Building a PC, looking for advice on build

[CombatLightbulb]

Hello, I'm fairly new here and have not really kept up with whats "good" in the computer world for a while, so I'll try to follow the advice in the stickies as much as I can! I'm planning on building a PC primarily used for gaming (SWTOR, Diablo 3, Battlefield 3, anything else that comes out that interests me), my budget is between 900 and 1100 bucks and I'll be ordering all my parts from NewEgg. I'm not partial to one brand or another, really just looking for the best I can get for my buck. I have no existing parts I plan on using and will most likely be overclocking it at some point. The following is a list of parts a few friends more in touch with whats up to par recommended to me but some of them have a habit of only pointing out the pros and saving the cons for after the deal is done, so I figured I'd ask on here hoping to get the insight and advice from some PC users more informed than I am.

(Apologies for any unneeded text, I have never built a PC before so some of this is copied directly from the list)

-MSI 990FXA-GD65 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s ATX Motherboard

-Sapphire 100311-3SR Radeon HD 2Gb 256-bit GDDR5 Video Card

-OCZ ModXStream Pro 700w Power Supply

-AMD FX-8120 Zambezi 3.1GHz Socket AM3+125W Eight-Core Processor

-Kingston HyperX T1 Black 12GB 240-pin DDR3 SDRAM Memory Model

-OCZ Vertex Plus 120Gb SSD

-LITE-ON DVD-ROM Drive

Again, apologies for any unneeded text or missing info but I'm a noob at this.

If anymore information is required I'd be glad to post whatever I missed. Really just looking to put together something that can run whatever game I want and is able to be upgraded if necessary. I'm open to any suggestions of different parts as long as they remain in the 900-1100 price range.

Hoping one or more of you can give me a hand with this project!

 

[lehtv]

Gaming resolution? I assume you already have peripherals and just need the PC itself?

Bad idea to go with AMD FX. Not only is it slow for what it costs, it's also much worse for gaming than Intel Sandy Bridge.

Here's a good $1000 build:

i5 2500K $220 (If you overclock, add CM 212 EVO $35)
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 $115 AR
Corsair Vengeance LP 1600 2x4GB $42
XFX 6950 2GB $235 AR
Crucial M4 64GB $108 or Crucial M4 128GB $200
Hitachi 7K1000.D 750GB $100 or 1TB $130
LG DVD burner $17
XFX Core 650W $60 AR
CM HAF 912 $50

Total = $947 to $1104 AR

Feel free to change the case to something else if you don't like the look of that one. Personal preference and all that. But you'd be hard pressed to beat the value that case offers.

 

[CombatLightbulb]

Thanks for the quick and informative reply. For now I'll just be running 1024x768 but I am all for upgrading that somewhere soon down the road.

Is the rig you posted pretty beastly? Able to run the more graphically intensive games on their highest settings smoothly? If so I am definetly interested in checking this setup out. I'm actually looking to order all my parts later today so I need to figure out which direction to go.

 

[lehtv]

Yeah, that's a pretty high performing rig. It'll run any game on 1920x1080 and high settings (BF3 for example), most games on the highest (including SWTOR and D3). It can be easily overclocked for +20-30% more CPU performance (some of which translates to better framerate in games). And it supports crossfire, i.e. the adding of another 6950 for about +80% higher framerates.

Since your current monitor is only 1024x768, you have two choices:

1. Keep your current monitor but pay about $100 less for the GPU, for now (6770 would be fast enough). When you upgrade your monitor to 1080p, upgrade the video card as well. There is a new generation of video cards around the corner, so you'd be upgrading to a next generation card like AMD 7850 or whatever NVIDIA has to offer.

2. Your budget is big enough for including a monitor upgrade. It would probably cost $150 AR (Asus VH238H; deal ends tomorrow), though you can find a 1080p monitor for as cheap as $110. With regard to the PC itself, cut a few corners here and there and you can still keep the 6950 2GB and stay within your budget. E.g. pick the 64GB SSD and 750GB HDD, and possibly forget about overclockability and downgrade the CPU to i5-2400 ($190). If you don't really care about dual-GPU support, you could go with a H67 microATX motherboard.

Yeah and Merry Christmas

 

[CombatLightbulb]

With monitors going that cheap I think I could afford to keep the setup you recommended and just tack on the extra money for a monitor. Guess I have some decisions to make!

 

[mfenn]

Definitely get a monitor no matter what. 1024x768 is really low in this day and age. It's OK to drop the SSD and pare back the CPU and mobo if that's what you need to do to get the monitor.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and lehtv's build is good.

