Rate this desktop build

[Pardus]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing. Everything but gaming

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread $600-$700

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.
Intel, Seasonic, Antec, Corsair, WD, Samsung

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. EVO SSD and Optical

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. Overlocking to 4.1Ghz

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using? , 19" 1200x800

9. WHEN do you plan to build it? 5-7 Days
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.

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software? Windows 8.1 and Office-have legal licenses for both

Sold my old desktop, 1st gen dell core i3, slow as hell. Building this new system in a few days. Do these parts make sense? Not looking to game, so no gpu card needed. Will want to overclock.

1/31/13 - ALL PURCHASED
CASE: Cooler Master N200: $39.99 after $10 rebate
MB: ASRock Z87M Extreme4 Micro ATX: $89.99
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K: $179.99
COOLER: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO: $29.99
Microcenter Subtotals: $349.96 + $21 tax = $370.96 - $10 rebate = $360.96

PS: SeaSonic SSR-360GP 360W 80 PLUS GOLD: $54.99
RAM: Crucial 8GB DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Model CT102464BA1339: $69.99
OPTICAL: SAMSUNG DVD Burner: $14.99
HD: SAMSUNG 840 EVO 120GB: $81.10
Newegg Subtotals: $221.07 shipped, no tax, no rebates

Build Total: $582.02

 

[lakedude]

Looks pretty good.

Those huge 212 coolers are the best bang for the buck. Who cares how big it is as long as it fit in the case?

What exactly is "everything but gaming"? We need to know if you might benefit from features like SMP.

Video cards can be used for more than just playing games. Do you know if any of the software you use is video accelerated?

 

[oynaz]

PSU is overkill. You should easily be able to get by with 300 watt.

 

[lehtv]

Yes, you need to clarify what it is exactly that you do with the PC. Can you even use the extra performance from overclocking? If you didn't OC, you would only lose a small amount of performance but save a lot of cash (-$20 CPU -$30 cooler -$20 motherboard) that you could put elsewhere in the build or use for something else entirely.

And yeah the PSU is overkill. Here: Seasonic G360 $55

If you don't need the support for several hard disks, you could consider a smaller form factor build, e.g. Cooler Master Elite 110 mini-ITX case (it's so cute!!1) + Asrock H81M ITX

Also, maybe a new IPS 1080p display?

 

[schmuckley]

eh..is ok

 

[lehtv]

eh..is ok

Might wanna be a bit more specific than that

 

[DigDog]

there's no video card; the H4600 video is really barely sufficient for keeping the desktop alive, and if there is any video editing going on, hardware acceleration would help. if there isn't, then there's no need for a 4670k nor a h212.

i wouldn't get a 360w PSU, even if by seasonic. at that wattage, you'll always be running at 90% of load, and its never good. a 500w PSU will cost just as much, and will keep the PSU at a decent load ratio with the increased bonus of higher efficiency, and lower bills.

btw, a h212 is far from huge. seriously.

 

[jaydee]

I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10

 

[lehtv]

i wouldn't get a 360w PSU, even if by seasonic. at that wattage, you'll always be running at 90% of load, and its never good. a 500w PSU will cost just as much, and will keep the PSU at a decent load ratio with the increased bonus of higher efficiency, and lower bills.

No, none of this is true. First off, claiming the OP's system would run a 360W unit at 90% load is ridiculous. The OP's system without a graphics card would barely use 100W at load, he could run it off of a good quality 200W unit if such things existed in ATX form factor. The Seasonic 360W unit will support any graphics card with one 6-pin PCIe connector (or none) e.g. a GTX 650 Ti, although without overclocking I would be perfectly comfortable using PCIe to molex adapter for powering a 2x 6-pin card like GTX 760.

Secondly, a more powerful unit with the same efficiency and quality will definitely cost more than $55. At least $60 for a Rosewill Capstone 450W, or $75 for a G450. In the 500W class, you're looking at about $75-90.

