New build for a friend, need some suggestions please

[johnvosh]

OK, so I am going to be building a computer for a buddy at work and would like some suggestions. It will mainly be for his teenage kid for playing games. His budget is $1800 which includes my $200 fee for the purchasing/build/software install/delivery/setup... Here are the three I've priced out so far... Memoryexpress is where I'd be buying the parts and they also offer In-Store product replacement... I am thinking on the motherboard only??? Thanks in advance for the advice!

#1: $1,422.75 (w/out my fee)

Core i5 3570 @ 3.4GHz @ $230
MSI Z77A-G45 @ $150
G.Skill Ares Series PC3-12800 8GB @ $45
Sapphire Radeon 7870 GHz Edition 2GB @ $320
WD 2TB Green @ $110
Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced (USB 3.0) @ $110
LG 14X Blu-Ray burner @ $140
Corsair Gaming Series GS800 @ $130
Win 7 Home @ $120

#2: $1593.90 (w/out my fee)

Core i5 3570 @ 3.4GHz @ $230
MSI Z77A-G45 @ $150
G.Skill Ares Series PC3-12800 8GB @ $45
EVGA GeForce GTX 680+ 4GB @ $600
WD 2TB Green @ $110
Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced (USB 3.0) @ $110
LG 24X DVD burner @ $23
Corsair Gaming Series GS800 @ $130
Win 7 Home @ $120

#3: $1,585.50 (w/out my fee)

Core i5 3570 @ 3.4GHz @ $230
MSI Z77A-G45 @ $150
G.Skill Ares Series PC3-12800 16GB @ $90
Sapphire Radeon 7870 GHz Edition 2GB @ $320
WD 2TB Green @ $110
Kingston HyperX 3K Series 120GB @ $110
Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced (USB 3.0) @ $110
LG 14X DVD burner @ $140
Corsair Gaming Series GS800 @ $130
Win 7 Home @ $120

 

[johnvosh]

Would a Radeon 7970 3GB be worth the money? It is $100 less than the GTX 680+...

 

[lakedude]

If I were spending $1800 I'd want an i7 for no logical reason what so ever.

Also unless you or the purchaser has something against nVidia you should consider a gtx 670.

 

[johnvosh]

If I were spending $1800 I'd want an i7 for no logical reason what so ever.

Also unless you or the purchaser has something against nVidia you should consider a gtx 670.

I personally have always used Radeon cards, and the purchaser doesn't know to much about computers. But it doesn't really matter to me. He just wants to be able to play any game out today and for at least the next couple years...

 

[DSF]

- I agree about the 670, at least over the 680. Performance is close enough that the price premium on the GTX680 is unwarranted.

- You don't need an 800W PSU for that build and you could probably save your friend a good chunk by opting for a more appropriately sized PSU.

- Did they ask for a Blu-Ray burner? If not, it seems unnecessary.

- 8 GB of RAM is plenty.

 

[lakedude]

I see you hail from the great white north. I checked currency rates and we are darn near at parity. Can you order from NewEgg up there?

mfenn's midrange system build @around $1000 in the sticky is considered nearly ideal by folks around here.

I'm not seeing where the extra money makes your parts much better, but you might be limited as to where you purchase?

If you can maybe start out with his system as a base and add your own ideas?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2192841

 

[johnvosh]

Thanks everyone for the great info so far!!!

 

[johnvosh]

I see you hail from the great white north. I checked currency rates and we are darn near at parity. Can you order from NewEgg up there?

mfenn's midrange system build @around $1000 in the sticky is considered nearly ideal by folks around here.

I'm not seeing where the extra money makes your parts much better, but you might be limited as to where you purchase?

If you can maybe start out with his system as a base and add your own ideas?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2192841

Thanks, great link... I'm able to take the price of a decent system with very similar components to $1331 after tax, not too bad, which also includes Win 7 home premium.
This is about the best place around here for system building... http://www.memoryexpress.com/ I have always used them, pick up locally, don't have to wait on shipping...

 

[JasonCoder]

I based my build off suggestions I found here. Can't go wrong listening to these helpful folks.

Not to be downer but you know you're the guy they're going to call every time something goes wrong, right? Especially since you collected two bills for the install. I'm talking every time they get a virus, eff up a setting, etc.

