First time build cost reduction help

[joshWN]

Hey this is my first build that I've put together and I need some help in reducing the cost down and any advice about the build.
My aim is to get it down to around $1100-$1300 at the highest
Any and all help is greatly appreciated

PCPartPicker part list: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/10rES
Price breakdown by merchant: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/10rES/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/10rES/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($259.00 @ Scorptec)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($35.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Corsair 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($135.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Intel 520 Series Cherryville 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($149.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($94.00 @ Scorptec)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN751ND 802.11b/g/n PCI Wi-Fi Adapter ($16.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Thermaltake Armor Revo Snow Edition (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($189.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($22.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1542.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-28 03:03 EST+1000)

 

[marshallbradley]

Here's a build I put together earlier:

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($259.00 @ Scorptec)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($35.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($165.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($145.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($409.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($65.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($25.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1343.00

It's a little over I'm afraid, Australian prices got me...

- the HD 7970 is almost universally better than the GTX 670, esp. at higher resolutions

- You don't need 16gb of RAM, except for very specific tasks. You can always upgrade at a later date

- Motherboard is better quality, though stick with the ASRock if you want to keep the price down

- Better and cheaper SSD

- No WiFi, so add this back in if you need it

- Better PSU at a more reasonable wattage. Even with overclocking you're not going to use much above 450W

- Please don't spend $200 on a case, esp. one that's not even that great. There are much better offerings out there at much better prices. This is one of the biggest money sinks for your build. If you want some recommendations as to case other than the Antec One, just give me a shout and I can give you some great alternatives.

All the best,

M

 

[joshWN]

Here's a build I put together earlier:

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($259.00 @ Scorptec)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($35.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($165.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($145.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($409.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($65.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($25.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1343.00

It's a little over I'm afraid, Australian prices got me...

- the HD 7970 is almost universally better than the GTX 670, esp. at higher resolutions

- You don't need 16gb of RAM, except for very specific tasks. You can always upgrade at a later date

- Motherboard is better quality, though stick with the ASRock if you want to keep the price down

- Better and cheaper SSD

- No WiFi, so add this back in if you need it

- Better PSU at a more reasonable wattage. Even with overclocking you're not going to use much above 450W

- Please don't spend $200 on a case, esp. one that's not even that great. There are much better offerings out there at much better prices. This is one of the biggest money sinks for your build. If you want some recommendations as to case other than the Antec One, just give me a shout and I can give you some great alternatives.

All the best,

M

Thank you so much for the overview, kinda overwhelmed me with how much information and thinking goes into the selection process I figured I'd ask for help. If you don't mind me asking for other recommendations for the case I'd greatly appreciate it

 

[marshallbradley]

Again being in Australia does significantly limit your selection, and the case is the one thing that would be very costly to import.

Even so, here are a couple of different cases you should consider. Check out reviews of cases you like on YouTube though, as it will give you a 10x better idea of the case's look/features than a simple picture.

Starting at the cheaper end, there's simple, clean looking cases like the NZXT Source 210. It's a fairly basic case, with nothing special in the looks department, but for $59 it gets the job done.

At the slightly higher price point of $89, you can get a Cooler Master Storm Enforcer or Silencio 550. They're both solid cases, though I like the very clean looks of the Silencio, and think it's a nice change from the typical "over the top", plastic-y look that a lot of cases have. It's also optimized for silence (I think it has acoustic foam).

At the top end of what I'd look to spend, for $109 there's the CM 690 II. You don't get much more in the way of features over the $89 cases, but if the looks are worth that much to you, by all means go for it.

Whichever one of the cases you go for, you're saving at least $80+ over your original choice, with almost exactly the same quality/features.

M