Help build a new PC for out of touch user.

[Chad]

It's been ages since I've built a new PC so I'm completely out of touch, so I really need help in choosing everything. My old PC is so old I'm not sure anything is reusable. It has a nice aluminum midtower case, an Intel P4 2.8, sata hdd, & quality ps but I think I'm just going to buy everything new, except for maybe the case if it's re-useable (?). My current monitor I'm hoping to use as a secondary monitor in a dual monitor setup.

Price isn't a concern at all but I don't want to just throw it away stupidly. My major concerns are with it being quiet and future ability to upgrade or overclock if I have to (rather not but will if needed in future years). For now & for quite awhile I do NOT want to mess w/ overclocking. I just want it to perform as is and not have issues with choppy gameplay. Games will be run on maximum settings. I have Sennheisor 560 headphones that will be used. Would like to have speakors built into monitor for minimal use stuff.

Information from the sticky:

1. What YOUR PC will be used for.
Software like: AutoCAD for drafting (work) 2d/3d, Office, etc.
Games like: Diablo 3, Battlefield 3, new Ghost Recon, racing sims, future pc games that draw my interest.
Other: Would like to possibly use it w/ my home theater if possible. Panasonic 50" Plasma w/ Onkyo receiver (I think 850 or something like that). I would possibly like to use my PS3/ Xbox 360 with the monitor.

2. What YOUR budget is.
$3,700, more if needed, less if it's pointless to throw money at inconsequential gains.

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

4. Do you have a brand preference.
Intel, ATI (though ok w/ nVidia too), done well w/ Asus motherboards & Corsair ram & Western Digital or Seagate HDD's. Though I have no issue w/ using other brands if they are of higher quality. I'd prefer to pay a bit more if it's quality is better more reliable, quieter or uses less power.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
Possibly case if it's feasible (?). I can check my power supply & report back here as I forget the brand & power ratings.

6. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Not for a year or two if it can be avoided.

7. What resolution will you be using?
Unknown as I need a top of the line monitor for this new setup.

8.WHEN do you plan to build it?
Ordering this week

9. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system?
I have Windows 7 Pro but do I need to buy a 64bit version??

Thank you in advance & I apologize if I sound hideously out of date. I hope my old knowledge carries over to being able to build new pc's!

 

[iamchel]

If I had to make a guess I'd say that the case will probably be reusable but honestly cases from back then usually tend to be pretty cheap and terrible (I'm referring to the generic no name cases you can pick up for $30). In my opinion it doesn't make sense to reuse an old case and psu (you may not even be able to reuse the psu) in a new system especially if you have such a large budget.

 

[jpeyton]

http://www.ibuypower.com/

I configured an overclocked liquid-cooled Ivy Bridge i7-3770k/GTX 680/16GB/SSD+HDD system for $2300.

They charge a smaller premium than most boutique builders over parts cost for a fully built system.

Anandtech has reviewed several of their systems with good things to say: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5787/...ivy-bridge-and-nvidias-geforce-gtx-680-in-sli

 

[aaksheytalwar]

Still wy too expensive over newegg

 

[JamesV]

Still wy too expensive over newegg

Yea, but for a guy who hasn't built a PC since the Pentium 4 days, the extra cost could be priceless.

And I agree with a poster above - get a new case. Maybe just a psychological thing, but I bet you will be much happier with something new you pick out, over putting thousands of dollars of hardware into an old case.

And, with a $3,700 budget, I'd get two brand new monitors also. I'm guessing you'd want two for CAD, and having two of the exact same monitors is great over using two different models/sizes/resolutions.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

He could probably get somebody to assemble his rig for $100 or so

 

[iamchel]

Yea, but for a guy who hasn't built a PC since the Pentium 4 days, the extra cost could be priceless.

Well honestly whats so different now? Sure there may be a couple new interface's to deal with but it's not that complicated. Plus I'm sure there are tons of detailed youtube guides. IMO its going to actually be easier to build a system now than it was 10 years ago.

 

[mfenn]

What case do you currently have? How much room do you have for a monitor?

