Critique & help my new PC build

Its time for an upgrade since the new consoles came out and my hardware is kinda old, but i want something fresh, so im starting from scratch. I only wanna be under 1K, so let me know what you think, Change anything? add something? Make it better but cheaper? KEEP IT THE SAME?! Let me know! :)

CASE: $120

NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Steel / Plastic Enthusiast ATX Full Tower Computer Case

CPU: $330

Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo)

MB: $119

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

VIDEO CARD: $220

SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100364VXBF4L Radeon R9 270X 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 CrossFireX Support OC BOOST Video Card

HDD: $88

WD BLACK SERIES WD1003FZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

RAM: $90

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200)

Total = $969

Add $30 more and get GTX 760 instead.

EVGA GTX 760 - $250

EVGA GTX SP 760 - $260

Gigabyte GTX 760 - $260

Ugh i switched from Nvidia a few years ago haha. One main reason i should of stated i wanted a R9 Series card due to Mantle support coming out for them and that technology looks amazing at what i can do.

Yeah I think its a win win really because you are still getting a decent card, but also if MANTLE doesn't take off you still have a decent card lol...

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2s3EH

You can remove the SSD to make room for other improvements such as RAM speed, or K version for the CPU; let me know what you think.

Mentle will reduce usage of CPU so the choice that you've made to take i7 is definitely wrong. (it's wrong either way, almost no gamer will recommend you i7)

Yeah I would swap out the i7 for an i5. Unless your intention is to use this for something outside of gaming and general use. You literally are spending an extra 100$ on a processor you won't make any use out of. Then put 100$ towards a better graphics card.

@IvanElk:

I mean i want to do streaming on twitch without and hiccups

can someone explain why a i5 is better for gaming than the i7? 0.o

Good parts but its a little imbalanced and the CPU choice makes no sense (in terms of price and whats currently available).

The 4th generation of the CPU you posted is actually cheaper so there's no reason not to buy that CPU instead ( i7 4770K http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116901 ). i7 4770K is cheaper while being newer (it will require a Z87 motherboard instead of a Z77).

The i5 4670K is basically the same CPU (only thing its missing is hyperthreading) and its almost $100 cheaper than the CPU you listed http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116899 (get a decent Z87 board for like $90-100).

With that money you saved, get at least a GTX 770 or wait for the price of the 280x to come back down to $310

I agree with what everyone else is saying here... i5 and a high end GPU is a far better option than a i7 and mid range GPU. Just have a look at my signature I am not saying this for the hell of it I could have got a i7 but have absolutely no use for it and in all honesty not many people do.

The GTX 770 and i5 build with the SSD is the best option... (I think its a build that I recommend a while ago :P).

Also full tower ATX cases with flashing light's are a complete waste of money and you would be far better off getting a mid tower for half the price and it will still look great and give you cooling options and cable management.

Performance is what you should always aim for because once that thing is built no amount of flashing lights will be able to comfort your poor decision not to go for a SSD and a High end GPU.

I have a phantom so what, I get 9 (or ten I forget) HDD slots. Plenty of room for my PSU and lots of cable management, tons of airflow, built in fan controller. Like damn its great having a full tower.If you don't plan on going to lan parties its a great option. Also I have a particularly large heatsink that no mid tower would fit (CM v8), and I paid 190$ for the NZXT phantom, 1000w NZXT PSU, and the CM v8 which was a steal.

Edit: basically it comes down to personal preference, if that is the case he wants he should get it.

I agree.

Well... I would if I wasn't a performance whore.

Mid tower case's for $50-70 are more than enough for the majority of people. Modern mid tower case's for $50-60 have:

• Enough space to fit high end cards
• Cable management options
• 3-5 120mm fan mountings
• 3-5 HDD slots

More than enough. See image below... Its a $60 case. Spending a extra $60 on a case that will offer you 0% performance instead of buying a better GPU is borderline dumb.

@Grey_Eyed_Elf said:

@IvanElk said:

@Grey_Eyed_Elf said:

I agree with what everyone else is saying here... i5 and a high end GPU is a far better option than a i7 and mid range GPU. Just have a look at my signature I am not saying this for the hell of it I could have got a i7 but have absolutely no use for it and in all honesty not many people do.

