You could definitely save some money on your video card/processor and add a good 256gb ssd.

I kept my computer on a lot before, but there is no need now. Boots in under 10 seconds.

Boot time is an ancillary benefit in my opinion. Near instantaneous response to common actions (opening programs, retrieving files, etc...) is the real benefit. An SSD is a major boon to productivity and makes the overall experience of using a computer vastly better.

Thanks for the advice, I went a little lower on the CPU to a 4460 and added the SSD instead.

This is ~$950 including monitor/keyboard/mouse/optical drive.

How do you get the OS installed on the SSD? What do you mean by that? Is that just how it works with the computer to speed up the start time, etc. or do you mean pre-installed?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/32kPLk forgot the link ^

After you put the entire system together and start it up you'll have to install an operating system (windows in your case). You will have to tell windows setup which drive to install windows on. You want to make sure you are installing it on a drive that is an SSD (not a mechanical drive). Doing so will vastly, vastly improve the all around performance and responsiveness of your system.

Having the operating system installed on an SSD will greatly improve start up time, but that is a minor benefit. The real benefit is that it is going to be quicker in everything that it does. I play games on my computer, but I also frequently use it for general productivity (Microsoft office, web browsing, various other programs for work). Having windows and your other most frequently used programs installed on the SSD is going to make everything so much more responsive you will never want to use mechanical drives again.

Ever start a program and have to wait for it to open while you can hear your drive thrashing about?

Yeah, that's gone on solid state drives.

Gotcha that makes sense.

this is the same link, so do you guys feel this is a solid build?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/32kPLk

With getting a 256GB SSD, I don't need any more memory do I? I can always add more, right?

Without the OS and Monitor it's approx $700

Storage and memory are two different things, usually mistakenly conflated. Storage is your hard drive, solid state in your case. Memory is your ram, which is where your programs are loaded into when you go to run them.

256GB is a little on the low end for a pc as its only drive, you could easily buy a mechanical 1TB drive for pretty cheap and use it for non-OS non-CS related stuff and storage needs, but that's up to you.

I almost bought a 256gb drive for my current pc but the 512 wasn't that much more expensive, and then I'd basically never need to worry about storage needs.

Build looks pretty good though. Radeon graphics cards use way more power than nvidia cards, so that could be a potential issue.

Can I always add more storage later without issue?

I am going to look into the graphics card, I think I've always got nvidia in the past.

Thoughts on moving to a gold certified psu? Is it necessary for this build to last years?

Also thoughts on GeForce gfx card instead of Radeon?

I'd worry less about gold certified and more about wattage. 500 is a little low for any PC that'll be gaming with a semi-recent gpu. The gold/silver/etc is all about efficiency I believe, nothing about durability.

You can most likely add another hard drive later pretty easily, but it's a lot less work and hassle to just do a little bit of future proofing and not have to worry about it.

If it's not in your current budget, then yes, it's a totally acceptable place to save some money.

NVidia cards are better right now, but also not as good at the price per performance level. If you're not shelling out $300 for a GTX 970, an AMD chip will be better for you.

Read these if you get a chance, especially page #7 w/ the hierarchy:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...view,3107.html

Power supply at 600 watts should be fine if you aren't overclocking for an AMD card, they eat a bit more power. Just get a power supply from this list:
http://www.overclock.net/t/183810/fa...power-supplies

Hard drives can always be added later, with no pain. As long as you keep your OS on the same drive.

Thanks for the response. Will check it out tonight. I'm hoping to order a few things tonight that are unlikely to change while I research more.

Any chance what I'm building would be able to handle Battlefield 4 decently?

You'll be able to play anything.

Cool. I dont anticipate playing much but I have a few buddies who want me to try BF4 so nice to know it's an option.

Hoping to finalize most everything tonight.

Thanks for the help everybody! I will let you know the final product

You can always lower your resolution or settings if you don't get the desired fps.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/x9LLK8

Ordered this.

Seems solid.

I'm a bit of a RAM snob, and I would have purchased a better known like Corsair or something, but other than that: looks fine. Can handle any game on the market, and you won't disappointed in the speed.

There are more GSKill RAM kits out there than Corsair ones. http://www.newegg.com/Desktop-Memory...?Order=REVIEWS I've had GSkill ram in my last 2 builds. Never any problems. Difference in RAM kits nowadays is almost irrelevant.

Guess I'm just not up to snuff on my ram game.

I've been using Gskill ram in builds for years with zero problems. Wouldn't be surprised if it and "better" brands come from the same factory.

Rumors that Tiger Direct may be closing its doors on many retail stores. Keep your eyes peeled for blow out sales soon.

Hey, pick up an anti-static wrist strap if you haven't already.

Or go my route and ground yourself every other second because you're scared you're going to blow something up.

Oh I need to look at the manual *touch* let me flip that page *touch* let me grab that screw *touch*