Help with a few PC Build questions

[zeroprotocol]

Hello all. Building a partial new PC as I really need to get a new mobo, memory and CPU. I am going to keep everything else with plans to upgrade the GPU in the near future.

Questions and answers below per the forums Q&A:

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Primarily gaming. Web surfing and mail.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

Right now, would like to keep everything around $350 or less for mobo, cpu and memory and perhaps a SSD.


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

USA


4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

No real preference, but leaning towards a Intel i5 CPU this time around.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Will be keeping the case, PSU (Seasonic 650W), CoolerMaster Case and GPU.
*

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

No overclocking.

8. What resolution will you be using?

1980x1200

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

Immediately.


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

Just traditional Windows OS.


That is really it. Just looking to find something, especially this week with all the sales that will be going on. Been looking at Intel i5 chips, however I am not opposed at all going with AMD chips. My only concern with AMD chips is the heat.

One thing I would like to add. My last rig I built, a little over 2 1/2 years ago, I ran into some really PITA issues with the memory and mobo. It was an ASRock mobo and some G.SKill memory.

Basically, to sum up the issue, there were some issues with the voltages on the board and the memory I was using. My system would lock up at all random times. I spent hours upon hours trying to figure the issue out. i talked to several people who ran into the same issue with the same mobo and memory combo. It was definitely a hardware issue and since I talked to others that were having the same issue, it was definitely a mobo and memory issue.

That being said, I am hesitant of ASRock boards now, but dont want to rule them out. I would just want to make 100% sure that if I do go with another ASRock board, the memory I get is certified to work correctly. I dont want to go through what I did on my last rig build. It was a real PITA time.

So thats it.
I appreciate the help and look forward to your response.


ZP

EDIT: Doing some more research and I think I am going to go with a i5 CPU. That being said, any suggestions on a model, mobo and memory would be great.
Thanks

 

[Termie]

Welcome to the forums!

Since you're not interested in overclocking, I'd go with this 3570 processor for $200: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115233

Plus this Gigabyte B75 motherboard with FREE 8GB of RAM for $70: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128540

That's it - $270 total. Leaves $80 in your budget for an SSD, so here's a Samsung 830 64GB that should do the trick: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147133

If you have more headroom in your budget, spring for a 128GB drive like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147163

Honestly, you might find some better SSD deals on Black Friday, but you probably won't beat that CPU/MB/RAM combo for $270.

 

[zeroprotocol]

Welcome to the forums!

Since you're not interested in overclocking, I'd go with this 3570 processor for $200: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115233

Plus this Gigabyte B75 motherboard with FREE 8GB of RAM for $70: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128540

That's it - $270 total. Leaves $80 in your budget for an SSD, so here's a Samsung 830 64GB that should do the trick: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147133

If you have more headroom in your budget, spring for a 128GB drive like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147163

Honestly, you might find some better SSD deals on Black Friday, but you probably won't beat that CPU/MB/RAM combo for $270.

Hi Termie,

I really appreciate your feedback.
That makes a lot of sense since I dont plan on OC'ing.
Thats a good deal that is well within my budget.

For memory, im a little skittish because of wha happened last time. Should this be pretty stable memory? Any thing else i should consider?
Thank you again. i appreciate it.

ZP

EDIT: I should probably ask, I am also saving up money for a better GPU in the near future. I run a 24" monitor at home and lately have been using a GTX 260, which has been ok. I wanted to upgrade my mobo/cpu/mem first, then get a better GPU when the prices drop here shortly. Knowing this, the above CPU/Mobo/Memory should still be ok? Coupled with a better GPU and SSD should last me for quite awhile I would assume? Thx

 

[Termie]

Hi Termie,

I really appreciate your feedback.
That makes a lot of sense since I dont plan on OC'ing.
Thats a good deal that is well within my budget.

For memory, im a little skittish because of wha happened last time. Should this be pretty stable memory? Any thing else i should consider?
Thank you again. i appreciate it.

ZP

I have certainly experienced plenty of RAM compatibility problems in the past, but newer platforms are much better about that. The G.Skill RAM being bundled with that motherboard is top-notch stuff. You shouldn't have any problems. In fact, it's some of the highest-rated RAM on Newegg (85% 5 stars): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231428

 

[riversend]

That setup should work well. How long do you think until you will be able to upgrade the GPU? And when you do upgrade, now.much will you have to spend?

