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gaming build assistance

C

codepanda

n00b
Joined
Sep 9, 2012
Messages
3
I'm considering building a gaming rig for my living room. I've been out of the PC building world for over 4 years. Getting back into it is daunting in terms of knowing what brands to avoid and finding the price/performance sweet spots for various components.

1. What will you be doing with this PC? gaming and htpc/playback

2. What's your budget? flexible, but under 900 would make me happy

3. Where do you live? DC, a microcenter is reasonably close

4. What exact parts do you need for that budget? case, psu, mobo, cpu+cooler, ram, video card, optical drive, disk drive

5. If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? none

6. What specific features do you need in a motherboard? I'm going to expand this question to more general requirements not addressed elsewhere:
6a. reliability (I don't want to be working on it frequently / my girlfriend needs to be able to just drop in a blu ray and get going without hassle)
6b. hdmi (TV is the only display involved)
6c. modular psu (chassis permitting) - I'm a wiring neatfreak and this seems obvious for airflow in the SFF
6d. WIFI built-in would be nice (or a recommendation for a good USB dongle)

7. What resolution output do you need? 1080 to a 55" TV

8. Does this system need to fit into a particular space? would be nice if it fits in my TV cabinet: 12" W x 8.25" H x plenty D - but I'm leaning toward the Bitfenix Prodigy, so that's not a strict requirement

9. How comfortable are you with custom case design/modification and electrical wiring? no thanks

10. How important is the noise/silence of this sytem? it needs to be quiet while watching blu rays and hulu, not important while gaming

11. How mobile does this system need to be? not a concern

12. Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? no

13. When do you plan on building/buying the PC? within the next few weeks

Here's what I have scoped out so far:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9500 AT Ball Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77E-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial V4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Galaxy GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1GB Video Card ($96.97 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: Silverstone 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($77.17 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On ihes112-04 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.63 @ Amazon)
Total: $918.68
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-10 02:08 EDT-0400)

Here are my concerns:
1. I've haven't kept up with the PC hardware world since 2007, it feels like I'm a noob again. Am I missing anything in terms of parts compatibility or up-to-date-ness?
2. How can I make it cheaper without sacrificing quality? Can I scale down on mobo or psu?
3. Do I need a beefier video card? I've never been a particularly heavy gamer, but I'd like to play Diablo 3 and probably get into some modern fps games. (for reference: the last pc game I played was warcraft 3)
4. If I sized down to an SG07/08 case, would I sacrifice temperature / stability?
 
2. You don't need a Z77 board with that CPU, so you can save money there. I have a H61 board and it's fine. With an SSD you will feel like you're in a whole new world anyway, in terms of UI responsiveness.
3. Diablo3 is not demanding at all on your GPU, so the 550ti would be fine. But for that kind of price you better get a Radeon 7750 or 7770.
If you want to play something like BF3, then you will want something more powerful again. But I think it's impossible to offer good advice unless you really are determined to play a particular game and can justify spending several hundred dollars on a GPU.
4. The SG07/08 has a massive fan that blows directly down on the CPU/motherboard, so you probably get better temps than with a stock Prodigy. Prodigy's strength is that it has plenty of space for big watercooling rads or a full set of hard drives. SG07 comes with a PSU already.
If you want something that looks nice in your TV cabinet, you might also consider the Silverstone Grandia series. Those look more like HiFi components but they might be a bit more pricey.
 
You can get a i5-3570k ($189.99) and the Z77e-itx ($94.95) at Microcenter to save some cash (notice the $50 off on the motherboard), or if your microcenter has the h77 asrock board in stock you can save even more.

I concur on the SG07/08 comment over the Prodigy. In this case I think you would be better served with the silverstone case (that comes with a 600w PSU); will the prodigy even fit into your space constraints? -- it doesn't look like it.
 
The problem with SG07 and Sg08 are that they require slim optical drives. So, while it is a great case, you will be spending more. Probably another $20-30 for the Case + PSU and $10-30 for the slim optical drive.

Also I agree that you may want just a little more graphics performance.

You can grab a 6850 or 7770 for $110. In case of the Galaxy 550 ti, and these other two GPUs, all require a MIR ($10 for the 7770 and $20 for the 6850 and 550 ti). If you can wait, perhaps the GTX 560 will drop in price in a few days when the GTX 660 comes out, that would also be a good choice. Check US.NCIX for the 6850 and Newegg for the 7770.

While that will cost you a little more, you can save it by purchasing a cheaper SSD (crucial m4)

SSD: Crucial m4 128gb Amazon.com (today's goldbox deal of the day) - $80
 
jamaicanpi said:
The problem with SG07 and Sg08 are that they require slim optical drives. So, while it is a great case, you will be spending more. Probably another $20-30 for the Case + PSU and $10-30 for the slim optical drive.
Click to expand...

Good point. BlueRay "combo" opticals in slimline/notebook size are hard to find. Some are also priced very high. You'll also need an adapter for 7+6 then.
 
Thanks for the replies! You guys are helpful to a twice-over noob and I really appreciate that.

Machupo said:
I concur on the SG07/08 comment over the Prodigy. In this case I think you would be better served with the silverstone case (that comes with a 600w PSU); will the prodigy even fit into your space constraints? -- it doesn't look like it.
Click to expand...

It won't fit. That fit isn't an absolute requirement, I can set it next to my entertainment center - I'd just prefer it to fit in the cabinet if I'm not sacrificing anything performance / quality -wise to accomplish that. I was leaning toward the Prodigy partly because it looks awesome and partly for the possibility of a modular psu. Another that I thought about is the Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced. That one would be very close, if even possible. My actual vertical clearance is 210mm on the nose, and various sites have the Elite 120 documented as 205 - 208mm tall. If those numbers don't include the feet, then it's extra dicey. Also, on second look, an after market CPU cooler might be problematic with the Elite 120.

jamaicanpi said:
The problem with SG07 and Sg08 are that they require slim optical drives.

...

You can grab a 6850 or 7770 for $110. In case of the Galaxy 550 ti, and these other two GPUs, all require a MIR
Click to expand...

I can't find any internal slim blu ray drives )= Also, it's worth pointing out: I don't need a burner, I only need to read DVDs and blu rays.

What the heck is a MIR?

So, I've taken some of your advice and done some more reading elsewhere on the net. From this, I've learned the following:
1) go ivy bridge
2) go ATI (see, this is why I am here: last time I built, nvidia was the bees knees and pairing ATI with Intel was a no-no)

I've modified my build as such:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3330 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9500 AT Ball Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($106.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial V4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($126.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone SG07-B Mini ITX Desktop Case w/600W Power Supply ($189.98 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On ihes112-04 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.94 @ Amazon)
Total: $943.81
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-10 20:56 EDT-0400)
 
Sorry MIR was my acronym for Mail-In-Rebate.

I checked amazon for an internal slim blu-ray reader and came up with the panasonic UJ240 for $65.
 
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