Building a comp for the first time (10 ?s answered)

Imbrium

Junior Member
Mar 1, 2014
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Despite making some BIG mistakes when buying my last computer (ie buying from Dell and thinking that a "gaming laptop" in lieu of a desktop wasn't a ridiculously stupid idea - at the time, I really needed something that I could take on an airplane and didn't want to buy two computers... plus I took advice from a friend who suggested Dell (don't worry, I yelled at him SO much when I realized what a mistake that had been :p)), it's still working reasonably well after 8 years.

I would like to have the option to get back into gaming though (when I quit World of Warcraft, I had a sneaking suspicion that my computer wouldn't have been able to handle the upcoming expansion anyway... and I know it wouldn't be good enough to handle newer games), plus I'm sick of things being a bit slow, of having to constantly battle against heat issues and of having a ridiculously limiting 69 GB hard drive... so I'm ready to cough up for a new PC and I'd like to put one together myself this time.

I've never built a desktop before. Thankfully, my SO knows his way around a computer and built his current desktop himself... he offered to put one together for me but I'd like to pick out the components myself or at least narrow things down to a short-list for him to help me choose from, both for the sense of accomplishment and because I'm the one paying for everything (I suspect he'd come up with a less expensive build than I would because he was looking to save me money; I'd rather splurge a little where I can justify it, given how much time I spend at my computer).

To give you guys an idea of how giddy I'm going to be the first time I try out my new computer, here's what I'm dealing with now, lol:

Dell Inspiron E1705, running Windows XP MCE (SP3)
Processor - Genuine Intel(R) CPU T2500 @ 2.00 GHz
Video card - NVIDIA GeForce GO 7900 GS (256 MB ram)
RAM - 2x 1 GB
Hard drive - 68.42 GB
Motherboard - Dell Inspiron 9400 (Model 0YD479)
[While it's lasted 8 years so far, it was really only viable (enough) as a gaming comp for the first 5 or so... though I suppose that's actually somewhat impressive for a computer these days :p.]

~~~~~

Answers to the stuff in the sticky:

1. What YOUR PC will be used for.

The obvious (general use stuff), plus gaming, torrenting, and maybe a smidge of occasional video editing. [As for what games I'd be playing, specifically, I honestly don't even know what's out there these days because there's no point shopping for games that I know for a fact my computer can't handle. All I know is that I'd want to go back to MMOs - I miss tanking and healing!]

2. What YOUR budget is.

I really don't have a set budget - all I care about is getting the best value for what I spend (ie only paying for performance increases that I'll actually notice/benefit from) and about not having to turn around and upgrade stuff in a couple years, given that I'll gladly tune down game settings to delay upgrading something, lol. In other words, money is not an issue - if I wanted to, I could buy the "top-of-the-line" version of everything. Of course, I could also take a few thousand dollars and light it on fire; neither one would be a prudent thing to do :p.

My guess, though, is that it'll cost around $1200-1500 (not including a new version of Windows) to build a computer that fits my needs/wants, bearing in mind that I want to get two 4 TB hard drives (the second would be a backup for the first because no one wants to lose 4 TB of stuff!), which will add about $300 to the total cost of a new computer compared to getting a single 1 TB drive.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

United States (Houston, TX)... major stores (ie chains) that I know of in my area are Micro Center, Altex and Fry's; I'm also willing to buy online... however, I don't want to buy from Newegg (long story short, they screwed me over, refused to even TRY to remedy my complaints and now I refuse to shop there any more).

5. IF YOU have a brand preference.

While I know "future-proofing" is a misnomer, I'd be interested in anything that could reduce the chances of not being able to replace a single component if/when something eventually breaks (or just isn't good enough for my purposes any more). For example, I had a desktop before I got the laptop. I think it was the processor that went out (might've been the motherboard, though)... I was told I couldn't replace it with a newer/better one unless I also replaced the motherboard because of compatibility issues (or vice versa, I forget which). Ideally, I'd like the worst thing that can happen if I replace/upgrade something to be that I create a bottleneck that can be remedied at a later time.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts.

Since I have an ancient POS laptop, reusing the actual components obviously isn't an option - the only things I'll be reusing are the peripherals, which are irrelevant (I have it set up like a desktop with an external mouse, keyboard and monitor).

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

I'm totally clueless about overclocking, and I don't see myself tinkering with things I'm liable to make worse instead of better.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?

Ummm... same as I'm using now, probably? (1680 x 1050)

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

As soon as I know what I want to get and figure out where I'm buying it from (ideally, within the next week; two at the most).

10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?

I really hate change, lol - if I had it my way, I'd keep using Windows XP just to avoid having to get used to a brand new OS... but given just how old it is and that Microsoft is going to stop supporting it in early April, it's obviously time to bite the bullet and upgrade Windows.

Other:

I definitely need a CD/DVD drive capable of burning CDs (and preferably DVDs as well).

I have an external SD/micro SD card reader/writer that I'm very happy with so unless internal ones perform better, I don't see a need for one.

Not sure if USB 3.0 ports are "standard" yet... if not, that's something I want.

We have two cats, two rabbits and two sugar gliders - pet hair, pet dander and bits of hay inevitably end up all over the house. Also, my SO and I are both smokers and I'm not exactly the world's best housekeeper when it comes to stuff like dusting entire rooms. All of those things are enemies to a computer, so I'm wondering if they might affect what I need to look for in a case (for example, I definitely need something that'll be reasonably easy to clean out on a regular basis).

Also, our apartment complex sucks - we've only got heat OR AC available depending on what they set things to/the outside temperature. To our dismay, it's not uncommon for our bedroom (where the computers are) to be 80-82F on days where we don't have AC. We'll be moving back to my house (a few hours away) in May, but my air conditioner is ancient and on the verge of failing; we have daily highs of 100-110F+ for weeks at a stretch in the summer and to prevent the AC from going out, I usually can't cool the house below about 78-80F. Sometimes the AC isn't working for a few hours to a day and it gets as hot as 85F+ inside ><.

I don't know how much that actually matters with a new desktop but I thought I'd mention it since when the ambient temps reach around 80F+, my laptop becomes significantly more likely to overheat to the point where it blue-screen-of-deaths me if I try to keep it on for too long at a stretch. I'm wondering if, between the potential ambient heat and wanting a computer that can multitask while running a graphics-intensive game, I might need to invest a little more when it comes to cooling measures.

