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Building my first Gaming PC - w/ Pics

T

ticker89

Junior Member
So I let you guys talk me into building instead of buying! I started a new thread as I am no longer looking to buy a PC. I hope to use this thread to post pictures of the build and final project which is hopefully not everything smashed into pieces with me smoking a cigarette (I don't smoke :biggrin🙂. This way you guys can follow along and hopefully help me out with the bumps in the road.

So here are the details:

1. My computer will be used for gaming (WoW, Mortal Online). I would like to be able to run these games at high settings.

2. My budget is $800 for parts. I will be getting a new monitor and need Windows 7 so this will bring me a little over $1000 which is about what I'm looking to pay.

3. Buying my parts from Canada (Newegg.ca most likely as it seems cheaper than Tigerdirect.ca).

4. No brand preference.

5. I will be giving away my old computer so I'm looking to get all new parts.

6. I've been reading tons of info on this site and others and will continue to do so as this build goes along.

7. I'm not sure if I plan on overclocking. I would most likely keep it at default speeds to see how it ran first.

8. I was planning on getting an LCD or LED monitor that was full HD and gaming at 1080p but I don't want to sacrifice game speed so we'll see.

9. I plan to start building as soon as I get the parts which should be no more than a week or two I would hope.

10. I welcome build critique and hope you guys will let me know if I'm missing things or if there are better parts to be had out there for the same price.
 
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Here is the build I've got going at the moment. Zi0n helped with most of it. What do you guys think? Is the X4 the way to go for CPU or should I be looking at the X6 for the games I'll be playing? I really want to get everything right so harsh input is appreciated!

$830 is what I will have paid for this build after mail in rebates and everything. Subtotal before shipping and taxes is $743.


Computer Case:
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Hard Drive:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Mobo:
ASUS M4A77TD AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

GPU:
ASUS ENGTX460 DirectCU/2DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video ...

Power Supp:
SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

RAM (4GB):
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL

CPU:
AMD Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition Deneb 3.5GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Desktop Processor HDZ970FBGMBOX
 
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Games don't make use of enough threads to warrant a 6-core cpu. Your build looks good, though I don't think the 970 is worth the extra $30 or so.
 
fffblackmage said:
Games don't make use of enough threads to warrant a 6-core cpu. Your build looks good, though I don't think the 970 is worth the extra $30 or so.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. The 970 ($195) works out to being $30 dollars more than the 965 ($165) but it comes with a $15 gift card. Do you think the difference is still too minimal to warrant the extra expense?

Would that money be better off spent on the Gigabyte 460 OC? It is $20 more than the Asus I have at the moment.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-345-_-Product

Cheers,

Chris
 
Ya that optical drive would work.

You could also swap the AMD cpu & mb and go with intel since you're gaming anyways.

This combo looks good with all the other stuff you listed comes as $778.43
 
I would actually get the 955 over either the 965 or 970 because boosting a 955 to 970 speeds is literally one BIOS change.

zi0n does have a good point about Intel though. The i5 760 will be faster for gaming and you might as well get it since it is within your budget.
 
^ Agree with mfenn. Either save on the CPU cost by going with the 955, or make use of headroom in your budget to get the faster, more expensive i5-7x0/P55 motherboard.
 
Well the good news is I'm still going ahead with a build. Bad news is I won't be able to stomach the purchase (I got carried away a bit - you guys are a bad influence:biggrin🙂. As much as I would like to, I'm also saving for an investment property which falls before a PC on the priority list.

Good news is I will still be building a PC but with a much smaller budget. However, after doing some more research, I've determined WoW isn't an overly demanding game and a build such as this should work just fine. What do you guys think?

Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm ...

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

XFX HD-577X-ZMF3 Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

RAIDMAX RX-500AF 500W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Power Supply

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ

AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana 3.1GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX445WFGMBOX

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade English

Hanns·G HW-191APB Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

Total after taxes comes to $854 shipped (CAD). I plan to use the ODD from my current PC to save $20 or so. What do you guys think?
 
Oh God, not another RAIDMAX! No, just no on that PSU. You don't need DDR3 1600, so I would take that down to DDR3 1333. Use the savings on a reasonable PSU (430cx, $40 AR).

Also, that monitor is tiny as hell. You should really think about getting something 22" or bigger.
 
mfenn said:
Oh God, not another RAIDMAX! No, just no on that PSU. You don't need DDR3 1600, so I would take that down to DDR3 1333. Use the savings on a reasonable PSU (430cx, $40 AR).

Also, that monitor is tiny as hell. You should really think about getting something 22" or bigger.
Click to expand...

Lol I'll swap out the PSU, I didn't know it was crap! As far as the DDR3 1333, should I still go with 4GB of G. Skill? That also means I would need a different mobo correct? Since the one I chose was meant for 1600.

