Opinions and suggestions on a build I want to do

[Paerreus]

Hi I posted a thread a month ago about a possible build and I'm getting close to being able to do it. Prices change and new things come out so I was looking for peoples inputs. I'd like to keep the price to around 1700 for everything including a monitor, keyboard. The heat sink I picked for the looks cause I much prefer it over a skyscraper.

I need the extra power of the i7 over an i5 because I do modelling as well as games so I want the better render times that come with the i7. I'm also going with a blue/black theme. I prefer modular but I might just go with a non modular for price.

Also things that Bestbuy also sells that I can abuse there 10% off are slightly preferred.

Here's where I'm currently at and thank-you in advance for your suggestions!

---Updated---

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($60.03 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.00 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($168.58 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($127.99 @ NCIX)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($294.81 @ DirectCanada)
Case: Thermaltake VN700M1W2N ATX Full Tower Case ($124.20 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS72 DVD/CD Writer ($20.00 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.99 @ NCIX)
Monitor: Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor ($170.00 @ Canada Computers)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1757.56
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-12 18:18 EDT-0400)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.00 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($127.99 @ NCIX)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($294.81 @ DirectCanada)
Case: Thermaltake VN700M1W2N ATX Full Tower Case ($124.20 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS72 DVD/CD Writer ($20.00 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.99 @ NCIX)
Monitor: Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor ($170.00 @ Canada Computers)
Keyboard: Razer Anansi Wired Gaming Keyboard ($79.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $1783.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-12 16:03 EDT-0400)

[Toffie]

What about the new h60 cpu cooler? Better performance and much better looking than the one you picked. (Imo) http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages..._review,1.html

[Paerreus]

imo its not any better looking. Besides its actually my first build so I was keeping it simple with just fan cooling.

[Toffie]

Your loss, installation is as simple as it can get.

[Paerreus]

i was actually just looking at it. Thought it was something i had to maintain more but its a lot simpler than i thought. Might look into it more. It's not any worse looking and gives a lot more room in the case for air flow.

[Toffie]

The improved h60 is not more than 1-3 c behind the h100i, which blows any other cooler on the market. (Not comparing custom liquid coolers ofcourse)

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

A few changes, that I will talk about after the build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($60.03 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD55 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($135.55 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.00 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($168.58 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($127.99 @ NCIX)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($294.81 @ DirectCanada)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($104.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS72 DVD/CD Writer ($20.00 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.99 @ NCIX)
Monitor: Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor ($170.00 @ Canada Computers)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1748.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-12 16:43 EDT-0400)

1) Changed to the H-60 as noted by Toffie.
2) Changed the MB to an MSI board, which is in fact black/blue. (a few bucks cheaper too, could also step down one more step to the GD 45 to save a bit more)
3) For the same price for RAM, I switched the units to 2x8GB black modules.
4) The pro is a great choice for SSD, but you can nearly double the space for not that much more money and get the regular 840.
5) I switched the case to something a bit understated, but quite nice. If you WANT a full tower, you could go with the Fractal Define XL-R2. (also great case)
6) Changed the PSU to a Seasonic 550W certified Gold semi-modular PSU for $30 less. It will be enough to power the system.
7) Switched the keyboard to the Microsoft X4. It is also a membrane keyboard, but is a bit better quality than most Razer products. You could step up to a mechanical board if you wanted. It would not be much more than the Anansi.

[Paerreus]

Thnx for the case suggestions but I think I'm going stick with the one I picked. Also good call on the ssd and that keyboard looks pretty nice. Although it looks like its red back-lite but I can live with that.

So here is my updated build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($60.03 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.00 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($168.58 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($127.99 @ NCIX)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($294.81 @ DirectCanada)
Case: Thermaltake VN700M1W2N ATX Full Tower Case ($124.20 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS72 DVD/CD Writer ($20.00 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.99 @ NCIX)
Monitor: Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor ($170.00 @ Canada Computers)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1757.56
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-12 18:18 EDT-0400)

[Toffie]

Looks solid, nothing I would consider replacing. A extra 122 GB SSD for the same overall starting build cost is nice too.

[Paerreus]

Yup and thnx for all your input.

[Deleted]

See, the only suggestion I'd make in your build would be to drop down to the mid-tower equivalent and change the GPU to a 7970/GTX670. But the build's otherwise fine.