~~~~~

I saw the recommendations for a mid-range system in the sticky
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2192841
and am wondering if that would be a good fit for me or if there's anything I might want to change (or need to, given that I won't buy from Newegg). In particular, I was wondering how much of a performance difference there is between the recommended video card and the one that's around $100 less.
 

ascalice

Member
Feb 16, 2014
112
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This is about $1287...

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3gZpI

Intel Core i7-4770
Cooler Master Hyper 212EVO
MSA B85-G41 Motherboard (4 DIMM Slots)
8GB Ciesair Vengeance RAM (2 DIMMS)
128GB Samsung 840Pro Series SSD
1TB Western Digital Caviar Black
XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card
Corsair 200R
SeaSonic 550W PSU
Lite-On DVD/CD Reader
Windows 8.1

You can go with Windows 7, but IMO Windows 8.1 is the best.
 

Ken g6

Programming Moderator, Elite Member
Moderator
Dec 11, 1999
16,472
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A 4770 seems a little much for MMO gaming especially - they're often not well optimized for lots of threads. I'd take [thread=2192841]Mfenn's build[/thread] and maybe modify it, but not much. Also remember that at Micro Center you can bundle a 4670k or 4770k with a z87 board and save a bundle. :)

I want to get two 4 TB hard drives (the second would be a backup for the first because no one wants to lose 4 TB of stuff!),
Now, the next question: Where do you think you'll get 4TB of stuff? I do video recording from TV, so I could bump up against that eventually. But even in my case it would take quite awhile.

A second drive for backup, though, is an excellent idea. I suggest an external drive.
 

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
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