First Time PC Builder Seeking Guidance

[Prozium]

Hello all and thank you in advance for this awesome site and advice on the forums.

1. My PC will be mainly a gaming PC. I'm trying to crossover into the PC gaming world and want a good computer to do so. I'm playing WoW right now and want a PC to play with some friends on The Old Republic. I will be getting Steam so I want to be able to play the latest games easily with awesome graphics.

2. My budget is betweent $750 and $1000 I would say.

3. I live in the U.S. so I'll be buying from U.S.

4. Don't have a brand preference (not knowledgeable enough to have one)

5. Currently typing this from my Macbook so I won't be using any old parts.

6. I've looked through some threads and other forums so hopefully my build below is good.

7. Not very knowledgeable about overclocking but I probably will not.

8. I'm planning on buying a 24" TV pushing 1080p to play on so 1920x1080

9. I'll probably build the computer in the next month/ 1 1/2 months.

10. I don't know too much so any critiquing my current build or anything is very much welcomed.

Current Build:

MOBO - GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000

GPU - SAPPHIRE 100314-3L Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

RAM - G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT

Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500413AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

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

Optical - SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-222AB - OEM

Case - COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Current Price: $793

 

[Zargon]

everything looks pretty good, sneaking in a small SSD to run caching would be nice too

 

[lehtv]

8. I'm planning on buying a 24" TV pushing 1080p to play on so 1920x1080

Is this and other peripherals included in your budget?

In terms of compatibility and quality your proposed build is good. But you can get better value for money.

Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 $115 AR or Asrock H67M $80 if you don't overclock (you most likely will not need to run SLI/Crossfire).
i5-2500 $189 after promo if you don't overclock. Ends 12/31 so i5-2400 $190 after that.
Hitachi 7K1000.D 750GB $100, much better $/GB and faster too.
XFX 650W $50 AR, cheaper after rebate, also made by Seasonic. Crossfire/SLI compatible as a bonus. If you cba to do rebates then the S12II is good

If you're not planning to build until a month from now, you should see if AMD 7850/7870 get released by then or around that time.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Hello all and thank you in advance for this awesome site and advice on the forums.

1. My PC will be mainly a gaming PC. I'm trying to crossover into the PC gaming world and want a good computer to do so. I'm playing WoW right now and want a PC to play with some friends on The Old Republic. I will be getting Steam so I want to be able to play the latest games easily with awesome graphics.

2. My budget is betweent $750 and $1000 I would say.

3. I live in the U.S. so I'll be buying from U.S.

4. Don't have a brand preference (not knowledgeable enough to have one)

5. Currently typing this from my Macbook so I won't be using any old parts.

6. I've looked through some threads and other forums so hopefully my build below is good.

7. Not very knowledgeable about overclocking but I probably will not.

8. I'm planning on buying a 24" TV pushing 1080p to play on so 1920x1080

9. I'll probably build the computer in the next month/ 1 1/2 months.

10. I don't know too much so any critiquing my current build or anything is very much welcomed.

Current Build:

MOBO - GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000

GPU - SAPPHIRE 100314-3L Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

RAM - G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT

Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500413AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

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

Optical - SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-222AB - OEM

Case - COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Current Price: $793

looks good so far

 

[Prozium]

Is this and other peripherals included in your budget?

In terms of compatibility and quality your proposed build is good. But you can get better value for money.

Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 $115 AR or Asrock H67M $80 if you don't overclock (you most likely will not need to run SLI/Crossfire).
i5-2500 $189 after promo if you don't overclock. Ends 12/31 so i5-2400 $190 after that.
Hitachi 7K1000.D 750GB $100, much better $/GB and faster too.
XFX 650W $50 AR, cheaper after rebate, also made by Seasonic. Crossfire/SLI compatible as a bonus. If you cba to do rebates then the S12II is good

If you're not planning to build until a month from now, you should see if AMD 7850/7870 get released by then or around that time.

Thanks man! I think I will go with the i5 2400, Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, and Hitachi 7K1000.D 750GB. With those added in it drops the total price to $742.

And the TV/monitor isn't included in my budget and I have a Razer Naga mouse and usb keyboard I use now when I play. As far as the TV goes I was just going to scrape up the $130-$150 and buy a small HD TV from WalMart. Good idea?

 

[lehtv]

Well you get what you pay for. $150 gets you a really basic 1080p tv/monitor but it will do what it's designed for.

 

[Prozium]

Well you get what you pay for. $150 gets you a really basic 1080p tv/monitor but it will do what it's designed for.

Ok awesome. I just want something that will get me started.

 

[Prozium]

Lehtv,
What is overclocking and how do you do it exactly? I know the jist of it where you're pushing your system 20-30% more than usual or something along those lines.

