First new build in a loong time micro atx questions

[spartan1121]

Hi guys, first off this forum was extremely helpful when i built my first computer in 8th grade. I'm now a college senior, and the laptop i got freshman year is getting pretty slow, especially trying to play supreme commander. I now have an asus transformer tablet that I love, which is making the laptop feel even more ancient. So I'm looking to build a new desktop and was looking for some guidance as I've been out of the computer hardware realm for a long time. I was thinking of going micro atx so I can easily move between my bedroom and living room, and take up a little less space in my appt. I've put together a tenative first shot at a build, but I'm not looking to build until I'm on christmas break. My price range is right around $1000 dollars.

TL;DR
micro atx build around $1000 for moderate gaming and media

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163206 79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130826 229.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231568 85.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121623 139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147133 74.99
oh and a copy of windows 7 hp 99.99
total so far-930.93


i haven't included a power supply since i'm not sure what exactly will fit in this case, although the reviews say it fits an atx power supply. I also might have a much better processor than graphics card and might need to make them a little more equal. All in all though this is just a start since i'm getting back in the game after so long, and these parts all seem worlds ahead compared to what i've been using.

 

[PP Mguire]

What is the main usage of this PC? If Supreme Commander if your main deal, yea you want a quad. If using AI (or Sorian AI specifically) at large amounts it eats CPU for breakfast due to horrible code and optimizations. One of the serious fall backs of the game and why it never took off in 2007 where single core CPUs dominated the mainstream market.

I say everything looks good, but an mATX build will still be about as heavy as a mid tower. The only real difference here is cooling. The Sugo cases are great, but the cooling not so great unless you have one of the latest ones.

I'll also say, that if this rig is geared towards gaming then 8GB will be plenty.

For the price, get the 3570k instead. I think it's only 10 bucks more and much faster than the 2500k.

The motherboard makes getting a K series CPU pointless. You need P67/Z68/Z75/Z77 chipset to overclock a K series. Save money and get a better board.
Newegg.com - ASRock Z77M LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

The 660 is a very good card for the price. I wouldn't change that. The SSD on the other hand, kind of small.

Yea you can fit a standard sized PSU in that little case, but you would probably be better off with a modular setup due to airflow restrictions in an mATX case. The Corsair 650HX is kind of pricey but a good option.

 

[spartan1121]

Thanks for the quick and thorough response. Supreme commander is the main game I play for PC right now, I play BF3 and soon halo 4 on xbox, although i'd love BF for pc. My laptop has a 2.0 ghz quad core celeron and the games really slow down as time goes on. Thanks for the heads up on the chipset, things like that are what I've really gotta learn before this is complete. I may do some light overclocking, but i'm by no means trying to really push the limits. Oh and the one extra thing I wanted to look at is a tv tuner, preferably internal. i had a happauge tuner a long time ago, are they still a good brand?

 

[PP Mguire]

Somebody else will have to answer that as I have no idea. I don't watch TV.

The 660 and 3570k combo is more than enough to play BF3 on the PC, as is the 2500k or 3570k for Supreme Commander. I'm a Supcom player myself, so I know how much CPU it can eat up.

 

[Talyor]

If you have a cable box next to you or close by u won't need a tv tuner just use HDMI to hdmi. I would wait for black friday to build a comp should be good sales on ssds and cpus