Micro Center shopping list. (UPDATED 2nd page.) (pls respond edition)

**eddy_purpus** · May 20, 2012, 02:26 AM

Hah! How you guys doing?
I live nearby a Microcenter (Walking distance! you suckers must be envious

)

Crazy, thanks for helping me last time with building my pc and err'thang man. (I had some issues and had to spend the money on some other things, but now, things are looking brighter. I WILL be buying a good pc for video gaming in the next two to three weeks. Budget you ask? about 1200 usd.)

For now, I have put some items on my shopping list on the MicroCenter website, and they're as follows. (Note, I want you guys to rate this build, I haven't bought it, but I will if it receives thumbs up specially from you guys.)(Also, if you guys want to make modifications to this build, feel free. Anything to get something better for my bucks

)

Kingston Hyper blu 8GB ddr3 1600 39.99
Seagate barracuda 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0 GB/s 3.5 94.99
Logisys Clear Acrylic Mid Tower Computer Case 89.99 (this case is beautiful, Im willing to spend that amount, but if you guys can make modifications to allow better components, then go ahead hehe)
Samsung 22X DVD±RW Burner with Dual Layer Support ... 15.99
Cooler Master SickleFlow 120mm Red LED Fan 11.99
OCZ Technology 750 Watt Fatal1ty Series Modular AT... 79.99
Diamond 7850PE52G AMD Radeon HD 7850 2048MB GDDR5 ... 299.99
Vantec 5-Port USB 2.0 PCI Host Card 9.99
Intel Xeon E3-1270 3.4GHz LGA 1155 Processor 319.99
8 Channel PCI Sound Card 17.99
Kingwin Power Cord PCD-06 5.99
Manhattan SATA Data Cable 3.0Gbps 20" 2.99

Also, I am missing the mice and the keyboard.

What do you guys think? Is there anything missing? or anything better you guys can come out for cheaper

This would be my first custom gaming computer

* Games I would love to play on this would be all ARMAs, Battlefield games, crysis games, mass effect, asscreed, gta, and of course, tw games hehe (On the highest possible config with this budget.

**Blau&Gruen** · May 20, 2012, 03:27 AM

Take an Ivy Bridge CPU, e.g. 3570k or 3450, 1.50V memory and a Z77 board, e.g ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Z77* or Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H LGA 1155 Z77**.

Intel Xeon E3-1270 3.4GHz LGA 1155 is for server platforms and Kingston HyperX blu 8GB DDR3-1600 is 1.65V memory.

* $89.99 if purchased with the i5 3570K processor according to your shop
** $114.99 if purchased with the i5 3570K processor according to your shop

**Crazyeyesreaper** · May 20, 2012, 02:47 PM

best luck is looking for a cheap 2600k or grab a 3770k the Xeon may not be supported on various motherboards check before buying the Xeon

Biostar TZ77XE3 if you need a cheap motherboard or if you want full featured TZ77XE4 which is what ive ordered since is supports SLI / Xfire and overclocks just as well as the $200+ boards

acrylic cases look pretty but they are honestly utterly terrible

acrylic holds heat, it doesnt disperse it where as a metal or aluminum case can help absorb heat acrylic will not it just builds up in it, on top of that over time it will scratch get dusty and become cloudy unless your willing to dissassemble and clean it nearly every month. Been there done that wont do it again.

i would suggest
Corsair 300R with the $20 saved grab better ram
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0379532

as for memory order it from somewhere else, which has better selection microcenters DDR3 selection is utter crap,

as for the fans Coolermasters sickleflow fans are utter crap tend to die after just 4-6 months i had 9 of them in a HAF 932 rig 5 were dead within 6 months

cheapest fans you can buy that last are yateloons
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10..._D12SM-12.html

That PCI sound card is worthless, the onboard audio on the motherboard is better, you do not need it its a waste of $20

sata cable is unneccesary unless you have a bunch of devices most motherboards should come with around 3-4 cables which should be enough if not then buy some

PCI USB card... why? most motherboards will come with 4-6 USB ports and most cases will have 2-4 giving you 6-10 USB ports if you have that many devices then fine otherwise worthless purchase

if you remove the USB card Sound Card and swap cases that saves around $50-60 that would allow you to upgrade to a 7870 which is a much better deal gaming wise especially overclock versions which can take on the GTX 670, and 7950

just look around at newegg and elsewhere microcenter is only good for CPU + Motherboard combos and for saving money on said 2 items, otherwise everywhere else has better selection

**eddy_purpus** · May 20, 2012, 04:38 PM

I thought I would have to buy the spund card and the usb ports separately... Andd as of the case, I will implement your suggestion, amd for the neon... Im Gonna go with the 3770k, along with the tx77e4..
For the as for the fans, Ill go with your suggestion

...
With this build am I lookong at high setting for arma, bf3 and most video games? I am willing to spend 1400(200 more) so I can get the best gameplay. Tehe

(Have in mind, that this is my first cutom computer, so the laughs are allowed..)
Been dreaming of doing this for about some years now.

