$1150 Game/Photoshop Microcenter/Egg

P

PinataUT

Gawd
Joined
Aug 9, 2004
Messages
775
(I'd had a smaller budget 2 months ago, but got too busy to order...)

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Photoshop, some PC gaming. Photo archive / server.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1150 including tax/shipping

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Near the Philly Microcenter

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Case, CPU, RAM, vidcard, drives, Blu-Ray player, OS/apps SSD, data drive (budgeted with 3Tb)

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
No need to reuse anything on this build.

6) Will you be overclocking?
CPU: yes. GPU: no.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
At the moment 1920 * 1080 single 24". Might add a second similar monitor.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Nov 15 or so.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
USB 3

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes. 64-bit Win 7 HP. (Worth moving right to Windows 8?)

--------------------------

Microcenter
Intel Core i5 3570K $169.99
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO $29.99
ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Z77 $104.99 (AR $84.99)
Microcenter subtotal: $324

Newegg
CORSAIR XMS 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMX16GX3M2A1333C9 $69.99

LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM $17.99

NZXT Source 210 Elite White Steel with painted interior ATX Mid Tower Computer Case w/ Black Front Trim $49.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $149.99

Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply $54.99

SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256N/AM 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $189.99

Newegg Subtotal: $541
Microcenter Subtotal: $324
$865 so just about $285 for video card ($305 if I count the rebate as cash... which I don't)

Thoughts on any components? Video card suggestions?

Do I need a bracket for SSD? Fans on the case?

http://imgur.com/a/hLKfy
 
Grab the NZXT Source 210 Elite from Amazon; it comes with free ground shipping regardless of whether or not you have Amazon Prime.

You may want a bracket for the SSD, but I don't know enough about the case to determine whether or not you need one. The rear and top fans that come with the case should be more than enough for everyday use, but you can fit up to two front-mounted 120mm fans, one side-mounted 120mm fan, and one bottom-mounted 120mm fan. If you go with additional fans, I recommend one side-mounted intake fan and (at least) one front-mounted intake fan.

For the $300-and-under video card market, I recommend either the GTX 660 Ti or the HD 7950. If you need to spend less on the video card, consider the "plain" GTX 660 (non-Ti version) or the HD 7870.

If you need to save some more money, drop the RAM down to 8GB. That's more than enough memory for gaming yet plenty for Photoshop. You can find a good 2x4GB set of DDR3 1333 or DDR3 1600 RAM for under $40.
 
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Thanks for the help!

Shipping for the entire Newegg order is under $8, including the case.

I'm leaning toward the 660 Ti.
 
The regular 840 is slower than the 830 but the 840 Pro is faster than the 830. If the 840 costs significantly less (like $50 to $60 cheaper) than the 830, then go for it. Otherwise, don't bother. If the 840 Pro costs the same or not much more than the 830, then go for the 840 Pro.
 
Bought everything!

Intel Core i5 3570K $169.99
Cooler Master Hyper 212 $29.99
ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Z77 $104.99 (AR $84.99)
CORSAIR XMS 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMX16GX3M2A1333C9 $69.99

[LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM $17.99]
cannibalized my old one

[NZXT Source 210 Elite White Steel with painted interior ATX Mid Tower Computer Case w/ Black Front Trim $49.99]
400R case

Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $149.99

[Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply $54.99]

cannibalized a seasonic 750

SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256N/AM 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $189.99

An MSI 660 TI

--------------------------------

I wound up buying from Microcenter.

First impressions:

400R. So roomy, so easy to work in. Love the removeable panels. Cable management should be great.

Cooler: was missing a nut for the bottom plate. Took me about 10 seconds to pop the stock cooler on there. I will head back to Microcenter for part / replacement if I have time today.

All I did so far was pop in CPU, memory, put on cooler. Then had to clear the dining room table where I was doing assembly because we had guests rolling in. Hopefully, I'll have some time to finish tonight after I go get a tree with the kiddos.

Thanks for all the help!
 
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