1st build here, anyone mind giving it a once over?

It's weird typing this here instead of over at DTR....Anyway,

I've recently decided that I'm going to move from a laptop as my main PC to a desktop. I really want to build my own rig (kinda a "every techie has to do this once" sort of deal) that I may use for gaming eventually. I may also connect my 32 inch 720p TV to it as well if using my D630 as a media box running Linux doesn't pan out. As such, I'd want it to be smooth operating if I go that route while watching videos on the TV and surfing the web on the primary monitor, something that the D630 kinda struggles with.

Anyway, here's my build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($68.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: * Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VX238H 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft Desktop 400 Wired Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($14.99 @ Directron)
Total: $702.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-14 19:42 EDT-0400

I know I'm missing a video card, but one of the best things about a desktop is that I can add one later.

Feel free to let me know if anything I have there sucks and should be changed. I'm liking the current price though...the more under 1k it is the better. I plan on buying parts in chunks anyway when I get paid every 2 weeks.

Thanks everyone in advance!

 

Don't forget an operating system. Looks fine, though.

 

Looks like a pretty standard build. I'm looking to build a similar one, only with z mobo and K i5 (want to get a bit into that shweet overclocking action). Here's my, if you're interested:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VYyNFT

 

I go with a i5-4690K

Need to know are you going to SLI or not if yes then you need to find one with x16,x16 SLI otherwise I guess it's ok.

I go for 16Gig of what you have on list here I put 16gig and with my system at full I have about 11gigs free.

SSD should be at least 256Gig starting and not bigger then 500gig for Main drive....

Unless that drive is running alot I myself would go with a 3tb WD Green...you will be suprised how fast it can fill up on 1tb drives.

This will be based on your Motherboard size and what GPU you plan to use it with.

I wouldn't go lower then 750Watts for starting...but use a well known Brand name

If you plan to backup or burn DVD make sure it can booktype/bitset aka DVD+R to DVD-ROM

Here I would see if a IPS panel fits your budget. The colors on my 27 IPS looks alive and nice..

If you plan to game makes sure you get a backlit keyboard otherwise it looks ok but kinda low in the price range if you going to game you want to invest in a good keyboard and mouse.

As anything....it comes down to price vs performance and value to your end needs...

I rebuilt my system but had to buy a new PS and board and CPU and RAM and that alone cost me close to ~1000US but I installed all in a full tower Cosair 750D with a MSI GTX770OC, 16gig Crucial Blasstix RAM, 750 Watt and have over 15HDD and one 256Gig SSD for main drive along with the 27" IPS that is way bigger then my desk and I did buy a Creative sounds blaster the lastest version and it sounds way better then my board onboard audio. I have the Logitech wave pro mouse/keyboard combination.

 

If he isn't planning on overclocking, he should be fine with a non K CPU.

 

No SSD?

 

What is it with people and SSDs? I honestly am not that impressed (though I never experienced them right i.e. SATA III). Sure they add a few features (along with limitations), but not sure if they are worth all that price, even given the fact that they are cheaper nowadays.
But for the most concerned citizens I will tell that I would reuse the one from my laptop.

 

Because SSD is the biggest advancement since dual-core CPU. It might not be right now, but when you get your new rig you'll see how big of a bottleneck an HDD is.

 

It's one of those things you don't appreciate until you go back to HDDs. Whenever I feel like my desktop is slow I remind myself of the 2+ minute boot times on the Dells at my company. And I'm talking i7-3770 or 4790 (non-K) CPU with 7200rpm HDD so it's not like the Dells are complete garbage.

 

Maybe for you but not for me regardless if I want to OC or not I still go with K series the small price difference is worth the price for iNtel for AMD I would gag.....they were good but can't compete anymore....

That's what they all say but secretly behind out backs they are using SSD. SSD will outrun and out perform HDD anytime of the day and to dismiss it show lack of open mind in taking advantage of the technology right in front of your face. Eventually citizens will not be able to buy HDD and were talking about a Desktop where are you talking about a laptop. Look like the request help here was missed pretty badly and you missed my point I reused my HDD hardware with the addition of a SSD for the main drive for speed and performance. Large HDD will still hold the table for storage but when 10tb SSD comes along HDD will eventually have to decide what does it really offer compared to SSD not capacity anymore if 10tb SSD comes out.