 

[CombatLightbulb]

You two are really making me lean towards that build suggested above. Upon doing a lot more research the i5 2500k seems to be the best processor for that price range out there.

Provided I go with the smaller ssd and HDD I should still be perfectly fine right? Putting the OS on the ssd for a speedy boot up and games on the HDD correct?

Once again just to be clear, and I'm sorry for bringing it up again!, this build will easily run star wars and probably diablo 3 on their highest settings and respectably run bf3 right?

Thanks again. Will most likely order parts today if I hear back from someone.

 

[lehtv]

Putting the OS on the ssd for a speedy boot up and games on the HDD correct?

Exactly. Having the OS and Program Files on the SSD is its main benefit. You will probably be able to fit BF3 on it as well to speed up online level loading times. SWTOR is so big though that it'll have to go on the HDD.

this build will easily run star wars and probably diablo 3 on their highest settings and respectably run bf3 right?

Yes, it will. Everyone seems to think Diablo 3 is not demanding at all, and Star Wars benchmarks show that 6950 2GB will be able to run the game at pretty much 60 fps constant on 1080p and highest settings 4xAA.

BF3 online gameplay is known to be CPU intensive so a 2500K certainly benefits you, and single-player benchmarks show that a 6950 2GB can run it on High settings with FXAA smoothly. (FXAA is preferred because it's a deferred rendering game, and so multisampling is very costly though less so on NVIDIA cards.) For online gameplay though, you'll want constant 60fps so you may want to tweak some settings to medium to achieve that. I played the beta and didn't find much difference in image quality between Medium and High settings, not that it would matter much when playing online.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Exactly. Having the OS and Program Files on the SSD is its main benefit. You will probably be able to fit BF3 on it as well to speed up online level loading times. SWTOR is so big though that it'll have to go on the HDD.

Yes, it will. Everyone seems to think Diablo 3 is not demanding at all, and Star Wars benchmarks show that 6950 2GB will be able to run the game at pretty much 60 fps constant on 1080p and highest settings 4xAA.

BF3 online gameplay is known to be CPU intensive so a 2500K certainly benefits you, and single-player benchmarks show that a 6950 2GB can run it on High settings with FXAA smoothly. (FXAA is preferred because it's a deferred rendering game, and so multisampling is very costly though less so on NVIDIA cards.) For online gameplay though, you'll want constant 60fps so you may want to tweak some settings to medium to achieve that. I played the beta and didn't find much difference in image quality between Medium and High settings, not that it would matter much when playing online.

pretty much, hes saying that youll be able to play every game you want smoothly

 

[CombatLightbulb]

Well I went ahead and ordered the setup recommended above. Hopefully it will live up to the hype you guys have given it! I wound up going with the 64gb ssd just to quick boot the OS and store 1 or 2 games and the 1Tb HDD you recommended. I also picked up that 1080p acer monitor for 110 because it seems like a really good deal and got great reviews.

Hoping my trust in you guys is well placed! Thanks for all the help!

 

[lehtv]

Let us know how the assembly goes! And ask if you run into problems during installation. Remember to set the SATA controller to AHCI mode in the motherboard BIOS before installing Windows on the SSD.

Happy to help

 

[CombatLightbulb]

Very grateful for the help you've given me and for meeting you on the boards here lehtv. Unfortunately I have never put a pc together before and my friend who knows a lot more about it is out of town for another week.

Is it difficult or are there universal tutorials I can take a glimpse at in addition to asking on here? Any other tips you can spare?

Really very excited to get my i5 in and maybe overclock it and crossfire the video card. Hope I can count on you for help then if I need it! Lol.

 

[lehtv]

It's not difficult, takes a couple of hours of looking at tutorial to get the general idea. You'll also learn as you build it. As long as you're careful when handling the components, and avoid doing anything stupid like forcing a cable or a component into place, there's not really anything to worry about. It's a pretty straightforward process, in a nutshell it involves :

1) install the CPU and cooler on the motherboard
2) install the motherboard, PSU and drives into the case
3) route PSU cables (and case -> motherboard cables)
4) install memory (or do it in step 1, doesn't really matter) and video card
5) connect all the cables you haven't connected yet
6) power on -> check BIOS to enable AHCI, and check everything's good like CPU temps and memory speed -> install Windows

Some advocate building the PC without a case at first so that it is easier to troubleshoot if it doesn't work properly. It may also be a good idea to only install the video card once you get to Windows, given that you have integrated video.

Once in Windows, you'll obviously have to configure the OS to look and function the way you like it, install drivers, update SSD firmware, possibly update motherboard BIOS, partition your storage drive.

