"IvyHammer" $1850 ~ Value and Performance ~ First Build

Jmaster227 · February 24, 2013

Hey everyone, I just joined the LinusTechTips Forum and wanted to say hi and present my gaming rig. I've had this rig for 4 months, and I haven't run into any problems. It's my first and only build so far, and I hope I can take this new skill and continue at it. I haven't regretted any of my component choices, however any input is much appreciated. When deciding what to put into this build, I had these things in mind: Components had to have 4-5 star reviews and a good price/performance ratio. I wanted to fit the most logical, reasonable, and reliable parts in while keeping the budget around $1800. I'm very happy with how it's turned out! Here are the specs and price at time of purchase:

Case: Thermaltake Chaser MK-I ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $129.99

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $179.99

CPU: Intel Core i5 3570k (oc'd to 4.2Ghz) ------------------------------------------------------------------ $219.99

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (Push/Pull) --------------------------------------------- $14.56 + $7.72(extra fan)

Graphics Card: Gigabyte GTX 670 Windforce 2GB (3 fans) ----------------------------------------- $359.99

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600mhz (4GBx2) ------------------------------------------------- $37.99

Power Supply: XFX 850w Modular XXX Edition (80+ Silver) ----------------------------------------- $121.28

Storage: Vertex 4 256GB SSD (Operating System) ---------------------------------------------------- $189.99

Western Digital BLUE 1TB HDD (Backup/Storage) --------------------------------------- $69.99

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit ------------------------------------------------------------------------ $91.99

Optical Drive: Lite-On LightScribe 24X IHAS424-98 --------------------------------------------------- $22.99

Wireless Card: TP-Link 450Mbps PCI-E Adapter (TL-WDN4800) --------------------------------- $36.09

Extra: x2 Cooler Master Megaflow 200mm Fan (Blue LED) ------------------------------------------ $29.12

NZXT Individually Sleeved Cable Starter Pack (Black) ----------------------------------------- $19.99

Monitor: Acer GD235HZ 24" 120hz (NO dead pixels, etc.) ------------------------------------------- $249.99

Keyboard: Logitech G110 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $59.99

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TOTAL: $1841.65

I did not take pictures while building the computer (sorry!), but I did take before/after shots. Here are the pictures (sorry if bad quality, I was using my phone):

Before Build

All of the parts still boxed (except case)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nrhudxnye2gbfg3/IMG_0019.JPG

Monitor out of package

https://www.dropbox.com/s/iqatfnhkhqvwnq2/IMG_0018.JPG

Keyboard out of package

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ap2llhz4zqloqv0/IMG_0020.JPG

After Build

Everything plugged in, not running

https://www.dropbox.com/s/s93fpwjix30djgd/IMG_0001.JPG

https://www.dropbox.com/s/w3gqkqxv9cfkfr4/IMG_0002.JPG

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qm2mo3g51swoy6f/IMG_0003.JPG