New build for my wife

[joseph2011]

Greetings, all:

I've enjoyed good success posting here in the past and I've received good advice on new builds. My previous build earlier this year turned out great, so I am hoping to repeat that success with a planned new build for my wife this month. She mainly plays online games (no high-def stuff), plus she surfs, listens to music, and watches movies. No super-heavy computing requirements.

I have a few questions about the components that I've selected here: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mWV4

1. Is the TX650M 650W PS sufficient to power this rig?
2. Any potential issues with mixing the two SSDs from Samsung and OCZ? I would choose both from Samsung, but I'm trying to keep the price down.
3. I have never bought an HIS video card, but it seems to have good feedback (at least on NewEgg). I need for the card to have an HDMI out, which it does. Any negative thoughts on the card? Can you recommend a better card for a similar price? I prefer PCI express 3.
4. Any other thoughts or advice on the components and compatibility?

Thanks kindly! I'm looking forward to another good build following a few potential tweaks.

Cheers,
Joseph

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mWV4

summary:

case: Antec Sonata Series SOLO II Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

case fans: Antec TrueQuiet 120 120mm Case Fan

power supply: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650M 650W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Semi Modular High Performance Power Supply

os/programs SSD: SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA III TLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

storage SSD: OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-512G.M 2.5" 512GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

motherboard: Intel BOXDZ77GA70K LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

video card: HIS iCooler H777F1G2M Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

cpu: Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770K

CPU cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+

ram: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM

monitor: ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor

dvd: ASUS DVD Burner Black SATA Model DRW-24B3ST/BLK/G/AS

keyboard: Logitech K120 Black USB Wired Standard Keybo

 

[malbluff]

With respect, build does have a slight feeling of split personality. Partly high quality, high performance, aimed at high-end semi-professional standard perhaps video-editing, and partly a budget gamer. Whilst this may need some "tweaking" to suit your wife's exact requirements, I would have thought it better balanced, towards stated needs, whilst still being of very high quality.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($208.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($70.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($94.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($366.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.46 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($81.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($46.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($9.93 @ Amazon)
Total: $1624.26
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-08 14:12 EST-0500)

Partpicker does insist on including a walk-in deal, at Microcentre, on i5's. Great if you live near one. Even, though, at $50 more, elsewhere, processor cost still reasonable.

 

[joseph2011]

Thanks very much, Malbluff. I had such good success with my last built, that I largely tried to replicate it for my wife's build. The only real exception was I had a high-end video card in mine (EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4GB Superclocked) and 2 Vertex 4 SSDs. I need all of that for my business, she doesn't.

I took much of you advice, but stuck with the original video card I selected for her. Can you recommend another video card option that is lower priced than the one you originally recommended; the GTX 620? Also, I'm sticking with the Antec Solo II. I love those cases and I'm afraid to try anything else! Super quiet! I'm also sticking with the Corsair TX650M PS, because I've read that it is super quite as well. The one that I wanted from Antec has apparently been discontinued.

Thanks again, Malbluff. Please comment on another video card option if you have time, as well as any other thoughts. Thanks!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($70.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($94.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($129.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec SOLO II ATX Mid Tower Case ($118.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B3ST/BLK/G/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VW246H 24.0" Monitor ($183.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($9.93 @ Amazon)
Other: TrueQuiet 120 ($12.19)
Total: $1330.46
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-08 15:43 EST-0500)

 

[Onus]

The particular HIS card you've selected is their low-end one. As satisfied as I have been with their "better" models (e.g. with the IceQ coolers), I've read many negative reviews of their budget offerings, including fan noise, fan failures, coil whine, and cheap plastic.
I have a XFX "DD" version of the HD7770, and though it wasn't the cheapest one, it is solid, sturdy (the shroud is aluminum), and quiet. I can play GW2 on it with many settings on "high". If the online games your wife plays are Facebook, Yahoo, or other "social" games (not 3D games), then you'd find a HD7750 sufficient. I've got the single-slot XFX version of that too, and it is another quiet card.
Either of these cards, along with the rest of your rig, would easily run on the Seasonic G-360, an 80+ Gold PSU. I've bought two of them, and they are inaudible when on.
Edit: Another way to save some money is to get a non-"K" CPU like the i5-3330 or i5-3470. You also would not need the aftermarket cooler. The Intel stock cooler is not good for overclocking, but is in Frostytech's top-5 list for being quiet.