Newegg video tutorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_56kyib-Ls&feature=relmfu

Tom's hardware guide: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/building-pc,518.html

Of course, remember to consult the product manuals as well.

 

[mfenn]

I pretty much always install the memory into the board before I put it in the case, but like lehtv said, it doesn't matter.

One thing that I always do is to to install the mobo into the case first and then immediately plug in the front panel power, USB, and audio cables. Those things are fiddly enough as it is, no need to add the extra diffculty of having to maneuver around a bunch of extra power and SATA cables.

The most important thing IMHO is to take your time and think about what you are doing before you do it. If something doesn't seem right, reread the appropriate sections of the manual or post here with a question.

 

[CombatLightbulb]

Good deal. Thanks for being patient with me and helping me out. I'm pretty confident I can get all the hardware where it needs to be, I'm just worried about running all the cables correctly and cleanly enough.

The boards are all pretty durable too right? I shouldn't have to worry about breaking anything unless I do something stupid like force parts together or throw components around (which I definetly won't)?

Another newbie question. Did that build you suggested come with a cooler? I hope I wasn't supposed to grab the piece you recommended if I overclock otherwise I will have to make another trip to newegg after work.

Again thanks to both of you for walking me through this.

 

[lehtv]

i5-2500K comes with the standard intel cooler which is perfectly fine for stock clocks. I suggested the Hyper 212 Evo for overclocking, you can buy it later when/if you decide to overclock.

I shouldn't have to worry about breaking anything unless I do something stupid like force parts together or throw components around (which I definetly won't)?

Yeah, they're durable but you're not supposed to touch any of the actual components on the PCB of the motherboard, video card or hard drive. It's fine to touch the edges of the PCB and non-electrical parts like the video card cooler. You should also ground yourself as a precaution for avoiding electrostatic discharge (unlikely to happen, it's just in case).

 

[zCypher]

Nice build CombatLightbulb! Don't worry, you have lehtv, mfenn and T_Yamamoto all in your thread here. You're well taken care of!

 

[mfenn]

Good deal. Thanks for being patient with me and helping me out. I'm pretty confident I can get all the hardware where it needs to be, I'm just worried about running all the cables correctly and cleanly enough.

Worry about correct first and clean later, especially on your first build. As long as you get everything where it's supposed to go and don't have cables jammed into fans or anything, wire management goes under the "fine tuning" category.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I really don't care about wire management myself. I'm more of a functional over asthetics kind of guy. Some people obsess over cable management though.

I guess it depends on whether you want a showpiece, or just a working computer.

I don't even put the sides on my case.

 

[lehtv]

But good cable management isn't just about aesthetics. It's also about ease of access and optimal airflow.

 

[CombatLightbulb]

Wow, lots of helpful replies there. You guys are all very nice and helpful compared to some other boards I've visited.

I totally understand what you mean about correct first and clean later. The only reason I brought it up was because I remember reading about how cleanly run cables can provide better airflow through the system. But since this is my first build I don't really know how important that aspect is or if it matters THAT much.

Hopefully my parts will be arriving tomorrow (please) or Friday. Everything shipped the 26th which kind of surprised me since I ordered it all on the 25th. I'll fill you guys in on how the build is going and if I run into any problems along the way.

Again thanks to everyone for helping out!

 

[mfenn]

Well, good airflow is important, but it doesn't really matter that much for a moderate system in a good case. Be sure to post if you have any questions.

 

[CombatLightbulb]

Got everything put together. I'm pretty sure I got it all right since all the temps are pretty good and the comp turned on and hasn't blown up. I switched the Sata controller to RAID instead of AHCI. I read it enables AHCI anyway do hopefully that's ok?

The only problem I'm having is that I'm not able to select my HDD as a storage device. I know it's recognized because it shows it in the bios but I'm not able to select It as a storage device. I'm thinking it needs to be formatted? If so how do I go about that?

Thanks.

 

[lehtv]

If you're not actually running any HDD's in RAID, why enable it in the BIOS...?

I'm thinking it needs to be formatted? If so how do I go about that?

"Create and format hard disk partitions" via Control Panel (just type Format into the Start Menu search). Right click on the empty space that you want to format, then click Format. Partition it first if you want to.

 

[CombatLightbulb]

Sorry lehtv! I actually didn't know the difference between RAID and just regular AHCI. After you told me to make sure I switch the SATA controller I was doing a little reading and saw some stuff about intel recommending RAID and that it enables AHCI mode also anyway. I was planning to post asking of its necessary but a friend of mine who was helping me out hit save and started loading the OS before I could post or look more into it.

Did it mess something up? Would it be a pain to go back into the bios and switch it back? Freakin me out lehtv! Don't tell me I messed something up.