Novice PC Builder. Needs help!

jzila · Apr 26, 2013

I'm trying to build my first gaming PC. I've looked through a couple of sites as well as these forums and I'm trying to come up with a new system for around $2000. I was going to order a pre-built one from a site but i think i'd like to make an attempt at putting one together instead. I'm a bit nervous but I've heard I can save a lot of money.

The two areas I'm most concerned about and could use some advice are my hard drive and my video card. Here is what I've come up with so far. I'm slightly over my budget. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated. I just want a good computer that wont need an upgrade for a few years that can play any new game coming out with high quality. Thanks.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($343.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($223.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($145.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card ($579.00 @ Scorptec)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($209.00 @ Scorptec)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($165.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-207DBKS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($95.00 @ Scorptec)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($22.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $2148.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-26 15:12 EST+1000)

bigcyco1 · Apr 26, 2013

Core i5 3570K. For those who know me and have me do their builds, you’ll know that it’s just about the best processor you can get for the money today. With plenty of performance, top notch overclocking capability and enough horsepower to run any game you throw at it, the choice is a no brainer.Get a GTX 670 it's only 7% slower then a GTX 680 and $100 cheaper.Why not the i7 3770K you may ask? Well the i7 3770K merely adds Hyper-Threading and a higher clock speed to the equation. Though these two improvements are fantastic in CPU intensive tasks such as video encoding and 3D modeling, in gaming scenarios it doesn’t really do a whole lot. Games these days are much more graphics intensive than CPU intensive, so it’s a much better idea to invest the extra dough into the graphics card.

That said, those of you out there looking to do live streaming or other tasks which require any sort of video encoding, feel free to pick up an Intel Core i7 3770K instead.

bigcyco1 · Apr 26, 2013

the best building pc tutorial - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea_bs5G1yYU

JD88 · Apr 26, 2013

I would suggest these changes for significantly more performance and to get you under budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($236.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($35.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($149.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($439.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($439.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($165.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-207DBKS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($95.00 @ Scorptec)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($22.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1989.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-26 15:39 EST+1000)

Went with the i5 as there will be no noticeable difference in gaming with the i7.

Went with a cheaper motherboard. It is unlikely you will ever know the difference. Won't impact gaming performance in any way. Simply a few less ports etc.

The non-pro series Samsung 840 is much cheaper and you won't notice the difference between the two.

The Noctua simply isn't worth spending $50 more on over the Hyper 212 EVO. The money is better spent on graphics cards.

8GB of RAM is plenty for gaming.

No need for a full tower case. Mid tower will have plenty of room and airflow.

I used the savings to add a lot more graphical power.

batuchka · Apr 26, 2013

For those with healthy budgets Haswell in Q2 if waiting is an option...

jzila · Apr 26, 2013

bigcyco1 :

"Core i5 3570K. For those who know me and have me do their builds, you’ll know that it’s just about the best processor you can get for the money today. With plenty of performance, top notch overclocking capability and enough horsepower to run any game you throw at it, the choice is a no brainer.Get a GTX 670 it's only 7% slower then a GTX 680 and $100 cheaper.Why not the i7 3770K you may ask? Well the i7 3770K merely adds Hyper-Threading and a higher clock speed to the equation. Though these two improvements are fantastic in CPU intensive tasks such as video encoding and 3D modeling, in gaming scenarios it doesn’t really do a whole lot. Games these days are much more graphics intensive than CPU intensive, so it’s a much better idea to invest the extra dough into the graphics card.

That said, those of you out there looking to do live streaming or other tasks which require any sort of video encoding, feel free to pick up an Intel Core i7 3770K instead."

Thank you for the reply. I really appreciate it. It seems like you are very knowledgable of computers. There is a small chance that I may do some streaming so in that case i should go with the i7 3770? Do you see any other changes I should or could make before I begin to order parts?

And thanks for the tutorial I'm sure it will come in handy. I'm very excited to undergo this project. I think it will be very beneficial. Do you also agree with the poster below about having 2 6700 gpu cards? Or should i just stick to one. And with the gpu's there seems to be so many different versions and OC capabilities. Any suggestions?

bigcyco1 :

Search

Novice PC Builder. Needs help!

jzila

Honorable

bigcyco1

Champion

bigcyco1

Champion

JD88

Honorable

batuchka

Splendid

jzila

Honorable

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page