Is building a custom gaming rig worth it???

sethwilliam · Apr 4, 2013

This is my rig so far
Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core $179.99
Motherboard Biostar TZ77XE3 ATX LGA1155 $100.00
Memory Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 $47.98
Storage Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM $69.98
Video Card EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB $199.99
Case Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower $59.99
Power Supply Antec 550W ATX12V $64.99
Optical Drive Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer $15.98
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) $89.98
Keyboard Adesso AKB-131UB

But I'm afraid to purchase any of the parts

this is my first time ever building a computer. I know next to nothing about doing it and am afraid ill fry somthing or break somthing else! What do i do if the parts don't work??? How are you supposed to learn how to do this kind of thing? Do the parts come with instructions? Im sorry I'm just so nervous about spending $800 then ruining my build.

whateverjp · Apr 4, 2013

You'll be fine dude. I built my own computer literally 3 weeks ago and I had zero knowledge. Just do a bit of researching/youtube for building it - it's really easy and when you're finished you'll be lke "GOD DAMN THAT WAS EASY!" haha.

anyways, your rig looks good in my opinion. for the price of $179.99 CPU, you could get a I5-3470 or maybe even a 3570.

are you going to be overclocking at all? If so, id say get a "k" chip 3570K which will fit better with the Z77 mobo.. and i'd look into a Gigabyte, ASUS, or asrock Z77 mobo instaed of Biostar.

Ram, HD, Case all look good, Optical Drive alll look good

GTX 660 is not a bad card, but 2GB is pointless.

I would actually go for a better GPU which is

HD7870 - $200ish.. if that's a bit too expensive u can go for the HD7770 which is cheaper than your current card and will run most of your games that u want to play.

I would also replace your power supply with "XFX 550W" .. better and more reliable w/ MANY ratings (same PSU) i have.

Just go with the flow man, don't be in a hurry and get the parts and find the best ones that suit your needs. All the parts will work! Just make sure you get some more feedback before you go ahead and purchase everything for the right parts.

whateverjp · Apr 4, 2013

Oh and if you don't plan on overclocking at all.. get rid of the Z77 motherboard and get a cheaper H77 motherboard.

Z77 = overclocking
H77 = non-overclocking

anti-painkilla · Apr 4, 2013

sethwilliam :

Yes, it is actually really easy to do. There are most likely video tutorial on youtube. Just use an anti-static wristband and don't force anything. I learnt from ripping computers apart, I have only killed one motherboard (from the hundreds I have worked on) and I was being lazy and stupid.

Do you know someone who can help you? Anyone who has built a computer before.

djangoringo · Apr 4, 2013

You can look for guides on the web, also the motherboard and some other parts got its manual, your have everything needed in the list to be operational and it's all compatible, that being said, i find the motherboard unnecessary for that cpu(locked one), i recommend a h77 motherboard and the i5-3470, i would also change the gpu, for the 7870 XT(tahiti le) better gpu for just a bit more, also if i'm not mistaken that antec is the bp 550 plus, which is not that good, for that price there're better psus like the xfx 550 core edition, if you're fond of nvidia gpus, i recommend getting the 660 ti instead.

Here's what i suggest :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($234.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $823.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

And here's some guides :
http://techreport.com/review/23624/how-to-build-a-pc-the-tech-report-guide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea_bs5G1yYU

sethwilliam · Apr 4, 2013

Probably not overclocking but I need sli for later when I get another gtx 660. Or would it be better just to get single card upgrades as needed? Oh and I'm trying to not go over my current price so I can't upgrade anything here however I can't decide between the boost art mobo or this
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z77extreme4

Cons29 · Apr 4, 2013

ask a friend over to help you out, don't let him do it, do it yourself, just ask for guidance.

or ok let him help you out, but the aim is to learn so don't just let him put everything in by himself. it's fun

much more so than buying a pre-built one

djangoringo · Apr 4, 2013

I wouldn't recommend doing a SLI setup of 660 gtx with that antec psu, it's a low end psu from antec, also it's recommended going with a 600W psu for two 660 gtx, check it here : http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

I would just get the best single card possible as of it now, unless you plan to add the second 660 gtx in a short period of time, most people end up not buying the second card when the times passes, since they might become unavailable or that the newer single cards models offer a similar performance(or better) for a good price, so you can sell later the card and get a new series card when the times comes.

whateverjp · Apr 4, 2013

id go with the ASROCK Z77 EX 4

Conrad440 · Apr 4, 2013

Well a few tips I can give out from personal experience are make sure you are grounded, static shock off your hands can fry components. NEVER force something to fit, if you are having trouble getting RAM or your GPU to slot correctly stop and make sure everything is in the correct direction / slot. Lastly NEVER use magnetic tipped tools of any kind, you are working with sensitive electronics.