The GTX 770 and i5 build with the SSD is the best option... (I think its a build that I recommend a while ago :P).

Also full tower ATX cases with flashing light's are a complete waste of money and you would be far better off getting a mid tower for half the price and it will still look great and give you cooling options and cable management.

Performance is what you should always aim for because once that thing is built no amount of flashing lights will be able to comfort your poor decision not to go for a SSD and a High end GPU.

I have a phantom so what, I get 9 (or ten I forget) HDD slots. Plenty of room for my PSU and lots of cable management, tons of airflow, built in fan controller. Like damn its great having a full tower.If you don't plan on going to lan parties its a great option. Also I have a particularly large heatsink that no mid tower would fit (CM v8), and I paid 190$ for the NZXT phantom, 1000w NZXT PSU, and the CM v8 which was a steal.

Edit: basically it comes down to personal preference, if that is the case he wants he should get it.

I agree.

Well... I would if I wasn't a performance whore.

Mid tower case's for $50-70 are more than enough for the majority of people. Modern mid tower case's for $50-60 have:

• Enough space to fit high end cards
• Cable management options
• 3-5 120mm fan mountings
• 3-5 HDD slots

More than enough. See image below... Its a $60 case. Spending a extra $60 on a case that will offer you 0% performance instead of buying a better GPU is borderline dumb.

It's the 200R isn't it?

PS having full tower is only smart choice if you plan owning more than 2 GPUs (3-4) to blow away huge amount of heat.

@PredatorRules said:

@Grey_Eyed_Elf said:

@IvanElk said:

@Grey_Eyed_Elf said:

I agree with what everyone else is saying here... i5 and a high end GPU is a far better option than a i7 and mid range GPU. Just have a look at my signature I am not saying this for the hell of it I could have got a i7 but have absolutely no use for it and in all honesty not many people do.

The GTX 770 and i5 build with the SSD is the best option... (I think its a build that I recommend a while ago :P).

Also full tower ATX cases with flashing light's are a complete waste of money and you would be far better off getting a mid tower for half the price and it will still look great and give you cooling options and cable management.

Performance is what you should always aim for because once that thing is built no amount of flashing lights will be able to comfort your poor decision not to go for a SSD and a High end GPU.

I have a phantom so what, I get 9 (or ten I forget) HDD slots. Plenty of room for my PSU and lots of cable management, tons of airflow, built in fan controller. Like damn its great having a full tower.If you don't plan on going to lan parties its a great option. Also I have a particularly large heatsink that no mid tower would fit (CM v8), and I paid 190$ for the NZXT phantom, 1000w NZXT PSU, and the CM v8 which was a steal.

Edit: basically it comes down to personal preference, if that is the case he wants he should get it.

I agree.

Well... I would if I wasn't a performance whore.

Mid tower case's for $50-70 are more than enough for the majority of people. Modern mid tower case's for $50-60 have:

• Enough space to fit high end cards
• Cable management options
• 3-5 120mm fan mountings
• 3-5 HDD slots

More than enough. See image below... Its a $60 case. Spending a extra $60 on a case that will offer you 0% performance instead of buying a better GPU is borderline dumb.

It's the 200R isn't it?

PS having full tower is only smart choice if you plan owning more than 2 GPUs (3-4) to blow away huge amount of heat.

PS... LINK.

Notice how a NZXT 210 and Antec one both low end mid tower cases give better cooling than a 900D?

Its a myth that a full tower offers better cooling same a having better cable management.

They offer more space. That's it. If your not going to use that space for water cooling or excessive amounts of drives or more than two GPU's then you are wasting your money on a full tower.

True.

Get an i5 (preferably haswell) and a better GPU.

Put me down for excessive amounts of drives because I plan on having more than 5 in the near future.

Also yes if you get a full tower in lieu of a better gpu you are making a mistake, but I wasn't so to me at least it was worth it. Also future wc build and crossfired 290's would benefit a tad from a full tower. But again if the guy wants a big case with cool lights and lots o' fans he should do it. Plus whats an extra 40$ (I believe phantoms are just around 100$ now-a-days right?)

Some people are budget limited and extra 40$ could be a better GPU.