$1400 Build. Thoughts/Criticism?

[BenhamT97]

http://
That is the link.

Honestly. I don't have the money for this. But I loved the journey of putting this list together. Someday in the future I will build my first PC... and when I do I will love it.

But other than that. What are your thoughts on this? Other than the monitor and optical drive... Is it pretty solid?

I've put a lot of time into putting the list together and I think I have a rock-solid build here.

 

[TimeLass]

Ram is overkill, gaming ram does not give you too much performance gain, get 8GB 1600 MHz and upgrade GPU to HD7870 XT

 

[BenhamT97]

Ram is overkill, gaming ram does not give you too much performance gain, get 8GB 1600 MHz and upgrade GPU to HD7870 XT

What brand of RAM do you recommend?

 

[TimeLass]

Hmmm... Any of the value ram is ok, I personally prefer Kingston but not corsair, G.skill made good rams too

 

[g-unit1111]

Yeah the Dominator Platinum is a RIDICULOUS waste of money - you're paying a 3X premium for nothing more than a fancy heat sink.

You're also wasting money on the fan controller and the extra fans - the Carbide 500R includes plenty to start with. The peripherals are also major overkill. I'd drop those for now and get cheap ones. Then you can get the good ones later on.

I'd suggest something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($36.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($70.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1225.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-07 01:52 EDT-0400)

That would be a better use of your budget. If you want a bit more PSU get the 620W version.

 

[BenhamT97]

Also, what is the difference between the 7870 and the 7870 XT?
@gunit Why the different mobo? And I like the idea of a modular PSU.

 

[TimeLass]

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/01/01/powercolor_radeon_hd_7870_myst_edition_review#.UWEMutoaySM

Link takes you to mobile site. Fixed it. - G

 

[aonor]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($108.10 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($204.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card ($489.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Logitech 920-000914 Wired Slim Keyboard ($79.99 @ Logitech)
Mouse: Corsair Vengeance M65 Wired Laser Mouse ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1466.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-07 02:30 EDT-0400)

Also, you might want an optical drive for installing Windows. I recommend Asus 24-B3ST

 

[g-unit1111]

Also, what is the difference between the 7870 and the 7870 XT?
@gunit Why the different mobo? And I like the idea of a modular PSU.

The XT is based on a newer core: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/tahiti-le-7870-7930-benchmark,3401.html

Both motherboards are about the same in terms of performance, the Asrock costs less than the Asus and is still a pretty stellar performer.

As for a modular PSU if you really want one get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088