$1500 budget, How is this build for gaming?

[louieboy33]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kpYV

I made a thread a few days ago but I can't seem to find it. Anyways, this is the new build I came up with....is it good for gaming?

I'm open for suggestions also on my gaming case....wasn't really sure what to choose.

Thanks in advance.

 

[malbluff]

A couple of minor observations.
PSU: 650w is more than you need for a single GPU, but not enough for two. 550w ideal for one, 750w for two.
SSD: Would much prefer Samsung 830, Crucial M4, or OCZ Vertex 4.
Other than that, fine, assuming you NEED Thunderbolt.

 

[malbluff]

On case, you don't need Full tower. Decent Mid Tower plenty. Corsair Carbide 500R is a very good one.

 

[louieboy33]

I've had good experiences with gigabyte mobos and it had great reviews. What would you suggest for another mobos and why?

As for the tower, full towers are so appealing to me. I really want some with really good airflow and space

 

[redeemer]

Case size and PSU really depends on how long you want to keep your build, a bigger case allows more expansion and a large PSU give you more options. Down the road you might want to add another 670 and some HDD's, then you should go with at least a 750w.

Overall your build look great

 

[louieboy33]

Best answer selected by louieboy33.

 

[malbluff]

Nothing at all wrong with Gigabyte boards. Was only querying whether you actually need Thunderbolt, that you're paying extra for, at the moment. Personally regard Thunderbolt as something, for the future, so Thunderbolt "ready" may be worthwhile, but so little, at reasonable price, uses it, at present. If you want a full tower, of course, get one, but a high quality mid tower, like Corsair Carbide 500R gives good airflow, and plenty of room, unless you are planning multiple GPU's and half a dozen hard drives.

 

[louieboy33]

Nothing at all wrong with Gigabyte boards. Was only querying whether you actually need Thunderbolt, that you're paying extra for, at the moment. Personally regard Thunderbolt as something, for the future, so Thunderbolt "ready" may be worthwhile, but so little, at reasonable price, uses it, at present. If you want a full tower, of course, get one, but a high quality mid tower, like Corsair Carbide 500R gives good airflow, and plenty of room, unless you are planning multiple GPU's and half a dozen hard drives.

I actually like that case after watching a couple reviews. Thanks!

One question... could I take out all the included fans and replace them with aftermarket fans of the appropriate sizes?

 

[Stevemeister]

Your selections will work fine but I would make the following changes assuming you will stay with a single GPU set-up. Power supply - Seasonic are the best - 550W will be more than enough for single GPU. I would go with a 120 GB or even 240 GB SSD - OCZ Vertex 3 or 4 (the former are very well priced right now). MB - consider if you really want Thunderbolt as it is an expensive feature that you likely will not use - I woukld suggest Asus Maximus V GENE Z77 (micro ATX is often enough quite frankly) - its a great overclocker. Cases . . . I am a big fan of Lian Li fan having used them on several builds - the build quality is impeccable and the hard drive vibration isolation is excellent. I have used V354 cases although this design does not give a lot of clearance for a CPU cooler like the one you are proposing to use. A case, like a power supply is something you can keep for a long time so go with something good. If you go with Corsair (who are also good) then use the TX range (modular) as it helps to keep things tidy.

 

[nathanoakes]

Looks pretty nice - will serve you well. Although, it might be worth swapping to an AMD FX8350 because of the similar performance. Looks like you're interested in an aftermarket cooler, it isn't needed unless you're overclocking really. My stock cooler keeps my 8350 nice and frosty at 11c idle, no higher than 40c under load. If you were interested in overclocking, the cheaper CPU equipped with a nice water block will do much better than an i5 with an air cooler. Also, like some other answers have mentioned, a better PSU is recommended. Agreeably, your system doesn't need one, but like others have said you can expand more on a bigger PSU. 750w are rather cheap at the moment (mine cost me about £25). Another note would be to change the 2x4GB to a 2x8GB/4x4GB. The systems you're looking at will last a while but more memory will make sure of that. At least upgrade soon after you have it. Also, don't buy a system from a retailer pre-built, buy your own parts and learn how to build your own. It's a nice skill to have and it will save you a lot of money in the long run. Caution is advised if you do go with water cooling though.