Also it appears from your post you have set aside the money already for a copy of Windows.

 

[mfenn]

It would be helpful to know what motherboard and RAM you have now so that we can check for the obvious signs of incompatibility. That would probably help to set your mind at ease.

Termie's proposed build is good as always.

 

[Termie]

It would be helpful to know what motherboard and RAM you have now so that we can check for the obvious signs of incompatibility. That would probably help to set your mind at ease.

Termie's proposed build is good as always.

Always good to have some backup. I feel like I and a few others handle these questions during the daytime, and you clean house at night - catching anything we miss.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Wow,

This build is almsot exactly what I want. I don't want to thread hi-jack but could anyone recoemend a lower cost i5 processor to use with that motherboard. If it matters, I'm not into games but need horseopower for my needs (emulation ... not game emulation .. VMWare running BB10 hardware sim).

Will start new thread later.

EDIT: based on price range of i5 processors, might as well just get the expensive one.

 

[Termie]

Wow,

This build is almsot exactly what I want. I don't want to thread hi-jack but could anyone recoemend a lower cost i5 processor to use with that motherboard. If it matters, I'm not into games but need horseopower for my needs (emulation ... not game emulation .. VMWare running BB10 hardware sim).

Will start new thread later.

EDIT: based on price range of i5 processors, might as well just get the expensive one.

Exactly...Intel prices the i5 processors such that it almost makes no sense not to buy the 3570. And with the 3570k being offered with a $20 gift card right now at Newegg, that's pretty much the only option that makes any sense currently: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116504

A much slower i5-3330 is still $180. Silly if you ask me: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116781

 

[zeroprotocol]

That setup should work well. How long do you think until you will be able to upgrade the GPU? And when you do upgrade, now.much will you have to spend?

Also it appears from your post you have set aside the money already for a copy of Windows.

I am planning on upgrading the GPU in 3-5 months. If I can find a great deal, perhaps earlier.

SHould be good on the OS side. Have win7 pro....can go with Windows 8, but I am holding off for now. Waiting to see how things pan out.

 

[zeroprotocol]

It would be helpful to know what motherboard and RAM you have now so that we can check for the obvious signs of incompatibility. That would probably help to set your mind at ease.

Termie's proposed build is good as always.

It was a ASRock mobo and some G.SKill memory.
I can get the specifics and post back later.

one thing I have learned from this experience is to do exactly what you said; check for incompatibility issues.

I have a good feeling about this build. I am ordering it today so hopefully, can rebuild by Friday or Saturday.

 

[zeroprotocol]

Exactly...Intel prices the i5 processors such that it almost makes no sense not to buy the 3570. And with the 3570k being offered with a $20 gift card right now at Newegg, that's pretty much the only option that makes any sense currently: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116504

A much slower i5-3330 is still $180. Silly if you ask me: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116781

Would you recommend going with the 3570K over the 3750 for my build? Its a $5 dollar difference. Wasn't sure, so I thought I would ask.

Thx

 

[Termie]

Would you recommend going with the 3570K over the 3750 for my build? Its a $5 dollar difference. Wasn't sure, so I thought I would ask.

Thx

Because you're not buying a z77 board that allows unlocked overclocking, you won't get anything out of the 3570k. It just so happens that accounting for promotions at Newegg right now, the 3570 and 3570k are actually the same price today, so it's up to you - the resale value will definitely be higher.

If you think there's any chance you might consider overclocking in the future, you might consider buying this AsRock board (despite your bad experience in the past) for $100 shipped: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2284680. With the shipping charge on the B75 board, it comes out to only $23 cheaper. Just an idea...also gets you more USB3 and SATA6 ports.

 

[zeroprotocol]

Because you're not buying a z77 board that allows unlocked overclocking, you won't get anything out of the 3570k. It just so happens that accounting for promotions at Newegg right now, the 3570 and 3570k are actually the same price today, so it's up to you - the resale value will definitely be higher.

