Help with part picking for new build!

[Josh Weston]

I have yet to hear any horror stories over the Vertex 4, which is promising. Perhaps their new controller is more reliable than the ol'Sandforce drives.
Still, that's no excuse for the rest of their products (i.e. PSUs) being so poor. It makes me question the company's ethics as a whole.

 

[shand12]

Thanks for all the suggestions and help guys! Sorry I haven't been able to respond in a few days, I was busy catching up with my online class (oh how I hate online classes!). So I have read through all the posts and have done a little more research and have created an updated build list! Here it is (left in 'best price' format):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BL 60.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($196.79 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB ) DDR3-1600 Memory ($51.99 @ Canada Computers)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Hard Drive: Intel 520 Series Cherryville 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($159.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($400.16 @ DirectCanada)
Case: Corsair 600T White Graphite ATX Mid Tower Case ($149.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: Corsair 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($159.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($20.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($161.39 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1711.26
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)


So changes I made were 2x4gb Low Profile RAM, WD Caviar Black 500gb 7200rpm HDD (I also have an external HDD that is 500gb so I should be good), Corsair 600T White instead of Fractal (read a lot of reviews saying the air cooling is much better in the 600T), PSU to Corsair 650W ATX12V (modular), and added an Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor (friend has this and I think it is pretty good from what I saw).

Sticking with the mobo because of the 4 Sata 6GB/s ports and other nifty features, cooler because of future OCing, Intel 520 ssd because of the 5 year warranty, and the gigabyte gtx 670 because I have read through a lot of reviews and feel it will benefit me the most (don't plan on having more than one monitor).

Now, what I really need is some help with a keyboard and mouse. I'm just looking for a standard keyboard and mouse, not sure if I want wired or wireless. Looking to spend AT most $100 on the keyboard and mouse together, don't need anything over the top right now, maybe as an upgrade down the road. Can anyone suggest some good wired and/or wireless keyboards and mice?

Thanks again guys!

 

[sephiroth_vg]

Thanks for all the suggestions and help guys! Sorry I haven't been able to respond in a few days, I was busy catching up with my online class (oh how I hate online classes!). So I have read through all the posts and have done a little more research and have created an updated build list! Here it is (left in 'best price' format):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BL 60.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($196.79 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB ) DDR3-1600 Memory ($51.99 @ Canada Computers)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Hard Drive: Intel 520 Series Cherryville 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($159.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($400.16 @ DirectCanada)
Case: Corsair 600T White Graphite ATX Mid Tower Case ($149.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: Corsair 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($159.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($20.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($161.39 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1711.26
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)


So changes I made were 2x4gb Low Profile RAM, WD Caviar Black 500gb 7200rpm HDD (I also have an external HDD that is 500gb so I should be good), Corsair 600T White instead of Fractal (read a lot of reviews saying the air cooling is much better in the 600T), PSU to Corsair 650W ATX12V (modular), and added an Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor (friend has this and I think it is pretty good from what I saw).

Sticking with the mobo because of the 4 Sata 6GB/s ports and other nifty features, cooler because of future OCing, Intel 520 ssd because of the 5 year warranty, and the gigabyte gtx 670 because I have read through a lot of reviews and feel it will benefit me the most (don't plan on having more than one monitor).

Now, what I really need is some help with a keyboard and mouse. I'm just looking for a standard keyboard and mouse, not sure if I want wired or wireless. Looking to spend AT most $100 on the keyboard and mouse together, don't need anything over the top right now, maybe as an upgrade down the road. Can anyone suggest some good wired and/or wireless keyboards and mice?

Thanks again guys!

dunoo...but for whats its worth id like to recommend a razer mamba or a razer lacehsis ....i switched to gaming mice nearly 6 years ago..and since then i hate to use a normal mouse because of their crap performance :/

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/RAZER-LACHES..._JoysticksJoypadsGamepads&hash=item4cff79d77c

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Razer-Lycosa...rComponents_KeyboardsMice&hash=item1c27c4bc21

 

[| raVen |]

Corsair M60:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=64132&vpn=CH-9000001-NA&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1360

Saitek Eclipse:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=53891&vpn=ECB43001N002/04/1&manufacture=Saitek&promoid=1360

 

[Josh Weston]

+1 for the M60. Great mouse
Also, if you're going to be putting your OS and programs etc. on the SSD, there's no real need for the fast Black drive. Green for storage is just fine, and can save you a little $$.
Another thing to say is that, since Z77, I'm a big MSI Fanboy. Thus, I recommend the http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=26_722&item_id=047783 for your build. Looks are, as ever, in the eye of the beholder, but I much prefer the colours of the MSI boards than ASUSs. Also, cheaper by about $50

 

[garih]

don't go for wireless keyboard/mouse. the only thing to be certain of is the battery will die at the worst possible moment

 

[jamesriley94]

don't go for wireless keyboard/mouse. the only thing to be certain of is the battery will die at the worst possible moment

Not been the case with me. If you're doing gaming and stuff with it the yes you should be getting wired as they're just better and agreed battery life is an issue. But for general use, by Microsoft keyboard and mouse bundle lasts me like 6 months in the mouse, and has good battery indicators on. I've never even had to change the keyboard batteries.