New build opinions needed

300a

n00b
Joined
May 19, 2010
Messages
11
Heyyyyy,

I need opinions on a new build that will take place around Christmas time. I put together a list of components for a friend of mine and we would like any input you have. Here are the core components.......

Case: Corsair 550D
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811139012

Power Supply: Silverstone 600W Modular
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817256064

Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813131848

CPU: Intel 3770K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819116501

CPU Cooler: Corsair H60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16835181015

Memory: Corsair 32GB DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820233232

SSD: Corsair Neutron 240GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820233343

HDD: Western Digital 1TB Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16822136533

Video Card: Galaxy GTX 660Ti GC 3GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814162119

Those are all the main components. He has already decided on (2) 24" Dell monitors with a slight possibility of a 3rd. He is not overclocking and is not a really sick gamer, but that might very well change. He has a life unlike me, but he will be playing Max Payne 3 at the very least. He has a severely aging Q6600 Core2 Quad right now with a NVidia 8800 GTS 640.

Thanks for the input.
 
On a side note, he had a [H]ard time picking the case because he wanted every one that Joanne from Newegg did a review on. :D
 
Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS!" So that we can help you better. I can already see a few ihings that may be an issue depending on your answers.
 
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Web browsing, usnet, some gaming

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$2200 or so. Buying from newegg.

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

Pittsburgh, PA

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, MB, PS, monitors (dell 24" X2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16824260047) liquid CPU cooler, HD, SSD, video card, windows 7

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?
possibly, not 100% sure or not.

7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1920x1080 (2 monitors)

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Buying right before Christmas, building right after.

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.
Board posted above has pretty much everything I need.Will consider other MB's if price is reasonable. SLI and USB3 possibly in future

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
no. Purchasing windows 7.
 
Ok, you're planning your build a bit too early considering that our parts recommendations can change in as little as a few weeks let alone a month from now. Not to mention that a lot our recommendations include Newegg combo deals which helps save you money. But those combo deals expire at the end of the month they were introduced in.

With that said, there are some issue with your build that still wouldn't make sense buying a month from now assuming current pricing is the same as next month:

You're only gaming. So no reason to get the Core i7 3770K. For your usage scenario, you would be fine with the Core i5. Now you should decide right now whether or not you're gonna overclock as that determines whether or not you need a "K" series CPU as well as which motherboard you'll need. So in other words, if you're overclocking, you're looking at the Core i5 3570K. If you're not, you're looking at the cheaper Core i5 3450 or 3470.

Are you absolutely 100% positively going to be using the eSATA port on that motherboard? I ask because that eSATA port is really the only good reason to get that mobo. I can think of a half-dozen better quality lower or similar priced motherboards out there that are better than that particular Asus but unfortunately they all lack eSATA. So just how important is that eSATA port?

You're only gaming and therefore really don't need 32GB of RAM. Hell even 16GB of RAM would be overkill. Not to mention that if you do go for 32GB of RAM, you'll need to go with Windows 7 Pro at a minimum since Windows 7 Home Premium is limited to 16GB of RAM support. I would aim for a 16GB RAM set at most. Though if you want balls to the wall overkill in the RAM department, just make sure to get Windows 7 Pro.

PSU wise, at current pricing, that Silverstone PSU isn't a good choice considering that the higher quality and higher amperage Corsair HX650 and Seasonic X650 are around the same price. So no good reason to get that Silverstone IMO.

As for the SSD, that's a really shitty price for a SSD of that size considering that you can get the larger Crucial M4 256GB or Samsung 830 256GB SSDs at or for under $200. Regardless of what SSD you buy, it should not cost you more than $200 to $210 for a 240GB+ SSD.

Odd that you went a tad overkill on the CPU, mobo, and RAM yet you chose to skimp on the part that would have made the largest difference in performance for your kind of usage: The GPU. I would go with the GTX 670 2GB at a minimum in your case. If you're planning on gaming on all three monitors at the same time, then go for the GTX 670 4GB at a minimum.

EDIT: Or if you don't mind not having any upgrade room later on, you can go for SLI right off the bat and go with GTX 660 TI 3GB SLI. Though I'd go for a cheaper GTX 660 TI 3GB from a more reputable company:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130811
 
Last edited:
To follow up on an earlier point...

Are you absolutely 100% positively going to be using the eSATA port on that motherboard? I ask because that eSATA port is really the only good reason to get that mobo. I can think of a half-dozen better quality lower or similar priced motherboards out there that are better than that particular Asus but unfortunately they all lack eSATA. So just how important is that eSATA port?

Keep in mind that if you have unused SATA ports on your motherboard, you can convert them into eSATA with a cheap adapter. Or, if you need additional eSATA ports, you can buy an add-on card and leave those motherboard ports alone.

So again, is eSATA really a deal-breaker for you?
 
And I did not know about the 16GB limit on Win 7 home premium. That was a great tip Danny.
 
As Danny Bui mentioned, your proposed build is overkill for your needs. You need to consider something along the lines of the following:

Intel Core i5-3570K
Asus P8Z77-V LK
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus (or EVO if it's around the same price)
G.Skill Ripjaws Series 2x4GB DDR3 1600 (or a similar inexpensive set of RAM)
Crucial M4 256GB SSD
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB HDD
Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS SATA DVD burner (or any DVD burner under $25 shipped)
EVGA GTX 660 Ti (or GTX 670 depending on the better value)
Corsair TX650 V2 650W PSU
Corsair 550D ATX mid-tower case
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM

And if you still need eSATA, choose between the expansion port bracket or the PCI-E add-on card.

Revisit this thread about a week or two before you're ready to order everything, and tell us what your final build looks like during that time. But should you deviate from Danny's or my suggestions, be prepared to explain why.
 
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