Any last suggestions on my PC build?

[Major Bertolli]

This is the build I am thinking of for gaming PC that won't absolutely destroy my wallet
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CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($82.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill BlackHawk ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Lite-On SK-1788/BS Wired Standard Keyboard ($14.97 @ Newegg)
Other: SONIC HP-259 3.5mm Connector Circumaural Stereo Headset
Other: Logitech S120 2.3 Watts (RMS) 2.0 Speaker System - OEM
Total: $925.89
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Basically this would be my first PC build (I am 17 and saving up for parts at minimum wage is tough :P) and the first PC upgrade since...well whenever the Nvidia 8500 GT came out.

I highly doubt I will be overclocking from the get-go, namely because I will be using stock fans until the time comes where I can afford some higher quality aftermarkets but in the future I more than likely will (especially since the Giga 7870 takes OCing very well...so I've heard).

I used PC Part Picker to organized everything so the links will lead to a specs page on that site but with links to all the popular PC hardware sites (Newegg, Microcenter etc). And the prices are the lowest price available for the specific part.

Everything labeled "Other" I already own so no changing on those XD

The keyboard is just a "start-up" piece. Hell I'm still using the stock keyboard of a HP m8187c on my current desktop (which is a HP m8187c pre-built). I'll more than likely eventually upgrade both the keyboard and mouse but I am not very picky when it comes to hardware, so long as it works properly I'm happy (i.e I don't want to be spending $80 on a mouse :P). I'm more concerned with how the inner-workings of my build will function.

So if anyone has any final suggestions or issues for/on my build before I start ordering parts it would be most appreciated.

Edit: Yeah never mind the keyboard no longer comes with a mouse :P So mouse suggestions if any would be helpful (or I will buy a Logitech M305 for this build which I use on the "family" m8187c)

[MalcomGTX]

Looks like you know what you want.

Only thing I would suggest is an SSD, even a cheap one would be faster than the WD black.
Still, if you need the storage space the WD is fine.

Also be aware that the K series processors do not support VT-d, which speeds up virtualizing OS's quite a bit. You also do not need a K series processor for overclocking; that said, 189 is a very nice price on the 3570k.



EDIT: One last option, I'd look at the Thermaltake V3 Black (or V4) for a case that is half as expensive but still very nice.

It has a bottom mounted PSU, tons of fan space(bottom has a dust filter too) and pre-drilled watercooling holes.

You may want to look into the Micro ATX variant of the ASRock Extreme4 though, it should be cheaper and still have most the same functionality in a smaller package.

[HybriDSawZ]

Looks good overall. Nothing really to change. Happy gaming!

[ElijahChondo43]

The only thing I can see is going for a 650w instead of the 750w to save a few $$$. Possibly throw in a SSD? 64GB or little higher would be just fine for the OS. You can install Steam onto the 500GB.

Either way, nice build

[dosbox]

As someone who runs a Sapphire 7870 on a 650W Seasonic PSU, I can tell you that Corsair TX750 is massive overkill.

The Seasonic-designed XFX Core 550 has 528W on the 12V rail, and will more than enough for those components, and save you some money.

If you want a bit more capacity, the Seasonic S12II 620 has 576W available on the 12V rail.

[HybriDSawZ]

Originally Posted by dosbox

As someone who runs a Sapphire 7870 on a 650W Seasonic PSU, I can tell you that Corsair TX750 is massive overkill.

The Seasonic-designed XFX Core 550 has 528W on the 12V rail, and will more than enough for those components, and save you some money.

If you want a bit more capacity, the Seasonic S12II 620 has 576W available on the 12V rail.

^I have the same Corsair 620W PSU and it's awesome! Also, this is my case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811235026
It's very roomy and comes with two fans by default that keep my system nice and cool and dead silent. And it's cheap. :3

[Major Bertolli]

Originally Posted by MalcomGTX

Looks like you know what you want.

Only thing I would suggest is an SSD, even a cheap one would be faster than the WD black.
Still, if you need the storage space the WD is fine.

Also be aware that the K series processors do not support VT-d, which speeds up virtualizing OS's quite a bit. You also do not need a K series processor for overclocking; that said, 189 is a very nice price on the 3570k.

EDIT: One last option, I'd look at the Thermaltake V3 Black (or V4) for a case that is half as expensive but still very nice.

It has a bottom mounted PSU, tons of fan space(bottom has a dust filter too) and pre-drilled watercooling holes.

You may want to look into the Micro ATX variant of the ASRock Extreme4 though, it should be cheaper and still have most the same functionality in a smaller package.

For the time being I am not going to be able to afford a SSD. So for the time being I'll install windows onto the WD.

You mentioned Vt-d for Intel, is it anything that would be of serious concern to performance or would it be something not highly noticeable? (Better question is "what is virtualization in OSs?" XD)

I actually was torn between the Rosewill and Thermalite v4. In the end I went with the Rosewill simply because it comes with the extra stock fans (it can get fairly warm in my house during the summer) and has some nice cable management. I still have time so I can look into the Thermalite or the Zalman (HybriDSawZ case). Just need to double check if they can take the Gigaybyte 7870 as it is a huge card

Originally Posted by dosbox

As someone who runs a Sapphire 7870 on a 650W Seasonic PSU, I can tell you that Corsair TX750 is massive overkill.

The Seasonic-designed XFX Core 550 has 528W on the 12V rail, and will more than enough for those components, and save you some money.

