When using this resource, please read FragKrag's opening post. The Tech Support forum regulars have helped create countless of desktop systems without any compensation. The least you can do is provide all of the information required for them to help you properly.
Earthwatts Green 380D is a little better and cheaper now than the Corsair CX430 (both have same +12V rating anyway, so you're not losing any power there), though both are going to have to use a molex -> 6 pin power connector for a GTX 460: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033
Thanks for the suggestions. I am tempted to pick up the SSD if I do not get a better video card, any opinions on which I should do? Do you have any suggestions for a video card in the $180 - $250 range? Also, will the power supply still be sufficient for a better video card.
You cannot overclock on the H61 chipset and you cannot do SLI or CrossfireX either. If you are looking to do either, you are going to have to pay premium for a P67 chipset and a core i5 2500k. Keep in mind that there is also no USB3 or SATA3 on the H61 chipset; if you are looking at adding a SSD later or have external devices that take advantage of USB3, you would want a H67 chipset.
A quality 400w power supply is perfectly capable of powering your configuration. There is not much of a selection at the retailer you listed and I do not know the OEM of the Coolermaster or Mushkin model so I can't comment much about it.
If you're looking to play games besides Starcraft 2, it is best to go for a Radeon 6850. This card has the potential of being flashed to a 6870.
@dandan23
Swan M10, Edifier S330, Klipsch PM2.1, and Corsair SP2200 are some $100 speakers that come to mind.
@Jorrod
The power supply is still sufficient for any mid-range graphics card.
You have these choices to choose from in the $180 - $250 range:
ASUS P8H67-M LE/CSM (your original choice) - this will be fine if you do not plan on overclocking, doing SLI / CrossfireX, are not upgrading to an SSD later, or have external devices that take advantage of USB3
ASUS P8P67-M Pro - if you want to overclock (keep in mind you need a core i5 2500k as well) or do CrossfireX
ASUS P8P67 Sabertooth - if you are looking to do SLI
One more question, Its ok to just get the ASUS P8P67-M Pro for USB 3.0 and possible SSD expansion and still get the ir 2500 right? I mean I don't really want to OC the CPU since I think its pretty damn good as it is.
The EVGA comes with a lifetime warranty upon registration as opposed to Gigabyte's three year warranty. The Gigabyte one has a very good heatsink so it'll be quieter, cooler, and have more overclocking potential.
It basically comes down to whether you want to pay a $20 premium for lifetime warranty.
Does anyone know how to make a graphics card quieter, and maybe cooler. I'm running a Sapphire HD4870, and the fan is too loud at minimum. It idles at 60 and can be heard from 4m away, just barely. It's also the loudest thing in my computer, which is inaudible if the graphics card fan is off.
If it's still too loud after you manually adjusted the fanspeed and cleared the dust out of the heatsink than your only option would be to buy an aftermarket heatsink to replace the stock one on your graphics card or buy a new graphics card.
I'm installing my motherboard into the case, but I'm not sure what screws to use. I read somewhere that you put the golden colored screws in first then screw the regular ones on top of those, is that correct ?
Also there are some little metal pieces that stick out on the IO shield (towards the inside of the case), making it hard to push the motheboard against it in order for the screw holes to lineup. Should I just bend them a bit ?
Standoffs should be installed onto the nine specified locations in the case and than your motherboard goes ontop of these and you screw in the motherboard
There shouldn't be metal sticking out of the I/O shield. If you can take a picture of it, it'll give us a better understanding of what you are talking about.
Oh ok, I have it installed now, I was doing something terribly wrong with the screws and the standoffs... I won't go into the details because it's pretty embarassing
Anyway, you can see what I meant in this video :
at 3:42, he mentions "flaps" that you can bend a little bit. Anyway, like i said, I managed to install the mobo without forcing anything so I guess it doesn't really matter.
Hey I was looking at that case and I was wondering if I asked them to trade my case in for the one you recommended to getone321 (if it's still a possibility) if it would fit all my needS?
Mushkin Enhanced Silverline Stiletto 4GB 2X2GB PC3-10666 DDR3-1333 9-9-9-24 Dual Channel Memory Kit 55546 1 $39.99 $39.99 Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 32MB Cache 3.5IN Dual Proc Hard Drive OEM 57432 1 $63.21 $63.21 Price Match Request(subject to approval) $43.79 $43.79 Corsair Builder Series CMPSU-430CX 430W ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan *2 Year Warranty* 54842 1 $29.99 $29.99 Silverstone Precision PS04B ATX Black Mid Tower Case 4X5.25 1X3.5 5X3.5INT No PS 54275 1 $39.99 $39.99 Price Match Request(subject to approval) $35.16 $35.16 Samsung SH-S223C 22X DVD Writer SATA Black OEM 46792 1 $25.99 $25.99 Price Match Request(subject to approval) $16.79 $16.79 NCIX Value Bundle Deal Intel Core i3 2100 Processor & Gigabyte H61M-D2P-B3 H61 Motherboard FREE GROUND SHIPPING FOR THIS ORDER! This product can only be exchanged or replaced with the exact same item. 59963 1 $189.99 $189.99 1 x Intel Core i3 2100 Dual Core Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.1GHZ Sandy Bridge 3MB 1 x Gigabyte GA-H61M-D2P-B3 mATX LGA1155 H61 DDR3 1PCI-E16 1PCI-E 2PCI SATA2 DVI Video Sound Motherboard MSI GeForce GTS 450 Fermi OC 850MHZ 4GHZ 1024MB 1GB GDDR5 2XDVI Mini-HDMI DX11 PCI-E *IR-$13* 57924 1 $109.99 $109.99 1 x FREE Ubisoft Tom Clancy H.A.W.X 2 (PC Game) Coupon for Digital Download *NVIDIA Promo Only*
NOTE: Free gifts can only be claimed in this shopping cart and cannot be added after the order is processed. BenQ G2222HDH Black 21.5IN Widescreen LCD Monitor 1920X1080 5ms 40000:1DC VGA HDMI *IR-$25* Electronics Recycling Fee $12.00 Per Item FREE GROUND SHIPPING FOR THIS ITEM! 52148 1 $129.99 $129.99 Price Match Request(subject to approval) $127.60 $127.60 PC Assembly and Testing With 1 Year Limited NCIX System Warranty (PRE-CONFIG WIN. OS If Purchased) Electronics Recycling Fee $10.00 Per Item Note: PC Assembly & Testing does not include servers and requires an additional 4-5 business days to ship once all parts are in stock. NCIX will install aftermarket heatsinks or pre-filled CPU liquid coolers. 1 Year Limited Warranty on installed system parts. 7842 1 $50.00 $50.00 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM 45271 1 $123.98 $123.98 Price Match Request(subject to approval) $93.79 $93.79
The case looks pretty cool, but if it doesn't fit my needs then no big deal lol. Or if they email me telling me that it's too late