Is this an alright build?

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A

Aire

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Feb 5, 2013
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10,510
I'm completely new to computer hardware, and know nearly nothing about how most of it works. I am, however, a game lover and want to step up from a console. I found this build online and went pricing and swapped out a few parts. I'm wanting to know if these parts are compatible with each other and how well it will actually run. I'm looking to run games such as Battlefield 3, Skyrim, etc. in 1680x1050 resolution on medium to high settings. Additionally, I might do some graphical work involving Photoshop and such.


The build:
Case: NZXT Tempest 210
Power Supply: Antec NEO ECO 520W
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 LGA 1155 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 Ivy Bridge 3.3Ghz Dual Core Processor
Memory: G Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333 RAM
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 550 Ti
Optical Drive: ASUS 24x CD/DVD Burner

I know this isn't the most powerful build, and with that being said, I also want the ability to upgrade in the future. Is that possible with these parts?

Here's the requested information/format:

Approximate Purchase Date: Within next 2-4 weeks

Budget Range: $600 before shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, graphics design, movies, surfing the web

Are you buying a monitor: No

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Location: Auburndale, Florida, USA

Parts Preferences: Unsure

Overclocking: Unsure what it is.

SLI or Crossfire: Unsure what it is.

Your Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050
 
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A

Aire

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Feb 5, 2013
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10,510

I'm doing this on a $600 budget. I'm not quite sure what overclocking is, so I can't really answer that part.


Sorry, this is my first post and I didn't see that. I'll update with the proper format if I can.
 
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ARICH5

ARICH5

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Oct 13, 2009
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yes it is a good starting base. that psu is solid. someone else can give their 2 cents about the mobo. im not up to date on the asrock quality. 4 more gb of ram, a strongerr video card and a core i5 for the future and your good
 
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A

Aire

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Feb 5, 2013
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10,510

If I were to decide to add more RAM, would I need to change other parts as well, or would I be okay in keeping all other parts as they are?
 
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ARICH5

ARICH5

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see the thing is games and graphic design programs love alot of ram. 4gb of ram and graphic design program will crawl with 4gb. but if u cant afford it now u can barely scrape by with the 4gb. and no u wouldnt have to change anything else
 
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A

Aire

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Feb 5, 2013
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10,510


If I were to use the setup you have there, but swap out the video card for the Nvidia GeForce GTX 550 Ti, would I gain any performance in any specific areas? Would it run better than with the Radeon HD 7770?



What if I were to use 2x Skill 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM instead?
 
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Wisecracker

Wisecracker

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Don't do this.

The HD7770 has greater GPU-compute and will be more beneficial to you.

If you go with the AMD Piledriver FX6300, there is currently a $10-off promo code (and a combo with the G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 2400 that works out to $188)

 
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A

Avenged7x

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Sep 13, 2012
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You should go with butremor's build. The i5 still outperforms anything AMD for gaming. The savings you get on the AMD cpu are cancelled out with the need for aftermarket cooling. All the proposed builds are a little light in the GPU department (due to the limited budget) a 650Ti or 7850 would be much better for just a little more money. But you can always upgrade the GPU at a later date and the i5 should offer sufficient processing power for a few years.
 
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A

Aire

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Feb 5, 2013
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10,510
Thank you all for all of the help and advice. I've gone through each of your suggestions and come up with a build. I'd appreciate it if someone would let me know if anything else is needed in this build.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BCtE

I know that I've gone a little bit over my budget, but that's okay. As long as it's not too far over.
 
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Avenged7x

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Switch out the HDD. WD Green are low-energy drives that are slower than traditional drives, they are meant for secondary storday. Otherwise your good to go.

There was $110 650Ti sale going on last week, but I guess that ship has sailed.
 
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A

Aire

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Feb 5, 2013
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10,510


Are there any HDDs that you would recommend?
 
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A

Aire

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Feb 5, 2013
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10,510


What's the difference between the two?
 
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Wisecracker

Wisecracker

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Jan 15, 2007
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At a minimum, the FX6300 build will upgrade one CPU generation with the arrival of Steamroller. You may also over-clock the FX6300 quite easily, and the AMD build has an HD7850 2GB.

That wins, and is the major difference between the AMD/Intel builds. The differences between the CPUs are minimal, but the HD7850 can go 40% greater in frames in many instances than the 650ti.

If you want some extra cash for aftermarket cooling, there is a FX6300 combo with some Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 for $170.




 
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Avenged7x

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Sep 13, 2012
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The ASUS you've chosen has a slightly slower core clock (928 mhz vs. 966mhz). All the 650ti are pretty comparable, however the particular ASUS model you've chosen has very good dual-fan cooler on it (its the same as they use on their higher end cards). I have an ASUS 660 with the same cooler and it runs cool and very quiet, however it may be overkill for a 650Ti as most all of them use a single fan.

So very quiet vs. $25 in your pocket.
 
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