If you want a bit more capacity, the Seasonic S12II 620 has 576W available on the 12V rail.

Yeah now that I think of it the 750 is overkill, I was thinking of "future-proofing" the build, at least with the PSU anyway. I don't plan on using dual-cards so I can knock it down to a 650 or 620 then.

[MalcomGTX]

Originally Posted by Major Bertolli

You mentioned Vt-d for Intel, is it anything that would be of serious concern to performance or would it be something not highly noticeable? (Better question is "what is virtualization in OSs?" XD)

I still have time so I can look into the Thermalite or the Zalman (HybriDSawZ case). Just need to double check if they can take the Gigaybyte 7870 as it is a huge card

If you don't know what it is, then it's not a problem.

It only affects performance in VirtualBox, Hyper-V, VMware, XPMode.. etc.

If you don't plan on virtualizing another OS, (for example XP or DOS or something for old games, some modded copies of MacOS work too) then don't worry about it at all.


I have a Thermaltake V3 with two ATI 5830's crossfired in it, a bit snug but fits just fine. If I want to take out the hard drives I have to uplug the 6-pin power cables.

[Full Flush]

I have problems with the price of the hard drive, the hard drive itself, and maybe the 750W PSU is too much unless you plan on using crossfire (in which case it may be too little but I'm not too sure on this). I would also encourage you to check out if Fry's or Microcenter has some good CPU/Motherboard combo deals. I also wouldn't recommend you to buy an optical drive IF you already have a SATA based one. They are only useful for installing an OS. It's better to put that $17 for a SSD or Bluray drive (but that's if you have a SATA based drive from an old build already). You have not mentioned an SSD, so I'm assuming space is more important to you than SSD speed. I would also recommend double checking on the video card and be sure about spending $280 on it. Any considerations on getting a GTX 560? (I'm currently on a GTX 460 and pretty satisfied). Good luck with your build; it's pretty good and I just decided to go a bit harsh on you.

[Glixzor]

Twice as much storage space for 20$ more.

You also don't need a 750W to power your rig. A 600 should do just fine.

[dosbox]

Originally Posted by Full Flush

Any considerations on getting a GTX 560?

Compared to a 7870? Draw your own conclusions.

It gets uglier if you really mean a GTX 560 (non-Ti).

[Full Flush]

Originally Posted by dosbox

Compared to a 7870? Draw your own conclusions.

It gets uglier if you really mean a GTX 560 (non-Ti).

I gave my opinion. I play none of those games listed on that site except for Portal 2. If the OP is the same, I wouldn't recommend that card if he can find the 560 Ti for much cheaper.

The 7870 is better than the 560 Ti. But some of these results show both cards with frames less than 60 for some games. That's unacceptable. The benchmarks show a trend where both cards struggle at highly demanding games like Crysis. So depending on the price of GTX 560 Ti, I would take it over the 7870.

But I'll leave this to the OP. I'd encourage him to get the 7870 if he's going to be playing mostly high end games (something I don't do).

[dosbox]

Originally Posted by Full Flush

The 7870 is better than the 560 Ti. But some of these results show both cards with frames less than 60 for some games. That's unacceptable.

It's unacceptable that both cards perform below some arbitary standard, so you recommend the worse performing one? OK then.

[Major Bertolli]

Originally Posted by Full Flush

I gave my opinion. I play none of those games listed on that site except for Portal 2. If the OP is the same, I wouldn't recommend that card if he can find the 560 Ti for much cheaper.

The 7870 is better than the 560 Ti. But some of these results show both cards with frames less than 60 for some games. That's unacceptable. The benchmarks show a trend where both cards struggle at highly demanding games like Crysis. So depending on the price of GTX 560 Ti, I would take it over the 7870.

But I'll leave this to the OP. I'd encourage him to get the 7870 if he's going to be playing mostly high end games (something I don't do).

Well I do plan on playing high end games, the only thing stopping me from doing so now is my current PC. So I am going to stick with a 7870.

Case wise, I am going to go with a Zalman Z9 Plus which I can get for $49.98 from NCIX.

I added a Gigabyte GM-M6800 Wired Optical Mouse which including shipping is $15.98 from Newegg. I like wired mice better than wireless anyway and people seem to like it

I also upgraded to a 1tb HDD Western Digital Caviar Black Internal Hard Drive (aka the one Glixzor suggested ) which I can get for $102.98 from SuperBiiz.

I also changed my PSU to a Corsair 650W V2
which I can get for $76.49 from Amazon.

That would bring my lowest possible price to $908.36 (if I do all the in-store pick ups and such which I might as well :P).

With the extra money left over I am thinking of just upping to a MSI 7950 which I can get for $304.99 from NCIX. Still debating on that though since it isn't a super improvement but it will get me some extra FPS and last me a tad longer but I'll debate on that since with either card I should be able to run most games on the high settings without any problems.

The 7950 would bring the total price to $933.36, in other words I can go couch diving for a few extra bucks :P

Otherwise I think the rest of the system is done since now looking how I don't mind the slow OS booting (since I don't use a SSD now) I probably won't buy one.

[Porcupeth]

Dude the 7950 (specially those Oc'ed and improved cooler ones, like that MSI card) are a huge improvement over the 7870, definitely get that. Some pre-oc'ed 7950 are nearly, very nearly as good as a normal 7970.