**Crazyeyesreaper** · May 20, 2012, 07:15 PM

well then ill make it simple this is a rough price list
3770K $350

Good Tower Cooler or water cooler aka Noctua NHD14 Corsair H80 etc $50-100 worry about this last 3770k is plenty fast stock overclocking is just icing on the cake and free performance after the fact.

8GB DDR3 1600 MHz 1.5v get what matches your theme $40-60

Corsair 300R Case $80

650-750w PSU Antec High Current Gamer or High Current Pro $80-100

AMD Radeon HD 7870 $350

Biostar TZ77XE4 $150

DVD Drive $15

Seagate 1TB $75 (on newegg its $99 with $15 promo code makes it $75)

Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit $100

Comes to $1420

newegg savings with a Corsair 300R + TX 650 v2 = $151 saving $18 with 20 MIR saving $40
Total would be roughly $1380

check newegg, tigerdirect, microcenter, mwave for the best deals use google shopping should help you save time

but again Case and PSU can be had as a combo on newegg for $18 saved up front $20 later via MIR and $15 via promo code on the Seagate 1TB HDD

if you need to save money swap to a 3570K its 4 cores 4 threads instead of the i7 3770ks 4 cores 8 threads but should suffice for gaming etc. aka wont be huge impact id take the 3570k honesty for the $100 savings just to bring the price down a bit

**Blau&Gruen** · May 21, 2012, 01:15 AM

3770K is for video cuts or applications that require a lot of multithreading. 3570K is basically enough for gaming even a 3450 would be good enough as you plan to use a separate GPU. Not to forget you can get a rebate at your shop for a decent board when you take the 3570K.

**eddy_purpus** · May 21, 2012, 01:53 AM

I remade the list, crazy, I gave you rep... Amazing as always. TY for your help bro.

But, as I said, I live close to a microcenter and could not wait more than 4 days for delivery through the mail (and a month and a week to have those 1400 I was gonna spend on crazy's build he made for me in his last post)

And so here it goes what I've selected that comes approx. to 1050 bucks, monitor and mice included.

Corsair Carbide Series 300R Mid-Tower ATX Gaming C... 69.99
Crazy's suggestion, stayed with it.
Biostar TZ77XE4 LGA 1155 ATX Intel Motherboard 89.99
I stayed with the MOBO z77xa4 as it was cheap and could afford it within the next two weeks and a half.(and everything else included.)
Corsair 8GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL9 Dual Channel... 59.99
Ram, I've heard that 8 gigs, is what most gamers use nowadays. Any suggestions?
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7,200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" ... 94.99
Crazy's pick. Staying with it.
Intel Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz LGA 1155 Processor 189.99
The processor I selected was with crazy's post in mind, as I would save 100 dollars, and it wouldn't make a huge impact on performance, as he said.

Kingwin Maximum Power 750 Watt ATX Power Supply 54.99
About the power supply, I got that because of the voltage it supports(750), plus its not cheap nor expensive. I don't know the reputation its manufacturer has with you guys. (maybe a better suggestion by what microcenter of the DTC colorado location has.? for about the same price, that is, or cheaper..)
EVGA 012-P3-1573-KR NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 HD Supe... 299.99
Did I make a good selection with the video card I selected, for 70 bucks cheaper than the 7870? Or should I get the 7870 by all means? (Anybody with one of those graphs comparing both performances in an high end requiring video games?)
Acer 20" Widescreen LED Monitor 99.99
IOGear Spill-Resistant Keyboard and Mouse Combo 24.99
I grabbed that ACER monitor, because it would meet my 1100 budget.
And the mice and keyboard is just fine. I'm not picky.

Total comes at $1,051.35 (plus taxes?)

That would leave me with just two weeks, and and 6 days of waiting time to get the money for all this. (And a little walk to the shop plus a taxi call... I don't have a car pfft

)

What do you guys think, specially you, Crazy. I am glad you've helped me without my request, so I shall prioritize your opinion.

