New Build: Did I screw up?

[jessejamesallen]

Soooo, I already bought these components, have never built a computer before, and am having a little buyers remorse. I was hoping somebody might have some advice or reassurance. I salvaged cables, keyboard, mouse, monitor, and a DVD drive from work. I haven't built it yet, and it's entirely possible that I have completely forgotten one or more components. I'm waiting to assemble it until the CPU arrives (USPS lost it). The general idea of the computer is that I can use it for games, and I made sure to purchase a nice motherboard so I could upgrade the low quality CPU later when I am not broke. I can't wait on the build for long though, because my laptop is dying fast due to overheating issues. The prices listed are what I paid before tax. The total comes out to $391.93 (361.93 after rebates). I obviously skimped out on the RAM (Intended as a future upgrade), GPU (I wasn't going to buy one until I saw this one for so cheap.), and the CPU (Future upgrade). I will probably also salvage various low quality HDDs from work and other places for backup storage (movies, music, and disc images). Any advice is appreciated, even if the advice is "return X item and never do that again". Thanks

Motherboard:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007MKGF82/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00
ASUS P8Z77-V LX LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $116.99

CPU:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LLBBSS/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00
Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor G860 3.0 GHz 3 MB Cache LGA 1155 - BX80623G860 $64.99

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $54.99 ($44.99 after rebate)

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171046
COOLER MASTER Elite 460 RS-460-PSAR-I3 460W ATX12V V2.31 Power Supply $34.99

GPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133432
PNY VCGGT4302XPB GeForce GT 430 (Fermi) 2GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card $49.99 ($29.99 after rebate)

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT $19.99

HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145587
Hitachi GST Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630 500GB 7200 RPM 2.5" SATA 6.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive -Bare Drive $49.99
I know it's a notebook hard drive, but the price was good, and I didn't think it mattered.

 

[erykkrol]

This computer will perform really poor in games. instead of getting the dual core pentium cpu i would go with a quad core amd and get a diffrent motherboard aswell to go with the amd cpu, Try the AMD phenom ii x4 or amd fx 4300

 

[Newf]

Your build should be fine.

The ram you bought is not listed in the Asus QVL, but it is pretty standard and you are unlikely to have a problem with it.

Just so you know for the future to check these lists when you pair ram and a motherboard.
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z77V_LX/#MSL

Newf.

.

 

[jessejamesallen]

I should have mentioned, I did some reading before purchasing, and I bought the CPU because of http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-2.html and my very limited budget, but I was hoping to still be able to upgrade to something much better in a year or so, which is why I went for an LGA 1155 socket.

 

[twelve25]

Should work fine. The only concern is that the GT430 falls under the barely passable mark for gaming. You'll be able to play most games, but at the very minimum settings and resolutions.

You can use a notebook hard drive, you just might need a bay adapter. Most desktop cases have hard drive slots for a 3.5" drive. So you'd need a 2.5 to 3.5 slot adapter, which adds another 5-10 bucks. They also are just a little bit slower, but not to the point it's going to be terrible. (Actually just noticed you got the Antec 300 case, which has a 2.5" mounting spot on the floor of the case. You'll be fine)

Overall the build is decent, but you skimped a bit much on the GPU mainly. G860 is a fairly capable processor for most tasks, so that's not a problem. IF it were me, I'd return the GT430 and get a GTX650 or 7770 at minimum, which are about $100. That's really the starting point for a gaming card.

 

[jessejamesallen]

Thanks for the info, Newf. I never thought to check the motherboard compatibility with the RAM. Twelve25, I really appreciate the advice, but until I found the GT430 for $30, I was planning on not buying a GPU at all until I could afford a nice one. (I would have had to go without game-playing when my laptop died until I bought one.)

 

[jonjonjon]

if it were me i would have ditched the $50 video card and used that money to get a i3-3225. then you could use the intel HD 4000 graphics until you can afford a better video card. the i3 would also better so you wouldn't need to worry about upgrading it like the dual core G860.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3225 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($127.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Biostar H77MU3 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $357.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-09 16:30 EST-0500)

 

[bignastyid]

Id return the power supply and get a better one that cooler master is of poor quality and a bad powersupply can fry the entire system leaving you with a brick. When building a computer never skimp on the PSU. This on is a good psu and on sale right now and is much much better than the coolermaster.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

 

[quilciri]

This computer will perform really poor in games. instead of getting the dual core pentium cpu i would go with a quad core amd and get a diffrent motherboard aswell to go with the amd cpu, Try the AMD phenom ii x4 or amd fx 4300

He's right that the computer will game poorly, but wrong about the reason. The g860 is a good CPU for gaming, but the GT430 is not a good gaming card.

 

[quilciri]

If you can return them. I'd suggest dropping the mobo down and putting the money towards the video card.

Asrock B75m $65 @ amazon

microATX, but has a 4 phase voltage regulator, so stays pretty cool and is a good overclocker should you decide to upgrade the CPU to a K-series later.

Then, for the video card

Gigabyte HD 7770 $100 @ newegg

cheers!

 

[dmcclelland1]

This computer will perform really poor in games. instead of getting the dual core pentium cpu i would go with a quad core amd and get a diffrent motherboard aswell to go with the amd cpu, Try the AMD phenom ii x4 or amd fx 4300

Even as I have used AMD for a long long time, the current state of things is undeniable. I would STRONGLY recommend NOT doing what this poster suggested. With the Pentium processor you have you can upgrade to a nice i5/i7 when you get more money. The best processor on the AM3+ socket barely competes with the i5 3570k, and only in highly threaded tasks. Your CPU choice is an excellent budget choice.

I agree with the other posters that the GPU will mainly be holding you back, but you should be able to play some games at low-medium depending on your resolution. The build looks great, and I am a huge fan of the case you are buying.

Good work for your first build!

 

[MC_K7]

Cooler Master doesn't have a good reputation for PSU, I'd change that if you can.

As others mentioned, the GT-430 isn't meant for gaming it's more for office work or HTPC. This card will really struggle playing modern games.

 

[twelve25]

If you can return them. I'd suggest dropping the mobo down and putting the money towards the video card.

Asrock B75m $65 @ amazon

microATX, but has a 4 phase voltage regulator, so stays pretty cool and is a good overclocker should you decide to upgrade the CPU to a K-series later.

B75 doesn't overclock. Where you thinking of Z75? I agree we can probably find a cheaper motherboard but newegg might take 15% restocking fee which means less left over for the video card.

 

[jonjonjon]

if you refuse delivery they don't charge a restocking fee. if you already received it then yes they probably will charge you 15% and you will have to pay shipping back so its not worth it.

 

[quilciri]

B75 doesn't overclock. Where you thinking of Z75? I agree we can probably find a cheaper motherboard but newegg might take 15% restocking fee which means less left over for the video card.

derp. yes I was. In any case, the GPU will need to be bumped unless you only want to do very, very light gaming.

 

[twelve25]

The power supply is not THAT bad. It's lower end, but generally got good reviews. I think it will be fine unless you start overclocking or try to run SLI video cards.

GT430 is low end, but it's at least on par with a higher and AMD APU build, which means it will run most games at low quality.

I think I'd make a couple changes if he hadn't ordered anything, but at this point return shipping and restocking would kill any modest improvements we could make.

It should be a decent system for under $400 and at least have a capability for meaningful upgrades in the future.