First build, reassurance and help

Hardware Hub Build a PC
1

Hello

I'm thinking of building my first own PC. Now that is probably something you've heard before... As is probably my questions.

I've got the (well, I've chosen them):

  • Mobo: Asrock z77 PRO3 ATX CFX USB3 SATA3
  • CPU: Intel Core i5 3570 3.4GHz 6MB box (1155 socket)
  • RAM: 2x Corsair DDR3 PC1866 8 GB kit CL9 VENEANCE
  • SSD: INTEL SSD 520 Series 120GB SATA6 2.5" 550/500
  • HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB SATA6 64MB 7200rpm
  • GPU: Club 3D GeForce PCI-E GTX660 2GB (DVI/HDMI)
  • Cooler: Arctic Alpine 11 Pro Rev 2. S775/1155/1156 90W
  • PSU: LC-Power Silent Giant Green Power v2.3 - 650 Watt
  • PSI: TRENDnet TEW-643PI Wireless N 300Mbit PCI Adapter
  • DVD: Sony NEC AD-5280S-0B DVD RW 24X Black SATA
  • Operating in Windows 7
  • All put into a Cooler Master Elite 332


Firstly It'd be nice if some"experts" on the field, could reassure me that all these components will be compatable and fit.

But my actual question is whether I could make some cheap upgrades on cooler or PSU which I know jack about.

Another thing is whether the thermal paste for the CPU is something I will have to buy seperate, or does that come with the CPU or the cooler?

Aaand, for an extra 90$ I can have it all put together and make the retailer perform a 24 hour burn in test - will this be necessary?

Thank you in advance. If you help me, I might even thank you again.

EDIT:
Have replaced the PSU stated with the Corsair GS Series 600W GS600 80+

 

2

First off, always post your budget. This will help for everyone to help you. Second, always post what you are using this build for. Now, it looks like your overclocking, but you chose a locked CPU. I think you are overclocking because you added a CPU cooler, and if you are not, then it's a waste. If you are, consider this; http://pcpartpicker.com/p/myMe . Sandy Bridges are better overclockers as they are cooler running. The 7870 is better than a 660, and better than a 660 Ti in a lot of cases. Better bang for your buck. Noctua NH-D14 is one of the best coolers in the market, if not the best. Nothing much to say about ram, but you won't really need the higher speeds. Only AMD APUs benefit from the speeds. Kingston HyperX 3K is better IMO, even Logan recommends it. HDD is the same. The Haf 912 is the best budget case out there IMHO. Your chosen PSU is not a well-known brand, you might encounter problems. Antec is one of the best, plus it's 700w of 80+ bronze goodness. Nothing to say about the DVD drive. This build will run you down by $1116 before rebates, but you could save a lot by removing the SSD and/or reducing the 1TB to 500GB, just add them down the line. You can downgrade the motherboard, even get one that only has 1 PCI-E x16 slot. And you can either save the money or buy a better graphics card. If you want to use PCI-E 3.0, buy a 3570k( notice the k), your NH-D14 will still do a great job keeping it cool. 

That's what I'd pick. Again, if your not gonna be overclocking, drop the cooler. If you don't really need the speed, drop the SSD. If you don't need that much space, get 500GB instead. If your gonna be using something like Adobe Premier, or you need the CUDA cores, buy the 660/Ti. If your not gonna be crossfiring/sli, downgrade the motherboard. Note, however, I did not include the wireless PCI adapter, do you really need it? A wired connection will surve you better IMO. Final thing; post your budget and use for this build, that'll help a lot.

Also the $90 burn-in test and build-it-for-you is a waste of money IMO. PC building these days is relatively easy. Just touch bare metal( also preferably, don't do this on a carpeted floor and while wearing socks), pop things in correctly, and patience. For a more in-depth tutorial, watch Tek Syndicate's guide on Youtube or here at their site. It's very usefull. The burn-in test, you can search around google and learn how to do it yourself, it's fairly easy, it's just like starting a game.

Cheers,

Z

3

may i suggest a corsair brand PSU they're also good as well you may want to checkout this 1  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010

4

It says your OS is just Win7... Make sure its x64 bit

5

the unlocked "k" versions of the cpu is pretty much the same price.. (atleast in my country, here the k version is actually cheaper)

and that is a pretty high end SSD.. i would go for a samsung 830 series or crucial M4.. (just dont get OCZ right now..)

and I agree with the noctua cooler and the corsair PSU.. :)

6

Thank you very much for the replies.

You're right, I should have told you what I was building it for. My budget is 1.366 USD (8000 DKK at current rates), but I don't now if the prices are the same. My build up there was 1.315 USD (in Denmark).

I am building it for gaming and home entertainment, and some lighter music editing. I am not looking to do overclocking, which is why I chose the locked version of the CPU. My budget, well
Are you telling me that the CPU cooler is obsolete then? It's only about 10-15 dollars (not a lot here), but I don't know how much noise it would generate compared to how much use it would actually be for.

I am getting the parts from the same site, which limits my choices, though there are still plenty of brands to chose from. The SSD is final, it'll only save me around 12$ to get a samsung 830 or crucial M4, which doesn't really matter to me.

I have chosen to get a corsair PSU, more precisely the Corsair GS Series 600W GS600 80+ which will add 10-15$.

Yes it is x64 bit Windows 7. I think I'll wait at least half a year before getting windows 8.

The only upgrade I'd really like to do is get the 660-ti instead of the 660. But there's quite a price gab between the two of them.

7

No, I didn't say it was obsolete. But if you we're gonna be overclocking, IMO, that wouldn't cut it. And now since you aren't, you can save some cash by dropping the aftermarket cooler. The stock HSF can handle the stock clocks. With the saved money, buy the 7870 I told you earlier. It's faster than the similarly priced 660 and can trade blows with the higher priced 660 Ti( sometimes even the 670, which is in a whole other market). The only times it "loses"( but not by much)  are during NVidia games. If you we're planning to spend the $300 on the 660 Ti, then get a 7950 instead. It's faster, plus it has 3GBs of ram, so high resolutions wouldn't be a problem. Heck, you can hook 4 monitors on it and it's run fine, then when you are gaming, just use one screen and you'll have high FPS in games with all settings on max( you could even use more than one screen on less demanding games). If your just gonna be doing some light music editing along with gaming, I'd consider dropping the SSD. In games and Windows, you'll only see the diff. on load/boot times. Editing is another story, but since you'll only be doing light editing, the mech drive can cut it. With the saved money you can upgrade other parts.