What can I expect with this build I just made for the past hour and a half? (Reading reviews from everything I picked.) for video games, that is... I am looking forward to playing, battlefield games, total war games, ARMA 2 and expansions and dayZ

, and crysis and expansions.. (Red orchestra too, but those first ones are my priority right now lol)

thanks for reading and helping guys.

Also, did I forget something again?

**Blau&Gruen** · May 21, 2012, 02:08 AM

You could consider a SSD 120GB as system drive and for other software with the exception of games. You would use in that case the HD as data dump and for the rest of the applications. The user comments about the biostar board you have selected are not so positive. It might be better to take one that has got a better feedback, e.g. the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Z77 not to forget the rebate when bought together with the 3570K. I think the board is going to cost about 90 bucks then. I will use a Gigabyte board for my own planned build but that's more a matter of a habit as I normally use UD boards for my builds. I am also going to use the same type of RAM you have in your list but 2x8GB. For gaming 2x4 however is enough.

**eddy_purpus** · May 21, 2012, 02:15 AM

Should I get a hdd with less gigs, but cheaper, so I could get the 7870?.. In other words, I will be using this pc mainly for gaming. I've got an external I could use for my movies, pictures and anything else that is not video games hehe\

Edit....Checking that deal you told me about.

Now I know what I am missing.

The software for windows mmmmmmmmmmmm

EditNo2 I removed the other MOBO and replaced it with the one you just mentioned, same price.

So is that ASrock mobo better than the z77xa4 then?

Edit no 4. For the OS software, should I choose this? Windows 7 home premium to windows 7 professional anytime upgrade

**Blau&Gruen** · May 21, 2012, 02:38 AM

How about:
Win7 64bit HomePremium

HD for 90 bucks
-> http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0364504
Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7,200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive WD5002AALX - OEM

If some money is left, then for the OS
-> http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0385188

ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Z77 is said to be very good in its price class based on the reviews and the commentaries on builder sites, I have read. I considered it for my build, too but as I have said I took a Gigabyte at the end which meets better the purpose of the system.

-> http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0387554

**eddy_purpus** · May 21, 2012, 02:43 AM

Originally Posted by Blau&Gruen

-> http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0364504
Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7,200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive WD5002AALX - OEM

The one I picked is only 94, wouldn't make much a difference, plus a 500 gig loss for 4 bucks less

If some money is left, then for the OS
-> http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0385188

Do I need a SSD?... Sorry, I am a newbee when it comes to building computers... this will be my first one

Edit... Now I know what the SSD does.... But, do I really need it now? that would mean an extra 140 which I won't have for about 2 weeks after I buy what I've gathered.

**Blau&Gruen** · May 21, 2012, 02:51 AM

The WD HD has better rankings than the other one. That's the reason for my remark. It is also on the list I use for my build. As I have two older WD Caviar Blue left from an other system, I will use these for the time being.
You do not need a SSD but it improves loading times. But afterall you can upgrade later your computer with a SSD.

**eddy_purpus** · May 21, 2012, 03:02 AM

Originally Posted by Blau&Gruen

The WD HD has better rankings than the other one. That's the reason for my remark. It is also on the list I use for my build. As I have two older WD Caviar Blue left from an other system, I will use these for the time being.
You do not need a SSD but it improves loading times. But afterall you can upgrade later your computer with a SSD.

Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaank god I don't need it right now, id be over 1200 if I had to buy the SSD and the OS together now...
Right now I am looking at this build. (I changed the MOBO, as you suggested

Corsair Carbide Series 300R Mid-Tower ATX Gaming C... 69.99
Corsair 8GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL9 Dual Channel... 59.99
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7,200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" ... 94.99
Intel Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz LGA 1155 Processor 189.99
Kingwin Maximum Power 750 Watt ATX Power Supply 54.99
EVGA 012-P3-1573-KR NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 HD Supe... 299.99
Acer 20" Widescreen LED Monitor 99.99
IOGear Spill-Resistant Keyboard and Mouse Combo 24.99
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherb... 89.99 (when bundled etc etc)
+
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium to Professional Anytime Upgrade (PC) 89.99 / 61.99 depending on the status of it, opened or not.

What grade would you give this rig, 10, being the best, to 1, being a mac computerl.