 

[krnmastersgt]

Is this primarily meant to be a system used for work? I'm fairly certain one reason nVidia has been able to keep the Quadro line alive is because it supports AutoCAD while their consumer cards can't or do it very poorly. While in raw compute power I don't remember there being a big difference between the lines since the GeForce 8 series or so maybe not really necessary.

Do you need a 64 bit OS? The answer is yes since I'm fairly certain AutoCAD is a very memory intensive program when fully utilized. Not to mention a system like the one you have in mind will probably easy hit 4 GB of ram usage fairly easily.

Pretty sure there are a lot of AutoCAD users here, any info on what parts of the system it stresses (probably all of them) would probably be helpful.

 

[JamesV]

Well honestly whats so different now? Sure there may be a couple new interface's to deal with but it's not that complicated. Plus I'm sure there are tons of detailed youtube guides. IMO its going to actually be easier to build a system now than it was 10 years ago.

Yes, but you are looking at the problem as an enthusiast. A person who hasn't built a rig since a P4 is not an enthusiast, nor are they likely to spend hours scanning and reviewing YouTube videos. What they are likely to do, is pay a premium to have it done - both the research and the building.

I make a nice little income on the side; don't ruin it for me :ninja:

 

[Chad]

Gaming mostly, work stuff isn't heavy duty CAD & only occasionally do I bring my work home. I've built 4 rigs total in the past & was back then a big enthusiast but real life got in the way & I didn't have time so I just gamed on consoles. I literally haven't read a thing since & have no idea what's what. I got into gaming when Diablo 1, Tomb Raider & Voodoo 1 cards 1st came out & left about a year or two after Battlefield 2 I think, not positive.

I have no issue w/ paying $100 to a well known & respected Anand forum user that a couple people can vouch for. Seems cheap to me! I hope it would be from someone who just loves building them & not just to make money. If I go this way I could also just buy a person a new part & have it shipped to you during my build. If willing to pick the parts for me I can just have them all shipped from newegg to this members home & cover the shipping to my home once done. I would like to have some torture testing done too, if willing, b4 it's shipped to me so I can feel it's going to be glitch free.

I'm also willing to do it myself if the concepts are the same & not much has changed. I have no issue doing it but I dread doing the research to be honest. I just honestly don't know if things have changed so drastically that I'd be learning from scratch (?).

My case is a mid tower all aluminum well vented case that was close to top of the line way back then. But it's a non issue & can just buy new if you think I should. My current, future secondary monitor, will just be used to have email, web pages, IM , etc up while I game or work in CAD.

Also would like recommendations for a steering wheel w/ pedals with the ability to use on ps3 xbox 360 a nice bonus (but not mandatory). This I want very high quality on. Also the mouse to be of the highest quality for gaming & a good on value bang for buck keyboard.

My table is quite large & is our old dining room table. The chair I got is big & super comfy made from leather & was my dream pc; so a chair isn't required. But I have tons of room. No separate speakers, just a simple speaker built into monitor w/ headphone jack is all I want, just for minimal use during non-gaming as I have great headphones.

It's kind of hard explaining what I want but in this order of importance: 1. The ability to play current games on max settings with excellent & constant fps w/o dips. 2. Quietness. 3. Future upgrade-ability and/or overclocking. 4. Bang for the buck (value).

I really want a smooth feel so monitor needs to be of highest quality, no eyestrain with resolution secondary to pure quality. A quality gaming mouse w/o weird/glitchy feel, vsync on as I hate tearing. Again smooth & constant quality is my most desirable attribute.

I am so excited to play Diablo III & pc racing simulations, finally!! I'm so excited!

 

[krnmastersgt]

D3 is a pretty lax game by modern standards. A mid-range card can basically run it on max settings almost all the time without having an issue, but BF3 and other modern titles do stress systems quite a bit.

Anyways I think 1 and 2 sort of clash when you're talking a very high-end system as the most powerful video cards get hot, when they got they turn those fans up and they can get quite noisy. A quality designed case can muffle a lot of this noise but I'm not sure if any mainstream cases really focus on noise dampening as much as raw airflow measurements and looks/extra features.

