Newbie Building his first Build

ExplosionPants

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Hi :lol:

I've used the same terrible computer for the last sixish years, used it to play games and other uses.

I spent last Summer working and finally have enough money to build one. Being sixteen, it literally took the entire Summer to earn $1100, and I'm ready to spend it all on a custom PC.

I have a list of parts, but before I bought, I wanted to ask a few pros about how my specs are, so can anyone here check my specs and tell me if they're fine?

I want to be able to play any up to date game, Minecraft, Skyrim, BB3, CSS, Gmod, and others.

I also want to use it for family uses, like saving pictures, videos, Word documents, etc.

So here's my list, what do you think?

cpu - i5 3570k $215 Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

cpu cooler - cm hyper 212 evo $31 Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+

mobo - asrock z77 extreme4 $128 Amazon.com: AS Rock LGA1155 DDR3 SATA3 USB3.0 Quad CrossFireX and Quad SLI A GbE ATX Motherboard Z77 EXTREME4: Computers & Accessories

memory - corsair vengeance 8gb low profile $40 Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9

hdd - wd blue 500gb $63 WD5000AAKX Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500G SATA3 7200rpm 16MB Hard Drive (3.5 inch) - SATA Hard Drives - SuperBiiz.com

gpu - msi 660 $237 Newegg.com - MSI N660 TF 2GD5 GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
*** or maybe Newegg.com - EVGA 02G-P3-1568-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card only $10 more ***

case - zalman z11 plus $50 Newegg.com - ZALMAN Z11 Plus HF1 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

psu - antec 520w $47 Newegg.com - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

optical drive - lg $17 Newegg.com - LG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH24NS90 - CD / DVD Burners

monitor - asus vh232h 23" $154 Newegg.com - ASUS VH232H Glossy Black 23" 5ms Widescreen Full HD 1080p LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 w/Speakers & HDMI

os - windows 7 $90 Amazon.com: Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack: Software

total is $1072ish
 
If you are absolutely locked into that $1,100 limit, then I'd say you've done the best you can.

However, if you can get your parents to give you a loan against next summers work, I'd spend some more on a case. The one you've chosen will be a one time build, and you won't want to use it again. It's too small for a gaming case, and doesn't have very good air flow.

I generally recommend the HAF 932 Advanced full tower for those who can afford it, because you'll use in over and over, for many builds over the years, and it's cooling is one of, if not the best on the market. If you must go with a mid-size chassis, then choose the HAF 922.

As for the graphics card, I'd stick with the 660. Your PSU will be sufficient for this build, but not for the future. If you decide to add more hardware in a year or so, or you want to add a second 660 for very fast gaming, your PSU will have to be replaced. Antec is a fine brand, but it would be better if you could see your way clear to buy a 750 watt, so you'll have some room to grow. Nothing is more annoying than wanting to add some hardware, and having to replace the power supply because it can't handle it.
 
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