Is this build decent enough?

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minimalis

Honorable
Sep 17, 2012
18
0
10,510
Hello community,

Finally I got to the point that I am holding the money I can buy a PC with. I've been planning this build for weeks now and I would be interested if it is actually good enough.

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H
CPU: Intel i5-3570k 3.40Ghz 1155
Memory: Corsair 8GB Vengeance Low Profile DDR3 1600MHz CL9 KIT CML8GX3M2A1600C9
VGA: Gigabyte GV-N66TOC-2GD GTX 660Ti 2GB GDDR5
HDD: WD 1TB Caviar Blue 7200rpm 64MB SATA3 WD10EZEX
PSU: Corsair Gaming Series GS700
Case: Gigabyte GZ-G2 Plus OR Zalman Z9
CPU Cooler: BE QUIET! Dark Rock Pro 2
Headset: Corsair Vengeance 1500

What I expect?

I do not care about fancy graphics. I'd rather have 100 fps than high settings.
I want to play games in 1920x1080, other than that I do not mind if I have to put everything to low except view distance in some games (I do not want a fog curtain travelling in front of me :) ).
Would love if I would not have to upgrade my desktop for ~2 years.

Notes:

Originally, I wanted to get the Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E, unfortunately, they do not sell it here anymore only its successor the Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme. From what I've read, the Extreme is not just warmer but more noisy, which is a problem for me. I tend to sleep in the morning and be awake in the evening. I live in a university dorm with a roommate, so I need a quiet cooler, so I won't wake him up with my gaming. This is the reason I chose the Dark Rock Pro 2.

I am not sure what to look for in a case, but I am quite fond of everything that Gigabyte makes and I chose a Gigabyte MOBO and VGA, hence I thought a gigabyte case would be appropriate. Tho I was looking at the Zalman Z9 too.

I was thinking about going i7-2700k, because I plan to stream my gameplay live and that requires good CPU performance, but people advised me to go with the i5-3750k because it is more than enough and it's the best gaming CPU out there. (?)


Basically these are all my concerns. Any help, comment would be appreciated.
Thank you for helping in advance.

(Sorry for my English, it is not my first language)
 
~ $1300

Would like to note that I do not live in the US so prices might be a bit higher here + some products are not available.

The above listed build (incl. the headset) costs $1250 here, where I live.
 

What country do you live in?
 
You should try t get an SSD (at least 64gb) as it will really help your boot times. By the way what operating system you getting? If you can't afford the SSD then try and cut back on the cooler. You wont need such an excessive one. You can find very decent ones for less. One that i would recommend is the CM Hper 212+. The case you are getting cmes with alot of built in fans so most of your components will be cool enough. A 700w is quite alot even for gaming. 500w should be enough. I suggest the Corsair Builder Series CXM. However if you want to be extrmely safe you can stick to your chosen one.


Motherboard: Asus P8B75-M LX
Processor: Intel i5-2320
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 6670
RAM: 2x4GB Corsair Vengence DDR3 1600MHz





 
I'm not gonna buy an SSD. It is overrated in my opinion. It really does not have that much use other than decreasing booting/loading times. Of course I am only talking about gaming. But I might be wrong.

I need a 'silent' cooler and I plan to overclock. While I am not questioning the cooling ability of the CM Hyper 212+, I do not know how loud it is.

Does 500W really enough for this build? Or should I go for CORSAIR Builder Series CX600W v2? (There is $0.5 difference between those 2)
 
If you want to be safe go with 600w. If you want to make sure search around for the how many watts your cpu, gpu etc. needs. It should come round to about 250-350. On the site for your GPU it says minimum system requirement of 450, but it says that just to be safe. So seeing as your GPU is actuallyquite powerful i would get the 600w.
 
An SSD is irrelevant at this price point. CPU, GPU & RAM are the most important things.

The one thing I would change is the case. Look for a Corsair 200R, Antec Gaming One or 300. Better cases have better airflow which keep components cooler, possibly allowing higher overclocks, increasing performance per dollar spent.
 
Why does the GZ-G2 have worse airflow than those you mentioned?
I mean it looks pretty open with those two giant fans in the front. I really do not know what to look for in a case.

I was also checking out the AEROCOOL XPredator X1 Evil Black case, but it did not get a great review on OCC.
They sell the Corsair 200R and the Antec Gaming One here, and they are pretty much the same price range, the Corsair is even a bit cheaper, but for me it looks way more closed than the GZ-G2.
 
I came up with a problem after reading through the motherboard specifications.

The GZ-G2 Plus has:

Front: 120mm silent fan x 2
Rear: 80mm silent fan x1
Top: 120mm silent fan x 1
Click to expand...

While the GA-Z77-D3H says:

3 x system fan headers
Click to expand...

Should I go for a GA-Z77X-UD3H, which has 4x system fan headers as the case comes with 4 fans?
 
It's because both Antec & Corsair have nothing but hits with their cases. They put the time and R&D into each case. Gigabyte doesn't really have a good foot hold in the section and their cases are hit and miss. Also, 80mm fans are loud, whiny and don't move nearly enough air.

Basically you're taking a chance on a good brand (Gigabyte) but an untested product. If you can afford the $60 price tag look at the Corsair 200R, Antec Gaming One or 300 or even the Cooler Master HAF 912 or 922. Well worth the money.
 
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