If you think there's any chance you might consider overclocking in the future, you might consider buying this AsRock board (despite your bad experience in the past) for $100 shipped: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2284680. With the shipping charge on the B75 board, it comes out to only $23 cheaper. Just an idea...also gets you more USB3 and SATA6 ports.

Thats excellent information.
That being said, I think I would lean towards having additional options down the road. I think I might go with the ASRock board. Some extra added benefits that I might want in the future.

Since I want to go with the ASRock board, I should add hte 3570K chip then, to get the benefit of Oc'ing, correct?


Also, I am going to guess that the memory coming with the ASRock board, is probably compatible, so that makes me feel a little bit better. Fairly safe to assume?

Thanks again Termie.

ZP

 

[Termie]

Thats excellent information.
That being said, I think I would lean towards having additional options down the road. I think I might go with the ASRock board. Some extra added benefits that I might want in the future.

Since I want to go with the ASRock board, I should add hte 3570K chip then, to get the benefit of Oc'ing, correct?

Thanks again Termie.

ZP

Yes, definitely get the 3570k given the promotion at Newegg ($220 with $20GC): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116504

And yes, the memory should work perfectly with that board.

 

[zeroprotocol]

Yes, definitely get the 3570k given the promotion at Newegg ($220 with $20GC): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116504

And yes, the memory should work perfectly with that board.

Cool.
Just ordered the stuff. Went with the 3570k and ASRock board, plus free memory.

I felt like the difference between this set and the other one you ordered was worth upgrading a tad. This way, I have the option to OC if I decide to do so. Plus the extra SATA and USB 3.0 dont hurt either.

Appreciate the help!

ZP

 

[Termie]

Great - happy to help.

 

[mfenn]

Always good to have some backup. I feel like I and a few others handle these questions during the daytime, and you clean house at night - catching anything we miss.

:thumbsup: I know when there are certain posters in the thread (you, lehtv, Ken g6, etc.) that I usually don't have to do anything but look and agree.

It was a ASRock mobo and some G.SKill memory.
I can get the specifics and post back later.

Yeah, the exact model numbers are necessary when looking at compatibility.

Cool.
Just ordered the stuff. Went with the 3570k and ASRock board, plus free memory.

I felt like the difference between this set and the other one you ordered was worth upgrading a tad. This way, I have the option to OC if I decide to do so. Plus the extra SATA and USB 3.0 dont hurt either.

Appreciate the help!

ZP

Let us know how the build goes.

 

[zeroprotocol]

Thought I would jump back in here.

Received my parts yesterday and put the system together.

Went to fire up the system and does not even POST.

Spent some time troubleshooting and still, wont POST. Think the mobo is DOA.


Ok, so I seem to have no luck with ASRock and will be sending the board back.
Any alternatives? Maybe the gigabyte board posted earlier in this thread?

I have the RAM that I received as the package and would like to use that.

I appreciate the feedback and help.

ZP

 

[Termie]

Thought I would jump back in here.

Received my parts yesterday and put the system together.

Went to fire up the system and does not even POST.

Spent some time troubleshooting and still, wont POST. Think the mobo is DOA.


Ok, so I seem to have no luck with ASRock and will be sending the board back.
Any alternatives? Maybe the gigabyte board posted earlier in this thread?

I have the RAM that I received as the package and would like to use that.

I appreciate the feedback and help.

ZP

I strongly advise you not to RMA the board yet.

Instead, provide us a summary of the order in which you built the computer, and then list all the troubleshooting steps you've taken so far. While it's possible that board is DOA, it's very unlikely. The Asrock z77 Extreme3 has been out for quite some time. I see 2 claims of DOA boards out of 23 reviews on Newegg. So again, possible, but not likely, particularly given that those problems may have been user related.

 

[zeroprotocol]

I strongly advise you not to RMA the board yet.

Instead, provide us a summary of the order in which you built the computer, and then list all the troubleshooting steps you've taken so far. While it's possible that board is DOA, it's very unlikely. The Asrock z77 Extreme3 has been out for quite some time. I see 2 claims of DOA boards out of 23 reviews on Newegg. So again, possible, but not likely, particularly given that those problems may have been user related.

I'll do that.
let me retrace my steps here.

