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Building first gaming computer-hardware review

post #1 of 5
Thread Starter 
I haven't built a computer in a long time and I have been reading as much as possible.
I am building this to play games and use as a htpc. Trying to build the best HTPC I can for under $1000.

This is my current list of hardware:

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-M LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard-$120 newegg

GPU:XFX Core Edition FX-785A-ZNL4 Radeon HD 7850-$175-newegg

Case: silverstone gd-05-$95 amazon

Power supply-SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W -$89 newegg

HDD-Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 ST3000DM001 3TB-$150 newegg

CPU-Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz-$219 newegg

SSD- Either a samsung or ocz 128gb

optical drive- Asus BC-12B1ST-$59.99 newegg

I need recommendations on ram. And anywhere I can save some dollars by going with cheaper components. The only thing that is set in stone is the cpu and case.

Thanks for looking.
post #2 of 5
AMD systems are impacted to a much greater extent with RAM selection.

Will you be overclocking a ton? Memory timing makes almost no difference and memory speed doesn't impact much on Intel platforms - really only the integrated HD4000 GPU benefits from faster RAM and perhaps a handful of certain benchmarks. Since you're gaming with a 7850, it doesn't seem worth it. Just buy the cheapest RAM you can find, unless you really need high-speed overclocking stability.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/memory/display/ivy-bridge-ddr3.html

If you're looking to save some money, you can save quite a bit by not buying everything on Newegg. Lately I've noticed that they overcharge for a lot of things. I bought most of my components through Microcenter. I have a physical location near me, but you can buy stuff online too. I got my 3570K for $169 and ASRock Extreme4 mobo for $80.

Not sure how much money you would save, but you really don't need a 620W PSU. You could get by easily with something in the 450W range - unless you end up with a triple/quad CF/SLI setup. Seasonic is fantastic, though.

Put all the money toward a larger Samsung 840 Pro SSD and set apart 25% as a spare area for a dramatic speed boost.
post #3 of 5
If noise is important to you, I would read some reviews and find the quietest 7850 possible. I used to have an XFX 687A with a very similar looking cooler to that 785A and it ran hot and loud.

I would also look into an aftermarket cooler for your CPU. You don't need anything fancy or expensive. Just something that is going to quieter than the stock cooler.

If it's between Samsung and OCZ for an SSD, go with the Samsung.
post #4 of 5
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the suggestions. I wish there was a microcenter near me. I live in northern Maine and we have nothing up here. I'll find a smaller power supply and look for a samsung ssd. I'll start researching on the quietest gaming card.
post #5 of 5
MSI has a cooling thing called twin frozr. I think they are up to number 3 now. They are really low on noise levels.
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