1st time building a PC and getting anxiety just thinking about it... Help me look through it pls

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J

Jiho

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Sep 8, 2013
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The anxiety probably wouldn't be as bad if my only working computer didn't go kaput a week ago (been using an iPad). I'm still fighting the urge of just buying a pre-built computer or hoping I find someone that's willing to build it for me but here I am. I'm looking for any recommended changes and if possible maybe getting the price lowered a bit.

Currently I'm worried about my workspace (I can only build on the carpet in my room, my bed or on a small-ish keyboard area), my carpet and bottom mounted fans (I assume I could just put the case on a few pieces of cardboard or buy a stand) and that's all that's coming to mind at the moment.

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP

Budget Range: $1500 although I would prefer less

System Usage from Most to Least: Gaming, surfing the Internet and videos and storage

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg and Amazon

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU

Overclocking: Maybe but probably not prevent any taxing on the CPU

SLI or Crossfire: Not at the moment and probably not at all

Your Monitor res.: 1920x1080

Additional Comments:
-I'll also be moving stuff from my old HDDs which I assume isn't a problem. I have 3 extra HDDs from my old comp and will definitely use 1-2 of them.
-I mostly only play League of Legends but I'd like to be able to play current gen. games at high-to-ultra quality.

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($220.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($8.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($182.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($163.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($259.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($107.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1398.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-08 19:30 EDT-0400)

I don't have any plans after the build is complete to upgrade for 5+ years so I'd like very quality products and for it to run cool and hopefully quiet. Especially the parts that I can't just instantly replace like CPU and motherboard.
 
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O

Outlander_04

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Nov 18, 2008
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You can save a little bit on this build .

Artic silver wont work any better than the TIM that comes with the cooler

Unless you need 2TB of storage get a 128 gig SSD and a 1 terabyte hard driver for data

The case is nice , but there are good cases that cost half as much . The Corsair 300 , Antec 302 , HAF 912

If you wont SLI the power supply is overkill too . You could spend half as much

But your list is compatible and its all quality

The only thing I would definitely change is the OS to Win8 64 bit . A few enhancements and a much better license that lets you transfer it to another computer [ unlike oem 7 which will be permanently locked to the first motherboard ] . A free start button program like Classic Shell makes 8 behave exactly like 7
 
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C

cjkupers

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Sep 7, 2013
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Actually, I'd disagree on the PSU comment above. 650W is fine if you're running a 700 series GTX card. Since your peak load would be around 500w, you'd want to ensure an overhead in any case. If you were to buy a second GPU later on and SLI.. you'd need a 700-750w PSU. But you also choose a spendy overpriced Seasonic PSU. Why not sort the PSUs in newegg and go for a solid rated Rosewill PSU for what.. $60?

But yes, save some money on the storage.. overall, the parts you're choosing are a little pricey. They're not necessarily good, just higher in price, which adds up and gives you a bloated pricetag.

I'd suggest if you're spending this much money already, update the CPU to a 4th gen haswell chip, not a 3rd gen. Go with a LGA1150 socket mobo.. You can grab a nice i5 4~~~k CPU and mobo for under 400 dollars easy.

If you wanted to get the most out of your CPU, i'd go for water cooling and overclock it to get more power out of it. Just saying, water cooling is not as expensive as it used to be, and there are a lot of standard options to choose from. Namely, Corsair's H series.

$346 of your build is currently invested in the HDD and SSD. You really need to prioritize system performance over storage capacity if you want to make your dollars go farther. You can get a 64GB OCZ Agility and a simple $50 1TB HDD for $170 or so total. As you save money over time, you can buy additional hard drives and possibly invest in a sexy 750GB Samsung 840 SSD (And break your bank)

Your case.. meh. I've seen better for less dollars. As I said, it adds up. I have no idea why people are still trying to build their rigs in these humongous cases when the space just gets wasted inside and you're left with a huge spaceship that is hard to move.

