Howdy hardware gurus!
Background:
I'm thinking of putting together my first computer. Money isn't a particular issue but I don't want to needlessly throw money around on parts that aren't going to improve my experience (I'm expecting around $1,500 but really $1,000 to $2,000 is fine by me if it makes sense).
If you can believe it, I'm currently using a compaq presario r3000 laptop which struggles with 480p youtube videos so I'm sure that as long as I end up with a computer that starts at the end of the day it's going to be a massive improvement
What I'd like:
In terms of what I'll being doing - mainly surfing the internet, Microsoft office, watching movies, and while I don't play many games, I would like to play dota 2 on very high settings (currently can't even run warcraft 3!). I tend to upgrade my technology on a ten year cycle (and cars on a 30 year cycle!) so I would like this computer to last for me a fair amount of time going forwards!
I'd like something quiet, something i can just "set it and forget it", and one with a lot of slots for hard drives (I'm worried about heat problems which may pose issues with my desire for the computer being quiet).
What I have:
- 28" off-brand monitor (I-INC), wireless keyboard and mouse, 64-bit windows 7 dvd (haven't seen this in years, but I'm sure I'll be able to dig it up!)
- dvd optical drive (see note below)
- 320GB and 500GB hard drives (see note below)
Note: I've had these devices sitting around in an unused computer for 5+ years, but I hope/believe they should work. I would really like to use them, but if it'll cause undue problems by all means let me know. I'm guessing a potential issue may be that the cord types and cabling used nowadays (I suppose on the motherboard) would not be compatible with what I've got (I've taken a picture of what they look like: http://i.imgur.com/blYopNz.jpg). Please let me know your thoughts!
What I'm thinking of:
CASE:
1. LIAN LI PC-Q08B Black Aluminum Mini-ITX (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?cm_mmc=BAC-TomshardwareSBM-_-SystemBuilderEditorial-_-NA-_-NA&item=N82E16811112265&IsFeedbackTab=True&nm_mc=ExtBanner)
I saw this in the recent $1,300 pc build and I think it looks great! My concern is that while it does have room for 6 internal 3.5" hard drives, the close proximity of them and potential poor ventilation may pose issues. In the do-it-yourself review they used a Antec Kuhler H20 620 to cool down the system. (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mini-itx-do-it-yourself-pc,3509-2.html). I'm not super techie but the whole water + electronics freaks me out a bit.
I really like these corsair cases as well, and I think they'd resolve the potential issue of the Lian Li case getting a bit cramped. They're a bit big for my taste and given that I'm not planning on opening the computer up a lot, I don't know if the space is really necessary, but I'd love to hear your thoughts!
2.Corsair Obsidian Series 650D Mid-Tower Case ATX (http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=58078&vpn=CC650DW&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1360)
3. Corsair Carbide Series 300R Black Gaming Case ATX (http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=66063&vpn=CC-9011014-WW&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1360)
(note: I’m super picky about cases so I’d prefer to stick to the above three suggestions but feel free to kick around some other ideas if you got them)
MOTHERBOARD
I know nothing about these things (was thinking about cheaping out here), but I suppose I'll want it haswell compatible and it to have a lot of ports so that I can plug in a bunch of hard drives. Any recommendations for these? Would I be limited to slow RAM if I get a cheap one?
1. MSI Z77IA-E53 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?cm_mmc=BAC-TomshardwareSBM-_-SystemBuilderEditorial-_-NA-_-NA&item=N82E16813130673&IsFeedbackTab=True&nm_mc=ExtBanner)
2. ASRock Z87M PRO4 LGA 1150 Intel Z87 (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157368&nm_mc=AFC-C8junctionCA&cm_mmc=OTC-sho6b0tCA-_-Motherboards+-+Intel-_-ASRock-_-13157368&AID=10657534&PID=749547&SID=rfdcb-d725)
CPU:
I've seen the i5 constantly recommended. Is there much point in upgrading to the i7? I’m not planning on overclocking (well, maybe in a year if I’m bored… would this impact your recommendation?)
1. Intel Core i5-3570K
VIDEO CARD:
There seems to be a number of arguments over AMD and nvideo in the forums, but I've seen good things being said about the GTX 770. In one thread in particular, getting two of these videocards was mentioned. That's probably a tad excessive for my needs, but if I ever require a second video card - does it need to be the exact same make/model? i.e. could I have two different nvidea or AMD cards being used?
1. GTX 770
PSU:
No idea here what would be too much/too little power. If my computer is running 5 hard drives, could I run into issues regarding having to little power? I'm not keen to shell out $150+ here but if it means not having to replace the PSU when I want to do some upgrades, I'm all ears.
1. Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Power+Supplies-_-Antec-_-17371049)
HARD DRIVE:
I'll get a 128gb SSD of some sort which should make my life easy as I'll be able to have all my applications and Windows 7 on it. Not too worried here but suggestions are welcome
RAM:
1. G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
COOLER:
Will I need a seperate heatsync for the CPU or fans/coolant for the case? I'm all ears! I've seen http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd14 being suggested. Will I need this? (assuming the i5 doesn't come with one?)
Please let me know if there's anything else I'm missing. There's been some tremendously useful information in another thread here: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1706500/feedback-high-end-gaming-build-approx-budget.html - what it doesn't address is my questions regarding the cases and the thick cables (EIDE?) of my hard drive and dvd reader and whether I'll be able to use those in this build.
