First Build - Advice Appreciated.

[Tri Oxide]

Here's my build. I'll be starting with only 8gb of RAM, and I'll be upgrading to 16 Gb if I have the need for it.
This isn't intended to be a mainly a gaming PC. However, I will most likely be running from time to time games on it such as TF2 or steam games.
I'm mostly concerned by the CPU, GPU, case and motherboard.
Can anyone make sure everything is compatible?
Any suggestions, or comments?


CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($166.98 @ Newegg Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.46 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($158.78 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.79 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($217.48 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($50.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.84 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $915.30
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-23 11:07 EDT-0400)

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/Tri_Oxide/saved/215E

Thank you in advance,
~Tri Oxide

 

[SlitWeaver]

Seems like a pretty solid build. Not gonna be playing Last Light on max settings or anything, but still very nice

 

[Mattios]

Yeah I'd say pretty good

If I were you though I would get a cheaper case (CiT Black Vantage Case is good & cheap) and then invest in an SSD for the OS.

 

[Tri Oxide]

Which SSD would you recommend?

 

[Mattios]

I'd recommend the Kingston HyperX line of SSDs. They're on Amazon and elsewhere I'm sure.

 

[Tri Oxide]

Can anyone verify is everything is compatible?

 

[Mattios]

You've had two confirmations

Are you going for an SSD now?

 

[Tri Oxide]

You've had two confirmations

Are you going for an SSD now?

Im seriously thinking about it.
Faster booting time and all sure is a nice bonus, but I'm still not sure.

What else can an SSD do?

 

[Mattios]

You've had two confirmations

Are you going for an SSD now?

Im seriously thinking about it.
Faster booting time and all sure is a nice bonus, but I'm still not sure.

What else can an SSD do?

I really would go for one. They are very cheap now and a good buy.

As well as booting your OS quickly, games load much quicker (up to 3 or 4x) and so do any other applications such as MS Word/Excel/PowerPoint etc (in less than a second).

 

[SlitWeaver]

I have an SSD installed on my desktop, and I have to tell you, it is AMAZING to press enter after typing my password to log in and INSTANTLY being able to open Chrome and load up any video game. It's...incredible. I can never go back to HDDs for a boot drive, ever. You should get an SSD, seriously.

 

[Tri Oxide]

You've had two confirmations

Are you going for an SSD now?

Im seriously thinking about it.
Faster booting time and all sure is a nice bonus, but I'm still not sure.

What else can an SSD do?

I really would go for one. They are very cheap now and a good buy.

As well as booting your OS quickly, games load much quicker (up to 3 or 4x) and so do any other applications such as MS Word/Excel/PowerPoint etc (in less than a second).

After checking a few reviews, practically all SSD I checked break before a year or so of usage. They don't seem reliable from what I read. This includes the HyperX series that I checked.

 

[SlitWeaver]

Have you ever heard of LinusTechTips (YouTube'r)? He just had his first SSD die after several years as the main drive in his storage server for all his video editing and stuff. SSDs are much more reliable than they used to be, also. I was a skeptic at first, but now I am proud to own a Samsung 256GB 840 Pro.

 

[Mattios]

I agree. SSDs are MUCH more reliable than Hard Drives because they have no moving parts - nothing to break (except obviously circuitry and stuff). I don't know what you looked on but 98% of SSDs should last you AT LEAST 5 years and obviously nearly all have warranties to replace them if they die too.

Keep us informed

 

[Tri Oxide]

I've replaced the case with a full tower Azza Solano 1000. THe only thing is that it doesn't have USB 3.0 headers. Won't be much of a problem since I can simply access them from the back, right?
http://azzatek.com/csaz-1000.html

I've also chosen to replace my current PSU with its modular counterpart. It isn't on pcpartbuilder. I think it's worth the extra 5$.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

As for an SSD, I'm still looking. I'm most likely going to ditch the HDD and simply use a 240Gb SDD, since I don't do anything that requires a lot of memory, like video editing or stuff.