 

[lakedude]

This is an excellent page for deciding on a GPU:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

I'd suggest the HD 7950 or GTX 670 for a system in that price range...

 

[Ken g6]

I gotta say, this feels weird. You're asking for a $200 fee from your client, then turning around and asking for free advice from us? (I don't want money or anything; I'm just saying it feels weird.)

Now, I don't know how much of Mfenn's build you've incorporated, but especially if you're getting a green drive, you should get an SSD. If your client isn't tech-savvy, maybe set up half of a 128GB M4 or Samsung 830 as an Intel Rapid Storage Technology cache, and just install Windows and nothing else on the other half.

 

[johnvosh]

I based my build off suggestions I found here. Can't go wrong listening to these helpful folks.

Not to be downer but you know you're the guy they're going to call every time something goes wrong, right? Especially since you collected two bills for the install. I'm talking every time they get a virus, eff up a setting, etc.

Doesn't bother me at all, gives me something to do with my free time.

 

[johnvosh]

I gotta say, this feels weird. You're asking for a $200 fee from your client, then turning around and asking for free advice from us? (I don't want money or anything; I'm just saying it feels weird.)

Now, I don't know how much of Mfenn's build you've incorporated, but especially if you're getting a green drive, you should get an SSD. If your client isn't tech-savvy, maybe set up half of a 128GB M4 or Samsung 830 as an Intel Rapid Storage Technology cache, and just install Windows and nothing else on the other half.

Well the fee also includes backing/transferring up his data from the old system, installing any software he needs, installing the games, etc plus a total refresh of the old system to use as a backup/e-mail machine. Sorry should of said that in the first post. I just want to make sure he is getting his monies worth out of this system.

I was hoping to install a 60GB SSD Vertex 3 as the main drive and use the 2TB for data. I didn't include that in the price as I have a spare one I was going to give him. Sorry, it's been a long day....

 

[nsafreak]

Well the fee also includes backing/transferring up his data from the old system, installing any software he needs, installing the games, etc plus a total refresh of the old system to use as a backup/e-mail machine. Sorry should of said that in the first post. I just want to make sure he is getting his monies worth out of this system.

I was hoping to install a 60GB SSD Vertex 3 as the main drive and use the 2TB for data. I didn't include that in the price as I have a spare one I was going to give him. Sorry, it's been a long day....

Piece of advice for you since I don't have any further build recommendations for you at this point. Since you're likely going to be their main point of contact for support I highly recommend making an image of the system once you have the OS & all of the apps needed installed. That way when the kid eventually royally screws up the system you can do a quick restore to original setup.

 

[johnvosh]

OK, so here is what I've got picked out after help from everyone. It incorporates similar things from Mfenn's build, but I did chose a couple different items since some aren't in stock/etc...!

 

[johnvosh]

Piece of advice for you since I don't have any further build recommendations for you at this point. Since you're likely going to be their main point of contact for support I highly recommend making an image of the system once you have the OS & all of the apps needed installed. That way when the kid eventually royally screws up the system you can do a quick restore to original setup.

Thanks, that is a really good idea!

 

[nsafreak]

OK, so here is what I've got picked out after help from everyone. It incorporates similar things from Mfenn's build, but I did chose a couple different items since some aren't in stock/etc...!

I know it's partially personal preference but I believe the Cooler Master CM690 II http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX32711 is a better case for the money. It's not in stock in all locations but 2 out of 3 isn't bad. Otherwise the rest of the build looks decent.

 

[lehtv]

Get rid of the Green drive, replace with ST2000DM001 $110. The budget should definitely include an SSD, even if it's a small one just for the OS and main programs.

Does your buddy or his kid overclock? What's the monitor resolution? I'm surprised the thread has gotten to post #18 without anyone asking these fundamental questions.

 

[johnvosh]

Get rid of the Green drive, replace with ST2000DM001 $110. The budget should definitely include an SSD, even if it's a small one just for the OS and main programs.

Does your buddy or his kid overclock? What's the monitor resolution? I'm surprised the thread has gotten to post #18 without anyone asking these fundamental questions.

I'm pretty sure they don't overclock or know how to overclock. They are just using a 5 year old compaq right now running Vista. They upgraded the video card, but it struggles playing his games. And I am pretty sure he is under 1080p resolution. We were going to get a new monitor, but he decided to just use his current one which came with the system.

