First Build

[Manafel]

Hello,
I have always loved computers, but this time I am actually putting together my own for the first time. I didn't really have a budget in mind because I am going to buy all of the parts separate, but with everything I picked, it comes out to be about $950. This is my first build, so I would appreciate it if anyone could give me some pointers. I will be using this as my gaming/work computer. Thanks!

NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Steel/ plastic ATX Full tower Computer case

ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i5-3550 Ivy Bridge 3.3 GHz LGA 1155 77W Quad Core Processor

HIS iCooler Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1 GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Videocard

Diablotek UL Series PSUL775 775W ATX 12V v2.32 SLI Ready Crossfire ready power supply

2 Seagate Barracuda green 1.5TB 5900 RPM 64MB Cache SATA HDD

G.Skill Area Series 16GB(2 x 8GB 240-pin DDR3 SDRAM) x2

 

[PP Mguire]

What games and what kind of work? The basic parts seem to be ok but I would change a few things based on your reply to my question.

3 things I would change immediately. The PSU has to be changed. You want quality over wattage. Get a Corsair TX or HX PSU. 650w would be plenty.
Second, if you are building a new computer with that sort of budget then grab an SSD. The 5900RPM drives have decent speed (I use 3 in my server) but I would not use them as regular use drives. They simply aren't fast enough.

The next is, unless you are doing CADing, heavy Photoshop, 3D work, or VMs then 16GB isn't needed, especially not needed for games. You also have "x2" there, so if you mean 32GB total, then that for sure isn't needed.

 

[Manafel]

I will mostly be using it for Online MMOs like guild wars, and Final Fantasy XIV when it comes out(hopefully) next year. I have been absent from the PC gaming for a while, so that's about all that I know of for now. Will the Corsair TX650M PSU Work alright?

Eventually in my work I will very likely be using VMs. So would cutting the RAM in half(just down to 16GB) Be enough?

On the SSDs, I was looking at the 120 GB Corsair Force Series GT, would I be better getting two of those instead?

Thanks for all of your help

 

[PP Mguire]

You talking about the revamped FF? Cause 14 was released a while ago and dive bombed.
Yea the TX 650w would work perfect. If you want modular, you will need the HX but both are essentially the same unit. You might want to get a better GPU though, because I think the new engine they are laying on to FF will tax the 7770 pretty good. I would say a 660ti would suffice.

Well, you only have 4 cores to toy with, and you have to reserve at least one for the host. With 32GB that would give you 8GB per VM+host but I can't imagine what somebody would need 8GB or 16GB (2VMs) for in a virtual environment. Maybe you can prove me wrong, but I have 8GB and dedicated 4 cores and 4GB of RAM to OSX for browsing and 2 cores and 4GB for my host under W7.

If you are located in the US I would suggest a Samsung 830 over the Corsair. I wouldn't say ditch the HDD, but instead have 1 and 1. SSD for OS, programs, ect and the HDD for storage and large VM drives.

 

[patonb]

Yes, 16Gig is more than enough.

If you can swing the extra $20 bucks maybe get the 3570K so you can overclock it later when you feel more comfortable.

P is a Corsair Fan boi, kay i have 2 of them too, but Antec upper end models, Seasonic are great too.

 

[Manafel]

Yeah I mean the revamped one, I was depressed on how badly they did with the first release. Square Enix has always been good on making the graphics harder than usual to meet. When you say a 660 Ti are you talking about this?:
Newegg.com - EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-3662-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

I Don't know exactly what it means when a PSU is modular, I'm guessing modular is better?

I am in the US, So I will go with one of the Samsung, and the other for storage.
When I am talking VMs, I'm probably only going to be running 1-2 at a time, so I don't think they will need as much.

 

[PP Mguire]

Yes, 16Gig is more than enough.

If you can swing the extra $20 bucks maybe get the 3570K so you can overclock it later when you feel more comfortable.

P is a Corsair Fan boi, kay i have 2 of them too, but Antec upper end models, Seasonic are great too.

Lol I'm not so much a fanboy as opposed to almost every Corsair TX650 review you find has good praise from one end to the other. It's easier to convince people to get one due to that, plus they look good. I mean, I like to prefer Thermaltake TP upper models too but TT has very mixed feelings from all around.

Yeah I mean the revamped one, I was depressed on how badly they did with the first release. Square Enix has always been good on making the graphics harder than usual to meet. When you say a 660 Ti are you talking about this?:
Newegg.com - EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-3662-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

I Don't know exactly what it means when a PSU is modular, I'm guessing modular is better?

I am in the US, So I will go with one of the Samsung, and the other for storage.
When I am talking VMs, I'm probably only going to be running 1-2 at a time, so I don't think they will need as much.

Yea I meant that 660ti. The eVGA is a good choice.

Modular means removeable cables. You can take off what you don't use. Makes for a cleaner case which gives better airflow.

 

[Manafel]

Ok, so altogether iit will look something like this:
https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=18884572

Is there anything that I am missing? I left out the case because I already purchased it.

 

[PP Mguire]

You gotta make it public or type it out. I'm logged in so it's trying to bring up a wish list on my account.

 

[Manafel]

Strange, I made it public, but for some reason it isn't posting...

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650M 650W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA
SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128D/AM 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive
G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
Intel Core i5-3550 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo) LGA 1155
EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-3662-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA