Asus GTX660 Ti Build - Suggestions

[timthedevil87]

Greeting all!

 

I found that this site is great for discussing PC builds, hence I would appreciate anyone who would help me for my first gaming rig build. (note I am a complete noob to PC's)

 

Intended use

 

- Hardcore/Casual gaming (COD, Guild Wars, Borderlands 2, etc)

- General multimedia (watching movies, occasional work with excel, etc)

 

Initial Build Thoughts

 

- Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (white & blue)

 

- CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge

 

- GFX: Asus GTX660 Ti

 

- MB: ASUS P8Z77-V PRO (with Thunderbolt)

 

- RAM: Mushkin 2 x 4gb

 

- HDD: Seagate ST31000528AS (1Tb)

 

- Power Supply: Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus II 625W

 

- SSD: OCZ Agility 3 60GB

 

- Heat sink: Xigmatek cooler

 

- DVD: Samsung DVD Burner

 

 

Possible Swap outs:

- MB: Asrock Fatal1ty Z77 Professional (recommended by friend)

 

- MB: Asus Maximus V Gene (superfast gigabite LAN apparently)

 

- MB: Asus Sabertooth Z77 (thermal armor & extra fans on MB)

 

- GFX: Asus GTX660 Non-Ti? (save money)

 

- Any other suggestions?

 

 

Background thoughts/comments

 

Overall I think my initial build sounds OK. The total cost of it is around HKD10,000 ~ USD1,300/GBP850 (I'm willing to go +/- 10% I guess).

Other costs I'm thinking about is the purchase of a monitor, keyboard & mice, speakers, etc (which will bring my total up to around HKD13,000. I think I would like to stick around this budget.

As you might see, I'm basing my build around the Z77 chipset, ready for the windows 8 upgrade. I mentioned several MB's because each have their own advantages, P8Z77-V has an onboard wifi card, Maximus for superfast connection, Sabertooth for clean tidy MB & extra fans, etc. One note to make is that I want to futureproof myself so I guess taking into consideration the overclocking abilities of the setup should be considered. Gaming wise, I guess I'll be playing the mainstream games on hopefully high/max settings at an average 60 FPS (don't mind going slightly lower).

 

I am open to any comments about this build and hope that anyone can provide me their opinions on this build with maybe comments on upgrades, etc.

 

I would like to thank anyone in advance for their kind comments

[EuroFight]

If you're not planning to overclock the CPU you could probably go for the 3570 (non K), the K signifies an unlocked clock multiplier which is useful for overclocking, but if you don't want to overclock your system at any point then you can go for the stock 3570, which is usually cheaper

[timthedevil87]

If you're not planning to overclock the CPU you could probably go for the 3570 (non K), the K signifies an unlocked clock multiplier which is useful for overclocking, but if you don't want to overclock your system at any point then you can go for the stock 3570, which is usually cheaper

 

Thanks for the tip! I actually knew that already but I think I'll go with the "K". Here in Hong Kong it's literally just an extra HKD200 ~ USD25/GBP20, so I might as well go all out

[Skidmarks]

If you're not planning to overclock the CPU you could probably go for the 3570 (non K), the K signifies an unlocked clock multiplier which is useful for overclocking, but if you don't want to overclock your system at any point then you can go for the stock 3570, which is usually cheaper

 

 

If you're not planning on overclocking you could probably get away with a good quality 550 watt psu & save some scratch with which you should get a larger SSD. As for your listed mobo's, they're all good but consider the Asrock Z77 OC. It's cheaper & I've seen nothing but fawning reviews about it.

 

 

 

[vandreadstriker]

If you're not planning to overclock the CPU you could probably go for the 3570 (non K), the K signifies an unlocked clock multiplier which is useful for overclocking, but if you don't want to overclock your system at any point then you can go for the stock 3570, which is usually cheaper

 

 

Otherwise, your build looks solid to me. You will not need anything higher than the 3570K for gaming, and the P8Z77-V Pro is one solid board. Generally all high end Z77 boards have the same performance. The only benefit you'd get from a higher priced board are some additional features (which usually is not of much use to most users. e.g. eSATA ports, PLX chip, etc..) and overpriced branding.

 

If I were to nitpick, I'd say change the Power Supply. PSU is a vital part of the system and you don't ever want to go cheap on them. If it fails, the collateral damage towards other components will make you regret not investing on a quality unit. Personally I'd get something like the Corsair TX / Seasonic S12/M12 / Antec Earthwatts / OCZ ZT series. All of them (except Corsair) are reasonably priced and are of great quality.

 

Another thing that I'd change would be the cooler. Look into the CoolerMaster Hyper212 Evo instead. If you want an even better performing cooler, look for the NZXT Havik 140.

 

[EuroFight]

 

Otherwise, your build looks solid to me. You will not need anything higher than the 3570K for gaming, and the P8Z77-V Pro is one solid board. Generally all high end Z77 boards have the same performance. The only benefit you'd get from a higher priced board are some additional features (which usually is not of much use to most users. e.g. eSATA ports, PLX chip, etc..) and overpriced branding.

 

If I were to nitpick, I'd say change the Power Supply. PSU is a vital part of the system and you don't ever want to go cheap on them. If it fails, the collateral damage towards other components will make you regret not investing on a quality unit. Personally I'd get something like the Corsair TX / Seasonic S12/M12 / Antec Earthwatts / OCZ ZT series. All of them (except Corsair) are reasonably priced and are of great quality.

 

Another thing that I'd change would be the cooler. Look into the CoolerMaster Hyper212 Evo instead. If you want an even better performing cooler, look for the NZXT Havik 140.

 

Had some very bad experiences with low quality PSUs, go for a good one

[timthedevil87]

 

If you're not planning on overclocking you could probably get away with a good quality 550 watt psu & save some scratch with which you should get a larger SSD. As for your listed mobo's, they're all good but consider the Asrock Z77 OC. It's cheaper & I've seen nothing but fawning reviews about it.

 

Thanks for the suggestion! I've checked the prices out and the P8Z77-V Pro is still the cheapset, the Asrock Z77 OC is the most expensive compared to this list. At least this is the case in my country lol

[timthedevil87]

 

Otherwise, your build looks solid to me. You will not need anything higher than the 3570K for gaming, and the P8Z77-V Pro is one solid board. Generally all high end Z77 boards have the same performance. The only benefit you'd get from a higher priced board are some additional features (which usually is not of much use to most users. e.g. eSATA ports, PLX chip, etc..) and overpriced branding.

 

If I were to nitpick, I'd say change the Power Supply. PSU is a vital part of the system and you don't ever want to go cheap on them. If it fails, the collateral damage towards other components will make you regret not investing on a quality unit. Personally I'd get something like the Corsair TX / Seasonic S12/M12 / Antec Earthwatts / OCZ ZT series. All of them (except Corsair) are reasonably priced and are of great quality.

 

Another thing that I'd change would be the cooler. Look into the CoolerMaster Hyper212 Evo instead. If you want an even better performing cooler, look for the NZXT Havik 140.

 

 

Thanks! I really appreciate your feedback. Other than the CPU, GFX, Mobo and case, all other aspects were recommended my a friend. I will be sure to look at the PSU's you mentioned as well as the coolers

[timthedevil87]

Oh I forgot to mention, if I purchase the Asus Maximus V Gene before the 30/11/12 I can get a Asus ROG Xonar Phoebus for free!

Not that it really matters to me but is it worth considering?

[vandreadstriker]

Well, as far as gaming goes, I never really paid attention to sound. Sometimes it gets so intense that I don't even pay attention to the graphic quality.

I've always said here that you won't need a sound card unless you're an audiophile. Odds are, you won't even pay attention to it unless the on-board sound is really crappy (which shouldn't be a problem with today's on-board audio).

 

[Shurman292]

Looks like a great build. You mentioned futureproofing so I will assume you want to have the ability to overclock your system at some point in the future. With that said, the only items I would change from your original list are:

 

--PSU: As other have mentioned, getting a quality PSU is essential for a long-term build. I have had personal experiences with Corsair and Seasonic, both of which have given me zero problems. Since you are getting a GTX660, it may be prudent to get a higher wattage PSU (750-850 watt) just in case you want to go SLI in the future.

 

--SSD: I would highly suggest investing in a 120gb SSD. Once you load the OS and a few essential programs on there you will already be getting close to reaching the recommended 80% capacity. A 120gb SSD gives you room to put a few games on there and still have a little room for everyday Windows operations.

 

--MB: I would keep the Asus P8Z77V-Pro you had at first. What vandreadstriker said about high end motherboards is good advice. Concerning the sound card on the Maximus V and free sound card, I would not advise getting a "free" sound card as it would probably not be a whole lot better than onboard audio in the first place. If you really care about sound, you can purchase a sound card in the future that is not made solely for gaming (such as an HT Omega Claro or Asus Xonar Essence). Plus, the red and black theme of that board wouldn't go well with your white and blue case

[timthedevil87]

Looks like a great build. You mentioned futureproofing so I will assume you want to have the ability to overclock your system at some point in the future. With that said, the only items I would change from your original list are:

 

--PSU: As other have mentioned, getting a quality PSU is essential for a long-term build. I have had personal experiences with Corsair and Seasonic, both of which have given me zero problems. Since you are getting a GTX660, it may be prudent to get a higher wattage PSU (750-850 watt) just in case you want to go SLI in the future.

 

--SSD: I would highly suggest investing in a 120gb SSD. Once you load the OS and a few essential programs on there you will already be getting close to reaching the recommended 80% capacity. A 120gb SSD gives you room to put a few games on there and still have a little room for everyday Windows operations.

 

--MB: I would keep the Asus P8Z77V-Pro you had at first. What vandreadstriker said about high end motherboards is good advice. Concerning the sound card on the Maximus V and free sound card, I would not advise getting a "free" sound card as it would probably not be a whole lot better than onboard audio in the first place. If you really care about sound, you can purchase a sound card in the future that is not made solely for gaming (such as an HT Omega Claro or Asus Xonar Essence). Plus, the red and black theme of that board wouldn't go well with your white and blue case

 

Thanks for the great feedback guys! Indeed I think I might as well futureproof my setup and go with the PSU's suggested (better safe than sorry).

In terms of the SSD, it seems like I'll hold back on that for the time being since I'm running low on cash. But hey this is the benefit from having a desktop since I can upgrade whenever I want.

In regards to the MB, haha you read me like a book! The color scheme was a thought I had in mind, and with the Maximus build there definitively was some conflict. Yeah... I think'll go with the P8Z77-V Pro, heck I even get thunderbolt with that package!