 

Adding a SSD in the place of a HDD is probably the single most noticeable upgrade I have ever made on a PC. I can't even use a PC anymore unless it has a SSD in it, its simply too slow. It doesn't matter if its a i7 with a Titan Black if it doesn't have a SSD then the simple little day to day operations are noticeably slower.

 

wow another troll....can't seem to grasp technology in itself...

 

Sorry, it was hard to understand that post of yours, at least not without proper grammar/punctuation, hence my response.

Anyway, back to OP. What GPU are you planning on getting later? If you don't know the exact model, what price point are you looking at (mid range, high end, etc.)? If you are planning on getting something more expensive, it would be wise to get a better PSU than Corsair CX series, just to be safe. I mean, it's not the worst PSU out there, but it certainly isn't the best either.

 

Though I disagree with KK1's view on SSDs I have to agree here. 95% of the posts made by StormJumper that I have viewed have been pretty much unreadable.

 

No need to worry about that...I'll be wiping my current PC and using my licence on the desktop. I bought a full copy of Windows 7 so I can just migrate it over.

Noice!

I really want to stick to under 1k. I don't plan on OC'ing, I'm using about 2.94 out of 4 GB of RAM now so 8 sounds good to start. I only plan on installing OS + Apps on the SSD. I have a 120 GB drive in my laptop now and have 70+ GB free. There's no way in hell I need that much storage. I don't plan on backing up or burning anything to DVD anytime soon but I'll keep that in mind. A IPS screen sounds like overkill for my needs, there's no chances that I'll be looking at the screen off axis so I find it hard to see the point of IPS. I would like a backlit keyboard but they seem expensive. I am familiar with Microsoft hardware and, while basic, I know this set will be solid.

Indeed!

Honestly, I want one just for the speed boost. I can feel my current PC crawl due to the HDD and it's 7200 RPM... Having a SSD separate is better than the compromise Hybrid HDD options so why not.

I really don't know yet. I'd like to be able to play the games I'd been gifted/had bought in Steam when I had the E6420 fairly well. They are TF2, L4D2, GRID, and Portal. I know it'll play the other game, Plants vs. Zombies, just fine.

GTA V looks interesting and I wouldn't mind learning more about Bioshock as well...

As far as PSU goes...what are some reputable brands and maybe i should push up the wattage? I'm all too familiar with how much of a PITA it is to change a PSU later so I'd rather get it right the first time...

 

Quick note on that topic.
It's not that I don't like SSDs, it's that given my budget, I need to prioritise. I'm more interested in better CPU/GPU/PSU than in storage speeds. SSD is a good technology, I never say it's bad (but for some reason people just jump straight to conclusion when they see no SSD in my build). But like with everything else, it has pros and cons, and given my budget and that I'm not particularly interested in pros SSDs have to offer (at least to dump cash on it instead of more powerful GPU), I would go with only an HDD at first. You have to make choices, especially when you're not made of money. I would probably add it once I had more cash to spend.
But luckily, I already own an SSD, so please, people, hold your panties, if I will buy a PC, it will have an SSD in it .

Thanks! But it's a pretty standard CPU/GPU combination. I may need to cut down a bit on something. As of now it prices a little bit over 1300EUR with Dell 2412 monitor (my initial budget was 1200EUR). Don't really want to, but I may end up with 960. Unfortunately 280x cost almost as much as 970, though there is that MSI R9 280x for 260EUR, so I might grab it when everything else fails.

Most of the games you would be able to play on integrated Intel GPU lol. For GTA V and Bioshock Infinite, if you want a bit of that eye candy, 960 or 280(x) will do nicely. Those are $200ish cards, and should give you a bit of future proof. Otherwise you could look at 750ti, 760, or 270x. Those are a bit older, and may not be very future proof, but you might find them for cheap, and are still good enough for gaming (obviously results may vary).

Well, Corsair is considered a good brand. One thing worth mentioning is that they don't make their own PSUs, someone else does this for them (someone like Seasonic).
Talking about good brands, Corsair, Seasonic, Rockwell, Antec, bequiet, NZXT, Cooler Master, etc. - they are all good. Most of them don't do their own products though. They also have different product lines (low end, high end), so the quality varies.
If we take that Corsair CX as an example, it's a cheaper Corsair PSU line. In day to day tasks, it will do fine. If you're not planning on running your system 24/7 and won't do any overclocking, it should be good enough. That's what people are reporting online.
On the other hand, if you were to run a server, overclock, or have more expensive hardware inside, no way in the world I would recommend putting that thing anywhere near your PC.

