Urgent PC build: $800

[buildornot]

Hi everyone, first timer here. I'm a basic user, so I appreciate you guys providing a forum for helping people like me. Thanks to all who help in advance!
Below are the details of my build. If you can provide 2 options for each component, I’d appreciate it so that I can make some final adjustments based on price/quality considerations.


1) Purpose:
Lots of video streaming; lots of open browser tabs; midrange gamer (starcraft 2, some modern games, etc); some basic photo/video editing

2) $800 budget, but can be flexible (including cheapest shipping) (I can pick up at Frys or get someone to pick up at a Microcenter)

3) Needed parts:
- CPU (Microcenter choices: i7 4820k [$270], i7 4770k [$250], i7 3770k [$250], i5 4670k [$200], i5 4570 [$160]);
- Mobo (Bundles at Microcenter for reference: Mobo-CPU bundles);
- RAM;
- modular PSU (silent and reliable are my priorities);
- SSD (top choice: Samsung 840 Pro unless other recommendations?);
- GPU (I’m only considering evga);***
- dvd drive

*** I currently have a 9800gtx+ video card. Is it worth upgrading or can I play games at somewhat high levels for the next few years still? If no need to upgrade what is the best evga gpu for around $50-$100 that can run Starcraft 2 so that I can reuse and replace the 9800gtx+?

4) Reusing: sound card, secondary hdd, atx case

5) NO overclocking

6) Monitor: 1680x1050, 22” (may upgrade in next few years to a 1080p, 24”+ monitor)

7) Immediate build for black Friday/cyber Monday deals

8) Features:
-YES: USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s
-NO: RAID, Firewire, Crossfire or SLI
-PREFERABLE: onboard video, eSATA

9) Currently using 32bit Windows 7, but 64bit is available if you recommend >4GB RAM.
Is it a pain to use a 64bit OS still? As in, will I have trouble finding drivers and getting programs to run?

 

[cortexodus]

*I tried some PC part picker stuff but I'm apparently a moron

You'll probably want a new GPU. G80 silicon was epic, but it's definitely past its prime.

As far as 64-bit is concerned:
No, you won't have any issues with programs.
You may have issues with drivers for older peripherals. I suggest you confirm that all of the devices you have plugged in or otherwise use have drivers for Win7 64-bit and then you can just reinstall the 64-bit version of Win7 using your existing key.

 

[Dangman]

- modular PSU (silent and reliable are my priorities);

Seasonic SSR-550RM.

- SSD (top choice: Samsung 840 Pro unless other recommendations?);

If you need to save money, the Samsung 840 Evo are good SSDs as well.

- GPU (I’m only considering evga);***

*** I currently have a 9800gtx+ video card. Is it worth upgrading or can I play games at somewhat high levels for the next few years still? If no need to upgrade what is the best evga gpu for around $50-$100 that can run Starcraft 2 so that I can reuse and replace the 9800gtx+?

That 9800GTX+ is ridiculously outdated. So yes it is worth upgrading. However, I highly recommend reconsidering your stance on "eVGA only" as eVGA doesn't have ANY GPU in that $50 to $100 price range worth buying. AMD has pretty much locked up the price range of $75 to $300. So if you have to have eVGA, you're gonna end up paying significantly more money for lesser performance compared to an AMD card. So are you sure that's what you want to do?

atx case

What case do you have? We have to make sure that your case will provide enough cooling for the parts we recommend.

9) Currently using 32bit Windows 7, but 64bit is available if you recommend >4GB RAM.
Is it a pain to use a 64bit OS still? As in, will I have trouble finding drivers and getting programs to run?

Nope. Not a pain at all unless you plan on using software from like 2006 and older. So yes, go with Windows 7 64bit. Little reason to get 32bit Windows.

 

[buildornot]

You'll probably want a new GPU. G80 silicon was epic, but it's definitely past its prime.

That 9800GTX+ is ridiculously outdated. So yes it is worth upgrading. However, I highly recommend reconsidering your stance on "eVGA only" as eVGA doesn't have ANY GPU in that $50 to $100 price range worth buying. AMD has pretty much locked up the price range of $75 to $300. So if you have to have eVGA, you're gonna end up paying significantly more money for lesser performance compared to an AMD card. So are you sure that's what you want to do?

