First Build Recommendations

tomwalkeer

Honorable
Apr 18, 2013
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10,510
Hi,

Im currently looking into building my first computer and was hoping for some recommendations from you guys! This computer is first and foremost a gaming computer. I want to be able to play top of the line games like Battlefield 3 at fairly high settings in 1920x1080. I think I have most things figured out already, but I still need a couple suggestions! I'd also love any suggestions or improvements that you guys would have on what I've already assembled! My final budget would hopefully be around the 1000$ mark, but that is also flexible.

So far here's what I've got!

1TB Western Digital Blue HD (70$)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339

128GB Samsung 840Pro SSD (140$)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147192

2x4GB Corsair DDR3 Ram (60$)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345

Intel i5 3570k 3.4Ghz Quadcore (LGA 1155) (230$)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

Gigabyte HD 7950 3GB (300$)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125414
( Previously MSI Geforce GTX 660ti 2GB (340$))

Current total for the above is around 800$.

What do you guys think of that set up? Will it be able to play what I want too? Is the CPU of GPU too much of an overkill? Does the RAM brand/type really matter?

I'd also like suggestions for:

motherboard - I mostly don't know what to look for in those
Power supply - see above
CD drive - are they really necessary anymore? like for initial installation of drivers?
Case- easily fit everything with nice cable management and plenty of airflow
Fans - Will I need any extra fans to add? I guess this also will depend on the case
Monitor- 1920x1080, would be nice to play movies on as well (this price is not included in my final budget)

I know it's a lot, especially for my first post, but any suggestions you guys have would be much appreciated! Also, any sites with deals that I should keep an eye on for these products would be great!

 
Solution
If you're getting a K series CPU, it's only worth it if you're interested in overclocking (which requires an aftermarket CPU cooler as well) so you'll need to factor that in. The Hyper 212 Evo is a great budget one, that won't set you back to much.

You could go for a non-overclocking build, and purchase a 3470/3350P instead, since the stock performance will be very, very similar. This should save you like $50 on the CPU, but if you want to CrossFire, unfortunately you can't also pick out a cheaper motherboard, because you need a Z77 to support CrossFire.

One area you can save in ins the SSD. You won't notice any difference between that very high end one, and something like the 128gb Sandisk Extreme, even though the latter is $50 or so...

Azn Cracker

Distinguished
Mobo: I would just look for a cheap one that is reliable (look at reviews). Paying for a better one is not really worth it. The only thing you gain is better overclocking and more/better slots.

PSU: On sale right now for $60 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?SID=93jSkKhjEeKhqOrs-pUvpQrPk2_A9jW3_0_0_0&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&Item=17-139-031&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=

CD drive: well i dont use mine much, but i still recommend getting one. I used it for installing OS and for burning some disks.

Case: Depends on how much you want to spend and the looks are totally subjective. However heres my suggestion
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196

Fans: no need

Monitor:http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VS238H-P-23-Inch-Full-HD-LED-Lit/dp/B005BZNEVQ/ref=sr_1_1?t=slicinc-20&tag=slicinc-20&ascsubtag=lkRiaKhkEeK13B40xRvYTArPk2_0hiW3_qoM_0_0&ie=UTF8&qid=1366096308&sr=8-1&keywords=ASUS+VS+Series+VS238H-P


_________________

The cpu is great for gaming.

As for the gpu though. I would get a 7950 instead (cheaper and faster)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125414

Or if you like nvidia, get a 670 gtx for a little bit more
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130782
 

tomwalkeer

Honorable
Apr 18, 2013
24
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10,510


I have no brand preference, just whatever is going to work best!
So the 7950 would definitely be the better choice than my current one? And which one in particular would be best? is the extra 30$ for the sapphire over the gigabyte worth it or not?
 

Azn Cracker

Distinguished


the 7950 would be the better card for the money. And no its not worth $30 to get the saphire. Gigabyte is a pretty good company
 

tomwalkeer

Honorable
Apr 18, 2013
24
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10,510
I think i'd actually prefer a different mobo, I'd much rather have 2 PCIe 3.0 slots incase i want to do crossfire later on down the road. Any recommendations based on that?

Also, will any atx motherboard work in any atx case? E.g. the right size and also being able to hook up any of the usb ports etc on the case front to the motherboard?
 

Azn Cracker

Distinguished


yea all mobos are compatible. the front usbs are connected through wire.


Try this mobo

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
 

tomwalkeer

Honorable
Apr 18, 2013
24
0
10,510


Thanks so much! Now any case suggestions and power supplies and ill be all finished up!


