What do you think of this build?

[johnnferguson]

I'm going to build my first PC. I wanted something small and suitable for design school (autocad, photoshop etc). After a few weeks of asking around, I've come up with this build.

I would appreciate any thoughts/comments/things i might be missing (is this everything I need to get it up and running?) Also, let me know if you think I'm biting off more than I can chew, as I have never built one before and am going by guides on the internet.

Thanks!

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

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77E-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($112.52 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($68.66 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Silverstone SST-SG05BB-450-USB3.0 (Black) Mini ITX Desktop Case w/450W Power Supply ($124.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Samsung SN-208DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.94 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor ($161.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1187.03
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-07 12:57 EDT-0400)

 

[g-unit1111]

Is a GTX 660 capable of fitting in an mITX case like that?

 

[johnnferguson]

Is a GTX 660 capable of fitting in an mITX case like that?

Apparently so - the 660 in 9.5 in and the case is 10.5. Thanks for all your help with this one.

 

[g-unit1111]

Is a GTX 660 capable of fitting in an mITX case like that?

Apparently so - the 660 in 9.5 in and the case is 10.5. Thanks for all your help with this one.

Well I was wondering because some do and some don't. If you got like a Fractal Node 304 that's an mITX case but that will house any graphics card you can think of.

 

[johnnferguson]

Is a GTX 660 capable of fitting in an mITX case like that?

Apparently so - the 660 in 9.5 in and the case is 10.5. Thanks for all your help with this one.

Well I was wondering because some do and some don't. If you got like a Fractal Node 304 that's an mITX case but that will house any graphics card you can think of.

Thanks. Only issue I see with that case is that it doesn't have a CD rom drive. Also, thinking of swapping the hard drive to SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD). Is this a good one? Can't really afford to get bigger at the moment as the build is now above $1400 (a few hundred above original budget).

Will I need to buy any tools, wires, screws etc to build this? Or are most things provided?

 

[scragnoff]

Is a GTX 660 capable of fitting in an mITX case like that?

Apparently so - the 660 in 9.5 in and the case is 10.5. Thanks for all your help with this one.

Well I was wondering because some do and some don't. If you got like a Fractal Node 304 that's an mITX case but that will house any graphics card you can think of.

Thanks. Only issue I see with that case is that it doesn't have a CD rom drive. Also, thinking of swapping the hard drive to SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD). Is this a good one? Can't really afford to get bigger at the moment as the build is now above $1400 (a few hundred above original budget).

Will I need to buy any tools, wires, screws etc to build this? Or are most things provided?

Screws will be provided. Some tie-wires would come in handy. The tool that you'll be be using the most will be a Philips screwdriver. That, and your wits.

 

[g-unit1111]

Screws will be provided. Some tie-wires would come in handy. The tool that you'll be be using the most will be a Philips screwdriver. That, and your wits.

The tie wires come with your power supply. If you need any extra head over to your local Home Depot and pick up a canister of them for like $5.

Thanks. Only issue I see with that case is that it doesn't have a CD rom drive. Also, thinking of swapping the hard drive to SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD). Is this a good one? Can't really afford to get bigger at the moment as the build is now above $1400 (a few hundred above original budget).

You have to keep in mind that SSDs slow down after you load them over 80% capacity. Which is why a mechanical HD is almost always recommended - you can load them up and they can take read - write punishments far better than an SSD can. They're still new technology and have come a long way from the original Intel X25 6 years ago but they still have a long way to go before being perfected. I'd go with a 128GB OCZ Vector or Samsung 840 Pro.

 

[johnnferguson]

Screws will be provided. Some tie-wires would come in handy. The tool that you'll be be using the most will be a Philips screwdriver. That, and your wits.

The tie wires come with your power supply. If you need any extra head over to your local Home Depot and pick up a canister of them for like $5.

Thanks. Only issue I see with that case is that it doesn't have a CD rom drive. Also, thinking of swapping the hard drive to SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD). Is this a good one? Can't really afford to get bigger at the moment as the build is now above $1400 (a few hundred above original budget).

You have to keep in mind that SSDs slow down after you load them over 80% capacity. Which is why a mechanical HD is almost always recommended - you can load them up and they can take read - write punishments far better than an SSD can. They're still new technology and have come a long way from the original Intel X25 6 years ago but they still have a long way to go before being perfected. I'd go with a 128GB OCZ Vector or Samsung 840 Pro.

