First build - opinions wanted

[Justinator]

I am having a local shop build this system for me. I will first say that "no" shopping at newegg.ca will not save me any money. The bill from my local shop is $1,581.82 tax included all ready to go, and with a 3 year parts and labor warranty.
The price at newegg.ca for these parts alone with tax and shipping included is $1,550.87.
I'd save $30.00 but have to build it myself, return any malfunctioned parts, wait weeks to get them back, and go through all the hassle.
It's worth allot more than $30 to be able to walk in and pick it up all ready to go. Also if there is a problem I can just take it back down and have it fixed right up.

Anyways now that I got that out of the way here is the build.
If anyone sees something wrong and would give their opinion I would appreciate it very much.

I already know the PSU will have people up in arms but it is powerful enough and it's the brand of PSU available from the supplier at this time so it's a choice without option for me.


MoBo = Asus P8P67 (with USB 3.0 Header)

CPU = i5 2500k 3.3GHz

RAM = Kingston 2x 4GB DDR3 1333 Mhz

SSD = Intel 320 Series 80GB SATA II

Disk Drive = LG DVD RW/Burner & media card reader

HDD = WD 1TB SATA-600

GPU = Sapphire HD 6950 2GB

Case = CM Storm Enforcer

PSU = CM Silent Pro M 700W 80+ certified

O/S = Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) SP1

 

[titan131]

The psu is more than you need but its not bad and the ssd 320 was suffering from a bug called the 8mb bug but I think it was been resolved with a firmware update so make sure you update it! looks good to me apart from that.

 

[Justinator]

I went with extra power since it was a CM brand because I have been reading that CM overrates their PSU's.

It's crazy how a $1,000 budget can creep up to $1,500 overnight.
I know one thing for sure and that is that I'm maxed on my budget. LOL.

 

[titan131]

Not all cooler master psu's are the same; the Silent Pro M psu's are actually quite good. Here is a review of the M600 and here is a review of the M1000. The M1000 doesn't score as well but neither are overrated. JonnyGuru do some of the best PSU reviews and are very well regarded.

 

[Justinator]

So would people agree that I could save a little $ and go with the 600 watt version or should I stick with the 700 watt?

 

[titan131]

I would save some money and get the 600w version myself. Even the 500w version would be enough.

 

[lehtv]

Greets Justinator.

You don't need a SATAIII HDD. HDD performance doesn't really benefit from SATAIII. This is even more true when you have your OS on an SSD. Save money on this

And you do want a SATAIII SSD. Much faster than SATA II because they actually saturate the SATAII bandwidth. Get Crucial M4 if they offer it

I went with extra power since it was a CM brand because I have been reading that CM overrates their PSU's.

I think you mean overspecs, not overrates. Shouldn't the fact that a manufacturer does overspec their PSUs mean that you don't need it to be as high rated? That's what it means to be overspecced. That it can do more than it's specced to do.

Agree on the PSU, I would get 600W, even from CM.

 

[Justinator]

Well I did mean "overrate" actually but perhaps I was wrong. I thought I read somewhere that CM would basically say their PSU's would produce less power on a continuous level than what they were rated for.

I'm glad this PSU will work out better than I thought. That makes me feel better since I was worried about a weak link in this chain. I suppose I will go with the 600 watt.

I will look at going SATA II with my HDD and SATA III with my SSD but I really am not interested in inflating my cost any further. To be honest I didn't even notice they were going SATA III with my HDD. I did however know that they were going SATA with my SSD because of the savings.

 

[lehtv]

CM would basically say their PSU's would produce less power on a continuous level than what they were rated for.

Ohh. That sounds bad... If that's true I wouldn't touch their PSUs with a three meter long pole :!

To be honest I didn't even notice they were going SATA III with my HDD. I did however know that they were going SATA with my SSD because of the savings.

The SATA II HDD should save you about $20. Do they not have Crucial M4? Their 64gb is also cheaper and much faster (due to SATA III) than Intel 320 80gb. If they don't have it, I would just order it separately from newegg. It's worth it

 

[titan131]

Ohh. That sounds bad... If that's true I wouldn't touch their PSUs with a three meter long pole :!

In the reviews I have seen, the Silent Pro line have all been able to output their rated power. Their extreme line on the other hand are not as good.

I agree with u on the hdd; sata III is pointless on a mechanical hard drive. Or at least paying extra for it is.

 

[Justinator]

Ok so I'll save money by going 600 watt instead of 700 watt on the PSU and also by going SATA II instead of SATA III on the HDD.

I'll take my savings and consider putting it towards SATA III on the SSD but if I can't afford the above and beyond price after my savings are factored in I'll be stuck with SATA II i suppose.


What about the MOBO? I don't even really know what I'm getting with this board since it was chosen for me by the store. I did have a gigabyte board previously chosen but it didn't have a USB 3.0 header so I could make use of the USB 3.0 ports that are on the front of my case.

 

[mfenn]

So, the main issue that I see with that build is not that a similarly-specced machine wouldn't cost the same a Newegg, but that a similarly-performing machine at Newegg would be cheaper. A shop with a limited menu of choices always limits your options to get a good deal.

Along those lines, do they really not offer any different brands of motherboards, PSUs, Cases, HDDs or SSDs? You could save a lot right there.

 

[Justinator]

Well yes they do offer another brand of PSU but I forget what it is and they have lots of mother boards but I want one that will do the turbo boost on my CPU and have the USB 3.0 header. I choose that case with all other options open to me. They do however seem to be limited to SSD & HDD units though. I know they have more options than one brand though but I don't know what to ask for.

