Building my First PC, and looking for suggestions 75% Media 25% Gaming

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mj79

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Apr 26, 2013
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Well , it started out to be a $1000 COMPLETE ( tower, mouse, keyboard, OS - Monitor not needed ) setup, and now Im at $1000 for just the tower, but Hopefully Will have it for a long time, and it will hold up well... I dont do alot of gaming but want the power if something changes ;)
SO just wondering what everyone thinks, and If something should be changed..

Thanks everyone!!

On this current list, Im not to sure on the MOBO and GPU, So other options coule be suggested if there is a better bang for the buck


And what is the difference in these 2 cases, other than the $30?
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-caph410w2
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-caph410w1





Current build plans ( edited for change 4/26 )

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/comatoast/saved/1wgy




.
 
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Termie

Termie

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Aug 17, 2005
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Those two cases look pretty similar to me - in fact, I believe they're identical spec-wise: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...24%24%24%24%24

I assume the more expensive one updates a small detail here or there, but it's probably not worth $30.

By the way, paying $185 for the 3470 and $95 for the H77 isn't great when you can get a 3570K and a Z77 board for less: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2312354

The price for that 7870XT is incorrect on that site, and frankly, it's a power-hungry, sub-optimal design. The 7870XT is basically a rejected 7950 that has to run at high voltage to achieve its clock speed. I'd either go all the way with the HD7950, or save some money and get a 7870 for $200.

7950: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202030
7870: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202025

I have the Sapphire HD7870 and it's a wonderfully efficient card. Low noise, low power use, and excellent for 1080p gaming.

You can save a few dollars here or there on a few of your other component choices if you catch a hot deal, but they are all fine picks.
 
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mj79

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Apr 26, 2013
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Termie said:
Those two cases look pretty similar to me - in fact, I believe they're identical spec-wise: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...24%24%24%24%24

I assume the more expensive one updates a small detail here or there, but it's probably not worth $30.

By the way, paying $185 for the 3470 and $95 for the H77 isn't great when you can get a 3570K and a Z77 board for less: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2312354

The price for that 7870XT is incorrect on that site, and frankly, it's a power-hungry, sub-optimal design. The 7870XT is basically a rejected 7950 that has to run at high voltage to achieve its clock speed. I'd either go all the way with the HD7950, or save some money and get a 7870 for $200.

7950: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202030
7870: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202025

I have the Sapphire HD7870 and it's a wonderfully efficient card. Low noise, low power use, and excellent for 1080p gaming.

You can save a few dollars here or there on a few of your other component choices if you catch a hot deal, but they are all fine picks.
Click to expand...


Hey thank you very much , Yea I just saw the 3570K and the ASrock Extreme 4 bundle on newegg.. I put it in my cart and it was $265....???? AM I missing something here ? lol If not Im gonna grab that now!
http://cart.microcenter.com/cart.aspx?RedirectUrl=http://www.microcenter.com


Ill update the build quick with the new board/cpu, and card... Is that power supply I have enough?


http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-m12ii620bronze
 
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mj79

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Apr 26, 2013
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I like how they are giving away 4 pretty good games away with the Video card Purchase! For a new gamer/PC builder , thats pretty awesome :)

Is the 7950 worth the extra $$ or will the 7870 be fine for everything?


Also What are the top 3-5 games on PC now that really test the GPU? Crisis, FC3 and Battlefield Im guessing are all up there?
 
DSF

DSF

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Oct 6, 2007
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If you're referring to the 620W Seasonic, it's more than plenty for a single-GPU rig.

Are you planning to overclock? If not, an aftermarket cooler is not strictly necessary since you're over budget. Special thermal paste is definitely not necessary - any cooler will come with some.
 
Termie

Termie

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Aug 17, 2005
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mj79 said:
Hey thank you very much , Yea I just saw the 3570K and the ASrock Extreme 4 bundle on newegg.. I put it in my cart and it was $265....???? AM I missing something here ? lol If not Im gonna grab that now!
http://cart.microcenter.com/cart.aspx?RedirectUrl=http://www.microcenter.com


Ill update the build quick with the new board/cpu, and card... Is that power supply I have enough?


http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-m12ii620bronze
Click to expand...

The MicroCenter deals are awesome, but remember you can only get them in-store. Newegg had matched them, which is why MC just dropped its price today.

mj79 said:
I like how they are giving away 4 pretty good games away with the Video card Purchase! For a new gamer/PC builder , thats pretty awesome :)

Is the 7950 worth the extra $$ or will the 7870 be fine for everything?


Also What are the top 3-5 games on PC now that really test the GPU? Crisis, FC3 and Battlefield Im guessing are all up there?
Click to expand...

All of those games, plus Tomb Raider and Hitman, I'd say.

You said 25% gaming, 75% media. Given that preference, and that you are concerned about the budget, I'd get the HD7870 for $200AR.

DSF said:
If you're referring to the 620W Seasonic, it's more than plenty for a single-GPU rig.

Are you planning to overclock? If not, an aftermarket cooler is not strictly necessary since you're over budget. Special thermal paste is definitely not necessary - any cooler will come with some.
Click to expand...

Agreed. If the OP isn't overclocking, he can stick with the stock cooler, but it will likely get pretty loud during gaming.
 
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mj79

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Apr 26, 2013
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DSF said:
If you're referring to the 620W Seasonic, it's more than plenty for a single-GPU rig.

