My First Desktop PC Build

Jan 6, 2013 · Comments

I built my first desktop PC over the past couple of months with the help of some of my coworker buddies. It was a fantastic experience - I was able to build a fast, powerful Desktop for less than the cost of a mid-range laptop (excluding the cost of monitors). I focused on 3 areas: software development (good CPU, lots of RAM and an SSD), gaming (2GB GPU), and media (1TB HDD for movies/tv/games).

Final specifications:

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard

Memory: Corsair XMS3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive and Crucial m4 CT128M4SSD2 128GB SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5" SSD

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB Video Card

Case: Xion XON-980-BK (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case w/red LEDs

Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 450W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V

Operating System: Windows 8 Pro

Monitors (2): Samsung S24B30BL 23.6" LCD

Keyboard & Mouse: Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 & Microsoft Arc

(PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/na4A)