First-time builder needs advice for budget gaming build

[mglab]

Hey guys,

I'm a completely new at this, but I've been spending time doing some research and I'm pretty excited about building this.

Basically, I'm looking to build a desktop that will allow me to comfortably play most games (not necessarily on highest settings), edit photos, video and audio, and just be a strong multitasking workhorse. My student budget is limiting, but I'm willing to be a little flexible if you guys think it's necessary.

I already own a monitor, speakers, keyboard and mouse. I have no intentions of overclocking and this will be my first build, so it would be nice to not have anything too complicated.

This is what I have come up with so far:

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($70.02 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($32.31 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($75.41 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($111.07 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($53.86 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.55 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHAS324-98 DVD/CD Writer ($16.53 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($96.99 @ B&H)
Total: $645.73
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-03 00:18 EST-0500)


What do you guys think? Thanks in advance!

 

[twelve25]

What resolution is your monitor?

 

[hbeduryan818]

Sounds very good.

 

[Deemo13]

Looks pretty good actually. Should suit your needs nicely. My GTX460 (which is about the same as that 7770) played every game on high or better settings with my i5, but I got an offer I couldn't resist on 2 video cards

 

[mglab]

What resolution is your monitor?

1920 x 1080

 

[Deemo13]

Yea, you should be great. What games are you going to be playing?

 

[mglab]

Yea, you should be great. What games are you going to be playing?

Mostly Valve games, XCOM, Mass Effect series and such. Think this will be ok? I was a bit worried about the graphics card as people were recommending the 7850, but the price is a concern for me.

Anyway, thanks so much for your help!

 

[Deemo13]

The 7770 is pretty good. I was able to play everything I wanted on my GTX460, and your 7770 is a tad better than my old card.

 

[twelve25]

1920 x 1080

7770 is just going to be OK for 1080p. You might have to drop your res to 1600x900. If you want to play 1080p, I'd get a 7850 instead.

 

[Deemo13]

OK? I think it will be sufficient for the games that the OP wants to play. Considering my 460 could pull it off, he should be alright with like Valve games and what not.

 

[mglab]

haha I'm a she, but I think the 7770 will be good enough for me. Not sure I can fork out the extra $100 for the 7850...(unless I cut some corners elsewhere)

Thanks everyone for your inputs.

 

[Deemo13]

Oops, my bad. Usually the people on this forum are male :/ Yea, you should be able to run games nicely!

 

[mglab]

No worries. I completely understand - building a gaming PC isn't necessarily the girliest thing. 😛

Thanks so much again for your promptness! I'm going to start purchasing some parts and will come back if I have issues.

 

[mglab]

Best answer selected by mglab.