I did redo everything and was able to get the system to boot and install Win 7 x64bit.

Was doing some testing and did get a BSOD when testing out a game. My gut tells me its a driver issue. Doing some research and will post everything here shortly.
Appreciate the help.

ZP

 

[zeroprotocol]

So this is a bit odd...

I was able to get the system up and running. Everything runs smoothly.

However, doing some game 'testing', (Sniper Elite V2), the game froze, then did a BSOD and shut down. Kinda of alarming.

I spent the next 2 hours doing some testing, moving stuff around, trying to find the root cause.

The issue 'appears' to be Nvidia Drivers for my GTX 260. I took a look at the crash .dmp file that was created from the BSOD and all signs 'appear' to point to the nvidia driver.

A little odd because I am using the most up to date drivers for my card.

I went back to ASRocks site and made sure I had all the drivers downloaded.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme3/?cat=Download&os=Win764

From that list, I installed:

-Audio
-LAN
-INF
-USB 3.0

I did this after the BSOD.
Are there any other's from that list I should consider?

Doing to do some more testing tonight, see how it goes (fingers crossed).

Thx

ZP

 

[Termie]

So this is a bit odd...

I was able to get the system up and running. Everything runs smoothly.

However, doing some game 'testing', (Sniper Elite V2), the game froze, then did a BSOD and shut down. Kinda of alarming.

I spent the next 2 hours doing some testing, moving stuff around, trying to find the root cause.

The issue 'appears' to be Nvidia Drivers for my GTX 260. I took a look at the crash .dmp file that was created from the BSOD and all signs 'appear' to point to the nvidia driver.

A little odd because I am using the most up to date drivers for my card.

I went back to ASRocks site and made sure I had all the drivers downloaded.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme3/?cat=Download&os=Win764

From that list, I installed:

-Audio
-LAN
-INF
-USB 3.0

I did this after the BSOD.
Are there any other's from that list I should consider?

Doing to do some more testing tonight, see how it goes (fingers crossed).

Thx

ZP

Glad you got it running.

Sniper Elite v2 is a brand new game, and the GTX260 is a fairly old card. It could be that the drivers aren't updated for that game. I'd suggest you do a few runs of 3dMark11 to test for stability.

It looks like you pulled all the right drivers off the AsRock website.

One thing I'd like you to check by going into the BIOS is the memory timings and voltage. Should be DDR3-1600, 1.5v, with default timings of 9-9-9-24-2N. Can you confirm that?

The next thing I suggest is that you uninstall all nVidia drivers, download the latest WHQL version, and then do a custom reinstall, deselecting the Nvidia HD sound drivers from the package. I've had some trouble with them before, and unless you're using speakers in your monitor, you don't need them.

 

[zeroprotocol]

Glad you got it running.

Sniper Elite v2 is a brand new game, and the GTX260 is a fairly old card. It could be that the drivers aren't updated for that game. I'd suggest you do a few runs of 3dMark11 to test for stability.

It looks like you pulled all the right drivers off the AsRock website.

One thing I'd like you to check by going into the BIOS is the memory timings and voltage. Should be DDR3-1600, 1.5v, with default timings of 9-9-9-24-2N. Can you confirm that?

The next thing I suggest is that you uninstall all nVidia drivers, download the latest WHQL version, and then do a custom reinstall, deselecting the Nvidia HD sound drivers from the package. I've had some trouble with them before, and unless you're using speakers in your monitor, you don't need them.

When I get home, I will confirm that and post back here.
Give me about 2-3 hours and I will report back.

Appreciate the help.

ZP

 

[zeroprotocol]

Checking in here.
So I *think* my settings are 9-9-9-24-2N.

I am in the BIOS right now and under DRAM Timing Configuration, there is:

XMP 1.2 Profile 1: DDR3-1600 9-9-9-24 1.50V

Below that there is "Load XMP Setting"
It has the options for "Auto" and "XMP 1.2 Profile 1"

Going to guess here and say I should select the "XMP 1.2. Profile 1" option?

I do a little but further down, under Voltage Configuration:

DRAM Voltage: 1.500V

Little different BIOS for me, so I am learning my way around.
Anything else I should check?