Looking to make a gaming computer. No experience

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MasterBlack

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Apr 9, 2013
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Budget Range: $850

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies

Buying a monitor: No

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: http://www.directcanada.com

Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: (Don't know what this is)

Monitor Resolution: 1280×720 (Dynex Television)

I never bought computer parts before so forgive me if the power supply listed is too low in watts or if any of the parts aren't compatible with each other. Any suggestions on the build with the 850 budget are appreciated.

Already selected parts
ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM R2.0 H61 DDR3 LGA1155 mATX PCI-E16 PCI-E1 PCI SATA3.0 VGA DVI GBLAN Motherboard $66.63
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM 64MB SATA 6Gbps 3.5in Internal Hard Drive - OEM $74.20
XFX Radeon HD 7870 Double D 1000MHZ 2GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 DVI HDMI 2XMINIDP PCI-E Video Card $245.43
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT SP1 DVD OEM $89.87
Corsair XMS3 CMX8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 240PIN Core i5 i7 AMD Memory Kit $55.04
XFX 650W PRO650W Core Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 53A 24PIN ATX Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze PSU $79.27
Intel Core i5 3470 Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.2GHZ Ivy Bridge 6MB Retail $197.55
Apex SK-393-C Mid Tower ATX Case Black 4X5.25 1X3.5 5X3.5INT 4 X Front USB 2 X Front Audio No PSU $24.48

Total $832.47

Maybe more money can be spent on the video card? Also would like to make sure that its possible to upgrade in the future. How well would that list above handle modern games?
 
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SeismicAltop

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Mar 21, 2013
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That build is in the sweet spot. A 650 watt will be more than enough. You may be able to go a bit cheaper on the PSU and get an unlocked i5. Just make sure you use a power supply calculator somewhere on the web. Also, It may be wise to invest in a 1080 monitor, the 7870 can run more than one monitor, so keep the old one, too. Overall, seems great.
 
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strife_ff7

strife_ff7

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Get this mobo asrock b75m http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950BD9277&vpn=B75M-DGS R2.0&manufacture=Others
You don't need a 650w psu for this system get this xfx 550w http://www.ncix.ca/products/?affiliateid=7474144&sku=59615&vpn=P1550SXXB9&manufacture=XFX
You should get a better case. The one you listed mounts the psu at the top and I don't even know if the hd 7870 will fit in it. This one would be much better zalman z9 http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15210AC8730&vpn=Z9&manfuacture=ZALMAN%20TECH

**EDIT
Forgot to say you should probably upgrade your monitor later. You should get a 1920x1080 or at least a 1680x1050 monitor.
 
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MasterBlack

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Can you explain why I should get that motherboard over the other one?
 
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strife_ff7

strife_ff7

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Ivy Bridge is the codename for the newer intel processors, Sandy bridge came before them and Haswell I think is coming out in a few months(june-july)
ivy bridge - i5 3470, i5 3570k, i3 3220 ...
sandy bridge - i5 2500, i5 2400, i3 2120 ...

An unlocked cpu makes it easier to overclock it also you can overclock it much more than a locked cpu. An unlocked cpu will have a 'K' at the end of it( i5 2500k, i5 3570k, i7 3770k)

 
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strife_ff7

strife_ff7

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Here's a good one asrock z77 extreme4 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
If you're going to get a z77 mobo you should think about getting an i5 3570k http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504 so you have the option of overclocking later. It would be real easy to overclock with that mobo but before you overclock you need to buy a cpu cooler like the cooler master hyper 212 evo. There is no real need to overclock now but in a year or two it could help with gaming performance.
 
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MasterBlack

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CPU
Intel Core i5 3570K Unlocked Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.4GHZ Ivy Bridge 6MB Retail - $237.67
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12200BD0768

Case
Zalman Z9 ATX Mid Tower Case Black 3X5.25 1X3.5 5X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio - $39.98
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15210AC8730

HDD
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM 64MB SATA 6Gbps 3.5in Internal Hard Drive - OEM - $74.20
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=14120DR5445

Video Card
XFX Radeon HD 7870 Double D 1000MHZ 2GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 DVI HDMI 2XMINIDP PCI-E Video Card - $245.43
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180BD7826

OS
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT SP1 DVD OEM - $89.87
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12850SW2113

RAM
Corsair XMS3 CMX8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 240PIN Core i5 i7 AMD Memory Kit - $55.04
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11180BD6783

PSU
XFX 650W PRO650W Core Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 53A 24PIN ATX Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze PSU - $79.27
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180AC8566

Motherbored
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $134.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

1080.78 after tax.

I guess this is good to go.

I hear the windows 7 disk is only good for one use. Is that true?
 
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strife_ff7

strife_ff7

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Looks good. Windows oem will be locked to the motherboard you can change anything else but if you change the motherboard you'll probably have to buy a new copy. Make sure before you try to overclock that i5 3570k you buy a good cpu cooler.

**EDIT**
The psu is a little overkill just get the xfx 550w http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180AC2961&vpn=P1550SXXB9&manufacture=XFX
It's the same one I have and I have an i5 2500k @4.2 and a hd 7950. The xfx 550w will be more than enough for your system even if you overclock everything.
 
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Greatatlantic

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I have used the same version of windows with multiple motherboards, though maybe that is something new with Windows 8. Anyways, you can only have windows on one active PC. When you install it on a new machine, you need to register it, which means if the old machine ever tries to update Microsoft will realize there is a bad machine out there.
 
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MasterBlack

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Thanks Strife. So if I discontinued the use of the old motherboard I would be able to use the disk on a new one?

I was offered a I5-3570(not the k) and a sabertooth z77 motherboard for $300 in the local classifieds. Is that a good deal?
 
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strife_ff7

strife_ff7

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Most people say that the oem can't be moved to a new mobo unless it's a replacement mobo and you have to call microsoft to activate it. I've heard a few people say that they were able to install it on a different mobo with no problems. This might help http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/20849-63-install-win7-once

As for the i5 3570 and the asus z77 sabertooth for $300 that's a good deal if they're in good condition.
 
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