First gaming PC build

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  breaks on 06/08/2014 - 16:34

  +1

  Quite liking your last few builds but I think the power supply choice could be better.
  An 80 plus silver over a bronze will save very little power. Here's a comparison between a bronze and platinum PSU (note the rating of the PSU used and how similar the build is to yours).
  Also here and here.
  TL;DR - The efficiency is very close and the savings are tangible only if you have your computer on 24/7.

  A modular PSU allows you to add cables to connect your devices (HDD, GPU etc) as required. This helps minimize clutter inside your case. Nice feature to have but how often do you plan on adding/removing devices and is it worth $30 to you?
  Personally, I'd upgrade the 2TB HDD ($93) to 3TB ($125) for the money or just "pocket the savings" (I hate coles).

  Edit: Also consider other memory, you can easily get the same performance for less. Brand loyalty will not help you, only the brand :)

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    watty on 06/08/2014 - 18:12

    Hey Breaks! So I read your comment a while ago and was only able to find a bronze 600W that I liked. http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&c…

    It's only $4 cheaper and I'm actually happy to pay $100 give or take a bit for a good quality, branded power supply.

    As for a 3TB hard drive ($30 for an extra 1TB is great value I completely agree) I honestly will never ever use it up (I don't even think I can use up 1TB). I have a 2TB and 3TB external hard drive on standby if I run out of space (they were given to me as gifts).

    The ram I have right now is $105 but if I go lower I'll save about $6 (http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmz8gx3m2a160…). I'm happy to with any ram as long as it is a good quality one. I noticed Kingston was mentioned above several times but I've heard bad stories about them and paying a little more to get another brand is cool with me :) (My focus has somewhat slightly shifted to quality over price, I rather pay a little more now so it will last me longer).

    Thanks heaps for your help though Breaks! It has been very useful and I think my build will last me a long time. I couldn't bring the price "down down" ;) (coles reference)

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      breaks on 06/08/2014 - 18:24

      Here's the PSU I was referring to. From one of my suggested builds.
      The 3TB will have slightly better performance than the 2TB due to higher platter density. You can always just save the money though.

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        watty on 06/08/2014 - 18:40

        Oh sorry man, I didn't notice it. Thanks for showing it me again! So I remembered I had a $80 good guys voucher sitting around so I'll buy windows from them (is this the correct one for a machine with no existing os? http://www.thegoodguys.com.au/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Prod…)

        I changed to the 3tb since I have more moving space, thanks heaps :) Watty

        Updated list (edited): http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/RHbtLk

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        breaks on 06/08/2014 - 19:27

        @watty: Looks great. You can probably take out the HDMI to DVI adapter as the video card comes with one.
        And yes, that is the full version of Windows 8.1.
        I just realized that you might not be aware of staticice.com.au. It's like google for computer parts and a godsend for us computer geeks. Use state:vic or whatever state your in to filter results to that state.

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        watty on 06/08/2014 - 19:33

        @breaks: Yeah I know staticice, I'll go into hyper ozbargain mode when I know what my local prices are (they are a walking distance away). The HDMI to DVI is for the dell screen. Is the DVI adapter for the graphics card or is it just there as an extra? (i should have had more research in this, sorry about the lazy question).

        Awesome, TGG just saved me some money lol.

        Thanks breaks
        Watty

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        breaks on 06/08/2014 - 20:39

        @watty: it's an extra thrown in there in case you use an old monitor.

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        watty on 06/08/2014 - 20:44

        @breaks: Sweet, saves me 9 bucks! Cheers mate. I think that's my build done then, can't be more happy with it. Thanks for the help.

        Watty

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  ethereal88 on 08/08/2014 - 06:54

  -1

  That mobo still has the creaky old ALC 892 codec, you have no SSD, and I'd take a 290 or 780 anyday over an old 7970.

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    watty on 08/08/2014 - 07:01

    I actually picked an ssd but didn't update the link on here (my bad), I'm going with the 256gb Samsung pro ssd. The asrock doesn't have the right codec? (Oops lol - I'll look into that today to be sure). My video card is the R9 280x not the 7970 (I think you misread someone else's post). Cheers

    Edit: So i looked it up and here's the link http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h97mpro4

    There's no sign of ALC1150 so I may have to switch out the mobo, glad i didn't buy it yesterday because my local store had one for a nice price. Thanks for the reminder!

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      ethereal88 on 08/08/2014 - 14:50

      -2

      Asrock H97 Performance has the 1150 codec. The 280X IS a 7970. Its a rebadged card from 2012. You want a faster GPU.

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