Check over ~$950-$1000 Gaming Build

[Crossknight]

Hi, I already have a casual gaming rig setup in mind, and would like some review of it before I go ahead and purchase it. Primarily, I still need a good case around $50-$80 with good cooling (does not need to be small or good-looking), and to check that the PSU is good and reliable.

Upgrades, SLI, overclocking will not be expected from this build in the future; it will run off 1 video card and the current setup for many many years with no upgrades in the near future, which is why I have picked the i5-3570 over the AMD FX-8320, a H77M for lack of overclocking and micro ATX, a MSI GTX 760 Twin Frozr (quietest under load) that is cheaper and better stock performance than the ATI Radeon HD 7950, and reliable parts all around. Overall, I've preferred more long-term, stronger, cooler, and quieter parts given lack of future upgrades. But most importantly, I need this build to stay working for many many years (I don't mean going obsolete), so durability is a must.

For this budget, I am not counting peripherals or monitor or OS. That said, the price range for this build is basically set. No need to cut the SSD. Oh yeah, I prefer the parts to be shipped from Canada, from fewer sources to reduce shipping costs.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Memory Express)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Memory Express)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($75.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($114.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Memory Express)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($284.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ NCIX)
Total: $935.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-12 16:45 EDT-0400)

 

[JRAtk94]

You don't need the cooler if you're not overclocking.

Everything else looks good! XFX make great PSUs, so that's fine.

However, with the money saved from removing the cooler, it may be wise to upgrade the HDD to a WD Caviar Black - they're very fast for mechanical drives

 

[Crossknight]

Thanks! I was under the impression that the Seagate Barracuda and the WD Caviar Black were about the same, and I've seen them both as solid picks.

I still need help picking a case, as I'm not very knowledgeable with cases. I do know that I want a case that has good cooling and low noise at a reasonable price; nothing fancy or pretty or small, just robust and functional.

Edit: Er yeah, my mistake, I meant to say blue. Black is more expensive as it should be

 

[JRAtk94]

The Barracuda is about equal to the WD Caviar blue - the Black is better than both

The CM N200 seems to be the pick of MicroATX cases at the moment - it's small (not too small though), pretty cheap, looks good (in my opinion), and seems to have pretty effective cooling for a MicroATX case. It also has pretty good cable routing, with cut-outs in the motherboard tray to hide cables - this is pretty rare for MicroATX cases, especially at the N200's price point.