$1,148.20 cost as of now, I think I can barely afford it... Who knows how much it will be with taxes included. (Ill have a 1000 in the next 2 weeks and a half, plus, I will sell this laptop for 200. And if necessity asks, I will sell my 8 year old bicycle

)

**Crazyeyesreaper** · May 21, 2012, 11:12 AM

i would change back to the 7870

570 is 1.2GB VRAM

Shogun 2
Max Payne 3
Skyrim
Battlefield 3
GTA IV
and many more will use more then 1.2GB of vram,

7870 can be had for $50 more then the 570
get a different PSU
Kingwin is not a reputable PSU brand they have SOME good units, but those units are few and far between and i only know of them due to the U/L listing long story short certain OEMs make most PSUs for most companies they follow said companies plans example, Seasonic makes PSUs for Corsair XFX and many others, Superflower makes units for Rosewill, Kingwin, etc but that doesnt change the fact the units are not all equal
do not skimp on a PSU, serious considering getting parts from somewhere else besides microcenter,

CASE + PSU
Corsair 300R + Corsair TX650 V2 = $151 ($80 + 90 = $170) $18 off up front with a $20 Mail in Rebate brings the cost to $131

CPU and Mobo if your are going straight to microcenter to physically buy the parts their then microcenter is cheaper if your ordering online they cost more then newegg keep that it mind example the 3570k is available in sotre for $189 online its still $249 newegg has it for $239

CPU + MOBO
3570K + TZ77XE4 $365
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.908215

3570K + TZ77XE3 $349
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.908217

AGAIN if your walking into microcenter then disgregard the above as microcenter will be cheaper when it comes to motherboard and cpu choice,

HDD
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM $99 ($15 Promo Code ENDS TODAY) = $75 free shipping, at least order the HDD from newegg today its $15 off free shipping their is no downside
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148697

as for SSDs no point in inflating system cost,

stick to the 1TB HDD for now if you want better performance later in that regard you can get a cheap 60GB SSD and use Intels cache tech to use the 60gb ssd as a giant super fast cache for your most used apps etc, this lets the HDD feel like its an SSD but without extreme cost.

**Blau&Gruen** · May 21, 2012, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by Crazyeyesreaper

7870 can be had for $50 more then the 570

He could also take a HD 7850 and in the future replace it with something then uptodate and save the money.

Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 has 2GB GDDR5.

**Crazyeyesreaper** · May 21, 2012, 03:25 PM

true but a 7850 cant rival a 7970 / 670

a 7870 overclocked on the other hand can beat a 7970 for a whole lot less

a 7850 overclocked will match a stock 7870, 7870 overclocked can match a 7970

**eddy_purpus** · May 21, 2012, 05:33 PM

The system that I've posted was with waiting time in mimd, plus walking distance to the place...
All I have to do is wait 2 and a half weeks to get the money for all that, and sell a laptop to get it for the taxes..

If you could change something from it that would be less expensive, like the power supplies, and could get a better card with that, thatd be best...
Even if the power supply fails in 6 months, I could buy one when it fails... For now its that budget of 1200 or nothing

So, withat said, you can change the psupply for a cheaper one, and with the saved money on that, I could get the 7870. Am I correct?

**Blau&Gruen** · May 21, 2012, 09:29 PM

@eddy_purpus
Crazy is right with this.

Originally Posted by Crazyeyesreaper

do not skimp on a PSU, serious considering getting parts from somewhere else besides microcenter,

**eddy_purpus** · May 21, 2012, 09:57 PM

Edit.

So now that I'm home, I will start with a new plan, not a new build, or maybe with a new build since some of you have suggested to get parts online 4 cheaper, and some through microcenter. MOBO processor.

So, this weekend, should be called ' online ordering' weekend, for my build shopping list.

Do please help me get more bang for my buck, as my budget is at 1200 for the next 3 weeks.

What I was thinking to do, was, ordering the stuff that you guys have suggested online this weekend. I get paid on friday about 500 bucks or a little more... I thought of this as it would still would take me 2 more weeks(after this friday) to get all the parts.

Suggest me what parts to buy online on newegg ie psu, monitor etc etc with 500 dollar budget.(Maybe 700 if I sell my laptop throughout this weekend) (I know I will buy the mobo and processor and maybe, the 100 dollar monitor from micro center on the 8th of june.)

Edit- post above this one, made me rethink what I order/buy from where, as some of you said that I could save money/ get better parts

Edit 2 lookiee here HIS IceQ Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition H787Q2G2M Video Card ... Should I get?