Expert Opinions?

[SimplyBK]

Hello everyone! I'm planning a semi-budget gaming build and would like some expert opinion. Please keep in mind that I tried to skimp out wherever I can because University is a black hole for money. At any rate, all this has been taken off of pcpartpicker.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.61 @ Amazon)

Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD55 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($137.86 @ Newegg)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB ) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.75 @ NCIX US)

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ NCIX US)

Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)

Power Supply: Rosewill 600W ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $980.16


Some other points: I only went with the higher end motherboard and ram because there was a bundle on Newegg. It came to around $160 for both the mobo and ram.

I also would like a cheaper alternative to Windows... I know there used to be an academic deal and a family pack deal, but it seems like those options have both been exhausted.

I posted in another section about my power supply dilemma. Thread is here!

As for harddrive, I was thinking about getting a reaaaaaaally small SSD just for the OS and a decent sized (1TB or so) HDD for everything else like games and movies. If not though, I will most likely just stick with the 1TB harddrive.

And finally, for the graphics card, I chose this because it is a pretty high end card for a decent price. Benchmarks seemed to compare to the GTX670, but is a lot cheaper which was music to my ears. I'm not too sure which company to buy from though. I am planning to go for the gigabyt one, but the XFX one seems to be a bit cheaper (About 20-40$). I was wondering what the difference between them is. The gigabyt one has three fans, and from what other people are saying, is relatively quiet. I can't seem to find anything on the XFX 7950 Core edition though. It only has one fan, from what I see though, so I'm not sure how the audio levels on the two cards would fair.

Purpose of the rig would be to do everyday things like edit videos, watch movies, and of course, for gaming. I'd like to be able to play Battlefield 3 at decent settings with a decent FPS.

At any rate, sorry for the wall of text. First time building a rig, so I'm pretty nervous. Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[S_I_N]

my stepson has the XFX 7950 core edition and its amazingly quiet. I recommend it highly

now scrape that rosewill psu one place you never want to skimp on is the psu. 600watts should be fine for your build but look for something more reliable.
secondly if you plan on overclocking the 3570 I'd suggest a little beefier cooler. The evo is fine for everyday tasks but once on an overclocked cpu it begins to falter.

 

[Deejeta]

my stepson has the XFX 7950 core edition and its amazingly quiet. I recommend it highly

now scrape that rosewill psu one place you never want to skimp on is the psu. 600watts should be fine for your build but look for something more reliable.
secondly if you plan on overclocking the 3570 I'd suggest a little beefier cooler. The evo is fine for everyday tasks but once on an overclocked cpu it begins to falter.

Couldnt agree more. Please dont skimp on the psu. Its the life blood of a rig. Could you get your hands on an Enermax 600 by chance or something with decent amps on the 12v rail. Still sell heaps of them at work and they never come back...

 

[Master&Puppet]

Agree with above but for this build you'll only need a small PSU. If you want to keep things cheap you could go as low as a corsair cx430. It has 336W on the 12v rail which is more than enough for an i5 and 7950.

 

[rossi94]

I would strongly recommend to buy a better psu, BeQuiet or Corsair will be able safe your components from overvoltage, also I would recommend a SSD for your OS. You will fee the difference of this 100 bucks .

 

[tinytomlogan]

I would strongly recommend to buy a better psu, BeQuiet or Corsair will be able safe your components from overvoltage, also I would recommend a SSD for your OS. You will fee the difference of this 100 bucks .

This but dodge Bequiet and get Corsair or Seasonic.


SSD is an absolute is though..........

 

[jamesriley94]

Definitely go for an SSD, and maybe consider swapping the HDD to something a little more reliable.

Also, up to you, but considering you can get Windows 8 for $40 online:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/buy?ocid=GA8_O_WOL_DIS_ShopHP_FPP_Light

I'd probably say get that instead of Win7.

I know that's intended for upgrade, but I installed it to a memory stick, and installed it custom to a formatted SSD, so I'm not sure there's a difference between upgrade and retail version

 

[njallday]

Heed to everyone's advice and get a better power supply. On Amazon the Corsair HX650 is around $110, and that $60 could be the difference between your pc completely dying.

 

[SimplyBK]

Alright, I've taken everyone's advice and reconsidered my PSU. At the moment, there's a deal on Newegg that seems to be pretty decent. It's the Corsair CX750. It may not be the best line of PSU's to buy from Corsair, but right now the price is really amazing. It's 74.99, but free shipping. I also have a $15.00 gift card that I can use for Newegg. And on TOP of that, there's also a $20.00 rebate available. That essentially means I'm getting the unit for $43.74, GST Included.

I don't think I should've gone any lower than 500 just because I plan to moderately overclock this system.

My question is: Is this power supply good enough? I mean, the price is definitely fair, The wattage is way more than sufficient, but I'm not sure on the stability.

As for the SSD, I will most likely snag myself a 60GB SSD Just to run OS then. I'm not too sure on how to upgrade for $40 and get the whole thing though. Doesn't it require you to have previous version to upgrade? This is my only computer, and It's a laptop, so would it still be possible? If it's not too much trouble, could you explain it a bit, jamesriley94? Because I don't really like Windows 8, but if it's only going to cost me $40, then I'd have no problem with it.

Thanks for the advice guys!!

 

[Bang]

I belive the $40 windows deal is for an upgrade, but it doesnt matter which prior version of windows you own, whether its XP SP3, Vista, or 7. Barring that, Windows 7 and 8 are both $99 so get the one you want.

If you get the Student edition and make the mistake of doing a resume (which is professional) Microsoft will most likely sue you. I've heard the horror stories. You're better off IMO just shelling out the bucks for a full version and being done with it.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msaus/en_AU/pdp/productID.258385900

 

[Master&Puppet]

The cx750 will be great for you.

 

[rossi94]

It is good, but after my expierience you won't need 600W, even with highend LN2 overclocking.

A Windows 7 64 bit OEM is aviable for around 40€ in germany 100 bucks are much too much.

 

[CPMFW]

change the psu, other than that it looks good

 

[jamesriley94]

As for the SSD, I will most likely snag myself a 60GB SSD Just to run OS then. I'm not too sure on how to upgrade for $40 and get the whole thing though. Doesn't it require you to have previous version to upgrade? This is my only computer, and It's a laptop, so would it still be possible? If it's not too much trouble, could you explain it a bit, jamesriley94? Because I don't really like Windows 8, but if it's only going to cost me $40, then I'd have no problem with it.

Thanks for the advice guys!!

It's the upgrade edition, intending for you to have some form of previous version of windows.
Basically, you download the client and purchase a windows 8 product key through that, then you have the option to download the installation files to a memory stick. You can do all that on your laptop.

Then with the memory stick you can put that in your newly built desktop instead of the laptop and boot from the memory stick to install the OS on there.

I think the upgrade edition is more so you can just download the files, rather than having to buy a physical disk - which obviously saves money for Microsoft in not having to manufacture and send you a disk.

I formatted both my laptop and desktop before installing Windows 8 (using this method) and so both were completely clean installations, not upgrades.

Microsoft are never going to sue you, not sure what the other user was talking about.

But even if you aren't legally meant to do this - there's nothing stopping you getting a cheap Windows XP license from ebay and then upgrading. I personally would just install Windows 8 straight off. Worked absolutely fine for both my computers, my mums laptop, my mate's PC, and another mate's laptop and PC...