Feedback on 500-600 build

[phunnyconflicts]

Building my little brother a computer and the budget goal is 500-600.

Here is what I have:

CPU - i3 3220 - 119.99
Mobo - MSI Z77A-G43 - 109.99
Ram - Kingston HyperX (2x4) - 29.99
HDD - WD 500 gb 16MB 7200RPM - 49.99
PSU - Ultra 600w - 14.99
GPU - HD 6870 - 162.37
Optical drive - LG - 18.99
Case - undecided

Total - 506.31

Originally, I was going to go for a AMD CPU like the FX 4xxx since I myself have a 4100 and wanted to save a few bucks, but the new i3 3220 is so cheap, i decided to get that for my brother. The mobo looks like it has everything he'll need. Kingston never failed me, but it will be my first time trying their hyperx ram as I myself uses corsairs vengence. HDD is only at 16mb, but it was to save money as 32mb are a bit too expensive, even when cost has technically gone down for hdds. For PSU, i could careless on what grade it is as long as it gives me 500+ watts for potentially future upgrades/addons.

For the GPU, it took me some time. At first, I wanted to get him the 560 ti, but its still so god damn expensive. I myself have the hd 6850, but they're all sold out atm, so the next best card at a reasonable price is the 6870. From the looks of the benchmarks, the hd 6870 only lags behind the 560 just a bit, basically making them almost equal. Its only when they are OC'd is where the 560 starts to lead in leaps.

overall. the current build just pass 500 dollars without the case.

Case will probably be another 60-70 in the end because he wants a somewhat stylish case.

I would be very grateful if you guys and girls can give me some pointers on this build, if it needs any. I guess the thing I am worried most about is the mobo. It is compatible and supports crossfire, but Im wondering if its any different from the z77-g41, which is only 10 dollars cheaper. From looking at it, there really is no different other than the g43 natively accepts the 2nd generation intel cpu oppose to g41 where it natively takes the first generation but still compatible with 2nd generation.

besides the mobo, if anyone can give me more pointers on better upgrades without affecting the cost drastically, i'd really appreciate it. thanks a lot guys, and happy holidays.

 

[spentshells]

Get a far cheaper motherboard use that 40-50 dollars to step up the graphics card to a 7850 b75 boards have the same key features and cost up to 50 dollars less.

 

[djangoringo]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ot0s
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ot0s/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ot0s/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($26.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Momentus XT 500GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($42.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $561.48
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

with good case a better gpu, and the correct mobo for your needs.

 

[phunnyconflicts]

Get a far cheaper motherboard use that 40-50 dollars to step up the graphics card to a 7850 b75 boards have the same key features and cost up to 50 dollars less.

Thanks for the reply. the 7850 looks like a better choice than the 6870. I think ill go for that one for sure. As for the mobo, Ill look into the b75 boards. Thanks a lot of the reply.

 

[phunnyconflicts]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ot0s
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ot0s/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ot0s/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($26.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Momentus XT 500GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($42.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $561.48
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

with good case a better gpu, and the correct mobo for your needs.

I like your build a lot. I think i might use most of it, if not all. Thanks for your input. Yeah, the graphics card is defitnely much better than the 6870. Btw, Seagate any good? Heard that it dies pretty often. Im usually a WD guy since none as ever failed me so far.

 

[aicom]

Definitely don't cheap out on the power supply like you did in the OP. Djangoringo's build has a reasonable solid power supply. As for the Momentus, I know of a few in systems of mine that have been fine over a few years. Not sure if you already realize it, but this PC for your little brother is going to blow the pants off yours.

7850 vs 6850 - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=539

 

[sonicers]

600 dollars? You could fit a 7950 into that...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ECS B75H2-M3(1.0) Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($31.64 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $600.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-20 12:57 EST-0500)

The Antec VP-450 is just as good of a power supply as the XFX 450, and it can pull 550W at full load and retain 81% efficiency.

I'd say the Momentus hard drive would work as well, although I couldn't really find it. The difference between Seagate and WD is trivial, although if you wanted WD, this build has one.

You don't need an H77 motherboard unless you want RAID and SSD cache, really... and ECS makes decent motherboards. It'll do everything you need it to, and ECS motherboards are used in a lot of prebuilt PCs, like HPs and DELLs, so it's not like they're not reliable.

If you have a microcenter nearby, the i3 3220 is only $99.99! If you let your budget stretch a bit, the i5 3450 is $139.99 and the i5 3470 is $149.99. Worth the extra 40-50 bucks, but if you don't have the cash, the i3 3220 will be more than enough for your needs.

If you wanted to go nVidia, the GTX 660ti is in the same price range as the 7950. It'll underperform it's AMD counterpart (price-wise), but if he plays games like Borderlands 2 that have GPU PhysX, I'd recomment the GTX 660ti.

 

[phunnyconflicts]

Definitely don't cheap out on the power supply like you did in the OP. Djangoringo's build has a reasonable solid power supply. As for the Momentus, I know of a few in systems of mine that have been fine over a few years. Not sure if you already realize it, but this PC for your little brother is going to blow the pants off yours.

7850 vs 6850 - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=539

Thanks for the link. I'll defintly go for the 7850 since its cheaper now and that it performs really well.

600 dollars? You could fit a 7950 into that...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ECS B75H2-M3(1.0) Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($31.64 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $600.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-20 12:57 EST-0500)

The Antec VP-450 is just as good of a power supply as the XFX 450, and it can pull 550W at full load and retain 81% efficiency.

I'd say the Momentus hard drive would work as well, although I couldn't really find it. The difference between Seagate and WD is trivial, although if you wanted WD, this build has one.

You don't need an H77 motherboard unless you want RAID and SSD cache, really... and ECS makes decent motherboards. It'll do everything you need it to, and ECS motherboards are used in a lot of prebuilt PCs, like HPs and DELLs, so it's not like they're not reliable.

If you have a microcenter nearby, the i3 3220 is only $99.99! If you let your budget stretch a bit, the i5 3450 is $139.99 and the i5 3470 is $149.99. Worth the extra 40-50 bucks, but if you don't have the cash, the i3 3220 will be more than enough for your needs.

If you wanted to go nVidia, the GTX 660ti is in the same price range as the 7950. It'll underperform it's AMD counterpart (price-wise), but if he plays games like Borderlands 2 that have GPU PhysX, I'd recomment the GTX 660ti.

Thanks for the heads up. Liking the list, but I think ill go for the 7850 just to save a few extra bucks so I can spend it else were if it need be. Chances are, i'll pick a few of your items in conjuction with djangoringo's list as there are a lot of his stuff that I really liked. plus, my brother isn't going to be gaming that hard. heck, all he plays is LOL; but i just wanted the best of the best in the 500-600 dollar range because this will bascially be his rig til he goes to college (he's in middle school. and heck, if he keeps this rig in top shape, it'll last longer and beyond his college days considering my 2002 sony viao still runs in the family room).

Btw, thanks a lot of your insight and to everyone else. couldn't have done this without your guys' knowledge, and, actually learned a lot more about pc since you guys gave me a build to study. so thanks again!

 

[phunnyconflicts]

Best answer selected by phunnyconflicts.