Building a desktop computer for first time

francis488 · Apr 21, 2013

Hey. I am building my own desktop computer for the first time and I need some advice as to what I should get and how it should go together. Here are the components I want:

Processor: Intel Core i7 3770K @ 3.50GHz
Graphics card: GeForce GTX 680
Hard drives: 256 GB SSD and a 1 or 2 TB standard drive (not sure of the brand names)
Motherboard: unsure
Case: this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
PSU: unsure
RAM: 16 GB, not sure what to buy though

Also, should I buy any additional cooling systems or install a water cooler? And how do I make sure that the ports from the video card and motherboard (i.e. monitor and USB and ethernet) line up with the holes in the case? Sorry if I sound like a noob but this is my frist time doing this. Thanks!

USAFRet · Apr 21, 2013

Budget and intended use?

Why the i7?
Water cooling is generally a hobby, not a functional need.
The holes will match up.

ihsaan96 · Apr 21, 2013

francis488 :

Got for a 1-2TB Seagate Barracuda or Western Digital ( IF you have the money )

Also any motherboard with a socket 1155 will work fine in your system , as long as it supports up to 16GB ram etc. Case wise get the Corsair 200R , the Antec 900 is a piece of shit and PSU wise get the Corsair TX750 and ram get the corsair vengeance. Aligning slots wise you don't need to worry about that , the case is designed to be aligned with all motherboards etc , you'll realize when you make your build

DarkSable · Apr 21, 2013

If this is for gaming, you're wasting a LOT of money. Keep in mind that in computers, the most expensive thing is NOT the best, and is usually no better than a way cheaper part, depending on what you're doing with it.

I suggest (blatant self-advertisement, here) you go read the in-progress guide to the very basics - it'll give you a MUCH better idea as to what you should be looking for: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-1656674/parts-guide-computer.html

francis488 · Apr 21, 2013

USAFRet :

Budget: between $1000-1500 is ideal, but I'm willing to go up to $2000
I am going to use this computer for not only gaming but also video rendering, programming, and hd video playback, so I think need the extra processing power. So you are saying that a water cooler is unnessary? Do you think a standard heatsink would take care of the CPU heat?

USAFRet · Apr 21, 2013

francis488 :

I do all of those, and the 50% price increase of an i7 over an i5 does not relate to a 50% performance increase.

Any of the better 3rd party CPU coolers will work just fine. I'm currently using a CoolerMaster Hyper 212+. Works just fine.

francis488 · Apr 21, 2013

ihsaan96 :

francis488 :

Got for a 1-2TB Seagate Barracuda or Western Digital ( IF you have the money )

Also any motherboard with a socket 1155 will work fine in your system , as long as it supports up to 16GB ram etc. Case wise get the Corsair 200R , the Antec 900 is a piece of shit and PSU wise get the Corsair TX750 and ram get the corsair vengeance. Aligning slots wise you don't need to worry about that , the case is designed to be aligned with all motherboards etc , you'll realize when you make your build

I chose that case because I need a case that will fit in my cabinet. It cannot be bigger than 19" (length) * 10 (width) * 18 (height).

manofchalk · Apr 21, 2013

This rig will be fairly good for your needs.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.97 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($389.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec Nine Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.62 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($93.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1336.49
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-21 19:36 EDT-0400)

Water-cooling is a method of cooling just like air, its another way of achieving a cooler CPU.
In general, yes water does outperform air-cooling, but thats only when your building and assembling your own loop. The CLC's like the Corsair Hydro series perform on par with air coolers, the H100i is roughly equal to a Noctua NH-D14.

In the build I included a 212 EVO heatsink, which is enough to let you moderately overclock the CPU.

francis488 · Apr 21, 2013

DarkSable :

Thanks for sharing the link! I still think I need the i7 though because I will be doing more than gaming. But I will probably be able to go with a GTX 670 rather than a 680 if there is not much difference in performance.

francis488 · Apr 21, 2013

manofchalk :

Thanks! This sounds like what I will end up going with, but I've decided to go with the GTX 670 FTW graphics card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130843

I'll also get a DVD drive as well. A few questions though: about the motherboard, how do I tell if the one you listed is compatibe with the GTX 670? And will I be able to upgrade my graphics card later on? Also do you think 750 watts is enough for a PSU if I ever upgrade my GPU or add hard drives (say, a few 2TB ones)? And you are pretty sure that the EVO heatsink will work alright even if I overclock? Thanks and sorry abut all the questions.

manofchalk · Apr 21, 2013

Each to their own I guess, I would go with a 7970 any day over a 670.
I do suggest you get a unit with a better cooler though, EVGA products eitehr outright use or are based on the reference design cooler, which runs louder and hotter than custom designs. Also for some reason EVGA cards just carry this price premium on them, the card im suggesting below is clocked similarly and has a better cooler on it, yet $30 cheaper.
MSI GTX670 Power Edition. $390
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685

Heres what you need to know about motherboard/GPU compatibility.
- If the mobo has a PCI-E slot, it will work.
Its really that simple. That motherboard BTW can support up to two cards (properly support anyway) in Crossfire/SLI.
Yes you can upgrade your card later on, no reason you couldnt.
750W is enough to run two of those cards, and you can have as many drives as there are SATA power connectors (8 in total).