 

tomwalkeer

Honorable
Apr 18, 2013
24
0
10,510
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($87.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor ($157.58 @ Newegg)
Total: $1330.48
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-20 09:44 EDT-0400)
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($275.66 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($73.50 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1,144.06
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

The CPU and Motherboard is a Newegg bundle package deal for $299.98. The total reflects that.
 

Zhong Jian

Honorable
Apr 20, 2013
15
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10,510
I7 3770 + Asus Z77 SaberTooth
Ram DDR5 4GB X 2
ASUS EAH 7850/7870 2GB DDR5
Seagate 1TB 32MB SATA3/ Western D 1TB 64mb sata3
FSP 650W/550W 80+ Platinium

BTW is my power supply enough to run this build? Any better recommendation?
 

Please don't hijack someone else's thread. Make your own.
 

marshallbradley

Honorable
Sep 24, 2012
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11,060
If you're getting a K series CPU, it's only worth it if you're interested in overclocking (which requires an aftermarket CPU cooler as well) so you'll need to factor that in. The Hyper 212 Evo is a great budget one, that won't set you back to much.

You could go for a non-overclocking build, and purchase a 3470/3350P instead, since the stock performance will be very, very similar. This should save you like $50 on the CPU, but if you want to CrossFire, unfortunately you can't also pick out a cheaper motherboard, because you need a Z77 to support CrossFire.

One area you can save in ins the SSD. You won't notice any difference between that very high end one, and something like the 128gb Sandisk Extreme, even though the latter is $50 or so less. The longevity will also be the same since they both you MLC NAND, and the speed will be similar enough that for your usage, you won't notice the difference.

Another idea is to slightly change up the power supply. Unless electricity is particularly expensive in your area, a Bronze 80+ will be just as good as a Gold 80+ (note: there is no implied difference in quality between a Bronze/Gold power supply, only efficiency). A Corsair TX750 saves you about $30, but obviously its a tradeoff for features such as modularity (I have used both fully modular and non modular power supplies, and there is no real difference in my experience unless you want to custom sleeve your cables) and Gold efficiency. Here's the power supply mentioned: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cmpsu750txv2

The thing is I don't really see any point in you buying quite a few features (CrossFire, overclockability) that you don't currently need. The nature of technology is such that stuff becomes cheaper at an exponentially fast rate, so buying stuff that you don't need now, but might need in the future is silly, since we can be sure that the same stuff will be much cheaper by the time we imagine we'll need it. For example you could drop to a 500W power supply, a H77 motherboard and an i5-3470, and have exactly the same current performance, for the price you're asking. What would you lose out on in the future? You might say the ability to add another 7950, but in 3 years or so time, do you really think you'll want to put another noisy, power hungry, hot and 3 year old graphics card in your system, when there's a 9870 or whatever which performs better than CrossFire 7950s for less than the current price of a single one? Yes, 7950s will likely be cheaper by then, but also end of life (so not guarentee, you can't return them if they break) and you have to factor in the added current cost (bigger power supply, more expensive motherboard) of having the option to add one.

Anyway it's just some food for thought.

EDIT: lol at how Ksham makes very similar suggestions to mine as I wrote this great wall of text out. Oh well, great minds etc, etc (and now it's a doubly good suggestion). I wouldn't go with the Samsung 840 non-Pro though. The Samsung 830 series is actually better for the same price, since it's the predecessor to the 840 Pro, rather than the just stock 840. Samsung really skimped on their standard 840 I feel, using TLC NAND rather than MLC, which is both slower and has half the write cycles of MLC (5000 for TLC vs 10000 for MLC).

M
 
Solution

marshallbradley

Honorable
Sep 24, 2012
746
0
11,060
No that motherboard is fine, it will fit in any standard sized ATX but also Micro-ATX case (which is nice, gives you a bit more flexibility). In regards to what GPU it can use, any will be fine, since the absolute max size for current GPUs (in this is only like a select 5% at most) are 3 slots. Most are 2 slots. Even with a 3 slotter, there will be no issues with that board or cooling, whether or not you go for a Micro-ATX or standard ATX case. The only thing you really loose out on going Micro-ATX is that there are typically only 2 RAM slots instead of 4, but that's only a problem if you are ever considering upgrading to 16GB, as well as of course fewer expansion slots, though I'd say 90% of people only use a GPU without any other expansion cards (WiFi/USB/Soundcard).

If you want a full ATX board, these are both good options: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h77pro4mvp and http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-b75ag43

The difference between B75 and H77 isn't massive, though H77 is slightly more modern, and hence has more SATA 3 and USB 3.0 connectivity I believe.

All the best,

M