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$1100 build, everything look okay?

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Been watching threads here closely for a couple weeks and I came up with this build. First things first, I'm in California so Newegg does charge sales tax. The good news I guess is that I'm about 20 minutes from a Micro Center. I already have an OS, monitor, mouse, keyboard.

Shopping Cart: http://cart.microcenter.com/cart.asp...icrocenter.com

CPU: Intel Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz LGA 1155 Processor (189.99)
CPU Cooler: XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler (20.99 from Newegg because it's $16 more at Micro Center)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard (94.99)
SSD: Samsung 840-Series MZ-7TD120BW 120GB SATA 6.0Gb/s (109.99)
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 7,200 RPM SATA 6.0 (69.99)
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL9 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit 2x4GB (39.99)
GPU: GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (379.99 from Newegg, I guess I want a free Borderlands 2?)
Case: NZXT Classic Series Source 210 Mid Tower ATX Computer Case (17.99)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder Series CX600 600 Watt ATX 12V Power Supply (69.99)
Optical Drive: Lite-ON 24X SATA DVD Burner - OEM (16.99)

That totals to $1010.90 before tax.

This is Micro Center's weekly ad that I mainly used:
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/...fd#/cc7faafd/1

This will be the first time building a computer for me outside of adding some RAM sticks to my old one. Are there any glaring problems that I've missed like motherboard compatibility or case size? I also am not sure which companies of RAM are considered good and which are notorious for crapping out. I was going to order everything off of Newegg and NCIX but the Micro Center $60 discount for buying CPU, motherboard, and SSD seemed too good to pass up and call me old fashioned but I'm fond of driving stuff I buy back home. If you find any of the above cheaper on Newegg or NCIX let me know and I'll see if Micro Center can price match and if not I'll type in the old credit card number. Thanks a lot, you all are my last checkpoint before I dump a grand into hopefully a build that satisfies expectations.

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Okay you've convinced me on the COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO. It's only 9 more dollars and 1200 newegg reviews can't be wrong.

For the power supply how is the CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V. It's also $10 more than what I was going to buy.

A few questions if you don't mind, is the Samsung 840 Pro Series much better than the non-pro one? Looking at all the different brands and styles of RAM drove me to insanity. Did I choose wisely or would something else be a better choice. Not sure what the thermal diffusers are like on the ones I picked, is there a chance they might over heat?

Thanks, I'm a little nervous I guess, first time not buying pre-built.

It's very rare that ram over heats these days, not unless you're playing around with the timings a lot. It's much better to get low profile ram like you've got rather than the ones with the tall heat spreaders as it is easier to fit under after market cpu coolers.

Can't recall why off the top of my head as i don't normally buy samsung but most people get either 830 series or 840 pro.
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Quote:
....is the Samsung 840 Pro Series much better than the non-pro one?


IMHO there is a considerable difference:

Samsung 840 120GB SSD:

86K IOPS
530 / 130 MB/s
3 Year Warranty

Samsung 840 Pro 120GB SSD:

97K IOPS
530 / 390 MB/s
5 Year Warrantly

I would opt for the 240+ models as having anything smaller is akin to driving around town constantly looking at the fuel gauge whereas with the 240GB+ units, you can boot around town at top speed without a care in the world as to what the fuel capacity is.

Have you shopped around for other online deals, I used www.shopbot.ca to price out my wish list which provided me with the cheapest price on items and then went to the local bricks and mortar shop and asked if they price matched in which they did.

I'd look around as your video card can be had for 339CAD and the Samsung 840 128GB SSD can be had for 90CAD.


Hope this helps...

Okay here's an update. I bought the CPU, motherboard, ram, HDD, and optical drive listed up top. There was no deal on the samsung SSD and I've heard that the non Pro 840's aren't that great so I got the Kingston HyperX 3K SH103S3/120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III instead. --> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Turns out that Microcenter does price match so I got the CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650M 650W ATX12V v2.31 instead of the Builder Series. It was marked at $144.99 but the poor guy gave it to me for $85. --> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Bought a COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO instead of the XIGMATEK. --> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Looked at the NZXT Classic Series Source 210 case and was not impressed at all. I didn't think I would mind what the case looked like but when I got there and saw it lined up with the other cases I couldn't buy it even though it was dead cheap. Any advice on cases would be nice. I'd like it to be less than $100 if possible. Side panel window and/or LED lights are a plus. I know, so vain.

I'll probably order the gigabyte 670 tonight.

I know I changed some stuff from the original post but is there anything I should return?

arcsecant said:
I think I've finally decided on the Corsair Carbide Series 400R (87.99). This might be a dumb question but all my parts will work fine on Windows 8 correct? The GPU, motherboard, ram, etc has windows 8 compatibility?


Yea it's all compatible. Case is a solid choice. Good luck with your build :) 

Patiently waiting for things to arrive from UPS. In the meantime another dilema!

I bought windows 8 from my university for $15. It says on the DVD "pre-existing OS license and product key required" but I was wanting to install it the new PC I will build. I already have windows 7 on the laptop I'm using now and I'm perfectly happy with it and don't want to upgrade. I know I can deactivate the OS on this laptop and install windows 7 on the new one and use the W7 product key I need the OS on my laptop. Will the W8 install even work on the new computer? If not what would be the cheapest route for me? Can you even buy XP anymore?

I have a bootable ISO for windows 7 on a usb flash drive from Microsoft. I can plug it onto the new computer and install it but not activate it because I don't have a windows 7 product key. Will I be able to use my windows 8 upgrade DVD and successfully upgrade even though the existing windows 7 isn't activated? I've heard both that you can and that you can't.

Worst case scenario would be a phone call to Microsoft support.

You should be able to install the OS and once installed if it fails to activate, call them and request an activation code as your purchase of Win8 is not activating. 9/10 they will give you a new code without hassle.

To make a long story short, I purchased Win8 via the Upgrade Advisor, but then a week later I upgraded all my hardware. Installed Win8 onto the bare SSD and failed activating as it was new hardware. Called up MS, explained the situation without getting granular and then reset my key.

So go ahead and install without the pre-installed version of Windows.

Edit#1: Grammar and spelling.
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