First time building a PC - please advise on configuration

[Ilias2009]

Hey guys,

Been visiting the site for quite some time now and I absolutely love all the thoughtful articles and forum threads.

Right now I am in the process of configuring my own PC for the first time (which is actually very exciting ).
I would be most grateful if you could give me some feedback on my proposed configuration (compatibility issues, performance bottlenecks, gaming performance, general remarks, etc...).
Next to its normal day-to-day use (check internet, office, etc), PC will mostly be used for gaming purposes.

I did quite some research myself but lack the necessary experience to be sure to have covered all bases...

Proposed build:

CPU: Intel Core i5 3570K 3,4GHz
GPU: Asus Geforce GTX 660 DC2TG 2GDS
Memory: Kingston HyperX 4x4 GB 1600 MHz
Sound: Asus Xonar DSX
Casing: Antec Three Hundred
Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Pro 4-M
Storage: SSD Crucial M4 128 GB + Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 16 MB
PSU: Corsair CX Series Modular CX 600M
Optical drive: Basic DVD-RW that I will recover from my previous PC
Monitor: AOC i 2353 Fh

Total cost should be around 1150 euro (+- 1500 dollar)

I suppose an aftermarket fan will only be necessary if I plan to overclock the processor significantly?

Many thanks in advance!

 

[chain220]

Everything looks pretty good. An aftermarket fan is a pretty strong suggestion, but I believe the stock fan should obviously be suitable at the stock speeds. Once you get into overclocking, all bets are off and I would get an aftermarket fan. The only thing I would personally change is cutting back in some areas a little to get a better graphics card. Though, if your first upgrade is another 660 in SLI, it should be solid for quite awhile.

 

[johnsonjohnson]

Hi. You don't need 16GB for gaming; 8GB is enough. Which websites will you be buying from and will you need an OS?

 

[caltiger123]

I agree with the responses above. It would be worthwhile to take out the ssd and possibly the sound card, if you don't care about superior sound, for a better graphics card. Also, anyone here correct me if I'm wrong, but the asrock extreme 4 will be better for most purposes. It better supports SLI and Crossfire.

 

[admbautista]

Yea, because the board he picked was a micro atx board. better change it to asrock z77 extreme 4 if you plan to go dual gpu in the future, and that also includes changing your psu to most likely 750w. I think that will be more than enough. Or you could stick to that board and get a better gpu instead. So you won't need to have dual gpu in years and won't need to change that psu. +1 also to the above comments, 8gb ram is more than enough for gaming. You don't need a sound card unless your very meticulous with sound, or your a professional, music editor and uses a expensive headset/speaker.

 

[Ilias2009]

Hey guys,

Thanks for your very useful advice!
Then I will dump the sound card and limit memory to 8 GB and free some budget for a better GPU.

If I understand correctly the proposed changes in PSU as well as the motherboard are only when considering SLI?
Will an upgrade from GTX 660 to the Asus GTX 660 Ti-DC2T-2GD5 be worthwhile? Price difference with the GTX 670 is pretty high and pushes me over budget...

Thanks again!

 

[Ilias2009]

Hi. You don't need 16GB for gaming; 8GB is enough. Which websites will you be buying from and will you need an OS?

Hey Johnsonjohnson,

I live in Belgium, but since prices are quite high in my country I will buy my components in the Netherlands.
Most components will be bought at www.azerty.nl.

Using Windows 7 32bit at the moment but I am planning to upgrade to 64 bit for my new PC (which, I suppose, should work fine since I have a seperately bought product key).

Kind regards!

 

[johnsonjohnson]

If you don't mind a GTX 660 Ti from another brand, you will be able to save some money. There's an ASUS IPS monitor for less unless you really prefer the one from AOC. That PSU has more than enough power since it looks like you want one with modular cabling. If you're serious about overclocking, you can get the motherboard below. If not, any Z77 would do fine.

ASRock Z77 Extreme4
http://azerty.nl/0-4924-491250/asrock-z77-extreme4-moederbo.html

This is a popular aftermarket cooler when you decide you need and can afford one.

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
http://azerty.nl/0-976-455750/cooler-master-hyper-212-evo-.html

Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB
http://azerty.nl/8-750-478347/crucial-ballistix-sport-gehe.html