Building a Gaming PC, what components?

[SyndromeOCZ]

I'm building a new gaming rig for a co-worker. His budget is $1600. He wants to be able to run 3 screens, and 2 WoW games simultaneously. So far I have this set up figured out for him.. Though the graphics card is Sapphire HD 7950 Vapor-X.

Is that heatsink going to work with that mobo?

Are there any parts I need to change to optimize the system? I still need to find a Wifi solution, and he wants bluetooth as well.

I'm not into gaming so I'm not 100% sure if these are the best components or arrangement for the money. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks

 

[Zap]

I'm moving this to General Hardware which is the normal location for build request threads. Also, answers to these questions can help us... help you.

A few quick thoughts about the components...

No need for that expensive of a motherboard (Asus Sabertooth Z87). Boards like that are made for overclocking, and you don't have a K series overclockable CPU listed. Also, consider micro ATX, because an ATX tower with one graphics card, one HDD and one SSD is just a big empty box.

Yes the CPU cooler listed (Zalman 9900MAX) will work. However, it isn't the best choice of a cooler though it looks really "cool." There are coolers much cheaper that perform just as well, or coolers just as expensive which perform better. Then again, no overclocking means no need for an aftermarket cooler.

Not sure he needs 16GB of RAM even when multiboxing 2 instances of WoW. Also, no need for expensive RAM either. I see 16GB kits for $45 cheaper. Only reason I would specifically look for the super low profile low voltage stuff is if I were doing a really small ITX rig.

You can usually get a 1TB WD Caviar Blue for around the same price of a 1TB Green. The Green can be irritating because it will always spin down after a few minutes.

The case is kind of chintzy. Maybe saving money on the CPU cooler and motherboard can free up budget for a slightly better case? A Fractal Design Define Mini would be a nice mATX case for quiet. If he wants something cheaper, there are any number of $40-60 mATX cases which will work reasonably well, like the Rosewill LINE-M or RANGER-M, or the Fractal Design Core 1000.

Will the guy be watching Blu-Ray movies? If so, he will need software, which can be pretty expensive. The drives typically does not come with such software.

No need for $80 worth of four 120mm aftermarket fans. You get "quiet" by lowering RPM. You can do that with any fan. The case uses one front and one rear fan, plus two side panel fans. Not very optimal for airflow, IMO. If you wanted better airflow, a different case will do a better job than sticking $80 worth of fans into a $40 case. If you want "quiet" you can use the $120 for a known quiet case, like a Fractal Design Define series.

PSU is okay. Your CPU and GPU choice will only need a 450W PSU so anything over that is overkill. Just make sure it is decent quality and has the two PCIe power plugs needed for the graphics card. Corsair's Builder Series PSUs are not known for being quiet. You can get a Rosewill Capstone 450W for around $60. It is known to be good quality and quiet, plus is 80Plus Gold.

 

[Termie]

Looks like the OP has two similar threads going on - might want to consolidate them: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2324244

Everything Zap said is spot on. Especially about the fans - that really doesn't make much sense. Just get a quality case from the likes of Corsair, Antec, or Fractal and use the built-in fans.

Also, the OP may not realize that he needs a 4770K to overclock on a Z87 board. Perhaps that's what he meant to do, although for WoW, I really don't think you'll need that much power.

 

[Cerb]

The Gigabyte GC-WB300D is something to look at for BT+wifi in a single internal card, with movable antennas. With N300, BT 4, and an extra USB header, it's a good value, for using up 1 slot.

Will there be overclocking? If so, that motherboard is overkill, and the CPU won't do (need a K model). If not, the motherboard is crazy overkill. With no overclocking, a good feature-filling motherboard should not be more than maybe $120.

Savings on mobo and RAM should be more than enough to get a better case.

There should be no need for all those fans, much less paying so much for each one.

+1 to everything Zap said, too. With a $1600 budget, that penny-pinching isn't needed on the case (and, the fans kind of made up for it). Fractal Design's Arc and Define series, and all but the cheapest from Silverstone (the PS08) are really well thought-out cases (I'm quite a fan of the Temjin and PS07 ). Corsair and Antec make good cases that aren't too expensive (Corsair's 350D might be one to look at), as well, and Bitfenix' Shinobi and Ghost are good cases, too, off the top of my head.

 

[mfenn]

Agree with the previous posters. Instead of spending $40 on a case and $80 on fans, you'd be a lot better off by just buying a $120 case. The Fractal Design Define R4 is currently a great deal at $80.

If your friend isn't going to overclock (and I think that's wise if he's not technical), you should get a non-overclocking board like the ASRock H87 Pro4.

16GB of RAM may or may not be warranted for the OP' friend's uses. Going on the assumption that it is, you still shouldn't be paying $145 for it. This Team DDR3 1600 kit is only $100.