Maximum PC

Here is the link to the pc partspicker with my build. I have tried to apply the tips you have all given me and put together a 3gen system as you rec'd. (hope it is ok to just post the link to the web site, all the info is there)

http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/parts/partlist/

I should note that the system is about $300.00 cheaper then listed, as some of the parts are on sale from other venders and I have been offered some discounts on others for buying other parts. That has something to do with the parts I selected. If there are no glaring errors, I will be ordering the parts very shortly.

I will be running two monitors, lightly OCing, gaming, and doing a lot of work online.

This will be my first time putting everything together myself. If you know of any guides that are better then others, I would be happy to review them, esp in regards to using the SSD for my OS, updating things like firmware and bios and drivers, rooting my directories to the HDD, and how to safely stress test the system.

Thanks for reading, and I would like to thank you for your help a few months ago when I first posted for build help.

Your link brings up a blank parts list. I cant tell you how to fix it but if you didn't save it or something then the list is gone.

oh, sorry. it works for me. yes i saved the build.

http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/b/wVC

does this help?

What's with everyone and the SABERTOOTH? I'll go with my usual shpeil then...

• You can drop the RAM to 8GB. Games and office applications won't need more than that.
• You can get a motherboard that does as much for less. The SABERTOOTH is gimmicky at best.
• And if you really wanted to skirt around saving money, you can drop the power supply down to about 600W

Ah, you dont like the sabertooth...
I dont know much about Motherboards or the features I should be looking for. I picked this b/c I thought it would last, have easy overclocking features and wasn't that much more expensive then the other Z77's I was looking at.

I am getting the RAM as part of a combo fairly cheap, but if you feel that I won't be using the 8GB at all in the future, then I'll take your suggestion and see if I can get a deal on the 2x4GB's.

The GTX 680 has a min requirement of a 550W PSU. I am having difficulty calculating the power I need for the system, or how much expansion I have room for with the 850W. I dont think i entered in the right codes to the Power Calculator I was using...regardless the numbers were all over the place, so I figured the 850W would be about right.

Well, looking at some of the features, it might be a $200 motherboard, but a lot of those features are either "nice to have" or a $120-$150 board has them too. And I'm pretty sure Z77's aren't the high end of the spectrum (considering you could get a really good Z68 for $120 or so).


If it's part of a combo deal, then get it. I wasn't aware of that. Unless the combo deal was with the motherboard.


The "minimum" power requirement is assuming a fully loaded system, this is just to cover the manufacturer's ass. However I did do a quick run down at http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine and it claims you need 380W @ 90% system load... so 750W or so is probably better. Rule of thumb is you should get a power supply that meets about double of what you need. Power supplies are happiest at 50%-60% load. And you have some room for an upgrade.

Although games don't tax the system to 90% load, so 700W might be reasonable too.

Is there a Z77 motherboard you would rec over the Sabertooth? Keeping in mind that the Overclocking for nubs features are something I would like?

I'll look into the 700-750W PSU's and see the price pts. The Seasonic I picked I would be getting at $45.00 off, but if I hunt around like I did for that, I should find a good one on sale also.

When calculating my power consumption, what am I adding to the total? Gpu, CPU, case fans...

Many thanks LatiosXT, for taking the time to look over and consider my build.

Something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130646 . But I don't know. I don't really keep up with motherboards to make recommendations.


Every thing that plugs into the power supply (directly or indirectly)