First time builder - Help on build!

[Supremeqt]

Hey guys, just seeking some input on my current build. Everything is down below. Feedback\suggestions\opinions are welcomed. I am hoping this build is compatible as well.

Budget: $1100 (monitor and OS are taking build up to $1400)
Resolution: 1080p
Games / Settings Desired: WoW, GW2. Close to max; whatever setting I can hold above 60 fps at all times, so probably high.
Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc): Nope.
Country: US
Parts that can be reused: Fresh build.
Do you need an OS? Debating between W7 and W8. Have heard W8 is faster with booting games.
Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? Have keyboard\mouse. Picked out monitor from sticky section.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i53570

GPU: EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-3662-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

MoBo: ASRock Z77 Pro4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Cooling: Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B

HDD: Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

DVD: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Total Cost: $1058.91

Thanks! (Couldn't link parts due to being new-er on this account.)

[chazus]

Build looks good, however I would change just a few things

1) Get the i5-3470K CPU, or save a few bucks and get an H77 Motherboard. The Z77 supports overclocking, but the non-K CPU does not. So go one way or the other. (I recommend getting the K)

2) 750w power supply is overkill. You can easily do with something like a Seasonic 520w, or an Antec 450w PSU. Your system barely breaks 300w at 100% load, which it almost never will be.

3) Consider a different brand/model 660ti. The EVGA has both proven to not be so great, and also the cooling solution (single small fan) is meh.

4) If you can squeeze it or cut some money here or there (or get a cheaper monitor, or wait on the monitor), consider getting an SSD

[Supremeqt]

Thanks Chazus. I shifted the CPU. I am fairly new to computer hardware, and wattage was a bit confusing at first. I have lurked other posters here and have seen some of them go with higher wattages and no one correcting\suggesting lower, so I just chose a fairly high rated one. As for GPUs, any suggestions? As for SSDs, I would love to, but cost vs. capacity is not helping at the moment, maybe in the near future I will upgrade.

[Toffie]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yGTM


660 ti vs 7970.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/A...ormance/5.html

I wouldn't sacrifice other hardware for an ssd, but I agree with chazus; it's just something that makes you computer so fluid.

[Supremeqt]

Thanks Toffie! Obviously a 7970 over a 660 ti, cutting the cost on a few pieces, is worth the investment.

[chazus]

I have lurked other posters here and have seen some of them go with higher wattages and no one correcting\suggesting lower

It's kind of a dichotomy in the industry. More usually equals better, but like RAM, there gets to a point where more simply doesn't get used. The "Wattage" power supply indicates it's cap, not it's.... effectiveness, I guess? There's no sense in getting anything more than 100-150w over your max system load anyway, unless you KNOW you're going to get a second GPU down the road. Furthermore, technology is always getting better. Power consumption is getting more efficient. Five years ago, 300w was barely enough to get a system up and running. Now, a fairly beast gaming system barely breaks that. My older Geforce 460 uses 160w. My newer, and markedly more powerful 660... uses 140w. nVidia cards in general use less power too (however you're still well under the power mark by switching to the ATI). Not only that, but power supplies are getting better and more efficient, so you can theoretically get closer to your system max safely (since "450w" is not 450. Its the combination of 3-4 power rails, equaling 450. Some cheapie brands cheat at this)

Notably, despite all that, there is marketing hoopla too. 80+ Certification is awesome. Bronze is usually the 'go to'. Any higher than bronze is a waste of money vs efficiency.

As for SSDs, I would love to, but cost vs. capacity is not helping at the moment, maybe in the near future I will upgrade.

If it makes a difference, an SSD is kind of one of those things you want to get up front, unless you have no qualms about reinstalling your OS down the road. Hence the mention of monitor or maybe pulling an HDD from an old system for now for storage.

[Eisaderfrau]

Congrats on building your first! It's great fun. I would definitively try for an SSD... it's just worth it. Life is just... better with an SSD. As for Win7 vs Win8, that's your call. I'll be running Win7 Ultimate x64 until the next generation probably, just not into Win8.

Take a look at the below. It's a similar build to yours and comes in at $1092.90 and has a 3570K (rather than 3570) and a 120gb SSD. It's enough for OS + frequent games, but make sure you dump everything else to the HDD if you have a bunch of large programs like I do. Otherwise, you may be able to get away with running most things on the SSD if you turn off hibernation and change your paging file size. Even with the managerial issues however, I wouldn't build a comp without one again.

750w is overkill maybe but I like easy expansion without worry so I kept it, along with the 660ti... if you can figure out a swing to 7970 however, go for it. That said, anticipate some inefficiency in the PSU. Something a lot of people don't realize is that PSWs tend to be more efficient as you close on their listed wattage. For example, if you run a 400w PSU at 350w, you will use less power than if you run a 750w PSU at 350w, assuming similar quality of product.


Just another similar build:
CPU - Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
Item #: N82E16819116504 $229.99

PSU - CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply Item #: N82E16817139006 $109.99

RAM - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B
Item #: N82E16820145345 $47.99

GPU - MSI N660 Ti PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Item #: N82E16814127696 $309.99

Case - Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan Item #: N82E16811147153 $49.99

Motherboard - ASRock Z77 Pro4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813157296 $109.99

SSD - Kingston HyperX 3K SH103S3/120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (Stand-Alone Drive)
Item #: N82E16820239045 $104.99

CPU cooler - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+ Item #: N82E16835103099 $29.99

DVD Burner - ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Item #: N82E16827135204 $19.99

HDD - Western Digital WD Green WD10EZRX 1TB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822236070 $79.99

[Supremeqt]

I really appreciate the input guys, feel free to keep contributing to the thread pitching any builds you'd like to suggest.

Thanks Chaz again for the info, that makes a lot of sense. I honestly would not mind loading the OS and etc. back on, because this computer will probably have Win 7/8, and WoW installed, and that will be about it. I plan on using my laptop for everything else.

Thank you as well Eisa, I will check out the build you suggested. As for SSD usage, beginning to think about cutting the size of the HDD and picking up a budget-able SSD.

[Eisaderfrau]

If you go for an SSD, you could also keep your 1tb HDD but go for a less expensive model. Keep it a 7200rpm but you could take a little cache hit since it's storage only.

[chazus]

you could take a little cache hit since it's storage only.

I'm under the impression that any cache over ~16mb is pretty much not used, unless it's a very specific application.