Thanks again for all your help!!
Background:
I'm thinking of putting together my first computer. Money isn't a particular issue but I don't want to needlessly throw money around on parts that aren't going to improve my experience (I'm expecting around $1,500 but really $1,000 to $2,000 is fine by me if it makes sense).
If you can believe it, I'm currently using a compaq presario r3000 laptop which struggles with 480p youtube videos so I'm sure that as long as I end up with a computer that starts at the end of the day it's going to be a massive improvement
What I'd like:
In terms of what I'll being doing - mainly surfing the internet, Microsoft office, watching movies, and while I don't play many games, I would like to play dota 2 on very high settings (currently can't even run warcraft 3!). I tend to upgrade my technology on a ten year cycle (and cars on a 30 year cycle!) so I would like this computer to last for me a fair amount of time going forwards!
I'd like something quiet, something i can just "set it and forget it", and one with a lot of slots for hard drives (I'm worried about heat problems which may pose issues with my desire for the computer being quiet).
What I have:
- 28" off-brand monitor (I-INC), wireless keyboard and mouse, 64-bit windows 7 dvd (haven't seen this in years, but I'm sure I'll be able to dig it up!)
- dvd optical drive (see note below)
- 320GB and 500GB hard drives (see note below)
Note: I've had these devices sitting around in an unused computer for 5+ years, but I hope/believe they should work. I would really like to use them, but if it'll cause undue problems by all means let me know. I'm guessing a potential issue may be that the cord types and cabling used nowadays (I suppose on the motherboard) would not be compatible with what I've got (I've taken a picture of what they look like: http://i.imgur.com/blYopNz.jpg). Please let me know your thoughts!
What I'm thinking of:
CASE:
1. LIAN LI PC-Q08B Black Aluminum Mini-ITX (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?cm_mmc=BAC-TomshardwareSBM-_-SystemBuilderEditorial-_-NA-_-NA&item=N82E16811112265&IsFeedbackTab=True&nm_mc=ExtBanner)
I saw this in the recent $1,300 pc build and I think it looks great! My concern is that while it does have room for 6 internal 3.5" hard drives, the close proximity of them and potential poor ventilation may pose issues. In the do-it-yourself review they used a Antec Kuhler H20 620 to cool down the system. (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mini-itx-do-it-yourself-pc,3509-2.html). I'm not super techie but the whole water + electronics freaks me out a bit.
I really like these corsair cases as well, and I think they'd resolve the potential issue of the Lian Li case getting a bit cramped. They're a bit big for my taste and given that I'm not planning on opening the computer up a lot, I don't know if the space is really necessary, but I'd love to hear your thoughts!
2.Corsair Obsidian Series 650D Mid-Tower Case ATX (http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=58078&vpn=CC650DW&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1360)
3. Corsair Carbide Series 300R Black Gaming Case ATX (http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=66063&vpn=CC-9011014-WW&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1360)
(note: I’m super picky about cases so I’d prefer to stick to the above three suggestions but feel free to kick around some other ideas if you got them)
MOTHERBOARD
I know nothing about these things (was thinking about cheaping out here), but I suppose I'll want it haswell compatible and it to have a lot of ports so that I can plug in a bunch of hard drives. Any recommendations for these? Would I be limited to slow RAM if I get a cheap one?
1. MSI Z77IA-E53 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?cm_mmc=BAC-TomshardwareSBM-_-SystemBuilderEditorial-_-NA-_-NA&item=N82E16813130673&IsFeedbackTab=True&nm_mc=ExtBanner)
2. ASRock Z87M PRO4 LGA 1150 Intel Z87 (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157368&nm_mc=AFC-C8junctionCA&cm_mmc=OTC-sho6b0tCA-_-Motherboards+-+Intel-_-ASRock-_-13157368&AID=10657534&PID=749547&SID=rfdcb-d725)
CPU:
I've seen the i5 constantly recommended. Is there much point in upgrading to the i7? I’m not planning on overclocking (well, maybe in a year if I’m bored… would this impact your recommendation?)
1. Intel Core i5-3570K
VIDEO CARD:
There seems to be a number of arguments over AMD and nvideo in the forums, but I've seen good things being said about the GTX 770. In one thread in particular, getting two of these videocards was mentioned. That's probably a tad excessive for my needs, but if I ever require a second video card - does it need to be the exact same make/model? i.e. could I have two different nvidea or AMD cards being used?
1. GTX 770
PSU:
No idea here what would be too much/too little power. If my computer is running 5 hard drives, could I run into issues regarding having to little power? I'm not keen to shell out $150+ here but if it means not having to replace the PSU when I want to do some upgrades, I'm all ears.
1. Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Power+Supplies-_-Antec-_-17371049)
HARD DRIVE:
I'll get a 128gb SSD of some sort which should make my life easy as I'll be able to have all my applications and Windows 7 on it. Not too worried here but suggestions are welcome
RAM:
1. G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
COOLER:
Will I need a seperate heatsync for the CPU or fans/coolant for the case? I'm all ears! I've seen http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd14 being suggested. Will I need this? (assuming the i5 doesn't come with one?)
Please let me know if there's anything else I'm missing. There's been some tremendously useful information in another thread here: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1706500/feedback-high-end-gaming-build-approx-budget.html - what it doesn't address is my questions regarding the cases and the thick cables (EIDE?) of my hard drive and dvd reader and whether I'll be able to use those in this build.
Thanks again for all your help!!
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