New Gaming Build, Need input/advice

[TalkinEagle]

Hi there, I need a bit of input with a slightly more... Unusual build that involves a Xeon CPU.

Answers to the sticky:
1. What YOUR PC will be used for.
- Gaming, General Use
2. What YOUR budget is.
- $800 USD to $900 USD range
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
- United States
7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
- Default
8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
- 1920 x 1080
9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
- 1-2 weeks
X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
- Nope

Onto the build itself:

CPU:Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 ($254.99 @ SuperBiiz)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($262.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $858.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-22 01:22 EDT-0400)

PCPartpicker hasn't been updated to include Haswell based Xeons yet so the CPU couldn't be included there.🙁

I've been using PassMark scores to see how well the E3 1230 V3 actually stacks up against i5/i7's and it seems to hold up pretty well against a 4770/4770K while still being around $100 cheaper.

So, is this a good build? Are there any ways of improving it? Should I go with an E3-1230 V2(Ivy Bridge) or even an i5 3570K instead?

Thanks for the advice

 

[Torn Mind]

It makes sense that the Xeon is only slightly worse than their i7 counterparts because they're practically the same except the Xeon has a slightly lower clockspeed and supports ECC, making it useful with the "C" chipsets.

 

[TalkinEagle]

It makes sense that the Xeon is only slightly worse than their i7 counterparts because they're practically the same except the Xeon has a slightly lower clockspeed and supports ECC, making it useful with the "C" chipsets.

That and it's missing an iGPU.

Still, i7 performance at an i5 pricepoint isn't too bad. 😀

 

[mfenn]

You're right that a Xeon is a better deal than a Haswell i7. However, for a non-OC gaming machine on a budget I think that you'd be better off with an Ivy Bridge i5. That lets you take advantage of less expensive motherboards as well.

i5 3550P $180
ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP $75
Sparkle GTX 670 $340

This saves you $28 overall and gets you a better GPU.