New MicroATX rig $800

[smittyline]

I'm a long-time lurker and this is a great site. I need your advice for this build.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: THIS WEEK

BUDGET: $800 USD

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Photoshop CS4 with GPU support

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, OS (have Windows 7), SSD (I have a Vertex 30GB), DVD/BR Drive, Wireless NIC.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, ncix.com, amazon.com

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA and Canada (I live in Canada, but I have a US address 20 minutes away)

PARTS PREFERENCES: MicroATX. I like the small form factor.

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1280x1024 x 2 monitors (DVI or VGA)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Will store OS and favourite programs on 30GB SSD. The rest will be stored on a small 7200RPM HD (120GB minimum) and my 3TB network server.

My build, please criticize or offer suggestions:

** NOTE: SCROLL DOWN FOR THE LATEST BUILD LIST. **

CASE: COOLER MASTER Elite 341 $44.99

CPU: Intel i5-750 Quad Core $194.99 Free shipping

GPU: XFX Radeon HD 1GB 256-bit 4850 PCI Express 2.0 16x CrossfireX Support $125.99

MOBO: MSI P55M-GD45 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX $119.99 Free shipping

HD: SAMSUNG 500GB 7200 RPM $54.99 Free shipping

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $93.99 Free shipping

PSU: 650W Antec EarthWatts EA650 Continuous Power $79.99

TOTAL: 713.93 USD + ~$30 shipping

 

[smittyline]

Updated build list, fixed GPU link.

Is my GPU choice good or should I get something better?

 

[boonality]

That looks decent to me, I can't say that I am up to speed on video cards either but everything else looks good.

I would personally choose Corsair memory, Corsair power supply, and a Gigabyte motherboard but I have a brand preference in those areas. Your parts are compatible and will work fine.

 

[smittyline]

Thanks boonality. The Corsair power supply is definitely popular but I'm not brand loyal. I had great experience with G.Skill RAM too.

Here's my updated build with different video card (DX11 support), power supply (700W and lower price), and CPU cooler. Changes are shown in RED.

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CASE: COOLER MASTER Elite 341 $45

CPU: Intel i5-750 Quad Core $195 Free shipping

CPU cooler: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 92mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler $35 Free shipping

Thermal compound: ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound $8

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 $165 Free shipping

MOBO: MSI P55M-GD45 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX $120 Free shipping

HD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 500GB 7200 RPM $55 Free shipping

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $94 Free shipping

PSU: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V $80 - $50 after MIR

TOTAL: 767 USD + 20.68 USD shipping = $787.57

 

[smittyline]

MadAdmiral mentioned in another thread that I can get G.Skill Ripsaws with lower latency for only $5 more. He's correct. The $94 Ripsaws has 9 latency with 9-9-9-24-2N timing and 1.65V. The $99 Ripsaws has 7 latency with 7-7-7-21 timing and lower 1.5V. That is a big difference for a few dollars. I updated the build list below to accommodate:

Changes are shown in RED. What do you think of this build?

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CASE: COOLER MASTER Elite 341 $45

CPU: Intel i5-750 Quad Core $195 Free shipping

CPU cooler: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 92mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler $35 Free shipping

Thermal compound: ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound $8

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 $165 Free shipping

MOBO: MSI P55M-GD45 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX $120 Free shipping

HD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 500GB 7200 RPM $55 Free shipping

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $99 Free shipping

PSU: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V $80 - $50 after MIR

TOTAL: 772 USD + 20.68 USD shipping = $792.57

 

[boonality]

Your new memory choice is top notch, the 1.5v for the memory means it should run at advertised speed and timings out of the box without having to fiddle with the settings in BIOS.

Video card looks better too (I'm still bringing myself up to speed in that area).

I'm digging your new PSU choice too, excellent move there.

I don't know crap about aftermarket coolers, and I just can't say I like MSI boards

 

[smittyline]

Thanks, it's nice to hear someone confirm my build list. It's so quiet here, heh. I'll order everything Friday.

I changed the CPU cooler: I found another that's probably at least as good, and costs a few bucks less. MaximumPC gave it a 10/10 rating, although some people complained about fan noise, which is not a real problem for me.

Regarding MSI boards, yeah there aren't many mATX board options out there. The automatic OC feature with this MSI board seems nice (convenient for me). At least newegg has a decent RMA system in case I have problems.

Also changed video card to Vapor-X (same brand, same radeon, but supposedly better cooling) for an additional $5.

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CASE: COOLER MASTER Elite 341 $45

CPU: Intel i5-750 Quad Core $195 Free shipping

CPU cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 120mm fan $30 Free shipping

Thermal compound: ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound $8

GPU: SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100283VXL Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card $170 Free shipping

MOBO: MSI P55M-GD45 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX $120 Free shipping

HD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 500GB 7200 RPM $55 Free shipping

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $99 Free shipping

PSU: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V $80 - $50 after MIR

TOTAL after MIR: 772.90 USD + 20.68 USD shipping = $793.58

 

[smittyline]

newegg.com has a sale on the SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100283VXL Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support video card. It's only $5 more than the previous card I selected. Both video cards are nearly identical except for "Vapor-X cooling," which looks worthwhile for $5. I updated the build list above to reflect this change.