Input on Parts Selection Please

[Gronnie]

Helping a friend build his first system. He would like it to last a LONG time.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing. Some 1080p gaming (he is not a hardcore gamer, but would like to maybe start, and have games run reasonably smooth), media server, web browsing, maybe video transcoding

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread $900-$1000, no peripherals needed

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. USA

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
We can't be expected to scour the internet on your behalf, chasing down deals in your specific country... Again, help us, help YOU.

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc. No preference

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. Keyboard and mouse, Monitor

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. Overclock

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using? 1080p

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it. ASAP

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software? No software needed

Here is the build I put together so far and that I am looking for input on. Will be making a trip to Microcenter soon. Their current bundles are found here: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/35a739a6#/35a739a6/34

AMD FX 8320 CPU for 161.25 at Microcenter
ASRock 990FX Extreme 4 for 107.50 at Microcenter
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo for 32.25 at Microcenter
Corsair CX600M for 70 at Microcenter (60 after rebate)
Kingston SSD v300 120GB for 70 at Amazon
Seagate 3TB 7200 RPM HDD for 105 at NCIX
Crucial Ballistix Tactical LP 2x4 GB 1600MHz CL8 RAM for 75 at Microcenter
ASUS GTX 760 DirectCU II 2GB for 260 at Newegg (250 after rebate, also get free games)
Corsair 500R White for 100 at Newegg (80 after rebate)
Lite-ON DVD Drive for 15 at Newegg

Total: $996.25 ($954.25 after rebates)

I am also open to other motherboard options (I have a link to the Microcenter bundle page at the top of the post); especially if it saves money, still has USB 3.0, and will overclock reasonably well.

Also open to going with an APU solution if there are suggestions on a CPU and motherboard combo. If we went that route would probably drop GPU for now (although I could sell him a 6670 to do dual graphics with for pretty cheap). At this point I don't think not being able to game on max at 1080p is a deal breaker for him if it saves him a ton of money.

 

[ggadrian]

I would go the Intel route with an 4670K and a Z87 board if he plans to overclock. It will cost you just a little more and you'll have better performance.

APU is out of the question if he plans to do any real gamming. Also they kinda suck for transcoding. If you still want to go the APU route just forget about dial graphics, you don't get any performance boost, it's broken.

You can also get a nicer SSD, I might be wrong, but I don't think that the V300 is that fast.

As a side note, I think it's wiser to buy the computer you need right now, people sometimes just throw a lot of money in parts they don't need because they want to futureproof the system when it's actually cheaper just to build another computer or swap some parts in the future when they really need the performance boost.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

I'd probably go for an Intel combo as well. Right now I can get a 4670K with this mobo for $292.25 after combo discount and taxes, which would put you over budget.

However, I'd also probably step down a level from the GTX 760. I realise GPU prices for the red camp are inflated now because of cryptocoin mining (ugh), but I'd imagine something along the lines of a GTX 660TI or 670 should suit him just fine.

In addition, go for the regular Hyper 212. Negligible benefits jumping to the Evo. If you live near a Fry's it sometimes goes on sale for $18, but I'd pay up to $23 (what I paid for one last time).

SSD seems fine to me. Not the performance king, but for $70 what do you expect. lol. I've got a 120GB Kingston V100+ in a secondary laptop that I got for a similar price and it's still chugging along, keeps up well enough with the M4s I have in other systems for my general-purpose use.

 

[lehtv]

I also recommend the change to 4670K. You can save a bit on other components:

Rosewill Hive 550W $60 ($50 AR)
2x4GB Team Vulcan 2133 $65

You could also go for a cheaper case, it's not such a vital component. E.g. Cooler Master N400 $50 ($40 AR)

Also, Intel i5 at stock will be faster in almost anything when compared to an overclocked FX-83xx. In heavily multithreaded applications the FX would beat it marginally. So one option for you is to just get a stock i5 and forget about overclockability, this should save a bit of cash

 

[Sleepingforest]

You live near a Microcenter, which means that by default for gaming, you should be going for a i5-4760K/Z87 mobo combo. It look like you can get that i5 with a Z87-G41 PC Mate for only $255 (and tax), which is almost certainly your best option. If we throw in a 9% tax, that means it's $280 overall.

Next, there's a a variety of little changes you can make to fit in either a GTX 770 or a Radeon 7970 (on backorder over at B&H). The 7970 is essentially an R9 280X which you have to overclock yourself. The downside is no free games, so the 770 looks like a better value overall, unless you want to dabble in cryptocoin mining. They are both better than a GTX 760.

Finally, the Hyper 212 Evo is a perfectly fine cooler, however, the Scythe Katana 4 provides better cooling for a dollar or two more (but, like the 7970, it's on backorder). It's an option worth looking at. Here's the tweaks I would make:

Generated by PCPartPicker:
CPU/Mobo Combo: i54760K w/ Z87-G41 (~$280 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Scythe SCKTN-4000 55.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($32.70 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($63.75 @ Newegg w/ promo code EMCXWXN37)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($84.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg after MIR)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg w/ promo code EMCWVTJ49)
Total: ~$990

 

[Gronnie]

That build looks really good Sf, I will definitely run that one by him. Thanks!