The Desktop PC Building Thread

[otc]

Yeah. It is a glossy display and I'm a matte-fan but otherwise it looks great (and it is a desktop so I don't have to worry about glare issues in a coffee shop or something).

Went with the achieva shimian for like $289 since I had an adjustable VESA-mount stand I wanted to use and only needed the DVI input (no reason to pay more for the models with better stands or inputs)

 

[otc]

Ordered a new PSU today off slickdeals...so I guess it is time to plan a build to go with it to replace my rapidly aging computer. Normally I would reuse the PSU/case, but I broke part of the case and I suspect that the PSU is failing. Looking to go a bit smaller with a micro-ATX build.

Here is what I am thinking now:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PxFjBm

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.79 @ Mwave)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card
Case: Silverstone TJ08B-E MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 660W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $719.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-29 15:16 EDT-0400

Ignore the video card (reusing mine...it works fine now, should scream with a new computer underneath it and then I can upgrade it again in a year or two).
Mobo and SSD are just relatively random picks that I should probably do more research on.

Any thoughts?

 

[otc]

The seasonic PSU packaging is ridiculous. Had to order the PSU the other day since the price was set to jump from 80 to 150...haven't decided on the other parts yet.

The PSU itself came in an embroidered velvet bag (packed in cut-out foam, inside the full-color printed cardboard box).
The modular cables are in some sort of folding and velcroing fabric cable organizer...
And then it came with a bunch of zip ties and velcro straps to tidy up the cables after installation.

I'm all for nice packaging...but seriously?

 

[puddsy]

I always thought that the seasonic bag was a total gimmick. I ended up using mine to store keycaps in.

 

[otc]

Build mostly done. Has windows on the SSD but I decided not to reuse my old HDD so I ordered a new one and thus don't have bulk storage yet.

Also ordered a bluray drive for 35 bucks just in case I ever want to rip a movie. Thought it looks ugly with the blank slot (the other slot holds a hot swap bay for my off site backup drive).

Gotta get the hdd in place (which means I have to keep the HDD cage unless I get rid of the card reader in the 3.5 bay) and take care of some lingering cable management... But otherwise the build is done.

Intel cooler seems quiet enough... But I have room for a tower cooler if I need one.