New build for a friend

[Terpfen]

I had a great experience in this forum when seeking advice on building my current gaming setup, so I figured I'd come back. Friend of mine is looking to get back into PC gaming after a long absence, so I'm looking to get a component list together for him.

Cool and silent operation is preferable, since this PC is going into a living room.


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, web browsing, possibly some VPN/remote desktop with work.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
USD $1500, tax/shipping inclusive.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Miami, Florida, USA.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU, motherboard, RAM, GPU, PSU, HDD, SSD, case, optical drive.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None.

6) Will you be overclocking?
No.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1080p TV set.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within one week.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s, Gigabit ethernet. WiFi is nice but not necessary.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No.

 

[tiraides]

This is a slight modification of a build that I made in another thread:

$185 - Intel Core i5-3470
$118 - MSI Z77A-G45
$81 - Corsair XMS3 2x4GB DDR3 1333
$235 - Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD
$74 - Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD
$16 - Lite-On iHAS124-04 SATA DVD burner
$320 - MSI TWIN FROZR 3GD5/OC Radeon HD 7950 3GB
$110 - Corsair TX750 750W PSU
$139 - Microsoft Windows 8 Professional 64-bit OEM
=====
$1278 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

Your friend can pick his own case... but if you ask nicely, Danny Bui may come by with his "wonderous list of cases."

If you(r friend) prefer(s) Windows 7, Windows 7 Pro isn't that much cheaper.

 

[Dangman]

Wonderous? New word of the day!

$65 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
$98 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$92 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$110 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$110 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$110 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Arctic White ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7HX Black Aluminum ATX Case
$110 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002GR Black Finish w/Green Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White ATX Case
$126 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Black Pearl ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Titanium Grey ATX Case
$136 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-W ATX case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$165 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$168 - Silverstone TJ04B-EW ATX Case
$167 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B-USB3.0 ATX Case
$240 - Silverstone FT02S-W-USB3.0 ATX Case
$245 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW ATX Case

 

[Chime]

$95 - Silverstone GD05
$65 - Noctua NH-L12
$185 - Intel Core i5 3470
$70 - ASRock H77M Socket 1155 MicroATX Motherboard
$320 - MSI Twin Frozr 7950 3GB
$189 - Crucial M4 256GB
$102 - WD Green 2TB
$49 - Crucial 8GB DDR3
$90 - Silverstone STF60 600w Modular PSU
$52 - Asus 12x BDROM drive
$91 - Windows 7 Home Premium x64

Total comes to $1312 before tax/shipping. I'd also recommend a wireless 360 controller + adapter and a good remote. A nice remote helps bring everything together, you can grab a cheap rosewill remote for the IR receiver and the URC WR7 is an awesome cheap remote.

Edit: I should mention that you'll need to remove the top fan from the NH-L12 in order for the optical drive to fit in.

 

[tiraides]

Wonderous? New word of the day!

I wish I was that clever....

 

[Dangman]

Still a new word to me.

 

[tiraides]

Edit: I should mention that you'll need to remove the top fan from the NH-L12 in order for the optical drive to fit in.

Then it becomes pointless to purchase the NH-L12. Even with Turbo Boost engaged, the stock Intel HSF should be more than enough to handle the i5-3470 -- if not, there are a few good CPU coolers (like the oft-lauded Hyper 212 Plus, or the GeminiII M4 for your choice in the Silverstone GD05) that are available for less than the Noctua.

I'm not going to nitpick the rest of your build as I know that they're all based off your personal opinion.

 

[Chime]

Then it becomes pointless to purchase the NH-L12. Even with Turbo Boost engaged, the stock Intel HSF should be more than enough to handle the i5-3470 -- if not, there are a few good CPU coolers (like the oft-lauded Hyper 212 Plus, or the GeminiII M4 for your choice in the Silverstone GD05) that are available for less than the Noctua.

I'm not going to nitpick the rest of your build as I know that they're all based off your personal opinion.

Yeah, on second though the Scythe Shuriken might've been a better recommendation for an aftermarket cooler. I mostly recommended the Noctua for noise reduction, where I'd bet even with the single fan it'd be quieter than the stock Intel HSF. Still, the better course of action might be to just try the stock cooler. If it works for you, save some cash.

 

[Terpfen]

Thanks, everyone. I forwarded on your builds, and he seemed to like tiraides' the most. He also has an older case he's probably going to recycle, though he seems tempted by NZXT Phantom.

Much appreciated, all.

 

[Dangman]

Whats the older case that he has? Some líder cases can't provide enough cooling for a modern system.

 

[Terpfen]

Whats the older case that he has? Some líder cases can't provide enough cooling for a modern system.