Also, a more powerful unit would not improve efficiency because with units like G360 that are rated for continuous wattage, efficiency doesn't drop much going from the optimal 50% load to 80% load, whereas pretty much all units will suffer in efficiency at low wattages of below 20% load. If anything, load-related efficiency is a reason to prefer a unit that avoids going under 20% load; using a 500W unit for a PC that uses 100W would basically spend all its time at the worst end of the efficiency spectrum.

 

[Charlie98]

there's no video card; the H4600 video is really barely sufficient for keeping the desktop alive, and if there is any video editing going on, hardware acceleration would help. if there isn't, then there's no need for a 4670k nor a h212.

i wouldn't get a 360w PSU, even if by seasonic. at that wattage, you'll always be running at 90% of load, and its never good. a 500w PSU will cost just as much, and will keep the PSU at a decent load ratio with the increased bonus of higher efficiency, and lower bills.

Actually, the HD video is perfectly fine for a normal desktop... it even works for HTPC applications, so it IS capable. We need to find out what 'everything but gaming' means.

The 360w PSU is fine.

btw, a h212 is far from huge.

I agree... as far as a 120mm fan cooled HSF, the 212 is about as small as you can get... it has a pretty small footprint. If the OP plans on OC'ing, he'll need it!

 

[Pardus]

Wasn't expecting so many replies, let me try to answer everyone.

Looks pretty good.

Those huge 212 coolers are the best bang for the buck. Who cares how big it is as long as it fit in the case?

What exactly is "everything but gaming"? We need to know if you might benefit from features like SMP.

Video cards can be used for more than just playing games. Do you know if any of the software you use is video accelerated?

The 212 is a beast, was looking for a cooler that wasn't as big/tall as this one. This will be my main pc, will be doing everything on it from vmware, audio-video/editing conversion, web/email, photoshop and general day to day stuff if that make sense. I'm not a gamer, never was. Built in GPU works for me.

PSU is overkill. You should easily be able to get by with 300 watt.

I'm particular to not buying cheap components, for power supplies, prefer Antec or Seasonic. The SeaSonic S12II 380/430/520 are the same price. My reason for getting a larger ps is also for future upgrades/expansion.

Yes, you need to clarify what it is exactly that you do with the PC. Can you even use the extra performance from overclocking? If you didn't OC, you would only lose a small amount of performance but save a lot of cash (-$20 CPU -$30 cooler -$20 motherboard) that you could put elsewhere in the build or use for something else entirely.

And yeah the PSU is overkill. Here: Seasonic G360 $55

If you don't need the support for several hard disks, you could consider a smaller form factor build, e.g. Cooler Master Elite 110 mini-ITX case (it's so cute!!1) + Asrock H81M ITX

Also, maybe a new IPS 1080p display?

ok, i clarified pc use. the build will have 1 ssd & 1 mechanical hdd. reason for o/c is to get most performance out of that chip w/o having to upgrade to the i7-4770k.

there's no video card; the H4600 video is really barely sufficient for keeping the desktop alive, and if there is any video editing going on, hardware acceleration would help. if there isn't, then there's no need for a 4670k nor a h212.

i wouldn't get a 360w PSU, even if by seasonic. at that wattage, you'll always be running at 90% of load, and its never good. a 500w PSU will cost just as much, and will keep the PSU at a decent load ratio with the increased bonus of higher efficiency, and lower bills.

btw, a h212 is far from huge. seriously.

I got by just fine on my 1st gen core i3 rig with built-in gpu, will consider a low profile gpu later on. Haven't seen the cooler in person, but there is always height issues with compact cases. CM says 160mm is the most room available for aftermarket coolers. The Hyper 212 EVO uses 159mm, so it will be a tight fit. Don't quote me on this, it's just what i read.
http://www.coolermaster.com/cooling/cpu-air-cooler/hyper-212-evo/

Yes, you need to clarify what it is exactly that you do with the PC. Can you even use the extra performance from overclocking? If you didn't OC, you would only lose a small amount of performance but save a lot of cash (-$20 CPU -$30 cooler -$20 motherboard) that you could put elsewhere in the build or use for something else entirely.

