Is this an alright build?

[Aire]

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

 

[Aire]

Not sure why you wish to spend $100 more, and still end up with an HD7850 1GB ... and a motherboard that will not advance to Haswell/Broadwell.

If Intel is your preferred path, you should try to wait if you can until Spring for s1150 and Haswell.

What if I were to switch the HD7850 1GB with the HD7770 2GB?

Also, you must remember that I don't know much about computer hardware, so I know nearly nothing about motherboards.

 

[Avenged7x]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BCBh
So far, that is what I'm looking at. I really don't want to have to upgrade anything else, as I'm now pushing my $700 maximum. Would this build work the way it is, and what would the performance be like?

I like this build the best. The 7850 is solid mid-range card (considerably stronger than the 650Ti) and will give you great performance at your resolution. The 2gb version is a nice upgrade as well which will handle higher setings/resolution, but you have to draw the line on your budget somewhere. Don't bother with a 2GB 7770 - the extra ram has basically no value as the GPU is too weak to utilize the extra ram.

The point Wisecracker is making is that AMDs current socket will be used for their next generation of CPUs. So you could upgrade to the next generation CPU in a year or so on the same motherboard. Whereas Intel's current socket 1155 ends with Ivy-Bridge, Haswell (released mid 2013) will use a new socket and a CPU upgrade will require a new mobo at that time.

That being said I think you can expect a solid 3+ years out of the i5. WHen comes time to upgrade you'll want to upgrade just about everything. The AMD route makes more sense if you see yourself dropping ~$200 on a CPU upgrade within a year or so.

You can always wait for new release (ie. Haswell, nVidia 700 series or Radeon 8000 series) but new technology is always just around the corner and time spent waiting could be time spent enjoying your new hardware.

You can get alot of good information by reading Tom's CPU and GPU guides. Both the i5 and 7850 are on January's recommendations.

 

[Aire]

-snip-

Thank you. This has cleared up so much for me that I was confused about. I think I've finally settled on a build. Thank you to everyone who has helped me with this. Also, if you were wondering, I won't be upgrading for a little while, so that's not really a huge problem.

 

[Avenged7x]

You could get a cheaper 7850 1GB to save a few bucks. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-fx785aznl4

Or for the same money you can get this 2GB 7850 which has a nice aftermarket cooler on it. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-r7850twinfrozr2gd5oc and mild factory overclock (slightly faster).

 

[masterman467]

Thank you. This has cleared up so much for me that I was confused about. I think I've finally settled on a build. Thank you to everyone who has helped me with this. Also, if you were wondering, I won't be upgrading for a little while, so that's not really a huge problem.

Drop the i5 for an i3, put the extra 40 bucks in to a HD 7870. in nearly every game the GPU is more important then the CPU, and hence forth the rule

"ALWAYS spend more on your GPU then CPU for gaming."

If your new, you should see newegg's "how to build a PC" videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw

 

[Retrowire]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BCBh
So far, that is what I'm looking at. I really don't want to have to upgrade anything else, as I'm now pushing my $700 maximum. Would this build work the way it is, and what would the performance be like?

That's a heck of a nice build though I would consider the negative reviews about that mobo. Just about every single one is a complaint about a defective board getting to their door DOA. Tons of negative reviews are worth considering if they're all both recent and regarding defects, and some of them are from last month.

A motherboard is the foundation of your computer, so I strongly suggest investing a bit more into it. Why pay for something cheap that will blow your entire investment, next thing you know you're paying return shipment and restocking fees while looking for a new one. For anyone sticking by a budget, I say play it safe!

Why not something like this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128550&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Gigabyte is a great brand with tons of great safety solutions for it's products. This mobo is a tiny bit pricier but again, it's worth adjusting your build so that you'll have something that is SURE to last and work the first time you assemble it. Just think about it.

 

[Aire]

That's a heck of a nice build though I would consider the negative reviews about that mobo. Just about every single one is a complaint about a defective board getting to their door DOA. Tons of negative reviews are worth considering if they're all both recent and regarding defects, and some of them are from last month.

I've done a bit of reading and have decided to go with the Gigabyte GA-H77-DS3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard instead. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[TemurAmir]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BLB2
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BLB2/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BLB2/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($123.79 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($58.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $608.69
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-06 00:29 EST-0500)

Spend more on the GPU if you're gaming because your games will be limited by graphics cards usually, not the CPU... 7850>7770 as an answer to one of your other posts btw; the numbering system is pretty self-explanatory since the bigger the numbers get, the better/newer it is. The 7870XT uses newer Tahiti architecture.

If you really want to go with the quad-core i5 you can, but I don't see why you're buying that relatively expensive 7850. There's a 2GB version for $170 here http://pcpartpicker.com/part/powercolor-video-card-ax78502gbd5dh

 

[Retrowire]

I've done a bit of reading and have decided to go with the Gigabyte GA-H77-DS3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard instead. Thanks for the heads up!

No problem! remember, read those reviews. Most negative reviews are complaints on the users behalf and its usually because the customer didn't do their research or something, so you have to read the reviews because again if a bunch of people are saying they keep receiving broken items, then something is going on! I'm building a gaming build myself right now so I'm going through the same process, best of luck!

 

[Retrowire]

I find that it's a great resource to compare your build to other users similar builds to see if they've found something similar or better for a better price.

Here's what I've got going on right now.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BGjs

My budget is 800-ish but I'm really cutting some prices by getting an eco-friendly PSU and a lower capacity hard drive. I have owned a 500 gb capacity laptop for 7 years and I have never filled that drive. lol

 

[TemurAmir]

I find that it's a great resource to compare your build to other users similar builds to see if they've found something similar or better for a better price.

Here's what I've got going on right now.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BGjs

My budget is 800-ish but I'm really cutting some prices by getting an eco-friendly PSU and a lower capacity hard drive. I have owned a 500 gb capacity laptop for 7 years and I have never filled that drive. lol

If you wanted to save some, you could drop the Z77 mobo and go with an H77 one since you will not be overclocking your CPU. The only negative I've heard about Asrock boards is their relative thinness compared to other brands.

Also, I do not trust those Newegg reviews as a reputable source to judge the quality of a product such as that H77 motherboard. I've found that negative reviewers only tend to rate when they get a DOA, and this is not indicative of the real rate of failure in the motherboard. Also, many other negative reviewers don't know much about computer hardware in general and are unable to get their builds to work properly because of their own errors.

 

[Retrowire]

If you wanted to save some, you could drop the Z77 mobo and go with an H77 one since you will not be overclocking your CPU. The only negative I've heard about Asrock boards is their relative thinness compared to other brands.

Also, I do not trust those Newegg reviews as a reputable source to judge the quality of a product such as that H77 motherboard. I've found that negative reviewers only tend to rate when they get a DOA, and this is not indicative of the real rate of failure in the motherboard. Also, many other negative reviewers don't know much about computer hardware in general and are unable to get their builds to work properly because of their own errors.

If that mobo advice is regarding me then thanks, that's nice to know as I didn't really consider the difference between z77 and h77.

Other than that, i do believe that reviews are indicative of product quality if a bunch of rma's keep happening within the same timeframe, its something worth your money to pay attention to. And yeah, most bad reviews are because of a user error, but that's why you have to read between the lines.