EDIT:
I've also checked and rethought of changing my 8 core processor for a 4 core, since I probably will never be using all 8 cores.
Would it be wise to switch to an AMD FX-4170 4.2 GHz Quad-Core?
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd4170frgubox

DOUBLE EDIT: Since their prices are practically the same, might aswell go with 8 cores.

 

[SlitWeaver]

The only thing is that it doesn't have USB 3.0 headers. Won't be much of a problem since I can simply access them from the back, right?

What do you mean by that?

I've also chosen to replace my current PSU with its modular counterpart. It isn't on pcpartbuilder. I think it's worth the extra 5$.

Modular all the way!

As for an SSD, I'm still looking. I'm most likely going to ditch the HDD and simply use a 240Gb SDD, since I don't do anything that requires a lot of memory, like video editing or stuff.

And if you need a HDD, you can always pick up a TB for <$80.

EDIT:
I've also checked and rethought of changing my 8 core processor for a 4 core, since I probably will never be using all 8 cores.
Would it be wise to switch to an AMD FX-4170 4.2 GHz Quad-Core?
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd4170frgubox

DOUBLE EDIT: Since their prices are practically the same, might as well go with 8 cores.

Future proofing, right?

 

[Tri Oxide]

The only thing is that it doesn't have USB 3.0 headers. Won't be much of a problem since I can simply access them from the back, right?

What do you mean by that?

My case doesn't have Usb Headers, while my MB does.
I still will be able to access those ports anyways, no? It just wont be on top of my case.

 

[SlitWeaver]

Yeah, the motherboard USB ports do not need to be plugged in (they're basically already "plugged in") like front panel headers do. SO no worries, you still have USB 3.0 capabilities

 

[Tri Oxide]

Turns out my case isn't compatible with the CPU cooler ( Max Cooler height is 150mm while Hyper 212 has 160mm), so I switched the case to a Thermaltake VN700M1W2N ATX Full Tower.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133194&Tpk=Thermaltake%20VN700M1W2N%20ATX%20Full%20Tower
Its max CPU cooler height is 177mm so it will be perfect.
It also has Front Panel USB 3.0, hot swap dock and dust filters( which the azza solano didn't have o_0), so it's worth the extra 10 $.

Still thinking for the SSD.

This should be the final adjustments (I hope!)

 

[SlitWeaver]

Just make sure you don't ever pull out a drive that is not specifically specified as a hot swappable drive while the computer is running. For the love of god, please don't. I cannot tell you how many times people are like "What just happened???" when they do that :/

 

[Tri Oxide]

Just make sure you don't ever pull out a drive that is not specifically specified as a hot swappable drive while the computer is running. For the love of god, please don't. I cannot tell you how many times people are like "What just happened???" when they do that :/

Thanks for the warning. I probably won't ever use it anyways

 

[SlitWeaver]

Just make sure you don't ever pull out a drive that is not specifically specified as a hot swappable drive while the computer is running. For the love of god, please don't. I cannot tell you how many times people are like "What just happened???" when they do that :/

Thanks for the warning. I probably won't ever use it anyways

Let us know how the build goes! And don't be afraid to ask any questions (no matter how silly or dumb they may seem)!

 

[Tri Oxide]

Alright so after consulting with my dad he says it's pretty overkill for what I'm going to be using it for. And he's kinda right. So I brought down the specs a bit to drop the price a bit. Here's how it looks.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($120.59 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.46 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G43 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($83.12 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.79 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($188.12 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Thermaltake VN700M1W2N ATX Full Tower Case ($124.20 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.75 @ Vuugo)
Total: $736.01
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-05 11:08 EDT-0400)

I chose a mobo that is half the price and the 6300. I've also chnaged the MSI 7850 to the ASUS 7850. Size isn't an issue with the case I have, so is this a wise choice?