 

[lehtv]

Overclocking is the process of increasing the effective clock frequency of the CPU [or memory, or GPU] beyond the stock frequency. The effective clock speed of a CPU is determined by the base clock (BCLK) and a multiplier, so overclocking can be done by increasing the BCLK or the multiplier or by adjusting both. In Sandy Bridge processors, overclocking is limited to increasing the multiplier since the BCLK affects things that you don't want to overclock (namely, the PCI express frequency). In general, a mild overclock can be achieved without increasing any of the various voltages, while a sizeable overclock needs higher voltages in order to be stable. Increasing the core voltage affects power consumption (and hence waste heat production) in an exponential manner, while the overclocking itself increases power consumption more or less linearly.

By default, an i5-2500 runs at 3.3Ghz = 100Mhz BCLK * 33. At load, Intel Turbo Boost can increase the multiplier to 37. To overclock it to 4.5Ghz, for example, you'd need to increase the multiplier to 45, disable Turbo Boost, and adjust voltages for stability.

In more detail:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overclocking

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2011/01/07/how-to-overclock-the-intel-core-i5-2500k/1

http://www.overclock.net/t/910467/the-ultimate-sandy-bridge-oc-guide-p67a-ud7-performance-review

 

[Prozium]

Overclocking is the process of increasing the effective clock frequency of the CPU [or memory, or GPU] beyond the stock frequency. The effective clock speed of a CPU is determined by the base clock (BCLK) and a multiplier, so overclocking can be done by increasing the BCLK or the multiplier or by adjusting both. In Sandy Bridge processors, overclocking is limited to increasing the multiplier since the BCLK affects things that you don't want to overclock (namely, the PCI express frequency). In general, a mild overclock can be achieved without increasing any of the various voltages, while a sizeable overclock needs higher voltages in order to be stable. Increasing the core voltage affects power consumption (and hence waste heat production) in an exponential manner, while the overclocking itself increases power consumption more or less linearly.

By default, an i5-2500 runs at 3.3Ghz = 100Mhz BCLK * 33. At load, Intel Turbo Boost can increase the multiplier to 37. To overclock it to 4.5Ghz, for example, you'd need to increase the multiplier to 45, disable Turbo Boost, and adjust voltages for stability.

In more detail:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overclocking

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2011/01/07/how-to-overclock-the-intel-core-i5-2500k/1

http://www.overclock.net/t/910467/the-ultimate-sandy-bridge-oc-guide-p67a-ud7-performance-review

Thanks for the info man!

 

[mfenn]

Thanks man! I think I will go with the i5 2400, Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, and Hitachi 7K1000.D 750GB. With those added in it drops the total price to $742.

And the TV/monitor isn't included in my budget and I have a Razer Naga mouse and usb keyboard I use now when I play. As far as the TV goes I was just going to scrape up the $130-$150 and buy a small HD TV from WalMart. Good idea?

Nice changes. Do you need the "TV" part of the 24" TV (i.e. the ability to hook up an antenna/cable)? If not, you are probably better off with a purpose-built monitor like this ASUS VH232H because it will have less input lag.

 

[Prozium]

Nice changes. Do you need the "TV" part of the 24" TV (i.e. the ability to hook up an antenna/cable)? If not, you are probably better off with a purpose-built monitor like this ASUS VH232H because it will have less input lag.

Yeah after reading some threads and talking to some friends who have built PCs I'm going to go the monitor route instead of the Walmart tv route. Thanks guys for the input!

 

[Prozium]

Updated PC Build:

- Mobo: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ATX Intel Motherboard

- CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 3.1GHz LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core

- GPU: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870

- PSU: SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W Power Supply

- Hard Drive: HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.D 750GB 3.5" SATA 6.0Gb/s

- RAM: G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)

- Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 912

- Monitor: ASUS VH232H

With Microsoft 7 thrown in the total price is $1,014

 

[bigbubba3]

I realize you are at the top of you budget but i have a few proposals for change.

You do not need 8 gigs of memory, unless you editing video or something, and if that were the case we would be building something drastically different. If you can find 4 gigs of ram for less than the 8 gig, go for that instead.

As for the CPU lots of people will make the argument on a budget build that a quad core just isn't the way to go, and i think they are right. Save the money from the CPU and get a faster gpu like the 6950, or wait until the 7950 (should be out in a month). If you ever decide its time to move to a faster CPU, or want to overclock then Ivy Bridge will be waiting.

The i3 2100 is $125, which should give you just enough to jump up to the 6950.

I would hold on buying a hard drive for awhile, or if you NEED one buy a small one. Instead buy an SSD as that will seriously make the difference. Also some resalers have priced there external drives cheaper then their internal, so buy an external and pull out the drive inside it and install.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822688052

 

[lehtv]

2x4GB memory is better $/GB than 2x2GB. It's good to have that reserve for just $10 more.

i5-2400 is considerably faster than i3-2100; the i3 would make sense only if he had plans to upgrade it to a quad core Ivy Bridge later.

