Ready to purchase! Last minute concerns on Gaming PC???

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Quik_Fire

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Mar 17, 2013
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Getting Ready to purchase. Looking for last minute advice. Trying to keep Price around $1100 on this gaming PC. Let me know what you think! Thanks

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($115.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($299.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($72.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC) Total: $1037.87 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-18 23:15 EDT-0400)
 
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djangoringo

djangoringo

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It's a good build, though, you don't need 750W, and in an entry level psu of the corsair series, i suggest this : http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KG0R

With ram with lower heat spreaders, more clearance, the corsair vengeance has really tall hair combs.
Plextor m5s is a good ssd, plextor has a good reputation, this model is actually slightly better than the m4.
You can get 2TB hdd for about the same price or less.
The XFX 550 Core edition is more than sufficient for a single 660 ti, it's a seasonic unit.
The msi pe 660 ti is cheaper and also a good one.
If you plan to add later another 660 ti, one of those will do :

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1650snlb9
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-ss750am
 
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ipwn3r456

ipwn3r456

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Mar 21, 2012
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The SSD you have listed is kind of old now, and it's not really a fast SSD. You might want to consider one of those:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007R9M6PO/?tag=pcpapi-20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233404&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0077CR60Q/?tag=pcpapi-20

And also, for the graphics card, you might want to consider the HD 7950 as well, overall a better card than the GTX 660 Ti. Unless you are a Nvidia fan or something, I am not going to force you to change it.
 
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Quik_Fire

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Mar 17, 2013
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Thank you for getting back to me so quickly! Can I ask, why did you pick the Seagate over the WD(HDD), the Plextor over the Crucial M4(SDD), and the MSI over the EVGA(GPU)?

 
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djangoringo

djangoringo

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The msi pe 660 ti is cheaper and also a good card, the plextor m5s is a more recent unit with the marvell controller, overall it's better than the m4 and for the price, it makes it a good option, you can have a 2TB seagate for less, seagate is also reliable, but with less warranty.
 
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Quik_Fire

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Mar 17, 2013
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Ya, I have been going back and forth on the HD 7950. Some articles say it's worth it, and others say that the 660ti is performing better with most games with better response times. So I don't know.

As far as the SSD, how is this one? Looks like it is the newer version of the one you linked.
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.49 @ NCIX US)
 
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djangoringo

djangoringo

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That ssd has tlc nand, which is inferior to the mlc nand units listed here, see here for review : http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/02/19/samsung_840_120gb_ssd_review/10#.UUfgSheuSSo

I would say to go with either the Plextor M5S 128GB which is a good ssd for the money or the samsung 830 128GB, though in newegg it's out of stock again, in amazon it's sold by Computer Brain, never heard from it, but i guess it will do.
The 660 ti is a good card, you won't regret going with it, just my preference for the msi pe 660 ti, since it's cheaper and it's also a superb card.
 
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Quik_Fire

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Mar 17, 2013
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Ok sounds like the Plextor will do. What are your thoughts on the HD 7950 or the MSI 660ti? I want to pull the trigger on the 660ti with most reviews I have read, but the 7950 is still at the back of my mind....
 
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boulbox

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660 Ti is more stable(drivers) the 7950 can get better FPS but the min-max is pretty far apart(meaning not as stable) AMD is working a bit on the Drivers though.

The regular 840 uses TLC which is a bit worse than the other MLC in terms of life line and such things.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Dark Knight II SD1283 Night Hawk Edition 89.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($51.91 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($248.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Tachyon 650W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $996.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-18 23:58 EDT-0400)

would go with this. the 7870 XT is pretty much a lower performance 7950(very little difference in performance) and has 2GB of Vram.
 
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djangoringo

djangoringo

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Well i'm a bit suspect, because i have only nvidia gpus on my rigs, you can't go wrong with the 660 ti, the 7950 is a good card too, but the 660 ti is also good, nvidia has better driver support, some exclusive features, and in recent benchmarks like crysis 3 or frame time tests, the 660 ti showed to be better, in other benches the 7950 proves to be better, the 660 ti also draws less power, if you do mind.
 
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Quik_Fire

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Mar 17, 2013
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I see you made some changes to the CPU Cooler, the motherboard, the SSD, and the PSU. Are those just personal preferences? What are your thoughts behind that?
 
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boulbox

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Doesn't really matter what MB you go with, the ASUS one is pretty good and the Gigabyte is good too. The only difference is that the D3H has a bit more power for the Power Phase and thats pretty much about it. The Cooler is $10 more than the Evo, looks amazing(a very nice black), coolers better while being more silent than the evo.

Same for SSD, just get a cheap one made by a good brand and make sure it is SATA 6. the Ultra Plus is a very good SSD and has pretty good performance and a price you can't really beat for this quality.

The PSU is $90 right now, a pretty good sale for something that is platinum rated and by a decent brand. But just so you know, the CX series is made for the budget PCs and should be bought only at the 400-500W. It is made by a good brand but it is just one of the really low tier ones that they sell for the people that just want the name in their PCs or can't afford a high quality one.

 
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Quik_Fire

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Mar 17, 2013
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So how are we looking with this build? Still not convinced on the best SSD for the money, With corsair, samsung, sandisk, ocz, and plextor (which i have never heard of). Other question I had is if I should be upgrading the case from the 200r to the 300r for the bigger size and better cooling?
This is where I am at I think,
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($62.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($277.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $981.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-19 17:41 EDT-0400)
 
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boulbox

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200R is very similar to 300 and 400R, i like the low cost on the 200R so i wouldn't really bother with 300R.

Sandisk make very good SSDs that are very similar to Samsung(because it is a branch off samsung) the older version Sandisk Extreme performance is on par to the 830 while being a lot cheaper, reason was is that it was using a sandforce controller over the 830s marvell controller.

Ultra plus is just the newer version of the extreme.

Of course if you want to get a 830, good luck with that, it is out of order almost everywhere you would go(at a decent price).

Also forgot to mention that SSDs to SSDs, the performance to the naked eye is very little even if benchies say different.
 
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djangoringo

djangoringo

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The price of the ram just went up, you can find cheaper ram in the same place, the samsung 830 is a good choice, unfortunately it's out of stock again, a few days ago it was in stock, i recommended it to a similar build, and who knows when it will be back, for now i'd still stick with the plextor m5s 128GB for the price, it's a fast and reliable ssd for the price, here's the ram change plus ssd : http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KQMI
Get the plextor m5s in outletpc.
 
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Quik_Fire

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Mar 17, 2013
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Do you think the XFX 550w is enough to run this system when I decide to overclock (not planning on overclocking right away, but like the option to later with this CPU)? I seen some concern due to it only being 550w, will it make much of a difference jumping to a 650w? Also what would you recommend for additional case fans other than the stock ones applied. Do I need additionals?
 
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markiz

markiz

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Nov 13, 2012
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Did you actually read the link I posted?

By anandtechs calculations, TLC SSD, with 10GB of daily writes (which no consumer does) should last on average 12 years (conservative estimate). As opposed to 35 years of MLC. In practical terms, the difference seems irrelevant to me, as I sure as hell do not plan to not upgrade my computer for 12 years. If I buy now, I'll probably do it in 3 years, or earlier, if SSD prices drop considerably sooner than that.

Are there any other sources for reading that you could provide to prove me wrong? I will be buying in a few months and would like to be sure.
 
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