I have an older build that doesn't have a dedicated GPU, so I was curious if there was anything worth putting in there priced around $50.

So what I'll do instead is put the old 9800gtx+ into that build, and I'll look at recommendations for an evga around $150-$200 for the new build. It doesn't have to be top of the class. I'll be satisfied with a mid-high range card.

I've never had an AMD gpu, so if you think I'd do better with an AMD in the $150-$200 range, I can consider that option too.

What case do you have? We have to make sure that your case will provide enough cooling for the parts we recommend.

It's either going to be a Cooler Master 590 or Cooler Master Elite 430

As far as 64-bit is concerned:
No, you won't have any issues with programs.
You may have issues with drivers for older peripherals. I suggest you confirm that all of the devices you have plugged in or otherwise use have drivers for Win7 64-bit and then you can just reinstall the 64-bit version of Win7 using your existing key.

Nope. Not a pain at all unless you plan on using software from like 2006 and older. So yes, go with Windows 7 64bit. Little reason to get 32bit Windows.

64bit it is!

Seasonic SSR-550RM

This will be my choice then unless anyone feels otherwise.

 

[octoberasian]

If you're going to livestream games, I recommend a good processor that's strong in real time video encoding.

On my Intel Core i5, I measured 20% (lowest measured) to 25% (maximum) CPU usage with either Xsplit or Open Broadcaster Software while playing a 3D game and livestreaming to Twitch.tv.

That means any fast (3.0GHz or higher) quad core or higher CPU is recommended. I do not recommend a dual core processor for this. Of the processors you listed, all will work fine.

Neither streaming software supports GPU encoding, so video card is entirely up to you. But, you mentioned midrange settings, so a Radeon 7790 to 7870 GHz edition/Radeon R7-260X to R9-270X; or Nvidia 660/760 would be good. Heck, I think these are on sale or can be had for cheap.

Putting your games on an SSD will help with streaming as I've noticed that accessing a game on a mechanical hard drive while livestreaming tends to eat up CPU cycles, which lags your stream in return.

This is from personal experience, however. So your mileage will vary and depends what other software you're running on your computer.

Note: Xsplit and OBS settings used for testing.

1280x720 resolution (streaming window). 25 FPS, 128k AAC LC HQ audio, and 2000 kbps bitrate, 18Mbit/6Mbit DSL connection.​

 

[buildornot]

If you're going to livestream games, I recommend a good processor that's strong in real time video encoding.

By livestream, do you mean where I need to be connected to the internet to be play like in Starcraft, or where I'm playing a multiplayer game over the internet? Or something else? Sorry, I'm kind of out of it with the lingo.

I usually only play locally on my pc or in a LAN. Maybe sometimes play over the internet for starcraft matches.

Radeon 7790 to 7870 GHz edition/Radeon R7-260X to R9-270X; or Nvidia 660/760 would be good. Heck, I think these are on sale or can be had for cheap.

Will look into these right now. Thanks! Does anyone else have additional suggestions?

 

[Dangman]

I have an older build that doesn't have a dedicated GPU, so I was curious if there was anything worth putting in there priced around $50.

So what I'll do instead is put the old 9800gtx+ into that build, and I'll look at recommendations for an evga around $150-$200 for the new build. It doesn't have to be top of the class. I'll be satisfied with a mid-high range card.

I've never had an AMD gpu, so if you think I'd do better with an AMD in the $150-$200 range, I can consider that option too.

Then I'd recommend an Asus, Gigabyte, or MSI HD 7870 2GB for $150 to $160 then. Like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127722

Unfortunately Nvidia cards in the $150 to $200 price range are still priced way too high to justify them IMO. For example, the cheapest GTX 660 is $170. Problem is that the the HD 7870 Ghz Edition pretty much outperforms the GTX 660 for $20 less:
http://anandtech.com/bench/product/857?vs=783

It's even worse when you try to find an eVGA card: The cheapest eVGA GTX 660 costs $200.

Cooler Master 590[/URL] or Cooler Master Elite 430.