If he needs a HDD, there's no point buying a small one because the prices of HDD's start from around $70 even for the smallest drives. The 750GB hitachi is the best performance and capacity without breaking the bank. For the same price you can get a 64GB SSD which isn't enough for more than 1-2 games. A 128GB SSD would cost $100 more and put the build over budget (as would 64GB SSD + $100 HDD).

 

[Zargon]

I realize you are at the top of you budget but i have a few proposals for change.

You do not need 8 gigs of memory, unless you editing video or something, and if that were the case we would be building something drastically different. If you can find 4 gigs of ram for less than the 8 gig, go for that instead.

As for the CPU lots of people will make the argument on a budget build that a quad core just isn't the way to go, and i think they are right. Save the money from the CPU and get a faster gpu like the 6950, or wait until the 7950 (should be out in a month). If you ever decide its time to move to a faster CPU, or want to overclock then Ivy Bridge will be waiting.

The i3 2100 is $125, which should give you just enough to jump up to the 6950.

I would hold on buying a hard drive for awhile, or if you NEED one buy a small one. Instead buy an SSD as that will seriously make the difference. Also some resalers have priced there external drives cheaper then their internal, so buy an external and pull out the drive inside it and install.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822688052

but that would kill him and games that can run 4 threads and are heavily CPU dependent.

its much much easier to upgrade GPU after a year than the CPU.

also he has the headroom for tossing in ANOTHER 6870 if he needs more oomph, and they are likely going to drop in price late spring/summer as the 7 series rolls out

 

[Prozium]

Thanks for all the input guys. Greatly appreciated.

My plan was to order my setup this Friday after I got paid but after reading some more threads I think I might wait 2 more weeks until the next paycheck and throw in an SSD. What do you guys think?

 

[mfenn]

As for the CPU lots of people will make the argument on a budget build that a quad core just isn't the way to go, and i think they are right. Save the money from the CPU and get a faster gpu like the 6950, or wait until the 7950 (should be out in a month). If you ever decide its time to move to a faster CPU, or want to overclock then Ivy Bridge will be waiting.

The i3 2100 is $125, which should give you just enough to jump up to the 6950.

I tend to agree with this in principle, but not for this build. Most MMO's aren't very GPU intensive, but MMO gamers tend to be running all sorts of stuff in the background and so they need to have a little more CPU oomph to keep things smooth. (Makes up for the boring-ass games I guess. :awe Also, big hubs with lots of players can be pretty CPU intensive.

 

[mfenn]

Thanks for all the input guys. Greatly appreciated.

My plan was to order my setup this Friday after I got paid but after reading some more threads I think I might wait 2 more weeks until the next paycheck and throw in an SSD. What do you guys think?

An SSD can really help when zoning in WoW as well as for general system responsiveness. I'm not sure how much TOR would benefit, but I'd imagine the gains are similar.

 

[Prozium]

What about going with a hybrid hard drive?

I was watching the Newegg guide to putting together a computer and saw he used:

Seagate Momentus XT ST95005620AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s with NCQ Solid State Hybrid Drive

 

[mfenn]

They are alright, but are definitely closer to HDD levels of performance than pure SSD. The NAND cache just isn't that big.

 

[Prozium]

They are alright, but are definitely closer to HDD levels of performance than pure SSD. The NAND cache just isn't that big.

Oh ok. In that case (pun intended) I think I'll just stick with an HDD to begin with.

 

[Prozium]

This might sound like some really stupid questions but I just want to make sure everything is compatible...

My motherboard I'm getting is the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 and the RAM it takes is 240 Pin DDR3 2133 and the RAM I'm getting is 240 Pin DDR3 1333. Is the difference with the "2133" and the "1333" mean they are not compatible?

Also, my motherboard's power pin is a 24-pin and the PSU I've picked out's main connector is a (20+4) Pin. I know 20+4 is 24 so is my mobo and PSU compatible? I don't know if a 24 pin and a 20+4 pin are two different connector ports.

Stupid questions are probably stupid but I'm about to drop a pretty good amount of money and I just want to make sure everything is compatible. Thanks a bunch guys for all your input!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Just because your board supports 2133 memory, doesn't mean that you have to use that. 1333 RAM should be just fine.

Also, the 24-pin ATX motherboard connection IS compatible with PSUs that have a "20+4" connection. Don't forget that the PSU ALSO has a 4-pin, or an 8-pin, or a 4+4 pin (8-pin that splits) 12V cable that needs to be plugged in too.

Don't mix up the 4-pin 12V with the 4-pin that splits off of the 20+4 pin connector. They aren't the same.

 

[lehtv]

The motherboard will accept memory up to 2133MHz fast. 1333MHz is the standard speed and will work in all DDR3-compatible boards.

A 20+4 cable means that 4 of the pins form a separate connector so that the cable can be used in both 20-pin and 24-pin motherboards. It's the same with 6+2pin PCIe connectors - some graphics card power headers use 6 pins, others use 8, so the connector will be compatible with both.