New Build Help

[MasterOfPupets]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Gaming.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

About 1200 total including tax/shipping.

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

Cleveland, Ohio so I have access to a local Microcenter and Best buy, not much else.

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, RAM, Case, Mobo, Vid, HDD, SSD, Monitor

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Reusing Power Supply (OCZ 600w ModXStream Pro), Speakers, KB/Mouse, and ODD.

6) Will you be overclocking?

Some, nothing too extreme

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

Plan on getting a 1920x1080 monitor.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

About a week to start ordering

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.

Prefer USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

No, included in spending. WIN7 64-bit




Current Plan:
CPU: i5 3570k - MicroCenter 189.99 Here
Cooler: CM Hyper 212 EVO - NewEgg 29.99 Here
MOBO: GA-Z77X-UD3H - MicroCenter 114.99 Here
Video Card: XFX HD 7850 - NewEgg 254.99 Here
RAM: Corsair XMS3 16GB (4x4) DDR3 1600 - NewEgg 94.99 Here
Mon: 24" 1920x1080 monitor - local 150ish
HDD: WD Caviar Green 1TB - NewEgg 95.99 Here (May possibly up it to a 2TB since the price difference isn't much if I can afford it.)
SSD: Used off [H] I've been seeing some good prices for an OS drive.
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP - NewEgg 79.99 Here
WIN: WIN7 Home 64bit - NewEgg $99


I'm unsure about the case. I read in the reviews about issues with the ATX power cable being too short. Any suggestions for a different case with better airflow still in my price range?

Any other suggestions on what to change up on the build?

 

[Dangman]

I recommend replacing that PSU considering its quality. This is a solid replacement:
$63 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU

Case wise, I recommend the following cases:
$76 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$115 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case

HDD wise, I'd get this faster HDD while it's still on sale so buy it today!:
$90 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

As for the SSD, stick to the Crucial M4, Intel 520, Plextor m3, or Samsung 830 SSDs if you want quality. Though more than likely all the SSDs being sold in the FS/FT are probably older low quality Sandforce based SSDs from OCZ.

As a metric for how much you should be paying for a used SSD, right now you can get this brand new and reliable Crucial M4 128GB for $125:
$125 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SSD

That's basically $1 a gig from a reliable SSD. So if you're gonna buy used, make sure that size matches the price.

 

[MasterOfPupets]

Thanks Danny.

I really like the Corsair 400R case. Looks really nice, and I like the cable management stuff.

And that HDD looks nice, but I was kind of looking for the SATA 6.0Gb/s. Unless it won't make a difference with my build. Also, I've heard that Seagate now produces Samsung's HDDs. If that's true, I don't want it anyways. I've had some very bad experiences with Seagate in the past.

I think I'll have to wait on the SSD, especially if I'm buying a new PSU.

 

[Dangman]

SATA 6.0Gb/s means nothing when it comes to hard drives. Only matters with SSDs. Also that samsung is still a samsung design, not a seagate.

 

[MasterOfPupets]

Thanks for the help Danny Bui.

Unfortunately, I got extended for my stay in the sandbox over here by about 3 monthes, so I'll have to hold off on building my system. Happily, it may have increased my budget by a bit come that time. 3 more monthes of tax free money is nice.