With that being said the fact that its primarily a gaming machine makes the parts pretty easy to sort out.

Real issue now is what resolution you're going to be gaming at. Pick the monitor first then build the system around it, whether you need an IPS panel or not is something only you'd really know so I'd suggest looking into them a bit. The rest of the parts the Gen Hardware forum could probably spec out for you in moments. You might want to consider 3D gaming for some titles, meaning you'd need a 120 Hz monitor, etc. Lots of things about a monitor, I'd say look into them a bit more and find out what features you feel you really want and find a good match for it. You might be dabbling in the realm of TVs if you want bigger than 30 inches though.

Also: For gaming mice/keyboards I think it's more personal preference as to the "feel" since people have varying grips, hand sizes, etc. I for instance fell in love with my CM Storm Scout after I first tried using it. Hate using most Razer mice for my personal grip so I don't think other people can really suggest a good mouse without knowing how you use mice already. Just my opinion though.

 

[Chad]

Sorry I meant left after Battlefield 2, not 3.

I have no idea on a monitor, at all! I don't know what IPS means. I'm thinking 1080p or above & at least 24" minimum. 30 " is fine too. I don't HAVE to have over 24" & I have no idea what resolutions are considered best but 1080p minimum. I would rather have super smooth, high quality over size but bigger is great too! Just as long as quality doesn't drop for a few inches in size.

Also it's ok to be loud, I just mean if all other things are equal in performance between two of the same part, I'll take the quieter of the two, even if it costs more. Not sure if I explained that right in my above description. Performance comes first for sure except in a situation where the performance gain is very, very small & the other brand is quieter, higher quality or uses much less power. Am I saying this right? I apologize for the convoluted way I'm saying everything! Performance 1st for future-proofing is definitely #1, no question.

My whole deal is just ordering parts from newegg straight from this thread. I would be forever grateful for links straight to all parts from this thread. I know that's a HUGE favor so I apologize for my laziness. I don't want to start a new thread if I can avoid it. Basically I want to skip as much research as humanly possible & just install Diablo 3, Battlefield 3, the new Ghost Recon, some racing sims, etc and play for the next year or two w/o upgrading, tweaking, overclocking, researching, etc & just play games hassle free.

 

[krnmastersgt]

Well that's sort of why the monitor is an important component to know about. Depending on the resolution that it can go (and I assume you want to game at the max it can achieve, most do) you need a very different card or set of cards to effectively run/max out a game.

For instance gaming at 1920x1080 can basically be handled by a few of the higher-end cards and do just fine in almost every title, with maybe a few forcing you to give up some of the eye-candy.

But when you game at 2560x1600 you need a tremendously more powerful set-up to deal with all the extra pixels, usually 2 of some of the strongest cards available. So the recommendation when you want to keep power consumption (more powerful = more power = less efficient) and noise as low as possible depends pretty heavily on the resolution.

I know it seems like I'm asking an arbitrary question but I feel it's pretty important to know in detail what you want/expect from your monitor and video cards.

As for the rest of the system I'd be happy to grab all the links for you if you're fine with just using Newegg, pretty simple actually.

Things to consider regarding monitor:
1. Size, most prefer bigger (as big as their desk/budget allows!)
2. Resolution, you can get fairly common monitors that'll hit 1920x1080, not so many if you want to go higher but that many more pixels would probably improve image clarity provided whatever you're looking at/watching/playing is able to support proper scaling or is that size to begin with.
3. Panel types, IPS is the most expensive when it comes to monitors I believe but gives you "truest" image color and retains the color despite the angle you view your monitor from. TN panels are used for the vast majority of cheaper LCD monitors but the colors can vary greatly depending on just a few degrees of difference in the angle you look at it from. This isn't really high on the list unless you slouch/change positions a lot when you use your system (I do and that's why I'm saving towards an IPS).
4. 3D capability, now the more stressing titles on the market probably wouldn't run well with max everything + 3D on but sometimes the effect is worth it even if you sacrifice some of the eye-candy or settings. I have no experience with 3D gaming though so not sure what to tell you other than maybe consider it? Also many people prefer 120 Hz monitors as it can result in smoother transitions for a lot of games out there if your video card can keep up with it.

