Looking for opinions and advice

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Jake4
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2013 4:33 pm

Looking for opinions and advice

Post by Jake4 » Thu Dec 12, 2013 5:12 pm

Hi all,
It has been about a decade since I last built a desktop, and with the holidays approaching I am planning on moving on a new system. I am aiming for a balanced build that is kinda fast and kinda quiet for not a lot of money. I have not been doing much desktop gaming lately but want to allow for the possibility with the addition of a discrete card to the build below in the future should the need arise. I am not planning on overclocking.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2joYp

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570S 2.9GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Asus H87M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($107.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 530 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 300W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($50.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $590.47

My thoughts:
I liked the performance and inclusion of reasonable low-level graphics in the 4570S.
Is the Hyper 212 EVO a good match here?
I don't think the micro ATX board will limit me; I won't be doing SLI or plan on having many if any expansion cards.
Want 2 DIMMs so I can add 2 more later.
Good SSD choice?
Case ok?
Love SeaSonic; will this one be suitable if I need to add a GPU or should I go higher wattage?

I am also going to put together an AMD build for comparison. Any thoughts on CPUs/MBs/coolers?

Thanks, gang!

CA_Steve
Moderator
Posts: 7650
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:36 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: Looking for opinions and advice

Post by CA_Steve » Thu Dec 12, 2013 8:55 pm

Welcome to SPCR.

It's a nice economy build. Go for the i5-4570 instead of the 4570S. It's ~ same price or a few bucks cheaper, faster base clock, and games are clock speed dependant. If you have a few more bucks, it's worth getting the faster 4670.

PSU: Think ahead for your graphics card. Are you planning to game at 1080p or some other resolution? How big of a gfx card do you need for the games you play? What's it's TDP / how will it effect PSU fan ramp? Does the PSU have the PCIe graphics power connectors your card needs?

Jake4
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2013 4:33 pm

Re: Looking for opinions and advice

Post by Jake4 » Fri Dec 13, 2013 8:37 am

H CA_Steve,
Thanks for the welcome. I've been lurking for ages but just registered to post.

The reason I went with the 4570S was because of the lower TDP. Unless you think the 84W 4670 will be kept sufficiently cool at low fan speeds with the 212 cooler...it doesn't seem like a drastic difference in performance, on the order of 5-10%.

I just noticed that the SeaSonic PSU I selected isn't Haswell ready, so now I'm looking at something different from SeaSonic. Maybe SSR-450RM or SS-400FL2 fanless. I think 400W would give me enough room on top of the 140-150W I've got to add a single video card later. Thoughts on those PSUs?

I still haven't gotten to research an AMD build. What APU is comparable to the 4570S-4670?

Thanks for the help!

CA_Steve
Moderator
Posts: 7650
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:36 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: Looking for opinions and advice

Post by CA_Steve » Sat Dec 14, 2013 9:57 am

Take a look at the Anandtech review on your case. They've got a 95W CPU, a 244W GPU, and a middle of the road CPU cooler. The CPU stays cool. You won't have a problem with an 84W Haswell CPU in there with the EVO and it seems a shame to nerf your fps performance.

That said, you might consider adding one 120 mm fan for the front to increase airflow a bit when you add the graphics card. Better airflow -> cooler case ambient temp -> lower CPU and GPU fan rpms -> quieter.

PSU: With a 160W GPU, your gaming power draw will be in the 250W range. Maybe 270W. The quietest would be the fanless 400W. You'd see some fan ramp while gaming with the Seasonic G 450. Less fan ramp with the G 550. There's also Corsair's RM450/RM550. Again, make sure the PSU has the PEG connectors you need.

AMD CPU: For gaming, Haswell trumps AMD. An i3 will take on nearly any AMD CPU.

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