Definitely the 590. I would not trust the Elite 430 for this new PC. With that said, the 590 is very outdated. A new solid case with far better cable management is only $50:
$50 - Corsair Carbide Series 200R ATX Case

If you do get the new case, I recommend getting the 4670K with the MSI Z87-G41 motherboard.

By livestream, do you mean where I need to be connected to the internet to be play like in Starcraft, or where I'm playing a multiplayer game over the internet? Or something else? Sorry, I'm kind of out of it with the lingo.

Livestreaming is where you stream what's happening in your game to the internet. In other words, like streaming a band's live performance but instead of a band, it's your game.

 

[octoberasian]

By livestream, do you mean where I need to be connected to the internet to be play like in Starcraft, or where I'm playing a multiplayer game over the internet? Or something else? Sorry, I'm kind of out of it with the lingo.

I usually only play locally on my pc or in a LAN. Maybe sometimes play over the internet for starcraft matches.

Do you know what's funny?

Typing at 12 midnight while feeling nauseated the day after chemo, I confused "video streaming" with "livestreaming".

I'm sorry about that. If you're going to just stream videos (Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, NASA's UStream channel, HBO Go, etc.), those processors will be fine. If you don't mind Flash's iffy GPU video acceleration, either Nvidia or AMD video cards will work.

As for video card, if you can splurge just a tad to $299, can go for the R9-280X:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709 600473876&IsNodeId=1

The older Nvidia Geforce 670 can be had for $249:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...TMATCH&Description=Nvidia+670&N=-1&isNodeId=1

I'd probably go with the R9-280X though.

But, the cards I mentioned should be more than enough for midrange gaming. The 7790 being the lowest on that list.

 

[buildornot]

I'll come back and look at all of the details later since I'm in the middle of dinner,

but I just want to quickly squeeze in a question first, does anyone have any recommendations for 2 things:

1. Asus or Gigabyte motherboards compatible with the CPU's I listed in the original post
2. Crucial or Corsair RAM. (Does anyone know the quality of G.Skill?) (I'm interested in 8GB total and low timings)

 

[Dangman]

1. Asus or Gigabyte motherboards compatible with the CPU's I listed in the original post

I don't recommend any of the Gigabyte LGA 1150 motherboards on account of their rather quirky behavior. As for Asus, you should be fine with the ASUS B85M-E/CSM. I don't recommend any of the Asus Z87 motherboards in your case since they either A) too expensive for you consideirng that you're not overclocking or B) are not all that reliable.

2. Crucial or Corsair RAM. (Does anyone know the quality of G.Skill?) (I'm interested in 8GB total and low timings)

This:
$72 - Crucial Ballistix BLS8G3D1609ES2LX0 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

G.skill is fine but they have a tad high error death rate than Crucial or Corsair RAM judging from my experience with them at work. Even if you had a higher budget, don't worry about timings: you honestly won't notice the lower timings.

 

[buildornot]

I don't recommend any of the Gigabyte LGA 1150 motherboards on account of their rather quirky behavior. As for Asus, you should be fine with the ASUS B85M-E/CSM. I don't recommend any of the Asus Z87 motherboards in your case since they either A) too expensive for you consideirng that you're not overclocking or B) are not all that reliable.

Coincidentally, I was just about to ask whether this was a good buy: Z87. It's $94 after rebate.

I noticed the one you recommended is a micro atx. Do you happen to have a good atx mobo in mind?

G.skill is fine but they have a tad high error death rate than Crucial or Corsair RAM judging from my experience with them at work. Even if you had a higher budget, don't worry about timings: you honestly won't notice the lower timings.

Ok, I'll focus on Crucial, or maybe OCZ? I won't worry about the timings then.

 

[Dangman]

Coincidentally, I was just about to ask whether this was a good buy: Z87. It's $94 after rebate.

I don't factor in MIR until it's actually in your hands. So that motherboard is still $125 to me. So that motherboard would not be good recommendation from me for two reason:
1) Since you're not overclocking, the extra costs for the Asus Z87-A isn't worth it.
2) Since you have access to a Microcenter, you're ignoring the fact that MC offers discounts on all LGA 1150 motherboards when you buy the COre i5 4670K or Core i7 4770K. So if you had an overclocking need, you would have had a cheaper up-front cost by getting that Asus Z87-A with the Core i5 4670K. It would been about $115.