 

[Chad]

Ok. I'll say this for sure...

Definitely the best, highest performance video card available. No 2nd video card at all but it would be great to add another to it in a couple years. For now, prefer just 1 card but definitely the highest performance made. If 2 cards is needed then so be it & 'll go for the dual video card setup now. In fact, if it's not complicated, glitchy or rarely supported the idea of 2 is growing on me as I speak. Especially if it maximises the constant fps & future proofs me by a great deal.

Again, quietness is only a factor when the performance of a particular part is equal. I'm not looking for a silent rig per se, just want to pick a quieter part between otherwise equal brands. Or in the case where the performance gain is minimal over a more quiet part or brand. Again apologies for being so unclear!

I want the IPS you describe as long as it's super fast. I forget what they used to call it but back in the day there was a performance aspect to monitor's that I can't remember anymore. Not refresh rate but the lower # was better.

Definitely 120hz or better. The smoother the better.

3d would be great as long as it doesn't come at the expense of the quality of the 2d display! But 3d is far from mandatory! I'm thinking this may be great for racing sims tho, no? If it's rarely supported by games I'll pass though. Or if it compromises the 2d by any noteworthy degree.

So lets say a 1080p, 3d, 120hz, 30" monitor w/ an attachable or built in speaker w/ headphone jack. This is a good place to start. Better performance if available (30" size is plenty though & more resolution isn't that important to me unless it's like a huge difference or something). I especially don't want some super high res that cripples my games performance either. Not sure if scaling technology has gotten better but on my current monitor it blows!

P.s. I'd like to have a blu-ray player capable cd/dvd burner.

Also, whatever SDD (or is it SSD?) is that I seen mentioned here in another thread. Big n fast. Is this like some kind of USB ram/memory speed boost technology? I want this. Best available in current tech.

This is how truly out of touch I am. I'm starting to feel like a complete newb with no clue. Lol

 

[krnmastersgt]

I think I'm just overwhelming you a bit with questions regarding a component most people just walk out and buy in a store.

And I believe you're talking about response times yes? IPS panels initially had high response times but I believe that had more to do with the fact that it wasn't an issue when they were developing the monitors as it was meant more as a professional's monitor, not a gamer's monitor. However times have passed and their price has dropped like a rock, not to mention pseudo-IPS panels designed for gaming coming out as well (cheap imitations that sometimes get the job done).

Now sorry to mislead and then disappoint but there is no true IPS panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate (or I can't find one anyways). I guess you'll need to decide between color clarity and smoothness, though to be honest a 60 Hz TN panel could probably give you everything you need provided you set it up so you're staring straight at it most of the time.

I'd suggest going to a physical electronics store and just seeing the differences between TN and IPS panels. How can you know which is which? IPS panels are almost always labelled so as they have a price premium compared to their cheaper counterparts, thusly being able to say its the most accurate panel type out there helps soften the blow of the price difference. You'll notice when looking at TN panels from side to side that the colors wash out/change depending on the angle while the IPS won't as I mentioned earlier.

If you really don't care as long as you know it should be a relatively strong monitor, I'd say just look into the Dell UltraSharp line as I've only ever heard good things about them.

 

[bononos]

......
Also, whatever SDD (or is it SSD?) is that I seen mentioned here in another thread. Big n fast. Is this like some kind of USB ram/memory speed boost technology? I want this. Best available in current tech.

This is how truly out of touch I am. I'm starting to feel like a complete newb with no clue. Lol

$3700 sounds like quite abit.
SSDs are all electronic drives so no more platters and read-write heads and definitely worth it since you have the budget for it. People normally get a 32Gb drive just for the OS or larger like 64/128Gb for OS+apps

About getting a new case, newer cases even cheap ones(vs older) have bottom mounted psus(better cooling, more space to fiddle with motherboard cables/wires at bottom), cutouts for neater cabling, front panel (better ones have usb3 ports), more fan mounts. Unless you have something like a Antec P180 from back then you might be interested in changing your case.

