Desktop build

waffles

Member
First desktop build!

Hi,
I been thinking of building my own desktop for gaming with a budget of $2000(including the monitor and keyboard) This is what i got so far.
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz or Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z77
System memory: Included in CPU combo
Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 2GB
Hard drive: 1TB Western Digital 7200 RPM
SSD: SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD128BW 2.5" 128GB
Power supply: CORSAIR Professional Series HX650 650W ATX12V v2.2
Optical Drive: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM
Chassis: NZXT Phantom 410 CA-PH410-B3 Black Steel Or what about the Corsair CC600TWM-WHT Special Edition Graphite Series 600T Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case
OS: Microsoft Windows 8 (64-Bit Edition)
Monitor: ASUS PB Series PB278Q 27"
Keyboard: Razer DeathStalker Expert Gaming Keyboard


What do you guys think? Am i missing anything?
Thanks

Note: Some things will be purchased off amazon, I just linked all of them to newegg to make things easier.
 
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Nice build, but you're going for the GTX 670 Nvidia reference design? For SSD you might want to try Crucial or Samsung.. ASUS optical drives are good and are the most commonly used ones.. You're missng a mouse..
 
What are you using this computer for? If it's just for gaming an i5 3570K would be a better processor to go for than the 3770K. The i5 is all you need for gaming, no need for an i7, so you may as well save the money.

I'd also get a better board, P8Z77-V PRO. Better for overclocking if you want to do that.

You don't need an 800W PSU unless you want to run two 670s, for one a 650W will be fine. Corsair TX 650 V2 is what I recommend.

The case isn't the greatest, something like an NZXT Phantom 410 would be better.

SSD wise, the Samsung 840 or the 840 Pro would be good, 256GB if you can afford it, otherwise a 128GB will be fine. I wouldn't go less than 128GB though.

As for the optical drive, your standard SATA DVD-RW from LG or Samsung or ASUS would be fine.
 
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Nice build, but you're going for the GTX 670 Nvidia reference design? For SSD you might want to try Crucial or Samsung.. ASUS optical drives are good and are the most commonly used ones.. You're missng a mouse..

What are you using this computer for? If it's just for gaming an i5 3570K would be a better processor to go for than the 3770K. The i5 is all you need for gaming, no need for an i7, so you may as well save the money.

I'd also get a better board, P8Z77-V PRO. Better for overclocking if you want to do that.

You don't need an 800W PSU unless you want to run two 670s, for one a 650W will be fine. Corsair TX 650 V2 is what I recommend.

The case isn't the greatest, something like an NZXT Phantom 410 would be better.

SSD wise, the Samsung 840 or the 840 Pro would be good, 256GB if you can afford it, otherwise a 128GB will be fine. I wouldn't go less than 128GB though.

As for the optical drive, your standard SATA DVD-RW from LG or Samsung or ASUS would be fine.

Thanks guys! Yes this will be used for 90% gaming 5% CGI and 5% surfing. Ill update my specs when i get back from work.
 
CGI? Is that CPU intensive at all? If it is, then yeah by all means get the 3770K, if not so much, then save the money and get an i5 3570K.
 
Nice build, but you're going for the GTX 670 Nvidia reference design? For SSD you might want to try Crucial or Samsung.. ASUS optical drives are good and are the most commonly used ones.. You're missng a mouse..

I dont know do you want to suggest a video card? I just searched for Nvidia GTX 670 and chose the first one.
 
Nice build, but you're going for the GTX 670 Nvidia reference design? For SSD you might want to try Crucial or Samsung.. ASUS optical drives are good and are the most commonly used ones.. You're missng a mouse..

I have my own mouse already.
 
It looks great now, that'll all be fine.

And to answer your question about the PSU, no you don't need 800W if you're overclocking, the TX650 V2 will be fine. You'd only need 800W if you wanted to run two 670s in SLI and even then I reckon you could get away with 700W or 750W without a problem.
 
It looks great now, that'll all be fine.

And to answer your question about the PSU, no you don't need 800W if you're overclocking, the TX650 V2 will be fine. You'd only need 800W if you wanted to run two 670s in SLI and even then I reckon you could get away with 700W or 750W without a problem.

Ok cool... Just to make sure this rig can handle 2560 x 1440 correct?
 
 
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Good choice of case!

A reference card is one that a board/PCB and a cooler made to either NVIDIA or AMD specification (depending on if you have a GeForce or a Radeon). Some manufacturers such as MSI make their own PCBs for their cards, so they are not reference cards.
 
Just my two cents...

Regarding the PSU, I went for the HX650 and while it's an excellent unit, if I built another system I would've probably gone for the Pro Gold model, simply for the sleeved cables. They're easier to work with and clean up the case nicely, but it's your call. You'll be fine either way.

For the GPU, the 670's fine but if you really want top end performance on higher settings, especially if you'll be investing in multiple monitors in the future, you may want to pay the extra ~$100 and get the 680.

I used the Phantom 410 for my build and couldn't be happier, it's quite roomy for a mid tower case and has excellent cable management, the only bit I'd complain about is that the rubber grommets that the cables pass through fall off easily. Really easily, but now I'm nitpicking. You'll have almost an inch of clearance with a 670, and just enough room for a 680, but with a 690 or larger you'll be looking at removing the upper HDD cages. Not a huge deal, but keep in mind that you'll be down to only space for 2 HDDs.

Everything else looks fine; I went for the P8Z77-V Pro for the 3770k and it's a great piece of kit, great bios. Out of the box it's a little picky about the CPU fan speed but you can easily change that, and keep in mind that it also sets its stock RAM speed to 1333MHz, so you should up that to eliminate any bottlenecks. Speaking of that, you should also grab a 3rd party CPU cooler, and some thermal paste while you're at it (from what I've heard, the stock paste with Ivy Bridge is pretty mediocre).

I went with the Intel 520 180GB because I got a great deal and I've been very happy, but word on the street is that the Samsung 840 Pro is a great way to go. Also keep in mind that the non-pro version of Windows 8 only supports up the 16GB of RAM, if that's a concern to you. Otherwise, everything looks in order.
 
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