With that said, the MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate costs $65 if you buy it with the Core i5 4670K. SInce you're not overclocking, the extra $50 for the Asus Z87-A is not worth it.

I noticed the one you recommended is a micro atx. Do you happen to have a good atx mobo in mind?

From Asus, that's suitable for your non-overclocking needs, and of good quality? Not really. Again, another reason why I recommended the MSI Z87-G41.

Ok, I'll focus on Crucial, or maybe OCZ? I won't worry about the timings then.

OCZ hasn't made RAM for like 3-4 years now. Not to mention that OCZ just filed for bankruptcy:
http://techreport.com/news/25706/ocz-filing-for-bankruptcy-assets-could-go-to-toshiba

oh and Corsair and Kingston are solid choices as well.

 

[Flogger23m]

I would recommend MSI for Nvidia video cards. Was not a fan of my last EVGA 560tis. My MSI GTX670 has been great so far. They tend to be cheaper to.

 

[buildornot]

This:
$72 - Crucial Ballistix BLS8G3D1609ES2LX0 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

I happened to find this RAM which seems identical to your suggestion, but is 2x4gb rather than 1x8gb and is about $13 cheaper. Good buy?


Will I see any performance difference between an i7 4770k [$250] and an i5 4570 [$160]? If not, I thought I would rather save the $90. What would I be losing by going with the i5?

What's the best bang for my buck out of the 5 cpu's I listed? I only listed those choices because Microcenter has the best deals on some Intel CPUs. It seems like the first 2 choices are negligibly different, so I'd rather save $20 there, and if the 3770k is the same price as the 4770k, I'll just go with the latter. So it seems my choices really are i7 4770k, i5 4670k and i5 4570?

I read that the K-chips don't have something called tsx, so I'm wondering if the i5 4570 gets help from having that.

Seasonic SSR-550RM

I just wanted to understand the reasons for all the choices people make, so what makes this Seasonic a good psu, as opposed to say this Corsair for $39 after rebate.

Do you know what's funny?
Typing at 12 midnight while feeling nauseated the day after chemo, I confused "video streaming" with "livestreaming".
I'm sorry about that.

Please, you do not need to apologize at all. I'm sorry you have to go through that, and with all my heart I hope you feel and get better soon. You should rest rather than trying to help me with this trivial matter.

 

[Dangman]

I happened to find this RAM which seems identical to your suggestion, but is 2x4gb rather than 1x8gb and is about $13 cheaper. Good buy?

If you have zero plans on upgrading to more than 24GB of RAM, it's a good buy.

Will I see any performance difference between an i7 4770k [$250] and an i5 4570 [$160]? If not, I thought I would rather save the $90. What would I be losing by going with the i5?

For current games, little performance difference. As for what you would lose, you're not doing anything where not going with the 4770K would be considered a "loss".

What's the best bang for my buck out of the 5 cpu's I listed? It seems like the top 2 choices are negligibly different, so I'd rather save $20 there, and if the 3770k is the same price as the 4770k, I'll just go with the latter. So it seems my choices really are i7 4770k, i5 4670k and i5 4570?

Again, out of those three CPUs, only the K series gets the motherboard discounts. Since you're only gaming, again, go for the Core i5 4670K.

I read that the K-chips don't have something called tsx, so I'm wondering if the i5 4570 gets help from having that.

No, not really.

I just wanted to understand the reasons for all the choices people make, so what makes this Seasonic a good psu, as opposed to say this Corsair for $39 after rebate.

Higher quality components, build quality, better design, better DC output quality, better voltage regulation, etc. In other words, the Seasonic has a higher chance of survival and performance than the Corsair CX series. With that said, the CX750 isn't a bad PSU. It's just not as good as the Seasonic SSR-550RM. Also, at $60 (I don't factor in MIR until they're in your hands), there's a good chance that PSU won't be in-stock at your local Fry's since Fry's has a lot of uninformed shoppers who's going to end up getting it since it's $60 for a 750W PSU.

 

[buildornot]

If you have zero plans on upgrading to more than 24GB of RAM, it's a good buy.

