Need build advice/Replacing computer from '08

[Denali27]

Last time I threw a rig together was the summer of 2008 so I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to building a rig from scratch. Here's what I've thrown together so far, but I could use a second-opinion of it before I spendthe $$$$.

Use: gaming/browsing/videos (trying to build up my outdated PC gaming collection and future-proof)
Budget: $1,200 to $1,500-ish
Country: United States
Brand preference: Intel/nVidia/WD but I'm open to persuasion
Current parts: 320GB and 1GB HDDs for storage (plus an aging 74GB 10k rpm Raptor if I have to)
OC: probably not much
Monitor: 25.5" at 1920x1200
When: Sometime from now to the next three months

Here's what I have so far:
CPU - Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core
CPU Cooler - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing
Motherboard - MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150
Memory - Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600
Storage - Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" SSD
Video Card - Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 4GB
Case - Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower
Power Supply - SeaSonic 850W ATX12V / EPS12V
Optical Drive - Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer

Total per PCPartPicker.com: $1433

The OS will be Win 8.1 64-bit, since I have a license I can get my hands on.
Planning to use the current 320GB and 1TB drives as storage.
The i7, 16GB RAM, and 4GB 770 are probably a bit overkill for what I have now, but I'm trying to future-proof as mentioned.

For reference, my current build is a Core 2 Quad Q6600/8GB RAM/8800 GT that's served me well until now.
Obviously it's time to upgrade

 

[MongGrel]

Yes it is, and the new build looks really well thought out here.

You could cheap out on a few things, but I wouldn't.

Looks you've researched a bit.

A good build I'd say for the price, but sure you'll get more input of course.

 

[dmoney1980]

nice build overall, but I would recommend a less hefty power supply for this build, unless you plan on running SLI in the future. At full load running Furmark, a GTX 770 based system needed 314 watts (http://anandtech.com/bench/product/1037)
If you don't think you'll ever go with SLI, then a quality 550w unit is plenty. There's nothing wrong with having more wattage than needed, but you can always take the savings and apply them elsewhere.

up to you though

 

[lehtv]

Actually that doesn't look particularly good value for money to me. Over $1400 for those parts is just too much, when you don't even have to pay for hard disks.

Gaming doesn't need more than 2x4GB at the moment, and adding RAM later if the need arises is among the simplest upgrades you can do.

The 4GB card makes no sense unless you're going to buy two. And the combination of SLI capable hardware with a case designed for quiet operation strikes me as a bit odd. Since you were content to play with a single 8800 GT all this time, it's likely you won't have any use whatsoever for dual graphics cards. You'll be better off upgrading to a faster single card when the current card seems inadequate. So with this in mind, I think the Define R4 is a good pick. Below I've also included a SLI capable PSU because it's a such an excellent deal at the moment, but if you're buying later, some 550-650W unit could be a better pick.

Here's what I'd suggest:

i7-4770K + MSI Z87-G45 Gaming + G.Skill Ripjaws 2x4GB 1866 $537 ($522 AR) @ newegg
Thermalright True Spirit 120M BW $36 shipped @ superbiiz
MSI GTX 770 2GB $320 @ amazon
Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB $120 @ amazon
Lite-On DVD-RW $15 AP @ newegg (if you really need one and can't reuse what you have)
Seasonic G-750 $100 AP ($80 AR), ends 4/6 @ newegg
Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl $80 AP @ newegg

= $1208 ($1173 AR)

I don't think it's worth exceeding that unless you want an even bigger SSD for making sure you can fit your whole games collection on it along with the OS and apps. E.g. Crucial M500 480GB $234 @ amazon

Your budget could take an upgrade to GTX 780 3GB, but it's worse performance per dollar. Considering that any modern card is a huge, huge upgrade over your 8800 GT, I think the GTX 770 2GB makes much more sense. Hell, maybe there's even an argument for a GTX 760 in there somewhere, the MSI Gaming one is only $230 AR AP on newegg right now. Upgrade it to a faster card when the time is right.

If you have a Microcenter nearby, you can save a bit on the CPU and motherboard in-store.

 

[mfenn]

:thumbsup: Great build from lehtv as always.

 

[MongGrel]

Yeah, I was going to say GSkills and a smaller PSU myself, but it looked pretty solid.

Using Ripjaws in the main rig myself.

I've had so many LiteOn optical drives die on me over time I wouldn't touch one again myself though, IMHO.

Still have a TRUE Spirit copper in my HTPC, not sure I wouldn't stick with the EVO depending on pricing I guess.

I imagine they are comparable.

But I'm a bit of a Noctua fan to begin with, pun partially intended

 

[mfenn]

As a counter-anecdote, I have had all my Samsung ODD's die quickly, but have never had a Lite-ON die. Neither one of our experiences is statistically valid though.

