Recently I decided to build my own PC. My budget is cca $1000, and this is the result: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sizx
My biggest problem is that I do not know will the NZXT HAVIK 140 fit in my case NZXT Tempest 210. I commented on the recent Havik review by razethew0rld, but i guess Logan hasn't seen it yet. I also need guidance about the PSU... is it any good? I mean it is 80 Plus, but I do not know the quality of XFX power supply units.
Just one more question! Is the GPU good for the money? I was thinking of GTX 660 ti, but somewere i read that 7870 was better for the money you pay.
One thing I do care about is the look of the build. As you can notice it's everything black & white (+ a little red on the top of the GPU), so take that in consideration!
http://www.nzxt.com/new/products/crafted_series/tempest_210 Here is the specs for your tempest 210, it seems that biggest cooler you can fit is a 160mm. The Havik 140 is 166mm so you can either swap for a different cooler or swap the case.
The XFX 650w is definitely a solid unit, 53 amp 12v rail with two 6pin and two 6+2 pci-e connectors. It has enough power for your system with room to grow in overclocking for example. For the price, its hard to beat, add the 5 year warranty and its a heck of a deal.
The 660TI performs better in a few games while on others the 7870 beats it. Here is a benchmark of the two: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/548?vs=647
The 660Ti starts at around $260 vs the 7870 that starts $215, that puts the 660Ti really close to the 7950 territory in price. So for the low 200 range in price the 7870 is far better, if you start getting into the 260+ range the 7950 is there to take care of the 660ti. The 660Ti is a monster of a card, its jsut that its price bracket doesn't help it all that much.
Do you really crave 16gb of ram? Are you planning into video editing, if so we need to change the graphics card recomendation.
Thank you John for quick response. No, I do not plan to video edit anything but I do plan to play some video games. So you're suggesting I go with smaller amount of RAM (8 GB) and to invest more money in GPU (like 7950)?
You can try Z0k4, but i honestly do not believe dropping the ram to 8 gb will cover the huge spread in price between the 7870($215+) and 7950($275+). You might be closer to the 660Ti, but honestly 8gb is plenty of ram and personally i would use the extra dollars saved and invest in some more hard drive capicity. You can also just keep the 16gb, theres absolutely nothing wrong with that and its always fun to brag about your ram to your buddies ;)
OK, I've droped 16GB DDR3-1866 RAM to 8GB DDR3-1600 Mushkin RAM, changed the CPU cooler (instead of NZXT HAVIK I've selected Cooler Master N520), and that enabled me to invest more money in GPU so I have selected XFX 7950 :D
I want my CPU to run as cool as possible, and I don't have any intention of overclocking my CPU, but still I'm worried if CM N520 will keep the CPU cool.
The reason I've choosen relatively small capacity HDD is that I have external storage for my multimedia and documents. On my machine there will be only most important documents, programming projects and couple of game installations.
Here is the updated build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sjow
I do not plan to overclock my CPU. I just want it to run cool, that's why I previously selected Havik. Now, I've replaced it with Cooler Master N520. :D
Here is the updated list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sjow
For the price of the N520, i strongly recomend you purchase the Coolermaster EVO 212. The N520 has a 92mm fan and for the same price the 212 EVO is far better.
http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?product_id=3053 Its 159mm tall so it should just clear your Tempest 210 case and keep your system quiet and cool. Would you please look at these benchmarks of the 7950 vs the 660Ti to make sure you pick the right card for the games that you want to play.
You should spen way more on a GPU than a CPU if you're gaming. The 6300 is as good as an i5, a little slower in some tasks, and faster in other tasks. In games, if they were using the same card, the i5 will have more FPS, anywhere from 0-6FPS difference. But because the 6300 build has a 7970 instead of a 7870 or 7950, it will have way more FPS in games.
Hitachi drives aren't really the best drives out there, plus its for only a little more, you could afford a 1TB drive, made by a better brand.
If you don't plan on an OC, then the stock cooler will keep the temps cool enough, so don't waste your money
A 200R is extremely roomy, plus it's cheap.
If you're doubting the 6300, don't. Especially on a gaming build
Are the Ivy bridge stock coolers as quiet as the Sandy bridge stock coolers? Thank you Z for pointing out the stock cooler is sufficient, i'm not sure how it slipped my mind completely. Much appreciated good sir!
This machine will mostly be used for hardcore programming and casual gaming, not the other way around... that's why I want better CPU. If the 7950 can run battlefield 3 on >30 FPS, I'll be more than satisfied.
The reason I choose to buy non-stock cooler is because it can get really hot in my country during summer days (like >40 Celcius degrees)...
I've had hitachi drives in my both laptops. One is 4 years old, the other is 1 year old, and I didn't have a single problem with them. But I could invest couple of dollars to buy a WD or Seagate, if those are better :D
That is great... With that you also get AMD 4-in-1 video game coupon (Hitman, Far Cry, Medal of Honor and Sleeping Dogs). Thank you for the info Spenlard!
Here is (very possible) the final build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/srKv
If anyone thinks I should change a part or two, please let me know.
No, I haven't made a new thread... There is no need for a new thread because I got some good advices/suggestions in this thread ;)
$10 for extra 500GB!? That sounds awesome, what did you have in mind? Maybe this $65 Seagate: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st31000524as
Sorry for the late response, I've just seen your reply.
Almost. I was thinking about this. If you're thinking " they're the same!!!", wrong. This one has 64MB of cache( as opposed to 32MB). Only a couple bucks difference, but it can give you a tiny boost here and there. If you like Western Digital, try this