Yeah, no plans ever going near 24GB. Max I'll ever do might be 16GB, but 8GB seems good for the foreseeable future. So I'll go for the 2x4gb sticks then.

For current games, little performance difference. As for what you would lose, you're not doing anything where not going with the 4770K would be considered a "loss".

What about for light video/photo editing? Or does CPU even affect this?

Higher quality components, build quality, better design, better DC output quality, better voltage regulation, etc. In other words, the Seasonic has a higher chance of survival and performance than the Corsair CX series. With that said, the CX750 isn't a bad PSU. It's just not as good as the Seasonic SSR-550RM

Yes sir!

Out of curiosity, do you see better pc component sales during cyber monday or Christmas than on black friday?

 

[Dangman]

What about for light video/photo editing? Or does CPU even affect this?

The CPU does affect those. The problem is that you said "light." Light video/photo editing does not justify $90. If you were doing heavy (i.e takes up more than 50% of the time you're on the PC, you actually need 32GB of RAM, etc) video/photo editing, then that $90 would be worth it. But for light video/photo editing? The 4670K is more than sufficient.

Out of curiosity, do you see better pc component sales during cyber monday or Christmas than on black friday?

If I could predict that, I'd be a very rich man by now.

 

[E4g1e]

What about for light video/photo editing? Or does CPU even affect this?

Also, we need to know which photo and video editing programs that you are planning to use. If you're going for cheapo consumer programs such as Premiere Elements or Photoshop Elements, then the i7 is not worth anywhere close to the extra cost, especially since such cheapo programs barely take full advantage of even a six-year-old Core 2 Duo CPU with 4GB of RAM to begin with.

 

[buildornot]

Also, we need to know which photo and video editing programs that you are planning to use. If you're going for cheapo consumer programs such as Premiere Elements or Photoshop Elements, then the i7 is not worth anywhere close to the extra cost, especially since such cheapo programs barely take full advantage of even a six-year-old Core 2 Duo CPU with 4GB of RAM to begin with.

I think it's the Adobe Creative Studio 6. It doesn't include the video editing package currently, but I'm thinking of adding it in sometime in the future.

If you have zero plans on upgrading to more than 24GB of RAM, it's a good buy.

Haha this is crazy. The 8gb stick you recommended dropped to $64 today, which is now only $5 more than the dual stick I found.

If I don't plan on upgrading any components for at least 5 years, does that help you in deciding how I should pick some components too?

 

[Dangman]

Haha this is crazy. The 8gb stick you recommended dropped to $64 today, which is now only $5 more than the dual stick I found.

Then no reason to get that 2 x 4GB set.

If I don't plan on upgrading any components for at least 5 years, does that help you in deciding how I should pick some components too?

Not really.

 

[buildornot]

1. Do K-suffix intel cpu's support virtualization?

2. Unfortunately, because a lot of cpu's sold out before I could buy them, I might have to end up with the i5 4570 for $160. I know that should be enough for gaming, but if I'm doing light photoshop/video editing, is it going to be laborious to deal with?

3. Is it better to go with the Pro version Samsung SSD with less storage space (MZ-7PD128BW 840 Pro Series), or the non-Pro version with more storage space (840 Series MZ-7TD250BW). The Pro is $132 while the non-Pro is $139.

I have a separate hdd to store the bulk of my data, so the ssd is where my OS is going.

I checked the specs, and it seems the only difference is that the Pro's write speed is about 140mb/s faster while the read is the same.

 

[cortexodus]

1. Do K-suffix intel cpu's support virtualization?

2. Unfortunately, because a lot of cpu's sold out before I could buy them, I might have to end up with the i5 4570 for $160. I know that should be enough for gaming, but if I'm doing light photoshop/video editing, is it going to be laborious to deal with?

3. Is it better to go with the Pro version Samsung SSD with less storage space (MZ-7PD128BW 840 Pro Series), or the non-Pro version with more storage space (840 Series MZ-7TD250BW). The Pro is $132 while the non-Pro is $139.

I have a separate hdd to store the bulk of my data, so the ssd is where my OS is going.

I checked the specs, and it seems the only difference is that the Pro's write speed is about 140mb/s faster while the read is the same.