 

[Denali27]

I guess the site I used for PSU estimation was a bit off then. That's why I went with the 800+ Watt PSU.
I knew the RAM was probably overkill, and had a sneaking suspicion that the GPU would be as well. I agree with lehtv said about the GPU upgrade cycle.

That was my original plan with my current build, but I got the mobo just before PCI v2 came out. So I kinda shot myself in the foot with that one.

It's a good thing you mentioned the optical drives too. I currently have a pair of Lite-Ons in my computer... but they're IDE, not SATA. I'll have to make sure I plan for that as well.

I may bump up the SSD size like you mentioned. My OS drive and my gaming drive (the 10K raptor) currently total just a hair over 200GB of stuff between them. While I can probably dump some of the older games on the 320GB HDD since it's fairly new, I'd probably be feeling the storage pinch sooner than I'd like.

 

[Conroe]

But I'm a bit of a Noctua fan

You probably can reuse it.
http://www.amazon.com/noctua-NM-I115...a+Mounting+Kit

 

[NewYorksFinest]

I think the build the OP posted was fine :thumbsup:

 

[mfenn]

I think the build the OP posted was fine :thumbsup:

Lehtv's build is better because it has equivalent performance for the stated tasks and costs less.

 

[Denali27]

So, here's the build as it stands currently:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Denali27/saved/3lie

I did bump the optical drive up to a Blu-ray because I'd like to stay current with the optical formats and the price difference was only $30.
Chopped the PSU, GPU, and memory down as suggested so the build's at around $1260 right now.

I don't have a MicroCenter nearby (downside of living in Nebraska) so most of this will be through Amazon/NewEgg as I figured from the beginning.
I'm planning on pulling the trigger once my tax return comes in over the next few weeks.

Any final suggestions before then?
Thanks to everybody for all their input so far.

 

[DSF]

The version of the Define R4 in your list is the one with a window. If you want that, great. If not, just be aware when you're purchasing. It's an easy detail to miss.

 

[lehtv]

If you're not going to buy anything until a few weeks from now, you might be looking at quite different parts than what I posted. Even now, the PSU is already back to $120 from $80 AR, it's no longer a very good pick. Be sure to post again with a parts list on the day you plan to buy or the day before

 

[Denali27]

Okay, finally got the tax refund back and blew through part of it.
I managed to get my hands on an EVGA 770 Superclocked w/ACX cooling for $250 from a buddy, so the GPU is taken care of.

Any thoughts on the rest of the build before I pull the trigger?
CPU - Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core - $319.99
CPU Cooler - Thermalright TS-120M(BW) 56.2 CFM - $38.98
Motherboard - MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 - $126.98
Memory - G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 - $79.98
Storage - Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" SSD - $119.99
Case - Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower - $89.99
Power Supply - SeaSonic 750W ATX12V / EPS12V - $79.99
Optical Drive - Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer - $43.99

PCPartPicker link: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Denali27/saved/3lie

The total is just under $900 now, which would seem to be decent for what I'm getting.

 

[lehtv]

This mobo: MSI Z87-G55 $105 AR shipped @superbiiz. Saves $21, you lose ALC1150 but if you wanted properly high end sound, you'd buy a dedicated sound card or setup.

This RAM: 2x4GB G.Skill Ares 1600 $69. Saves $11. Also fits in with the G55 color scheme

I don't see the PSU available for $80, it's $120. Grab the XFX 750W Xtr Gold instead for $100 AR. It's a Seasonic built unit as well but fully modular.

The rest of it looks excellent.

 

[sm625]

I wouldnt leave the 320G drive connected. I would just use it as a fully functional OS clone for emergencies and leave it unconnected most of the time.

 

[Denali27]

Good call on the Mobo, I'll switch to that one.

I'll switch the memory too, a little color coordination never hurts.
I'm still tempted to jump to 16GB and bite the bullet.
I have a tendency to leave Chrome tabs open and that chews through memory pretty quick.

The darn PSU was $80 when I posted, but I refreshed and the darn thing jumped back to $120.
Newegg seems to have sales on it every week or so that drop it to $80, then back up when the sale's off.
I'll change over to the XFX PSU as well, the price on that hasn't changed in a month.

 

[lehtv]

2X8GB isn't a bad idea at all, as all the other components are high-end enough that paying more for them wouldn't make much sense. RAM is always nice to have just in case, and chances are 16GB will become more and more normal in the future, as we've seen with the transition from 4GB to 8GB and from 2GB to 4GB before that.

I'd probably grab the G.Skill AEGIS 2x8GB low voltage kit for $130