EDIT:
I used to use a 212 EVO before I switched to custom water, I was running a daily 4.2Ghz overclock with it just fine.

francis488 · Apr 21, 2013

manofchalk :

Interesting you prefer the 7970. I did some research into both cards and according to passmark.com the 670 has a better benchmark score. However, many people insist that the 7970 is has better drivers can beat the 670 and 680 when overclocked. What do you think? Do you play any games on either card? How do you like it?
It is a tough decision :??:

manofchalk · Apr 21, 2013

Passmark isn't a reliable source, I think it relies on aggregate scores over the range of people who run their software, so results can get fairly weird. You want to be looking at benchmarks.

The drivers mentioned were probably Catalyst 12.7 and 12.11? AMD have recently just been punching out massive performance oriented driver updates. 12.7 put the 7970 Ghz back on top for fastest single GPU card over the 680 (later taken back by the Nvidia Titan), 12.11 came out a bit later and just gave the whole 7000 series a 5-10% performance boost. There have been later ones as well that cleaned up the Radeons frametime issues, but they aren't as well known.
Personally, I use these results by Techpowerup to figure out how all the cards stack against each other.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/Catalyst_12.11_Performance/23.html
There haven't been any major driver updates from either side since 12.11, so these results should be fairly accurate.

Also because of the Never Settle deals happening on AMD cards, if you get the 7970 you also receive Bioshock Infinite, Crysis 3 and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.

Note: This is coming from someone who is a bit Radeon biased, and does intend to buy a 7970 very soon. So take my advice with a grain of salt.

francis488 · Apr 22, 2013

manofchalk :

Ok. I think I've decided to go with the Sapphire vapor-x Radeon 7970 ghz edition. Do you think the fans built into the card will be enough for cooling? Also, how do I ensure that the case I've selected has room for all my components besdies the motherboard? Are they just standard? And does a SSD fit into a 3.5 " internal drive bay? Thanks.

ksham · Apr 23, 2013

The Sapphire card also has Vapor-X cooling. To figure out if your case fits all your equipment, just look at its dimensions and the required dimensions of all your parts. And no, there is no standard. Lastly, most 3.5" drive bays provide a way to mount a SSD. It's best to find that out before you purchase the case. Read reviews, product descriptions, etc.

manofchalk · Apr 23, 2013

Of all the coolers for the 7970, the Vapor-X is the best short of custom water.

The card should say how long it is in its specs, and the case should tell you a maximum supported length. If it doesnt and says something like supports a 5970 (longest card ever made), then your fine.
Pretty much everything in computers is standardized.

Most SSD's use the 2.5" form factor, so they natively wont be able to mount in a 3.5" bay. However most cases support 2.5" drives or come with adapters. If not you can buy your own and one might even get one with the SSD.

ksham · Apr 23, 2013

manofchalk :

Cases do not, which was the question.

manofchalk · Apr 23, 2013

OK then, no there isn't a "standardized" computer case.
Rather they are constructed to accommodate certain standards like the ATX specification on the Mobo and PSU. They all support the standard fan sizes, you wont get a case that can support an 84mm fan, because that isnt a standard. Same thing goes with 5.25", 3.5" and 2.5" drive bays, they will all fit drives of their respective size.

francis488 · Apr 23, 2013

Ok, thanks for all your help so far guys, I only have a few more questions and then I'll be ready to build. I am now taking a closer look at cases, considering between the Corsair Carbide Series 200R, which I know was recommeded to me earlier in this thread, and the Antec 900. I've read that the Antec collects a lot of dust very easily and doesn't have SSD adapeters in it so I'll have to buy one of those if I get it, but the Corsair runs hotter compared to the Antec. Any reocmmendations on which case I should get? Also, does the brand of memory sticks matter? Like is there a RAM out there with the lowest latency time or are they all pretty much the same? Also, do I need any thermal paste? Thanks.

manofchalk · Apr 24, 2013

The cooling performance between similar cases should be fairly similar. Beyond a certain point, more airflow just doesn't achieve anything.
As long as there's dust filters on any intake fans, you should be fine for dust. Though you will still have to clean it occasionally regardless.

Go for whichever you want. Once you close the side panel the only thing about it that you will notice about it is its front, so get the one you think looks better.

Brand of memory, no. The specifications they run at, yes.
I recommend just going with 1600Mhz, CL9 1.5v RAM. Just your basic RAM, your really dont need anything special here for good performance.

If you plan on using the stock cooler, you dont need thermal paste.
If your planning on getting aftermarket cooling, maybe. Check the cooler your buying and see if its bundled with some, most coolers do.

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