Under-$1,000 Rig (About to Build...)

[ianko66]

Soooo after about 2 months of buying parts (I know, I know, DOA parts. I'm taking my chances...), I'm FINALLY putting everything together.

Anyways, I was just wondering if anyone had any input in regards to working with the parts I have. Any responses are welcomed!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter (after tax))
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg) (I paid $15)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter) ($105)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.98 @ NCIX US) ($50)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Amazon) ($80)
Storage: Intel 330 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($199.99 @ Newegg) ($130)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 560 2GB Video Card ($201.93 @ SuperBiiz) ($80)
Case: Cooler Master CM 690 II (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.98 @ Mwave) ($50)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($79.33 @ NCIX US) ($60)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg) ($16)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($149.99 @ SuperBiiz) ($120)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($135.63 @ Amazon) (Free: College Discount <3)
Total: $1419.77 (- about $485ish with crazy deal hunting) = around $930
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-26 19:18 EST-0500)


Also, what's the general consensus on anti-stat wristbands? I know not to work on carpet and to frequently touch the metal in my case, but do you guys use them anyways?

 

[mastrom101]

What is this build for?

 

[ianko66]

A bit of everything. Primarily music comp. and I also plan to delve into programs like Cinema 4d and whatnot. But I also plan to play some games on here as well...

 

[djangoringo]

There's a flaw in it, the 560 gtx, at that price you can get a 660 gtx.
This one is good : http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx660dc2o2gd5

 

[ianko66]

Ignore the pricing for pcpartpicker. I got an awesome deal for the 560 at Best Buy: $80 after tax, and it sets me up for some awesome SLI down the road.

 

[djangoringo]

Not bad at that price, is it the 560 or the 560 ti ?

 

[nikoli707]

meh, ive watch many touch stuff without the wrist band or being grounded, but i generally take my shoes off and make sure a toe is touching a larger-ish metal structure so im grounded.

7870 is much faster 30-40% than the 560ti you have listed and $10 less
http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/333450

dont know why you need 16gb unless your doing "heavy" video and photo transcoding but you can get much faster 8gb and more overclockable ram for $20 less
http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/332407

if your just using your harddrive for media storage get an ssd, by far the best upgrade to a modern computer, intel samsung or crucial m4 only tho
http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/333554

And this drive is plenty fast for media storage, i have two of the exact same model
http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/332677

could save $30 on a great name brand cooler master 600w power supply, although 500w would be plently as long as you dont plan to sli/crossfire
http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/333383

the case you picked why? this does the same... no need to spend more than $50 on a decent case
http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/333382

 

[ianko66]

It's actually the 560 SC 2GB (a bit off from the one I selected in the pcpartpicker list). What EVGA did was release a few graphics cards exclusively through Best Buy, with some variations (this one being "super clocked" and 2GB).

 

[ianko66]

7870 is much faster than the 560ti you have listed and $10 less
http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/333450

dont know why you need 16gb unless your doing "heavy" video and photo transcoding but you can get much faster 8gb and more overclockable ram for $20 less
http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/332407

if your just using your harddrive for media storage get an ssd, by far the best upgrade to a modern computer, intel samsung or crucial m4 only tho
http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/333554

And this drive is plenty fast for media storage, i have two of the exact same model
http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/332677

could save $30 on a great name brand cooler master 600w power supply, although 500w would be plently as long as you dont plan to sli/crossfire
http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/333383

the case you picked why? this does the same... no need to spend more than $50 on a decent case
http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/333382

Aaaaaaaahh. I'm going to edit the original post to show what I paid for each part. But for reference, look at the total cost.

 

[Guest]

Ignore the pricing for pcpartpicker. I got an awesome deal for the 560 at Best Buy: $80 after tax, and it sets me up for some awesome SLI down the road.

can't argue with that deal however forget SLI. it is highly unlikely you will find a deal like that except for a used card on ebay. and with the 560 being a mid ranged card, you'll be better off getting a single better higher end card than to SLI two midrange cards.

taking a bit of a wild guess, i would not be surprised if a 7950 would be very close ( if not better in some games) to a 560 SLI set up.

 

[nikoli707]

yeah the 560 has the same wattage as a new much fast 7870 so two of them will probably require a 700w power supply, not to mention the microstutter your going to get from them, not worth it, especially when this is available.... well was, but a deal like this will come back on soon....
http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/330098
it would be faster than two 560s easily

 

[ianko66]

can't argue with that deal however forget SLI. it is highly unlikely you will find a deal like that except for a used card on ebay. and with the 560 being a mid ranged card, you'll be better off getting a single better higher end card than to SLI two midrange cards.

taking a bit of a wild guess, i would not be surprised if a 7950 would be very close ( if not better in some games) to a 560 SLI set up.

Even with SLI not being great, I'm not in the "I need my games maxxed out at 1080p" market. I'm sure this graphic card will suit my needs right now, and when the time comes to make an improvement I'll figure where to go from there.

 

[Guest]

Even with SLI not being great, I'm not in the "I need my games maxxed out at 1080p" market. I'm sure this graphic card will suit my needs right now, and when the time comes to make an improvement I'll figure where to go from there.

i got it - your build for the prices you can get, esp the 560, is extremely great - wouldn't change a thing. well unless you are looking for better than 30-35 fps with medium settings in every/any game. (some will be much better).

FYI, just stay clear of SLI setups of lower/mid range cards. it may seem like a good investment to upgrade later with a minimal investment but a higher end single card will end up lasting longer.