And yeah the PSU is overkill. Here: Seasonic G360 $55

If you don't need the support for several hard disks, you could consider a smaller form factor build, e.g. Cooler Master Elite 110 mini-ITX case (it's so cute!!1) + Asrock H81M ITX

Also, maybe a new IPS 1080p display?

The CM110 doesn't have room for an optical drive. Yea,, I can buy or convert one easily, that's why I never looked at it. Need support for 2 hdd's, 1 ssd and 1 mechanical. Eventually, I will replace my old 19" Dell lcd


Thanks for all the quick replies, hope I answered everyone's questions.

 

[DigDog]

antec 500w basiq @$49.99 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-bp500u.
i doubt that system uses 100w, counting at least 2 fans (1 case 1 cpu), hard disk/SSD and DVD. also, he wants to overclock. i doubt a 360w PUS even has the 8pin cpu connector, without which - it is my understanding - Z77 mobos will not even allow any OC. (at least, my MSI doesnt)

 

[jaydee]

I'm particular to not buying cheap components, for power supplies, prefer Antec or Seasonic. The SeaSonic S12II 380/430/520 are the same price. My reason for getting a larger ps is also for future upgrades/expansion.

That doesn't really make any sense unless your "future upgrades/expansion" includes a beefy video card. An i7-4770K isn't going to use much more power than the i5 you've selected. Even if Broadwell is compatible with LGA 1150, its going to use the same or less power compared to Haswell. HDDs, more RAM, fans, etc will only slightly increase your power draw. At 4.6GHz, bit-tech only drew 160W at the wall for their whole system. http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2013/06/12/intel-core-i5-4670k-haswell-cpu-review/6

I would get this instead Antec EarthWatts Green 380W for $35 after $10 rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371033

If you're going to do VMs, you probably want more RAM, here's 16GB (8GB x 2) for $125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148600

 

[lehtv]

ok, i clarified pc use.

Where? I don't see it

the build will have 1 ssd & 1 mechanical hdd. reason for o/c is to get most performance out of that chip w/o having to upgrade to the i7-4770k.

But what do you do that needs so much performance if you're not gaming? It's better performance per cost to buy a locked i5 with stock cooling and a cheaper motherboard, and upgrade that when it feels slow.

Regarding a large PSU for future expansion... the G360 handles a 6-pin graphics card fine so you're covered there. Don't buy a bigger unit unless you're fairly sure you'll get a $250+ graphics card in the next couple of years.

 

[Pardus]

Where? I don't see it



But what do you do that needs so much performance if you're not gaming? It's better performance per cost to buy a locked i5 with stock cooling and a cheaper motherboard, and upgrade that when it feels slow.

Regarding a large PSU for future expansion... the G360 handles a 6-pin graphics card fine so you're covered there. Don't buy a bigger unit unless you're fairly sure you'll get a $250+ graphics card in the next couple of years.

This will be my main pc, will be doing everything on it from vmware, audio-video/editing conversion, web/email, photoshop and general day to day stuff if that make sense. I'm not a gamer, never was.

4670k is what i'm getting with a mb combo at mc. was looking at modular ps, but there too expensive. i don't upgrade that often, maybe every 3-4 years.

 

[Torn Mind]

With no GPU, you're better with the Seasonic G360. Doing "everything" does not make any changes to the laws of physics and the fact is that if you're hammering that CPU at 100%, there is no possible way for the system to pull 360 watts direct current, ever. It might pull 120 watts at 4.1 Ghz, and the rest of the system may 25-45 watts.

Even if you saturate the hard drive ports, install non-graphics card in every PCIe slot, there is no way it can reach 360 watts. That's because x4, x8, and x1 PCIe cards are supposed to fit a much smaller power envelope than x16 cards. x4 and x8 cards can only pull 25 watts max, and x1 cards either 10 watts or 25 watts depending on the height of the card.

And don't bother with Arctic Silver. The TIM that comes with the cooler should be about the same or even better than it.