1. Yes, but they do not support Vt-d (Device I/O passthrough). Most people doing VMs probably do not require this functionality but it's worth confirming from a feature standpoint before you pull the trigger. Basically, if you want to play Skyrim in a VM or pass a RAID controller to a VM, then you'll want Vt-d

2. "light photoshop/video editing" is somewhat subjective, but I would say "no problem"

3. Only if you're going to be writing to the drive a lot. Since you mention video editing and I have no idea how you will implement that, I'd say go pro. The non-pro drives may have reduced longevity in your system based on their NAND type (TLC vs MLC in the pros)

 

[buildornot]

1. Yes, but they do not support Vt-d (Device I/O passthrough). Most people doing VMs probably do not require this functionality but it's worth confirming from a feature standpoint before you pull the trigger. Basically, if you want to play Skyrim in a VM or pass a RAID controller to a VM, then you'll want Vt-d

I'll primarily be using virtualization to do web browsing. If I wanted to play Starcraft on the internet, then will that be a problem like in the Skyrim case?

3. Only if you're going to be writing to the drive a lot. Since you mention video editing and I have no idea how you will implement that, I'd say go pro. The non-pro drives may have reduced longevity in your system based on their NAND type (TLC vs MLC in the pros)

What's the difference between the 250gb non-pro version I listed right above and this 250gb one? Samsung MZ-7TE250BW. This newer one seems much faster, but that's all I can understand.

 

[cortexodus]

I'll primarily be using virtualization to do web browsing. If I wanted to play Starcraft on the internet, then will that be a problem like in the Skyrim case?

What's the difference between the 250gb non-pro version I listed right above and this 250gb one? Samsung MZ-7TE250BW. This newer one seems much faster, but that's all I can understand.

That would only be an issue if you wanted to pass your host video card to a guest VM (this is what Vt-d allows) and then play starcraft in that VM. If you're playing starcraft on the host machine, that's not an issue.

The one you linked first is the original non-pro unit and uses TLC NAND modules (theoretically less life expectancy). The second link is the new EVO unit which also uses TLC NAND but, has some other tricks up its sleeve to enhance speed.

 

[buildornot]

That would only be an issue if you wanted to pass your host video card to a guest VM (this is what Vt-d allows) and then play starcraft in that VM. If you're playing starcraft on the host machine, that's not an issue.

Haha, very sorry I'm completely illiterate at this. If I'm just using the normal avenue of playing matches online through battlenet, does that fall under the workable scenario? I don't know what passing my host video card to a guest means, so maybe I'm never facing that scenario?

The one you linked first is the original non-pro unit and uses TLC NAND modules (theoretically less life expectancy). The second link is the new EVO unit which also uses TLC NAND but, has some other tricks up its sleeve to enhance speed.

Ok, I'll go with less storage but longer life expectancy, so the Pro it is for me unless you think my rationale is wrong.

 

[cortexodus]

Haha, very sorry I'm completely illiterate at this. If I'm just using the normal avenue of playing matches online through battlenet, does that fall under the workable scenario? I don't know what passing my host video card to a guest means, so maybe I'm never facing that scenario?

You're probably not gonna have any trouble if you've never dealt with this issue before

Ok, I'll go with less storage but longer life expectancy, so the Pro it is for me unless you think my rationale is wrong.

I really can't recommend the TLC drives, but don't take my word for it. [H] seemed to think the TLC 250GB Samsung units were pretty good and I think some other site that does torture testing on SSDs says the TLC Samsung units take a beating like champs.

 

[buildornot]

Would this system be stable power-wise?

Intel i7 4770K
Asus Z87-A motherboard
Crucial Ballistix Sport Very Low Profile 8GB Single DDR3-1600 1.35V
Samsung 840 Pro 128GB SSD
EVGA GTX 660 Superclocked
SeaSonic G Series 550-Watt ATX12V/EPS12V

In addition, will be reusing 2 old hdd's and an old soundcard.

 

[Quartz-1]

I was reading a Techgage review of the AMD R7 260 which said that it gave decent gaming performance at the $100 mark. That review specifically mentions Starcraft. That should allow you to get a 250 GB SSD.

 

[Dangman]

Would this system be stable power-wise?

