My 1st assemble PC

[joelthakkar]

Last time when i got a pc, it was done by my parents. This time i am doing it on my own. Here are the things that i have bought..


1) Intel Core i5 4440 (3.1 - 3.3 Ghz) (4th gen) - $172

2) WD 1 TB 7200 RPM Caviar Blue - $56

3) Corsair vengeance DDR3 4 GB 1600 Mhz (9-9-9-24) - $45 (x2)

(i will buy the same ram again to make it total 8 GB)

4) Motherboard - Gigabyte MA-B85M-D3H - $88

I am keeping the LG DVD Writer, Keyword , Mouse, Speakers etc from the old pc. I am also keeping my Samsung Monitor (21 inch - 1600 * 900 )

The only thing that that is not decided is CPU case. I am not sure if i will keep it or buy a new one.

Thus, main specs : Core i5 4440 , 1 tb hard disk , 8 gb 1600 mhz ram , gigabye b85 motherboard.

I plan to use this PC for extensive web surfing, medium usage video playback and light gaming.

How is it? How do you think are the prices which i paid? (btw i have converted prices from my local currency to us dollars) and oh yes, i am upgrading from an old pc : core 2 duo e7400 , intel dg31, 2 gb ddr2 , 250 gb harddisk

 

[Charlie98]

Looks pretty good to me, including the prices. The B85 board was probably not necessary but I like that particular board... I have it's B75 cousin in my HTPC.

What case do you currently have?

The iGPU of the i5 should be OK for what you have in mind, but the 'gaming' part really depends on what you are playing.

No SSD?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

You've allocated $406.

I tend to agree with Charlie's hint at an SSD.

I'd be sorely tempted to run with cheaper 8 GB of RAM or even 4 GB if I needed to in order to squeeze in a small SSD, perhaps 60 to 80 GB.

Or wait until you can save another $50.

For most users, I'd say you'll get more benefit from an SSD for the boot drive and applications than you would from moving to 8 GB of RAM rather than 4. The snappiness of the SSD will impress you consistently, whereas you may never notice the 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th GB of RAM.

I've got 55 applications and Windows 7 installed on an 80 GB SSD for the last 3 years. Occupied space on C has never been above 33 GB.

I monitor my RAM usage and it's rarely even 3 GB.

You may have some situation that requires 8 GB of RAM or 100 plus GB for a C partition. I have no idea. If that is so and you can't expand your budget, then go with the WD 1 TB blue alone. Otherwise, I'd run a small SSD for Windows and apps and an HDD for all data.

If you discover you are actually using all 4 GB of RAM and it is actually slowing you down, you can always buy another 4 GB stick at a later date. But the SSD advantage will pay off from day one.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Yes, that looks like a nice system, pretty good prices.

I see a video card in your future if you want to play more than casual or very old games. Even a 100 dollar card like a HD7770 would be an immense improvement for gaming.

I dont see a power supply listed though. Are you keeping the one from your old PC? If so, how old is it and what brand/wattage? If it is fairly old, it is a good idea to invest in a new on and not risk your new build with an old PSU.