 

[Chad]

Cool! I definitely want the biggest, fastest SSD then. On the case ok, no prob, new case it is.

 

[DigiGuy777]

Hey Chad,

If I didn't know better I would have sworn this post was written by me because I am almost exactly in the same position you are. Last build I did was a Pentium system as well running the newest OS at the time Windows 95. I'm at more of a disadvantage because of serious injuries I have accrued over my lifetime have left my 8 cylinder brain firing on only 4 cylinders. To answer your question about the " Lower # being better " was referring to DOT Pitch, the smaller the number the sharper the display. As to how much has changed from the P4 days some stuff has drastically changed while some stuff is the same. Do you recall having to set jumpers on the old Motherboards? You don't do that anymore, most everything now is done through the BIOS or software. Heck we don't even have to manually Format or Partion the HDD's anymore the new OS does it all for you. Until I joined this Forum I wasn't sure I could do a build again but between all the information I was given here and doing my own leg work I took on the challenge.

Remember those horrible wide ribbon cables you used to fight with to connect HDD and optical drives with? GONE! Most connections now are these sleek SATA cables making it virtually painless to connect the drives. The only place I got a little confused with we're the SATA ports on the Mobo, mainly because there was more then one type, 6gbs, 3gbs. After reading my Mobo Manual and watching a few of Newegg TV videos I was able to correctly determine what connected where.
Installing the components is no different now then it was back in the P4 days accept for the cables used to connect the Drives.

The BIOS especially with the ASUS Mobos is allot different then back in the P4 days.
It's now moved into the GUI world instead of having to do allot of keyboard strokes to assign the boot drive, with the New ASUS BIOS you can drag and drop which drive you want to be the boot drive.

One thing that has changed that nearly made me RMA my Corsair PSU was back in our day you could plug in the power supply by itself....Not connected to anything and it would fire up. Not so at least with the Corsair AX750. It seems these newer PSU need to have some type of draw or signal from the Mobo to get them to power up.

I wasn't aware of this, I thought I had a DOA PSU and was ready to do a RMA.
I did a little research first and found out how to bench test the PSU to see if in fact it was bad. Apparently you can use a Papaerclip to insert into the 24pin main power connector on the PSU and it will fire up.

It worked, saved me allot of down time sending it back for a replacement and I have this forum to thank for that info too.

I know my post doesn't give you much advice on what parts to purchase but maybe just knowing your not alone in being behind the times might help. I already received my parts and have them installed Im just waiting on my monitor to arrive Wednesday then I can fire this bad boy up for the first time.

Best of luck on your build.

Have a great day.

 

[krnmastersgt]

Biggest fastest consumer drive I hope, since they sell some lower end enterprise stuff on NewEgg for a few grand a piece

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115095 I can't give you a link to the 3770k as its sold out on Newegg currently but just wait for that or get this 2700k. Not sure on rough performance differences between the 2700k and 3570k though.

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138355 Unless there are storage related requirements/wants that you haven't mentioned this should have everything you need from a board.

Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231309 I wasn't seeing a good reason to not go for 16 GB on the budget.

SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148530 seems like the Samsung 830 is faster but for real world use I don't think you'll notice any differences really (except the 830 writes a bit faster)

Hard Drives: How much storage do you need on the side?

Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139021 750W should leave you enough room to add in a second video card even accounting for aging (at least I think it should roughly, could always go higher I suppose)

Video Card: I believe the current single card king title goes to the GTX 600 line, more specifically the 690 but Newegg seems to be completely out of ALL of them. If you want your system soon I suppose look into the 7970: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150585 I'd pick XFX for the warranty system they have

Case: Pick something that you'd like to look at every day in my opinion, anything from the bigger names (and price brackets) will deliver plenty of airflow with drive expansion bays and extra little things

Peripherals: Again, I recommend you go find a mouse that fits your hand - best to try them out in a store or something

Operating System: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116986 Unless you have a specific reason for a better version.