 

[Deemo13]

Does she plan to overclock? If not you can lower the price a bit by picking some parts that don't really need it.

 

[NV88]

Why are you building a gaming box minus the GPU? That makes absolutely no sense. You don't need more than i3 3220/3225 matched to an H77 board (H77M-D3H for example), an SSD, and 8GB of 1600MHz CAS 9 RAM. Your wife will never use the Z77 features or the CPU. An i3 is more than sufficient.

 

[malbluff]

Problem I had with the original build is that it was so "high-end" is terms of CPU, mobo, and storage, and so low-end, in terms of GPU, it is difficult to know where to stike a "happy balance". Judging from the cost of OP original proposal, and subsequent comments, I would have thought the best "mix" would either be i5-3470, or i5-3570K (if OC req'd, if my wife was anything to go by, that might depend on what I had, in my PC), and a mid-range GPU, somewhere between HD7850 and GTX660Ti. That sort of combination would give higher performance, in OP's stated needs, and considerably cheaper, than his original proposal. If budget allows, as it presumably does, I fail to see the sense of using a weak GPU. If stuggling with budget, MIGHT be more reasonable.

 

[Onus]

For the stated uses, I see no benefit to a strong gaming card; even the HD7750 may be overkill, although it allows options, like playing more games if the wife becomes interested, or offering compute capability if some other program she gets might use it.
While it is true that an i5 is also likely to be overkill, here the benefits (years of good performance) outweigh the costs (my own wife HATES reconfiguring a PC, so it's not something I care to inflict on her for a long long time). If your wife ever gets into content creation, not just consumption, the stronger CPU will let her jump right in and not miss a beat (my own wife has a YouTube channel, sogua2000, with lots of crafting videos she has made, plus links to many others). For my own [non-gamer] wife, I used an i5-3470 and a HD6570. I may not EVER have to rebuild it, so she will be happy.
If your wife has saved content that she would not want to lose, you might do as I did and use a two-drive RAID1 for her data.

 

[joseph2011]

Best answer selected by joseph2011.

 

[joseph2011]

Very many thanks to malbluff, Onus, NV88, and Deemo13 for your comments and advice. I made my decisions this morning and ordered the following...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($70.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($129.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec SOLO II ATX Mid Tower Case ($118.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B3ST/BLK/G/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VW246H 24.0" Monitor ($183.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($9.93 @ Amazon)
Other: TrueQuiet 120 (QTY 2) ($24.38)
Total: $1218.16
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-09 11:41 EST-0500)

I was able to get everything listed, including shipping, for $1184.67 in a split order between Amazon and NewEgg. Not advertising, just saying. Thanks again, my friends.

 

[Onus]

Nice job. I think your wife will be happy with that. It exceeds her current needs without being over-the-top excessive, and when she asks "and can I do ......," you'll be able to answer "Yes!"

 

[joseph2011]

Just a quick follow-up on the new build shown below...

I finished the build last week. It was a virtually flawless build with two minor exceptions that were corrected.

1. The keyboard arrived with four non-functioning keys. Amazon.com quickly dispatched a new one and paid for the return shipping. They even sent UPS to pick the bad one up at my house. I was disappointed that I received a bad keyboard, but I was pleased with the expedient solution.

2. The ASUS motherboard only comes with 2 sata cables. That's the standard amount for the board, so none were missing. I had to drive to radio shack and buy another sata cable. That was my fault for not closely looking at the quantity of cables included, but my last few builds came with plenty of sata cables, so I was surprised that the board only came with 2. Anyway, it was a minor issue that was resolved.

Beyond those two very minor annoyances, the build went very smoothly and my wife is very pleased with her new computer. It's a super quiet system.

Thanks again for the good advice from everyone who posted comments and suggestions.

Cheers,
Joseph

---

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card
Case: Antec SOLO II ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply Optical Drive:Asus DRW-24B3ST/BLK/G/AS DVD/CD Writer
Monitor: Asus VW246H 24.0" Monitor
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard
Other: TrueQuiet 120 (QTY 2)

 

[Onus]

Very nice; glad to hear it went well.