As for wattage, 750W is like, overkill for your system. Obviously it depends on what kind of GPU you end up with (for 295 750W would be nice to have, otherwise for something like 960 500W will be great), and what kind of quality PSU you end up with. PCPartPicker is very nice at saying how many juice your PC will need to run. At least estimating the whereabouts of that number. Pick a GPU, see what kind of wattage PCPP suggests, add another 150-200W as safety measure, and voila, that's your wattage!
Small note - PSUs with big wattage will run quitter, but draw more power, whereas PSUs with lower wattage will need a bit less power from the socket, but will also be louder.

For more on PSUs, I suggest you go here:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/
Good website on that topic.

 

Again more misformed minds again...put this simple and quick if you have nothing better to add then don't post....

 

Just read online sellers like Newegg or Amazon and see what the buyers reviews are and you can get a good idea of the Brand name and how reliability they are. Or just do a search online on the PSU that your interested in and there is bound to be someone writing about it. Why I advise getting brand name is for Warranty purpose and exchanges should it become faulty you have a better support for doing so.

 

"Read online sellers like Newegg or Amazon" are you for real?? I wouldn't trust a Newegg or Amazon review with a USB stick let alone a PSU.

Anyway OP, for starters you can have a look at this Recommended PSU list that lists the PSUs available at each wattage and its reviews (if available).

As far as review sites go, JonnyGuru, TechPowerUp, and HardOCP are all pretty reliable when it comes to PSUs. JonnyGuru probably has by far the most extensive collection, but I do find he tends to favor Corsair PSUs a bit, so just keep that in mind.

 

Can't agree on starting with 750W (assuming the standard 80% efficiency or better). If OP isn't overclocking the CPU and will be using a standard single-GPU setup later, then 500-600W at 80%> efficiency would be fine (also, no point in getting a -K CPU in that case). For example, I'm running a stock FX-6300 and a stock R9 280x off of a Corsair CX 600 and I've never had problems. Before that, I had a FX-6300+GTX 560SE and earlier a Pentinum+560SE setup in the same desktop, both running off of a CX 500. Now, that 500W PSU is running my brother's i3+560SE setup.

Definitely agree with going for a well-known name for the PSU though. I'm the sort of guy who likes to reduce costs as much as possible in my builds, but I never skip on the PSU since if the PSU goes bad, it can take down all the other parts along with it ($$$$).

 

Awesome, i'll be checking that out for sure!

Good to know, thanks! I do plan using a single GPU eventually if it gets to that point. I do wonder about future proofing..

 

This is what I use whenever I'm figuring out which PSU to buy: http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

 

I see absolutely no reason why I should trust your opinion any higher than reviews I've read on Amazon or Newegg. I've garnered very good information from reviews on various products at said websites. I've even seen reviews more detailed about specific products than you will find on these review sites you speak of. In some cases I would say go with the Amazon reviews, these are people who actually bought the product and used it, not someone who got the product sent to them by said manufacturer.

 

I was talking about PSUs specifically in that post. Until Amazon and Newegg reviews start including hot and cold testing results, and bringing out an oscilloscope to measure ripples across different rails, they don't hold a candle to professional PSU reviews. Really what could the user reviews possibly say? "I plugged this in and it worked!" Big whoop.

In a broader sense, since you don't know how tech savvy the Newegg and Amazon reviewers are, it can be hard or impossible to tell whether the issues are real or due to user error.

 

User reviews usually also lack comparative testing--how one product is different/better/worse than competing products. Not to mention, any idiot can post reviews on Amazon or Newegg without having actually used or owned the product in question. :3

 

On Amazon it's usually marked if reviewer bought the product.
As far as reviews go, I look everywhere for feedback - THG, Overclockers, Amazon, Youtube, etc.
The more I read, the merrier.

 

Same on Newegg (the little green "verified owner" check mark), but it doesn't change the fact that anybody can post reviews. People have deliberately posted bad reviews as a form of protest, e.g. for gaming laptops during the clockblock fiasco.

Hey that's a kitty not a ballsack, you perv.