 

[lehtv]

In that case, you can save cash by going with a locked i5 like instead of i5-3570K, and a B75 or H77 chipset board. Given the resolution, I highly doubt there will ever be any need for SLI or Crossfire, ever, so you don't need to buy a $150 Z77 board or a 700 watt PSU.

With the above changes and a few others, I'd recommend this build:

CPU i5-3470 $210
Mobo Gigabyte B75M-D3H $80
RAM 2x4GB G.Skill Ares $45
GPU Gigabyte GTX 670 $425
SSD Intel 330 120GB $110
HDD ST2000DM001 $110
DVD Asus DVD-RW $20
PSU Antec TruePower New 550W $60
Case CM690 II NVIDIA Edition $80

= $1140

Due to the graphics card, this will be faster in games than any of the build posted so far. The PSU here is better with 5-yr warranty and semimodular cabling, and easily powerful enough for this system or any single GPU system. There's a lot of budget left, I would upgrade the monitor to 1080p if it isn't already

You can find better deals on most components in newegg though. If possible, consider this build

CPU i5-3550 $200 AP
Mobo Asrock H77 Pro4/MVP $90
RAM 2x4GB G.Skill Ares $44
GPU Gigabyte GTX 670 $400
SSD Samsung 830 128GB $100
DVD Samsung DVD-RW $15

HDD, PSU and Case from memoryexpress

= $1099

Despite lower cost overall, the CPU, motherboard and SSD are better.

 

[Ken g6]

You can find better deals on most components in newegg though.

"Oh, Canada!" NCIX might provide some better deals, though.

Mobo Gigabyte B75M-D3H $75
GPU Gigabyte GTX 670 $400
SSD Crucial M4 $110
HDD ST2000DM001 $100

 

[lehtv]

Oh, he's in Canada and memoryexpress is Canada based, didn't pay much attention I guess. Good thing you're here to fix my posts Ken :thumbsup:

 

[johnvosh]

First off I want to thank everyone for the very helpful suggestions and help. I went and talked to him today and this is what he purchased. And since some figure charging $200 to build/install/setup/transfer data was a bit much, I only charged him $50.

CPU i5 3570
MB Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H
RAM G.Skill Ares 8GB PC3-12800
VIDEO Gigabyte GTX 670 OC 2GB
SSD Intel 330 Series 120GB
HDD WD 2TB (I personal have always liked WD, never had like with Seagate)
DVD LG 24X
PSU ThermalTaxe TR2 600 Watt
Case Cooler Master CM 690 II Nvidia Edition
OS Win 7 Home Premium
Total Cost: $1,405 (after taxes, etc.)

Again, thanks everyone for the great ideas and help!

 

[lehtv]

I'm wondering why you/he picked Thermaltake TR2 over Antec TruePower?

The TR2 600W is a low efficiency unit (advertised 72%+) without Active PFC, it's not even 80Plus certified. It is also built by HEC; not known for high quality units. These facts make it a bad choice for an expensive system like this. Antec TP-550 is a Seasonic build (probably the number one PSU OEM) with Japanese capacitors, and Anandtech rated it highly.

If you can't get TP-550 due to availability or something, we can get you a better unit than TR2 600W.

 

[johnvosh]

I'm wondering why you/he picked Thermaltake TR2 over Antec TruePower?

The TR2 600W is a low efficiency unit (advertised 72%+) without Active PFC, it's not even 80Plus certified. It is also built by HEC; not known for high quality units. These facts make it a bad choice for an expensive system like this. Antec TP-550 ia a Seasonic build (probably the number one PSU OEM) with Japanese capacitors and 5-year warranty, and Anandtech rated it highly.

If you can't get TP-550 due to availability or something, we can get you a better unit than TR2 600W.

What would you recommend? He got this one because it was roughly the same price as the other one which was not in stock. What would you recommend? I personally have always used either Antec or Corsair PSU.

I was having a look and what do you think of the Silverstone Strider Essential 700W? Or the OCZ ModXstream Pro 600W Sli ready? Or the OCZ ZT Series 550W Modular? Or the Antec High Current Gamer 520W Modular?