Here is a video I found on youtube which does a pretty decent job explaining how to put a computer together, while your components won't exactly match what he has the idea is the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSNz6VVpWI8

Good luck with the build!

sethwilliam · Apr 4, 2013

djangoringo :

Ok I think it would be easier to just have one good card.

Ok then I need a new motherboard for my build. No sli or 3.0 is necessary or overclocking. Just needs to fit my current build and be fairly cheap but sturdy enough to last along time.

Any recomendations?

djangoringo · Apr 4, 2013

Asrock H77M offers all that you'll need, the pcie 3.0 is a feature present in any recent intel chipset motherboard, the h77m has all the features of the z77 minus overclocking capability and less pcie expansions slots(no SLI).

sethwilliam · Apr 4, 2013

Is there any performance decrease between the atx and micro atx ? Can the micro atx still fit a full sized graphics card like the 660?

djangoringo · Apr 4, 2013

There's no performance loss, and it can fit any gfx card, that will depend on the case and its vga clearance, either the HAF 912 or the bitfenix merc alpha will have the space for it.

sethwilliam · Apr 4, 2013

djangoringo :

Ok. And I noticed the max speed of ram is 1600
But the ones I have listed are up to 1800 how do I lower the speed in the bios? What happens if I forget to? Would it fry the board and ram?
Is there a board similiar to this but supports faster ram? Ill look around for one but if you find one let me know.

djangoringo · Apr 4, 2013

It supports even ram with higher frequencies : http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H77M/?cat=Memory
It will default at 1600 mhz, the cpu memory controller supports up to 1600 mhz, anything above that is considered oc, you can try later to add the xmp profile or manually for the oc speeds(1866)if you need to.

sethwilliam · Apr 4, 2013

So Ivan use the current ram and it will by default only use 1600? So I don't have to change anything?

djangoringo · Apr 4, 2013

Nope, if you want to oc the ram, you can try the xmp profile to the 1866 mhz speed or the just stay with the default 1600 mhz.

sethwilliam · Apr 4, 2013

No I don't want to overclock 8gb of ram at 1600 is good enough for gaming. Just hope your right about it auto adjusting to 1600 don't wanna burn somthing out. But your the proffesional here not me

thx

adramsdell · Apr 5, 2013

sethwilliam :

I found the hardest part of my build was the cpu cooler/thermal compund(i had the mounting brack off and somehow it fit but was odd and then i put too much thermal paste on it..). If you have a good case manufacturer(which you do) then you'll usually get a manual explaining the different screws and what theyre used for. you mobo will have a manual too.

If you're affraid of frying crap add an anti static wrist band to your order, clip to the metal "rim" of your case. Also consider a different motherboard manufacturer. if you're looking for budget at least go gigabyte, or asrock.

Also your motherboard may not fully auto adjust your memory. You may have to select 1600mhz in bios settings and then up the voltage. I had to go from 1.5v to 1.6 (not a big deal and perfectly fine)

sethwilliam · Apr 5, 2013

Ik found a mobo I like with mostly good reviews.
http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemNumber=N82E16813131835
Is it better quality then the biostar/ comoatible with my build?

djangoringo · Apr 5, 2013

That's a b75 motherboard with a poor value, i'd get the h77, it has more features for less, either way, you'll have to set the xmp profile(or manually) in either boards(or others) for 1866, or even at 1600 mhz(there's a good chance to default at 1600 mhz, board not relevant, you might need to set it manually, but it's easy and since it's rated at 1.5v 1866 mhz, you can expect to run at the same voltage with stability).

adramsdell · Apr 5, 2013

sethwilliam :

Well with that your trading chipsets. Stick with Z77. Here take a look at this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131824

It's a little more but it is the better chipset, it carries more potential for you.

sethwilliam · Apr 5, 2013

djangoringo :

I'm sorry for asking so many questions just don't want to ruin my one shot at a build.
But what is the xmp profile?? And the yield you listed is the sapphire radeon card better then the gtx 660 super clicked I had?

manofchalk · Apr 5, 2013

The XMP profile is basically what the RAM's performance settings are, as specified by the manufacturer. If you stick 2133Mhz RAM into the rig, the motherboard will default to something like 1333 or 1600Mhz, enable the XMP and it will run it at 2133Mhz. The XMP also covers latency timings as well as frequency.

Sapphire card? Which one?

Is building a custom gaming rig worth it???

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Distinguished

Distinguished

Honorable

Splendid

Distinguished

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Distinguished

Honorable

Distinguished

Honorable

Distinguished

Honorable

Distinguished

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Distinguished

Honorable

Honorable

Glorious

Share this page