Cheers,

Chris
 
How is this for DDR3 1333 and a new Mobo? Also, I'm just curious why I don't need 1600 and 1333 is the way to go? Not doubting you, just trying to learn.

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNQ

ASRock 760GM-GS3 AM3 AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

19" monitor doesn't seem tiny to me! I'm still using the old school ones which are 14" I believe. I've read 19" do well with budget builds as they aren't as demanding as the larger monitors. They are also cheaper which is what I'm looking for.
 
Fair enough, I'll look into a 21" inch or so as they aren't much more anyways. Any input on the rest of the build/changes I made with the 1333 and Mobo?
 
ticker89 said:
How is this for DDR3 1333 and a new Mobo? Also, I'm just curious why I don't need 1600 and 1333 is the way to go? Not doubting you, just trying to learn.
Click to expand...
DDR3-1333 is the fastest "official" memory standard. It's also fast enough that paying extra for DDR3-1600 doesn't make sense.

However, DDR3-1600 might be preferable if you plan to overclock.

Example: Let's start with the 1333MHz clock rate, since it's the standard (for most Phenom II and Core i5, if I remember right). When you increase the base clock, the ram clock rate will also increase because they're tied together with a multiplier. As you increase the base clock, the ram clock rate increases until it hits 1600MHz. At this point, the ram is still within its rated spec (not overclocked). Basically, you don't have to worry about the ram limiting your cpu's overclock until you get past this point.
 
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From NCIX.com:

Coolermaster Elite 370 Black Mid Tower ATX Case 3X5.25 1X3.5 5X3.5INT No PS
In Stock 55447 $34.99 $34.99

Corsair CMV4GX3M2A1333C9 4GB DDR3 2X2GB DDR3-1333 CL9 Dual Channel Memory Kit
In Stock 45301 $53.99 $53.99

Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 8.9MS 3.5IN NCQ Hard Drive OEM 3YR MFR Warranty
In Stock 23266 $39.99 $39.99

Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H AMD880G mATX AM3 DDR3 1PCIE CrossFireX Video Sound GBLAN HDMI Motherboard
In Stock 56562 $72.99 $72.99

AMD Athlon II X3 445 Triple Core Processor AM3 3.1GHZ 1.5MB L2 Cache 95W Retail Box
In Stock 53935 $78.99 $78.99

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 460 Fermi 715MHZ 768MB GDDR5 2XDVI MINI-HDMI PCI-E DX11 Video Card
In Stock 54505 $164.99 $164.99

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM
In Stock 45271 $99.99 $99.99

Corsair Builder Series CMPSU-430CX 430W ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan *2 Year Warranty*
In Stock 54842 $59.99 $59.99

Total $605.92 +tax and shipping (without monitor)
-$20 rebates for the video card and PSU.

I'd go with NCIX over Newegg if you're ordering so many parts. Their shipping is quicker and usually cheaper because they're actually a Canadian company. If you order from Newegg.ca, parts will ship from all over the US (sometimes a few things come from Ontario), which adds to the problem of shipping time and increased expense. This build also includes a better motherboard and much better video card. Only thing I'm not sure about is the case, for which you could easily sub another cheapo unit from their weekly sale.

EDIT: If using this case, you might want to throw in a few fans (at $3.99 a pop for the Yate Loon D12SL-12 120MM on sale this week).
 
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fffblackmage said:
DDR3-1333 is the fastest "official" memory standard. It's also fast enough that paying extra for DDR3-1600 doesn't make sense.

However, DDR3-1600 might be preferable if you plan to overclock.

Example: Let's start with the 1333MHz clock rate, since it's the standard (for most Phenom II and Core i5, if I remember right). When you increase the base clock, the ram clock rate will also increase because they're tied together with a multiplier. As you increase the base clock, the ram clock rate increases until it hits 1600MHz. At this point, the ram is still within its rated spec (not overclocked). Basically, you don't have to worry about the ram limiting your cpu's overclock until you get past this point.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the detailed response and explanation. Also, good catch on the shipping, I hadn't noticed. The ASUS mobo I chose for my first build is the one you're recommending right? This is taken from its description:

DDR3 1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333(O.C.)/1066

Does this mean it runs 1066 stock and would require OC to run at 1333? Sorry for all the questions.
 
Yes, it will initialise and run at 1066 setting as default. A single change in the BIOS should get you to 1333.
 
ticker89 said:
Lol I'll swap out the PSU, I didn't know it was crap! As far as the DDR3 1333, should I still go with 4GB of G. Skill? That also means I would need a different mobo correct? Since the one I chose was meant for 1600.

Cheers,

Chris
Click to expand...

Your original motherboard is officially rated to run at any memory speed up to DDR3 1600, so no you don't need to change it. Different manufacturers give their specs differently, and Newegg just copy-and-pastes them to the product descriptions.
 
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