That's a basic list/rundown.

Things to add:
1. Extra storage space, probably will need at least 1 if you have multiple large games installed.
2. Any drives you need to access all your discs, Blu-Ray or DVD. Wasn't really sure what you'd need.
3. A monitor
4. I'm probably missing something but I'm a bit tired so I can't think of what D:

Current total: roughly ~$1500, could easily shave off a bit though.

 

[bononos]

The $1000 Nvidia 690 card is basically 2 680 gpus on one card. You could save $500 by getting the 680 which is Nvidia's best single gpu card.

Check out reviews of cases and especially see if they can accomodate the video card.

......

Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231309 I wasn't seeing a good reason to not go for 16 GB on the budget.
......

Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139021 750W should leave you enough room to add in a second video card even accounting for aging (at least I think it should roughly, could always go higher I suppose)
......

Operating System: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116986 Unless you have a specific reason for a better version.

You slipped up on the ram since your link is pc3-8500 which is a generation behind (mixed up ddr3 1066 with pc3 10666). And I would get the 8Gb sticks for future expansion (or easier to sell in the future). Something one speed grade up ddr3 1600 for $115:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231489
Or ~$130 for cas latency of 9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231568

Is the Corsair model you linked a Seasonic oem? Because its an incredible value after rebate.

The OS linked is the home premium which limits memory to 16gb, might as well get the pro version for $40 more.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116992
The OEM version is not actually supposed to be used for home builds and M$ prefers that you get this for $250.

 

[lehtv]

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115095 I can't give you a link to the 3770k as its sold out on Newegg currently but just wait for that or get this 2700k. Not sure on rough performance differences between the 2700k and 3570k though.

No point paying in buying 2700K, it's $40 more expensive than 2600K from ncix and only 100Mhz higher at stock. 2600K overclocks the same.

Crucial M4 256 is $240 on ncix.

Agree with Bononos on the RAM.

PC P&C Silencer Mk II 750W with 7 year warranty $60 AR AP.

On your budget, OP, I would buy a 2560x1600 30" Dell IPS and a pair of GTX 680's in SLI to play games on it.

 

[Chad]

Is LED worth looking at or is the IPS technology better quality?

I'm still kind of interested in the 3D & the 120hz for the monitor. Is 3d well supported in all games or is it just a few? Also is it gimmicky or really mind blowing? I'm thinking it would be really neet in pc racing sims maybe?? Also do you lose 2d quality at all on 3d monitor's? Just googled them & an ASUS VG278H 120hz 3d came up w/ some kind of nvidia bundle (3d vision), 27", & has the stereo speakers built in like I was wanting for $699. I have no idea if that's a good deal. Thx again for everyone helping. Hopefully I can figure out the parts this morning & order this afternoon.

 

[Chad]

P.s. what about a sound card?

 

[lehtv]

Is LED worth looking at or is the IPS technology better quality?

LED in itself is just a backlight, not a panel technology. LED monitors are still TN panels and suffer from the same shortcomings when compared to IPS technology, though IPS still suffers from slightly higher input lag. Good IPS monitors are decent for gaming despite the input lag.

I'm still kind of interested in the 3D & the 120hz for the monitor. Is 3d well supported in all games or is it just a few?

http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d-vision-games.html

Also is it gimmicky or really mind blowing? I'm thinking it would be really neet in pc racing sims maybe??

Depends on who you ask. Try it out if you want, you might be surprised, or you might be disappointed. If it turns out you don't want to use 3D, you'll still have a 120hz refresh rate monitor that outputs a very smooth image in 2D. Asus VG series is decent.

One more thing I have to say about that - 3D gaming is a bit of a gamble, whereas you simply can't go wrong with a high quality IPS monitor.

P.s. what about a sound card?

I recommend Asus Xonar series, e.g. Xonar DGX for headphones. I imagine most people are fine with integrated sound, but to me it makes a big difference. On your budget... definitely buy a sound card