Review my first build ideas.

[Cole82]

First ever attempt to build anything that didn't require nails. As of a month ago I really had no idea what all went into doing this yourself, or where to even begin, but thanks to countless hours of reading and youtube videos, I've started gathering parts.
Now when I say I had no idea, I really meant it. I knew general things but that was about all. CPU's GPU'S RAM etc etc. Not specifics.
First and foremost, I am a gamer. All I want this machine to do is play games the best they can be. On the other hand, I am a bit poor lol. So with that in mind I am only able to buy maybe one part (Roughly) at a time over about two months. There is almost no chance of me spending more than 350 at a time. Unless I'm lucky with my bill timing

So here we go.

Intel i5 3570k . From all I have read this is completely adequate for my needs. I can overclock it ( If I was ever confident enough to try) but I don't see that happening in the near future. Stock heat sink at first but aftermarket shortly after build completion.

Sabertooth z77 Motherboard. I will be honest here, Looks played a part. I read many good reviews though so it wasn't ALL about looks.

GTX 660 TI GPU : Probably from EVGA but if its cheap and works ill give it a look.

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

PSU Undecided. Modular a must.

HDD A cheap but good performing one 500GB to 1TB range. SSD can come later on.

Cheap optical drive. DVD is enough.

Full tower case. DUST FILTERS ARE A MUST. I live in a very old house and it is seriously dusty. I went with a full here thinking ahead. Room to grow and such, not to mention more space for a first time builder to work in.

That is where I am at right now. If you can save me some cash or get me more for my buck it would be appreciated. If I forgot to mention a critical component Remind me lol

 

[Cons29]

good choice on the procie,
for the board it is a good board, but nowadays i like asrock, they have improved much and at a lower (significant) price than asus (or other top brands). so i suggest you at least check some reviews about them. check z77 extreme4 or extreme6. not sure what the prices are where you live, but most likely it will save you some good amount.

nice choice of gpu and ram.
for psu, might i suggest seasonic, good quality build (they build their own btw), even corsair psu's (among others) are made by seasonic. im using 760w gold, 5 years warranty.

for casing, it depends on you, read reviews and get a feel of the case in person. checkout nzxt phantom or something, lots of choices, keep in mind also cable management when buying a case.

hth

 

[bigshootr8]

I agree with con's on the power supply recommendation. A good chunk of corsair power supplies the TX,HX, and AX are seasonic based as well so you could take a look there (non i versions those are a different oem), also xfx is as well.
I do like the NZXT phantom its really cheaply priced the other case that I would seriously take a look at is the Fractal Design Define R4 it has sound dampening padding inside so your case will be silent without giving up to much air flow also has a lot of amazing features inside and isn't terribly expensive. But also keep in mind that cases are a personal touch and will outlive most of the components you will install.

Also I agree on the board recommendation. I really like the sabertooth line to be honest though its built around stability but if you are looking to save a little the extreme4 and 6 are good choices as well as the D3H from gigabyte.

 

[Cole82]

I have seen that case around in my searches. Love the way it looks. Seasonic and Corsair PSU have came across my radar, though I was leaning towards a 650? Price is the main concern here. I have no doubt it will need to be upgraded at some point but for now I was hoping that was plenty. That define R4 is interesting to say the least. Though the sound dampening would be a little wasted on me. Im close quarters with my wife alot of the day, and use headphones as much as possible.

 

[Xlerator]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($87.27 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Trooper ATX Full Tower Case ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Gaming 700W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $820.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-18 19:51 EST-0500)

 

[bigshootr8]

yea a 650W would be just fine look at the tx650v2. yea the r4 is very interesting I've been eye balling it lately I'd like a more silent case.

 

[Cons29]

a 650 would do just fine, keplers (your 660 is kepler based) are more efficient that previous generation. my old 550w could run a gtx260 just fine, and that consumes more power (i believe) than what you are planning to buy. for the case, i suggest you go see those in person

 

[bigshootr8]

Agreed I prefer to buy a case at a shop because its easier to return and you dont have to pay shipping on a heavy piece of hardware.

 

[Cons29]

it's like buying a monitor, you would have to see it to appreciate before you buy

 

[bigshootr8]

That as well however I took a gamble with mine through newegg because I have a newegg preferred account no interest for 6 months on purchases over 250 and 1 year on purchases over 500 woot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!