Approve my choices on my first build please!

[amalik91]

Hi there i'm trying to build my first gaming rig and a budget price.

I intend on getting this barebones kit:
MSI H61M-P23 B3 Intel H61 Barebones Kit - MSI H61M-P23 B3 Motherboard, Intel Core i5-2500K CPU, Corsair 4GB DDR3 RAM, Seagate 1TB HDD, Thermaltake V3 BE Tower Case, Diablotek 600-Watt Power Supply
link: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=281588&CatId=333

and with it i'll get this DVD burner:
Sony Optiarc AD-7260S-0B 24x DVDRW Drive - 24x, S-ATA, Black, OEM
link: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6246700&CatId=1624

as for graphics card, i'm not sure which one to get and i don't know how wattage works with it as well, but my friend suggested that I get:
EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti Video Card - 1GB, GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0 (x16), Mini-HDMI, Dual DVI, DirectX 11, Dual-Slot, SLI Ready
link: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=41125&csid=ITD&body=MAIN

I'm hoping that this is all I need and that the DVD burner and graphics card are compatible with the barebones kit. Thanks for checking it out!

[zburns]

Hi amalik and welcome to the forums.

Tiger Direct must feel fairly ok with this package. The only thing in the package that really would worry me is the power supply. They do not give a diablotek cat # which makes me suspicious; however, I did look it up on the Diablotek home site. It is not UL approved. Amazon is selling it for $ 20 or $ 30, you can look it up on Amazon. On Amazon there is one review from a user who was real pleased. The video card specs require 400 watts minimum which is correct based on the number of cuda processors in the video card (like 192); it is a deluxe video card which will eat up wattage.

I suggest you look for reviews on the psu online. A good review will be somewhat technical and detailed over multiple pages, like 6 pages. A one or two page review cannot say a lot. Bottom line, the PSU is supposed to protect your components and perform to its specifications. I will look again sometime tomorrow for any other info on the psu and post it if I find anything. I would suggest you call Tiger Direct and see if they will let you substitute another PSU in place of the Diablotek. Technically, the limited specs 'imply' that it will run the video card you have picked but I have my doubts.

Otherwise, the choices look ok given the budget. In closing, it matters that you have a reliable well designed psu. Cheap psu's have been known to fail and damage the components within the computer.

If you place the order with Tiger Direct, I also suggest you ask them if any of the components are allowed to be 'Open Box' components. My understanding of what 'Open Box' means is that ' a returned item which has been opened but returned to Tiger Direct (maybe had to be repaired??) is allowed to be resold and shipped to a customer. I would ask about 'Open Box' and also ask them what the words mean, how do they define 'Open Box'. Be very clear about it; get a supervisor or someone higher up to explain it to you.

[amalik91]

Oh wow I never took the chance to check the reviews on that, and most have not been so good. I just e-mailed tigerdirect to see if I can put in a little more money to get a better psu or atleast take it out of the barebones kit so I can get another psu. Do you have a recommendation of what psu I should use so for my kit? or will anything but the diablotek will suffice and be compatible with the kit

[zburns]

I will look into the PSU more later today and do a post. In the meantime, I would also suggest that you check out reviews on the MSI motherboard, not that I know anything negative on the mobo. I have no hesitation regards MSI; never used their product; however, I have never seen anything on this forum or in other reviews that give any suggestion that their products do not work as advertised. The only reason I suggest you look at reviews, is that at a quick glance, it is a barebones motherboard and that does not mean it will not work fine with the components you have in the package. It is just that when you buy a 'barebones' component or low cost component, it is best to be sure of what you are getting, ie. a review by a competant reviewer. In the absence of a review, look at various forums for approval on the mobo. Check out Newegg for the mobo; as a standard practice on their product page, they have 'user reviews'.