 

[titan131]

Ask for the samsung f3 1tb, it is as fast as the WD Black but cheaper. As for motherboards, the Asrock z68 pro3 and GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 are good choices. Both are excllent value. They both have usb 3 and sata III and are capable overclockers.

 

[Justinator]

Questin is do those mother boards have the USB 3.0 header so I can use the front USB 3.0 ports on the front of my case or do they just have their own ports on the back?

 

[aphelion02]

COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G310 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - OEM

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K + CORSAIR CAFA50 120mm CPU Cooler Combo

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

ZOTAC AMP! ZT-50204-10M GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card + Free NVIDIA Gift - BATMAN Arkham City Game Coupon

XFX Core Edition PRO650W (P1-650S-NLB9) 650W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified

G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBN

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard


Grand Total:* $1,336.39 - $100.00 mail in rebates.

This doesn't include shipping for some items (didn't know your postal code) but has $100 in rebates. Compared to your system, it has a better graphics card, twice the RAM, more reliable PSU, larger SSD, motherboard with a more featured chipset and an extra aftermarket cooler. There's nothing wrong with getting some else to build your system, but its simply not true that you don't get significant savings from building your own.

 

[lehtv]

^ Does that include tax and shipping? If not, it's not going to be any cheaper than the OP's build from the local dealer.

 

[aphelion02]

^ Does that include tax and shipping? If not, it's not going to be any cheaper than the OP's build from the local dealer.

I just put in a random code from Nova Scotia (where the OP said he was from) and it came to $1566 after tax (holy crap!), shipping, so about $1450 CAD after all rebates. Its still a substantially better system however.

 

[Justinator]

COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G310 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - OEM

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K + CORSAIR CAFA50 120mm CPU Cooler Combo

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

ZOTAC AMP! ZT-50204-10M GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card + Free NVIDIA Gift - BATMAN Arkham City Game Coupon

XFX Core Edition PRO650W (P1-650S-NLB9) 650W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified

G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBN

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard


Grand Total:* $1,336.39 - $100.00 mail in rebates.

This doesn't include shipping for some items (didn't know your postal code) but has $100 in rebates. Compared to your system, it has a better graphics card, twice the RAM, more reliable PSU, larger SSD, motherboard with a more featured chipset and an extra aftermarket cooler. There's nothing wrong with getting some else to build your system, but its simply not true that you don't get significant savings from building your own.

Well actually that is the same amount of ram as I have in my quote (2x 4gb) = 8 GB

Also is the video card really better? I thought that was a debatable topic between those two cards?

 

[aphelion02]

The gtx 570 is about 10-15% faster on average, but it can be different depending on which games - in some cases they can be even or the 6950 even slightly faster. There are, of course, also games where the gtx 570 is much more than 15% faster.

For your build, I'd consider the PSU to be a major deal breaker. If you have to get them to build it, I would go as far as to explore the option of you buying your own PSU and contributing it to the build.

 

[lehtv]

Also is the video card really better? I thought that was a debatable topic between those two cards?

570 is faster but has less VRAM. And it is more expensive because it is faster. I highly recommend against a single-fan GTX 570 - it will be hot and noisy, no question about it. Unless some dual-fan 570 has a $40 rebate on it, grab yourself a 6950 2GB dual-fan.

Also, you should swap that SATA II intel SSD to Crucial M4 128gb for the same price, or save money by going for the 64gb version.

I have to agree with aphelion02, you'd save a lot of money by buying from newegg, because of rebates and a wider selection of products. And you'd get to put it together yourself! it's a rewarding experience

 

[T_Yamamoto]

yeah more fans=less time fans are on and less RPM

 

[zCypher]

And you'd get to put it together yourself! it's a rewarding experience

This. Not to mention the community you have here is second to none. I've been a member here for several years and this site has been an invaluable resource. I've seen the members here help countless people with their first builds and they offer impeccable support throughout the build and afterwards as well should anything go wrong. Without AnandTech, I could understand being hesitant about building it yourself. But you really can't go wrong here.

If you're in Canada, you should use www.shopbot.ca to search each component on your list and use NCIX to pricematch. In *some* circumstances Newegg works out cheaper, but from my experience that's not always the case.

I did a quick search and here's what I came up with. Regular prices at NCIX come out to $1408 ($1538 shipped w/full amount covered by insurance).
Using shopbot.ca, the same parts, also from NCIX but using their pricematch: $1199 + shipping + insurance, so under $1300 shipped.

As you can see, significant savings to be had. That's over $200 in your pocket, all it takes is the time to pricematch it and the time to build it. That's worth it IMO. In all the years I've been tinkering, I've only ever had to RMA one part so far (my SSD).

The parts I pricematched: HAF 912 ($49.99), 7 home premium 64 ($93.99), 120GB Intel 320 ($209.79), i5-2500k ($208.79), Asus DVDRW ($19.96), 1TB WD Black ($77.99 NCIX didnt have the spinpoint, $6 diff), MSI GTX 570 1280MB ($292.07), XFX 650w bronze ($59.99), mushkin 2x4gb 1333 1.5v ($34.99), asrock extreme3 gen3 ($129.99), cm hyper 212+ ($21.99). How's that?

I just realized your original post had an LG dvdrw. An LG can be had for $17, the Asus was a few bucks more.
Don't see many other areas to save though.

If you still decide to buy it at the store, then I second the notion of buying your own power supply elsewhere. In this case, maybe go with a nice Seasonic.

 

[aphelion02]

^That looks very good, its nice to know that there are ways to get parts in Canada that are not exorbitantly expensive. I was wondering where the boutique shop was getting their margins if the parts are so expensive.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

that build looks nice