New to Building PCs: My Setup

brosephh · Jul 26, 2013

I am completely new to building computers, and have tried to research as much as I could before picking out the following set-up. I mainly want a rig that can game.

I think I picked out a decent CPU,GPU and MOBO, but I'm accepting any and all criticisms.

The biggest part I'm having problems with is deciding on a PSU and a Monitor. I checked out a couple of the websites that do the calculations for how much wattage you'll need, but got varying results. As for Monitors, I'm pretty lost.

My hypothetical setup so far:
CASE | LIAN-LI PC-K65 R
MOBO | ASRock Z77 Extreme3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77
CPU | INTEL CORE I5 3350P 3.1G 6M R
GPU |SAPPHIRE 100354OC-2L Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5
RAM |Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB Kit (4GBx2) DDR3 1600 MT/s
HDD |Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD

I was thinking of a 520W PSU, but not sure if that will be enough. Also, since this is my first time building a PC I'm dreadfully nervous about all the parts working together properly or not, so if you see any glaring flaws, PLEASE point them out to me.

Also, do I need fans?

Maxime506 · Jul 26, 2013

Z77 is a little wasteful for 3350p since u don't overclock. However, due to the future gaming, I suggest using newer 4th i5 CPU.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1l3gk
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1l3gk/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1l3gk/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI B85-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($78.24 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($166.10 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G246HLAbd 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $849.25
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-26 22:10 EDT-0400)

XFX is a good brand and this PSU has modular which can prolong its life and protect the rig's stability. 650W maybe a little more but worthwhile for $50.

Since u'r worrying about heat and i5-4670 has more heat than previous i5-3570, so I add a good CPU cooler for ya.

An Acer 24" monitor should be very good for 1080p gaming.

If your budget allows, a $240 GTX 760 is even better than HD 7950 but however, HD 7870 is selling at a good price. What's your thought?

tator_80 · Jul 26, 2013

It's expected to be a little nervous if this is your first build. I was the same way about 3 years ago, now i work on build computers like its nothing. Looks like a solid build, but just know that the 3350P doesn't have integrated Graphics on the processor itself so if the card ever bites the dust you'll have to replace the card before the computer can be used. So maybe consider the normal I5 3570. Just something to keep in mind. Or go for the Newer Haswell socket. It'll run you more on the parts , since it's newer, but it might be worth it to you

I don't know what your budget is, but you might want to consider a SSD to run along side your 1TB drive. A samsung 840 120gig SSD is around $100, not sure if that puts you over budget though. You can use the SSD as your OS drive, then just keep your games, music, videos and everything else on your HDD.
Shouldn't need any fans, unless you want them. Most cases come pre-installed with a few fans for some air flow, but you can always buy extra or replace the ones in the case if you don't like them or if they are too noisy for your tastes.

As for the PSU, anything Corsair is a solid PSU. A Corsair TX550W would do you good, and if you like the modular version so you don't have extra wires laying around it doesn't cost to much more. If you know your going to upgrade the system in the future, such as get a better GPU, maybe consider a Corsair TX650W. It's what i use in mine, and that runs a I7 2600, 16Gigs RAM, and a GTX 670, plus some other stuff

brosephh · Jul 26, 2013

Maxime506 :

Thank you for the very informative answer. As for the newer i5, I had a stupid moment the other day and decided I would buy come components now and the rest once I get paid. So I'm stuck with the i5 3350P and the case. I do like the case though. I'm trying to stay at least semi-budget conscious, and newegg has a good deal with the HD 7870 right now. I'm not really looking to run Crysis at Max settings, but being able to play something like Skyrim or Arma 2 on high would be nice.

Loving the monitor you picked out though, and any mobo recommendations are good, but Isn't MSI somewhat notorious for making bad motherboards? Like I said, I'm new at this.

Definately going to go with the HDD, PSU, Optical Drive and Monitor you picked out though.

Maxime506 · Jul 26, 2013

MSI... I think it's decent though. My rig is using a MSI mobo and I'm fine with it. On the contrary, my dude has used a Asrock 775 mobo and caused a lot problem, and from then on he swears he won't buy any Asrock mobo. It's difficult to tell which mobo brand has the lowest DOA percentage and has the best quality. But I'm sure that Gigabyte and Asus are notorious for good mobos and gfx. (But I would avoid ASRock since my dude has such issues, it's hard to tell if I am right)

If u'r still worry about the MSI issue, I would recommend u to use a Gigabyte or Asus mobo but on the sub-$100 it's difficult to find an ATX mobo. So I think if I change the mobo in the config, u'll have to use a Micro-ATX board instead.

Here is the revised version.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1l5lf
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1l5lf/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1l5lf/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($166.10 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G246HLAbd 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $845.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-26 22:35 EDT-0400)

Your own build is fine though. At least u'r using a non-igp CPU which saves u heat and money. It's good to have it paired with a B75 mobo if u wanna stick with it. (BTW, the i5-3350p is still a little slower than 4670)

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