Are you saying keep the original mechanical hd and get the 128gb ssd or just get the ssd? I guess I'm worried about the reliability of the mechanical hd (that's the problem with reading too many reviews!). I could keep the SSD and get an extrenal hd if needed?

 

[johnnferguson]

Is a GTX 660 capable of fitting in an mITX case like that?

Apparently so - the 660 in 9.5 in and the case is 10.5. Thanks for all your help with this one.

Well I was wondering because some do and some don't. If you got like a Fractal Node 304 that's an mITX case but that will house any graphics card you can think of.

Thanks. Only issue I see with that case is that it doesn't have a CD rom drive. Also, thinking of swapping the hard drive to SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD). Is this a good one? Can't really afford to get bigger at the moment as the build is now above $1400 (a few hundred above original budget).

Will I need to buy any tools, wires, screws etc to build this? Or are most things provided?

Screws will be provided. Some tie-wires would come in handy. The tool that you'll be be using the most will be a Philips screwdriver. That, and your wits.

Thanks

 

[g-unit1111]

Are you saying keep the original mechanical hd and get the 128gb ssd or just get the ssd? I guess I'm worried about the reliability of the mechanical hd (that's the problem with reading too many reviews!). I could keep the SSD and get an extrenal hd if needed?

That's why I loathe store reviews - they don't really tell you the information that you need to know. A good 90% of the DOAs that the users complain about could easily be prevented had the users taken the right precautions prior to installation. That is a major issue with hard drives. Pretty much all mechanical hard drives come off the same assembly line in Thailand. There might be minor differences in the drives themselves but really there's no telling if one mechanical HD is going to be more reliable than the other. It's pretty much a crap shoot.

 

[linkgx1]

Are you gaming on this? If so....you might be better off getting the Core i5 3570K and a using the savings to get a better GPU. Especially if you have a Microcenter newar ya. Just a suggestion.

 

[johnnferguson]

Are you gaming on this? If so....you might be better off getting the Core i5 3570K and a using the savings to get a better GPU. Especially if you have a Microcenter newar ya. Just a suggestion.

no, just programs like autocad and photoshop... could i get away with an i5?

 

[linkgx1]

Are you gaming on this? If so....you might be better off getting the Core i5 3570K and a using the savings to get a better GPU. Especially if you have a Microcenter newar ya. Just a suggestion.

no, just programs like autocad and photoshop... could i get away with an i5?

Hmm....yeah those are definately gonna require a better gpu. Core i5 is fine. RAM and GPU are important for Photoshop.

 

[johnnferguson]

Are you gaming on this? If so....you might be better off getting the Core i5 3570K and a using the savings to get a better GPU. Especially if you have a Microcenter newar ya. Just a suggestion.

no, just programs like autocad and photoshop... could i get away with an i5?

Hmm....yeah those are definately gonna require a better gpu. Core i5 is fine. RAM and GPU are important for Photoshop.

which one would you recommend?

 

[g-unit1111]

Are you gaming on this? If so....you might be better off getting the Core i5 3570K and a using the savings to get a better GPU. Especially if you have a Microcenter newar ya. Just a suggestion.

no, just programs like autocad and photoshop... could i get away with an i5?

Hmm....yeah those are definately gonna require a better gpu. Core i5 is fine. RAM and GPU are important for Photoshop.

which one would you recommend?

If you're going to use Photoshop either GPU is fine. A lot of people recommend NVIDIA for Phys X and CUDA - so if that's what you want a GTX 660TI or GTX 670 would be ideal investments.

 

[johnnferguson]

Are you gaming on this? If so....you might be better off getting the Core i5 3570K and a using the savings to get a better GPU. Especially if you have a Microcenter newar ya. Just a suggestion.

no, just programs like autocad and photoshop... could i get away with an i5?

Hmm....yeah those are definately gonna require a better gpu. Core i5 is fine. RAM and GPU are important for Photoshop.

which one would you recommend?

If you're going to use Photoshop either GPU is fine. A lot of people recommend NVIDIA for Phys X and CUDA - so if that's what you want a GTX 660TI or GTX 670 would be ideal investments.

thanks. would you use an i5 or i7 for this build?

 

[linkgx1]

Actually. I take that back. You might want to go Core i7. If it were just for photoshop, then i5 is excellent. But I forgot that AutoCad can be really CPU heavy during rendering and it might be in your luck (if you can afford it) to get the Core i7 because of the hyper threading.