I was going for around $600, right now my bill is at $640 which is still okay with me! I can still go a little higher but prefer not to, and definitely don't want over $700. The price listed is correct except I found a combo for the PCU and Mobo on microcenter which is why those have been selected.
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/OwVQ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker....VQ/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker....wVQ/benchmarks/
CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($164.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Tempest 210 ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M 700W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $710.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-05 19:36 EDT-0400)
and here's where I'm looking at the mobo combo
I'm only getting an SSD because I already have 2 regular hard drives I'm keeping as well as a DVD optical drive from my previous system.
So, my questions:
Does this setup look good to run games at decent graphics for a few years (again, I don't need anything fancy, just want a major upgrade from my old system ? Other recommendations welcome! After reading reviews and ratings and researching, these seemed good to me. I know the PSU might be a little overkill but it seemed to be the best value, okay to have such a large wattage?
For the SSD, I know I install Windows to it, do I install all the programs I expect to use a lot so that they will be fast? And the not so important ones/data files on the other drives if I have space issues?
Cooling - I'm not really too sure how many fans I need, I know the case comes with two I believe? And I got a fan for the processor. Do I need any additional ones? Do I need to buy thermal paste, as well?
And I originally was posting in the hardware forum because I was having comp issues (which is why I need to build a new computer haha). My friend over there, iammykal (?), wanted me to post my zipcode since I'm in the US (it's 60188).
Thanks in advance!