Are you planning to overclock? If not, an aftermarket cooler is not strictly necessary since you're over budget. Special thermal paste is definitely not necessary - any cooler will come with some.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Yea there will be no overclocking, even tho the 3570k/ASRock extreme 4 setup is overkill for me, for $265 its actually cheaper in this case I guess, but I'll take it :)

For $35 I'm not gonna worry to much about the CPU cooler.. UNLESS it will do absolutely nothing for me.. I just figured better to be safe than sorry, and have a little extra bit of cooling??
 
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mj79

Member
Apr 26, 2013
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Termie said:
Yes.

For your purposes, I'd say it's a better pick than the 7870XT for $45 more.
Click to expand...



Great, Ok, so the original post is updated again, and with the deals everything should be just under $1000, but I will still need an OS... 7 or 8? does it really matter?


ALso, I did read that the ASRock Z77 extreme 4 MOBO had an issue with Win 8... I dont remember exactly, but something about a BIOS issue, and Hibernation...


Here was the Quote

Overclocking options sucked and ASRock offered no explanation as to when they will resolve the BIOS issue with Windows 8 causing it not to hibernate properly.

EVGA still has not resolved it but I have confirmation from them there engineers are working on it.

That and that particular ASRock Motherboard is considered a low to midtier Motherboard, the Extreme 9/11 series are your high end ASRock motherboards, but still not as good as ASUS Rampage IV Extreme/Maximus Extreme or EVGA Z77 FTW Motherboards.

The EVGA offered so many more options compared to the board you have selected if you can get it at the price I did. Not to mention if by chance something happens to the primary BIOS you have 2 others you can switch to as backups.
Click to expand...
 
DSF

DSF

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Oct 6, 2007
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I have a different AsRock Z77 motherboard and I do occasionally get an odd hibernation issue with Win8. It just won't resume properly every once in a while. It's been quite some time since it happened (and actually I haven't had the issue since I changed antivirus programs, although that could be coincidence).

As far as the cooler there's no danger in running the chip with the stock cooler. Intel paid engineers good money to make sure it could cool the chip properly at full load in any reasonable usage scenario. That said, as Termie pointed out it will generally be louder than any decent aftermarket cooler if that's an issue to you. Not old-school jet-engine loud, but audible.
 
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mj79

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Apr 26, 2013
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DSF said:
I have a different AsRock Z77 motherboard and I do occasionally get an odd hibernation issue with Win8. It just won't resume properly every once in a while. It's been quite some time since it happened (and actually I haven't had the issue since I changed antivirus programs, although that could be coincidence).

As far as the cooler there's no danger in running the chip with the stock cooler. Intel paid engineers good money to make sure it could cool the chip properly at full load in any reasonable usage scenario. That said, as Termie pointed out it will generally be louder than any decent aftermarket cooler if that's an issue to you. Not old-school jet-engine loud, but audible.
Click to expand...

Yea, not being super tech saavy I dont know if I want any issues, which may make me want to go with the Asus P8-Z77-VLK Mobo...


And how about the RAM comparison from above? Both good? Just look for price?
 
denis280

denis280

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Jan 16, 2011
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mj79 said:
So what do I need to buy to get this lighting... This is almost exactly what I want
Click to expand...
If you look very close on the video.those are bright blue led.like in the clip. the guy made a wire starting from psu 12volt.then put a led where he wanted.each led need a resistor 1k on the positive. you have to be sure what you are doing.
you get this stuff from circuit city.or any electronic shop.
 
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mfenn

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Jan 17, 2010
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mj79 said:
And what is the difference in these 2 cases, other than the $30?
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-caph410w2
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-caph410w1
Click to expand...

The W2 has blue accents while the W1 has black. That's about it.

mj79 said:
Current build plans ( edited for change 4/26 )

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/comatoast/saved/1wgy
Click to expand...

My comments:
- CPU/mobo: If you're not near a MC, then I would grab this i5 3570K + GA-Z77-HD3 combo for $265 AR. You lose SLI/CFX capability, but that's not really a bit deal because almost nobody ever upgrades from one card to two. If you need two cards, you will get them from the outset.
- HSF: Good, but not necessary for stock clocks.
- RAM: You should avoid RAM with tall heatspreaders, especially if you're going with a tower cooler because there can be clearance problems. Grab this Crucial Ballistix kit instead.
- SSD: I don't think the Pro is worth the $30 upcharge over the normal 840.
- HDD: Fine if you need the space, unnecessary otherwise.
- GPU: Good
- Wifi: Fine
- Case: $70 is a good price for the Phantom 410
- PSU: Good. 620W is more than you need for this build, but the promo means that it doesn't make sense to go for the 520W.
- ODD: Fine
 
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mj79

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Apr 26, 2013
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mfenn said:
Are you physically near a MicroCenter? Those bundles are in-store only.
Click to expand...

No sir, The nearest one is 2.5 hrs away, which stinks because I would happily pay $40 to have 3 little things shipped.. CPU/MOBO Bundle, and I also see they Have that Crucial RAM you linked for me, on sale too
 
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mfenn

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mj79

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Apr 26, 2013
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mfenn said:
I would get the MSI Z77-G41 + i5 3570K bundle for $235 because it does what you need and costs the least. The processor costs $220 online, so you're effectively getting the motherboard for $15, which is pretty sweet.
Click to expand...

Would you even choose the MSI bundle over this? Theres just so many options/bundles, I could spend a little more if need be, but just dont want to buy something that I will not need

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...&SID=u00000687
 
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