No clue. But he's now asking for a motherboard with "a bit more cojones", so I'm trying to steer him to a new case as well.

Edit: Yeah, he's sold on a new case now, and I provided him with your list to let him pick one out. He's looking for more features on the motherboard than he initially mentioned to me: RAID, high RAM support, and SLI/Crossfire.

I was thinking of pointing him at this Gigabyte, since he now seems to be a little more into this project. Nostalgia, perhaps.

 

[tiraides]

No clue. But he's now asking for a motherboard with "a bit more cojones", so I'm trying to steer him to a new case as well.

Edit: Yeah, he's sold on a new case now, and I provided him with your list to let him pick one out. He's looking for more features on the motherboard than he initially mentioned to me: RAID, high RAM support, and SLI/Crossfire.

I was thinking of pointing him at this Gigabyte, since he now seems to be a little more into this project. Nostalgia, perhaps.

If all your friend needs are RAID, "high RAM support," and SLI/CrossFire support, then the MSI Z77A-G45 that I chose earlier meets those needs. What else does he want?

 

[Dangman]

I was thinking of pointing him at this Gigabyte, since he now seems to be a little more into this project. Nostalgia, perhaps.

The problem is that A) he's not overclocking and B) he hasn't mentioned anything concrete so far as to what extra features he wants and needs. As such, that Gigabyte is complete and total overkill for your friend since he's not overclocking and has not mentioned what exact extra features he wants and needs.

 

[Terpfen]

The problem is that A) he's not overclocking and B) he hasn't mentioned anything concrete so far as to what extra features he wants and needs. As such, that Gigabyte is complete and total overkill for your friend since he's not overclocking and has not mentioned what exact extra features he wants and needs.

Agreed, but he seems to be willing to spend the extra cash. I think he's under the impression that gaming is more intensive than it actually is; I just talked him out of a Core i7-3820 by showing him Anandtech's comparison between that and the i5-3470.

His new/additional feature requirements on the motherboard are as I stated in the previous post: high RAM capacity for future addition (up to 32GB, I'm guessing) and RAID support (he now seems interested in the idea of RAIDing two SSDs together…). He's talking about SLI/Crossfire, so let's toss that in as well.

Hey, it's his tax refund, I'm just trying to help the man not get in too much trouble with the wife…

 

[Climber]

The build Mr. T linked is perfect for his needs; gaming, non-OC, etc...the mobo listed gives 32 gb ram support, sli, sata 3, and more. If he wants to spend more than encourage him to look at more SSD space, beefier video card, and more ram or whatever.

 

[Dangman]

His new/additional feature requirements on the motherboard are as I stated in the previous post: high RAM capacity for future addition (up to 32GB, I'm guessing) and RAID support (he now seems interested in the idea of RAIDing two SSDs together…). He's talking about SLI/Crossfire, so let's toss that in as well.

As noted earlier already, that MSI still fits his new requirements. So yeah, no need to change the mobo.

 

[Terpfen]

As noted earlier already, that MSI still fits his new requirements. So yeah, no need to change the mobo.

Agreed. It's just a matter of convincing him of that. The last time he built a system, Abit was still a thing and OCing was practically a requirement.

I think at this point he just needs to build the system that tiraides assembled. Yeesh.

Thanks for all the help, everyone. I'll bump this thread if he eventually listens to reason.

 

[Chime]

Do him a favor and talk him out of SSD RAID and SLI/Crossfire if he's only running a single display. They only complicate things in most instances.

 

[tiraides]

Hey, it's his tax refund, I'm just trying to help the man not get in too much trouble with the wife…

You know, if he refuses to listen to reason -- or me -- you may have to bust out the trump card....

 

[Terpfen]

I got through to him at last. You guys helped me save him a few hundred bucks; thanks again.

He just needs to decide on a case (he's leaning toward the Raven RV03 since I have good things to say about my RV02) and he'll be on his way.

 

[tiraides]

I just found out that a better PSU is on sale: the Corsair AX750. The AX750 normally retails for upwards of $170.

If your friend has to splurge, splurge on the PSU. (Tonight! I believe that the price is a weekend-only special.)

 

[Terpfen]

I just found out that a better PSU is on sale: the Corsair AX750. The AX750 normally retails for upwards of $170.

If your friend has to splurge, splurge on the PSU. (Tonight! I believe that the price is a weekend-only special.)

Whoa--that's an awesome price. I'll definitely tell him. Heck, I'm going to snag that for myself--I was looking at a Seasonic X650 since I'm planning to add a second GTX 670, do some overclocking, and add a drive or two. This is actually cheaper!