Feedback on my first build

[StevenIsBallin]

Hi. So this is the first time ive tried to build a pc so I would like some feedback on it and see if there is any room for improvement. So without further ado here's the specs.

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.00 GHz Eight-Core AM3+ CPU 8MB L2 Cache & Turbo Core Technology
Cooling: Asetek 550LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan
Motherboard:[CrossFireX/SLI] ASUS Sabertooth AMD 990FX R2.0 Socket AM3+ ATX Mainboard w/ UEFI Bios, TUF Thermal Radar & Components, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 4 Gen2 PCIe X16, 1 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI
Memory:16GB (8GBx2) DDR3/1333MHz Dual Channel Memory
Video Card: AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB 16X PCIe 3.0
Hard Drive: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Drive)

This is a gaming rig im working on with a price limit of $1500. Any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[giltyler]

What is your location for possible local deals

 

[StevenIsBallin]

I live in the Orlando area in Florida. I used cyberpowerpc.com to build this setup. Id build it myself but I have no confidence in my ability to put a pc together so Im lookin to get one made through a site like the one I mentioned.

 

[g-unit1111]

That liquid cooler is junk and you're overpaying for the motherboard. Get an Intel 3570K and a 7870 XT instead.

 

[StevenIsBallin]

Which water cooler would you recommend? And by 7870 are you referring to the amd radeon graphics card? Sorry im not very tech savy lol.

 

[ksham]

The only true water cooler is a custom water kit. The CLCs are all liquid coolers. They do not use distilled water, but rather a coolant.

The Swiftech H220 if you must go with liquid cooling, but a simple heatsink will work for your build. Do you plan to overclock? If not, you can get a good budget Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO for $30.00 and be done there.

 

[noobuilder1]

As for cooling, a good air cooler will match just about any single 120 rad. If you want a water cooled rig its better to go big, corsair h100 is a good cooler and will cool better then almost all air coolers. The sabertooth is a very expensive mobo, you may be better off with a Asus M5A99X board or even a M5A97 r2.0 if you dont plan on crossfire, still agood mobo but much less expensive.

 

[ksham]

How's this for a build?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($183.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($125.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($445.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1194.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[noobuilder1]

How's this for a build?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($183.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($125.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($445.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1194.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

+1 for this build and you could add OS AND cpu cooler and still have 150 bucks left over...

 

[StevenIsBallin]

Thanks for the advice. I was trying to stick with water cooling because I was under the assumption that it was better than air cooling and since my current computer is having overheating issues I want to make sure that my next pc has the best cooling I can afford to make sure I dont have the same issues.

 

[StevenIsBallin]

Oh and I was doing a bit of reading and found that a lot of people use the i5 3570k for gaming. Other than being able to over clock the 3570 is there any other difference between the 3570 and the 3470 besides price?

 

[g-unit1111]

Which water cooler would you recommend? And by 7870 are you referring to the amd radeon graphics card? Sorry im not very tech savy lol.

Yeah the 7870 XT is an upgraded version of the card you originally posted: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/tahiti-le-7870-7930-benchmark,3401.html

Oh and I was doing a bit of reading and found that a lot of people use the i5 3570k for gaming. Other than being able to over clock the 3570 is there any other difference between the 3570 and the 3470 besides price?

If you're not overclocking there's zero difference in performance between the i5-3350P, i5-3470, and i5-3570. Sometimes with turbo boost the latter CPUs can reach higher clock speeds than the 3570 (non unlocked version) can.

 

[giltyler]

Do not let anyone convince you that pre packaged liquid coolers are junk.
I have run them both the H80 and H100 from Corsair and they work fine.
The big knock on them is Air coolers will work about the same and cost less.
I wound up going to a custom water cooled loop for the looks and desire to build it.
The sabertooth is overpriced for what you get so I would skip that.
8 Gig is plenty of ram.
Look here for a pre built box and you should be able to get a great build for $1500
http://www.ibuypower.com/IbpPages/intel-3rd-generation.aspx

 

[StevenIsBallin]

If I did go with the 3570 and overclocked it would that extend the lifetime of my system? By that I mean would it keep my system viable for gaming longer without having to upgrade as often? If it doesnt then Ill probably go with the 3470 instead and if I went that route from what others have said I think my system would be fine with a decent air cooler

 

[giltyler]

Yes it will help with keeping an edge to have un locked K processor.