 

[lehtv]

For your needs I'd rather get a hyperthreaded CPU: 4770k + msi z87-g41 $290 AR. Leave OC'ing for later.

Audio/video editing and photoshop can use more than four threads

 

[RadiclDreamer]

there's no video card; the H4600 video is really barely sufficient for keeping the desktop alive, and if there is any video editing going on, hardware acceleration would help. if there isn't, then there's no need for a 4670k nor a h212.

i wouldn't get a 360w PSU, even if by seasonic. at that wattage, you'll always be running at 90% of load, and its never good. a 500w PSU will cost just as much, and will keep the PSU at a decent load ratio with the increased bonus of higher efficiency, and lower bills.

btw, a h212 is far from huge. seriously.

The integrated intel graphics have come a LONG way in the last few years, they are even sufficing for low end gaming needs. Might want to check it out before you knock it.

And for most people, the 212 is pretty large, sure there are larger but it isnt exactly small .

 

[Pardus]

With no GPU, you're better with the Seasonic G360. Doing "everything" does not make any changes to the laws of physics and the fact is that if you're hammering that CPU at 100%, there is no possible way for the system to pull 360 watts direct current, ever. It might pull 120 watts at 4.1 Ghz, and the rest of the system may 25-45 watts.

Even if you saturate the hard drive ports, install non-graphics card in every PCIe slot, there is no way it can reach 360 watts. That's because x4, x8, and x1 PCIe cards are supposed to fit a much smaller power envelope than x16 cards. x4 and x8 cards can only pull 25 watts max, and x1 cards either 10 watts or 25 watts depending on the height of the card.

And don't bother with Arctic Silver. The TIM that comes with the cooler should be about the same or even better than it.

Torn Mind, it doesn't make sense to get the SSR-360GP currently priced @ 60 shipped, the S12II 520 Bronze is $5 more.

For your needs I'd rather get a hyperthreaded CPU: 4770k + msi z87-g41 $290 AR. Leave OC'ing for later.

Audio/video editing and photoshop can use more than four threads

lehtv, the MSI Z87-G41 is a full size ATX board whereas the Cooler Master N200 only accepts MicroATX, Mini -ITX boards.

 

[lehtv]

That is correct, apologies. Here's an idea: the cheapest Z87 mATX board at MC is Asrock Z87M-Extreme4 for $90 after combo discount, but the CPU combo is also valid for cheaper motherboards. You could get Asrock H87M Pro4 only for $50 after combo discount; I'd rather have the B85 with 4770K than a Z87 with 4670K. The B85M-E33 supports all modern features like PCIe 3.0, USB 3.0 internal headers, as well as 4 DIMMs. If you still want to OC, the Z87-G41 option is cheaper than Z87M Extreme4 as long as mATX is not an absolute must.

 

[Pardus]

That is correct, apologies. Here's an idea: the cheapest Z87 mATX board at MC is Asrock Z87M-Extreme4 for $90 after combo discount, but the CPU combo is also valid for cheaper motherboards. You could get Asrock H87M Pro4 only for $50 after combo discount; I'd rather have the B85 with 4770K than a Z87 with 4670K. The B85M-E33 supports all modern features like PCIe 3.0, USB 3.0 internal headers, as well as 4 DIMMs. If you still want to OC, the Z87-G41 option is cheaper than Z87M Extreme4 as long as mATX is not an absolute must.

If you don't need the support for several hard disks, you could consider a smaller form factor build, e.g. Cooler Master Elite 110 mini-ITX case (it's so cute!!1) + Asrock H81M ITX

Still trying to get the N200 from MC, no point on buying a mb till i have the case for it too. If MC doesn't have one by early next week, will get the Elite 130 with the GA-Z87N-WIFI and low profile cpu cooler. One would think a pc case would be easy to get.

 

[Blain]

4.3 out of 10

 

[Pardus]

4.3 out of 10

I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10

when i said rate, i didn't mean for you to post a number with no meaning behind it, instead of saying 4.3 or 7.5, tell me what you don't like about it.

 

[Pardus]

thanks all, have almost everything now