z77 Extreme4 $264.98 @ Micro Center
CPU Cooler: NH-D14 $83.25 @ Amazon
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600Mhz LP $40 @ Newegg
SSD: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB $90 @ Micro Center
Case: Corsair 300R $67.46 @ Amazon
PSU: Corsair TX750 V2 80+ $90 @ Newegg
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit $92.11 @ Amazon

Total: $727.80

I have a couple of questions left lol

1- Will my motherboard have problems with the OCZ Vertex 4? Been reading reviews and people are having problems with it because it's new and they cant boot windows with it.

2- Will my power supply be enough if I decided to SLI 2 GTX 670s later on?

3- Will 8GBs 1600Mhz CL9 (2x4) be the sweet spot for ram? I will still have 2 slots left if I decide to go 16gb in the future.

3- Out of the gigabyte windforce gtx 670 and msi power edition gtx 670, which overclocks better with good temps?

4- What would be better OCZ Vertex 4 128gb $90 or Samsung 830 128gb $90 or Crucial M4 128gb $80. Also which Firmware update will I need depending on which one yall recommend.
 

Dupontrocks11

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1. The Extreme4 should be able to boot an OCZ vertex, but if you are thinking of buying at microcenter, take a look at a 256GB Crucial M4 which sells for around $189.99. I use both the extreme4 and the M4, and I'm here so you know they are good together.

2. The TX750 should be more than enough to buy run an SLI setup.

3. 8GB is the recommended amount for most builds. A Z77 board has no performance difference with 1600 and above, so 1600 will be great. For gaming and surfing use, a computer uses max 5.2GB, but if you are loading large paging files, 16GB would be the way to go.

4. I am fairly certain the windforce has superior temps, as for overclocking, MSI has the best overclocking by far considering VRM and software. You don't even really need to overclock, as the 670 will crush anything you throw at it. But I would say the MSI would be the better choice.
 

Suisiders

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Thx Dupontrocks1. Looked at Micro Center and They have the Crucial M4 256GB for $180 and $160 after rebate! I'm definitely gonna take advantage of that sale :D I play lots of games so I'm sure I would need more than 128gb for OS/GW2/BF3/WoW/Crysis 2/CIV V/Metro 2033/etc lol
 

Dupontrocks11

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While you are there, consider looking at their harddrives (why not :D). I picked up a 1.5 TB hard drive for $74, which is an amazing deals considering how much the HDD manufacturers have been raping our wallets lately.

I can guarantee you will build your computer, load windows, games and other crap onto your SSD and you'll realize how small 256GB is. At least if you get a HDD now, you can organize your stuff from the start instead of transferring steam and origin and other games over later (which is a pain in the butt!)

Also, MicroCenter was selling those for 189.99 when I bought might grrrrrr ;(
 

Suisiders

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TheBigTroll your power supply suggestion link isn't working. I'm also going with the MSI Power Edition GTX 670 that thing is a beast! I'm just gonna use the stock cpu cooler on the i5 3570k for now. But when income tax comes around ill buy the NH-D14 and a 1TB HDD. So for now I will not be overclocking till I get the NH-D14. I can't take advantage of the sale on the Noctua NH-U12P SE2 because that offer ends 10/30/2012 and I'm not buying my computer till around December / January :(
 

Suisiders

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Due to some budget limitations for now I have to hold back on the Crucial M4 256gb SSD.

1- Should I do 1tb HDD and 1 128gb SSD for the best setup or 2 500gb hard drives and 1 SSD?

This is the up to date current build:

CPU/Mobo: i5 3570k+ASRock Z77 Extreme4 $297.67@Micro Center
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB $88.98@Newegg
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600Mhz $40 @Newegg
Case: CM HAF 912 $50 @Superbiiz
PSU: Corsair TX750 V2 80+ $110 @Newegg $90 w/rebate
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit $100 @Newegg

Total: $686.65 w/taxes
Total: $666.65 w/taxes/rebates
 
its the rosewell capstone 750w-M

change the case to a antec 302
change the ram to gskill ares 2x4gb 1600mhz cl9. they are basically the same ram

get a 128gb ssd now and then add a hard drive later. its easier to add a hard drive to a rig than to add a SSD to a rig
 

Suisiders

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O wow the Rosewell Capstone 750-M is modular and is 80+ gold and a 5 year warranty for $110!? most PSUs with those features are around $160! Awesome reccomendation. But I never really here anything about Rosewell how do they compare to Antec/Corsair/Seasonic?

Why do you prefer the G.Skill Ares over Corsair Vengeance they are the same price?

Also can the Antec 302 put a 200mm intake fan in the front and on a 200mm exhaust fan on the top? Thats why I was going with the HAF 912.
 
most rosewell units are not too great. their hive, capstone, lightning, and fortress series are very good though.

the capstone is made by superflower which is just as good as seasonic

the gskill were a buck cheaper but it doesnt matter too much as long as they are low profile

no it cant but it does provide better cabling and usb3 that the haf 912 does not. also, the included fans on the coolermaster cases arent that great. pretty loud actually
 

Dupontrocks11

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Go with the 1TB HDD and the 128GB SSD. That's really probably all you will need. You can put your favorite games on the SSD and the rest on the HDD.

I have a Cooler Master HAF 932 and I couldn't be more happy with it. I've never heard anyone complain about the fans. My Hyper 212 Evo is louder than my 3 230mm fans. I would say stick with the HAF series. There aren't many cases that compete with the HAF series cooling.
 

Suisiders

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Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions! Everyone has helped me a lot and I'm finally happy with the final build!

Final Build:

CPU/Mobo: i5 3570k+ASRock Z77 Extreme4 $297.67 @Micro Center

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB $88.98 @Newegg

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600Mhz $40 @Newegg

Case: CM HAF 912 $50 @Superbiiz

PSU: Rosewill Capstone 750-M $110 @Newegg

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit $100 @Newegg

Total: $686.65 (Includes taxes)(Free shipping on everything)
 

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