Intel i7 4770K
Asus Z87-A motherboard
Crucial Ballistix Sport Very Low Profile 8GB Single DDR3-1600 1.35V
Samsung 840 Pro 128GB SSD
EVGA GTX 660 Superclocked
SeaSonic G Series 550-Watt ATX12V/EPS12V

In addition, will be reusing 2 old hdd's and an old soundcard.

That setup should be fine power wise. However, as I said back in November, since you're not overclocking, there is no reason for you to spend the extra cash for the Asus Z87-A over the MSI Z87-G41 mobo recommended last time. Also, at $210, that card is really only worth it since it comes with those two games. Without those games, that card would be a terrible buy for the money since the similar priced R9 270 and the R9 270X both outperform the GTX 660.

 

[buildornot]

Through rebates and discounts, I was able to keep the cost at about $700. Got the mobo for about $80 and the gtx 660 for about $140 so I quickly jumped on those. I'm fortunately happy with the budget, and I was just concerned about whether the PSU would be sufficient for all the components. Is the PSU cutting it close, or does it have enough buffer for excess power usage?

Do you also have recommendations for a case for about $40 and dvd drive for about $20?

 

[Quartz-1]

Do you also have a good case and dvd drive recommendation for around $40?

I can't speak for the case, but get yourself an external USB optical drive rather than an internal one.

 

[buildornot]

I can't speak for the case, but get yourself an external USB optical drive rather than an internal one.

Just out of curiosity, what's the reason for going that route?

 

[Quartz-1]

Just out of curiosity, what's the reason for going that route?

I very rarely use an optical drive and it's cheaper. I have multiple PCs and a fixed device is, well, fixed, so with internal drives I'd need one for each PC. And it's an ingress for dust to boot. Plus there's the increased chance of failure when I do need it, as each component has its own MTBF. An external drive can be moved from PC to PC as needed and only powered up when needed. And if I switch from DVD to BD then I just change one drive. Otherwise, it just sits on the shelf inert.

 

[buildornot]

I very rarely use an optical drive and it's cheaper. I have multiple PCs and a fixed device is, well, fixed, so with internal drives I'd need one for each PC. And it's an ingress for dust to boot. Plus there's the increased chance of failure when I do need it, as each component has its own MTBF. An external drive can be moved from PC to PC as needed and only powered up when needed. And if I switch from DVD to BD then I just change one drive. Otherwise, it just sits on the shelf inert.

Cool, thanks for all that advice. I'll be getting an external dvd drive from now on then.

 

[Dangman]

Through rebates and discounts, I was able to keep the cost at about $700. Got the mobo for about $80 and the gtx 660 for about $140 so I quickly jumped on those. I'm fortunately happy with the budget, and I was just concerned about whether the PSU would be sufficient for all the components. Is the PSU cutting it close, or does it have enough buffer for excess power usage?

More than enough of a buffer.

Do you also have recommendations for a case for about $40 and dvd drive for about $20?

The cheapest case I recommend in general is $45:
$45 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case

Though the above case doesn't support 2.5" drives nor does your SSD comes with the necessary mounting brackets. Considering that 2.5' brackets get relatively pricey due to the general lack of free shipping, it's going to be more cost-effective to spend the extra cash for the Corsair 200R (whenever it gets back in stock for $60 shipped from Newegg or Amazon.com) since that case supports 2.5" drives just fine and comes a lot of little features and improvements over the Source 210 Elite.

As for the DVD burner, IMO, an external DVD burner is only worth it if you have more than two PCs in the home that needs an optical drive. A good external DVD drive is roughly $31 these days. A cheap and decent DVD burner can be had for around $16. Quartz-1 is right that more than likely the drives will be idle/useless most of the time. But note that if that external DVD drive dies, that's it, you lose that optical drive. At least when you have two DVD burners, you still have the chance of using another one should one DVD drive dies. But the external DVD burner dying and therefore leaving you with no optical drive is worth it IMO if you have more than two PCs.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

SSDs don't need mounting brackets! Just toss 'em in the hdd cage area somewhere and zip tie it down. haha!

 

[Dangman]

SSDs don't need mounting brackets! Just toss 'em in the hdd cage area somewhere and zip tie it down. haha!

LOL! That is true.