 
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J

Jiho

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Sep 8, 2013
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Crap I had a large post ready but my iPad reloaded the page and my post was gone. Hope I'm writing as much info as I had down before...

Storage - I had a 80 GB HDD on my dead computer for Windows XP, programs and games on my old OS drive and it wasn't enough space. That's why I thought 250 GB for a SSD was the sweet spot. If the quick loading of games isn't that big of a deal I could see me dropping it to 128 GB and only putting my most played games on it. Would there be a way to move games from HDD to SSD and vice-versa without downloading them again? As for needing the 2 TB HDD the 2 extra drives (not invluding the 80 GB) from my old comp are already full and I know I could use the space.

Case - The Antec 302 looks good but I just found out the NZXT Phantom has a mid tower (410) with USB 3.0 that I think I really fancy.

PSU - Frankly I just searched for a 80 Plus Gold PSU from highly reputable PSU makers. I've read never to skimp on the PSU but I'll look around a little more.

OS - I'm coming off XP (dead desktop) and Vista (dead laptop) and I would really prefer not to blindly jump into using Windows 8 after all the hate that it got.

CPU/Mobo - I actually made a similar post on Reddit and was also told to upgrade to Haswell. It looks doable (the two links below) but does it mess with anything else? Some of the RAM I was looking at doesn't outright say its compatible with 4th generation CPUs.

Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80646I54670K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116899

ASRock Z87 Extreme4 LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157369

Forgot to add I really appreciate the replies. It's been a week without a working computer (going through withdrawals I think) and it's been frustrating just trying to figure out exactly what I wanted but any help is welcome.
 
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cjkupers

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Sep 7, 2013
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Yes, you can transfer your game installation folders between your SSD and HDD, which is why most people get a 64GB or 120/128GB SSD + large HDD. People find that they play a handful of games for a while, then switch to a new handful every once and a while.. You can move your less-used games to your HDD, and put all your load-heavy games on your SSD.

I usually leave my MMO's on my SSD, then put games that randomize world generation in my HDD, or games I don't care for load times for in my HDD.

You simply put the games you want to load fast on your SSD, then swap them out periodically depending on your flavor of the month. It's a lot better than biting the bullet for a really expensive not much bigger SSD.
 
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cjkupers

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Sep 7, 2013
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Your G.Skill Sniper RAM will work fine on a Z87 mobo w/ haswell i5. Just look at your mobo clock specification for RAM. If you buy ASUS mobo, you'll have a very easy time installing RAM as they have bios technology that auto-detects clock rates on RAM and profiles your sticks for overclocking from the get go.

As for windows 8, it got a lot more hate than it deserved, it was just such a different change than what most of us are used to. It is actually much easier to use than what it may seem like.

The CPU (4670K) and ASRock mobo you listed above will work great for your purposes. Try looking into nabbing a 120GB SSD+ 1TB HDD setup to save yourself money.
 
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cjkupers

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You can install the CPU, RAM, and heatsink before placing it in your case. Makes the job easier. Then all you'd have left is the main power connector, CPU AUX power, slap in that GPU, plug it in, screw those drives in and you should be good to go. Or if you're more orthodox about setting it up.. just go CPU, RAM, and single drive and POST it before you give it the rest of its parts.
 
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cjkupers

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I personally read the RAM section of the mobo's manual first, make sure there is no timing catches listed or specific quirks it mentions. Then I'd flip to the back of the manual to get acquainted with the POST and BIOS messages and their meanings so that when I do the first POST, I can catch whatever it tells me and figure it out from the get go. This preparation can help first time builders avoid making a small mistake and then clusterfudging it by unplugging.. replugging things.. panicking.. etc.

Just take your time to double check the leaflets briefly when the parts come in. Inspect the parts for their integrity in case anything might have broken on the delivery, and have fun building it. Take your time!

As I said before.. Its really easy to install the CPU, heatsink, and RAM on the board before lowering it into place on the standoffs in your case. From there, the rest of the parts should be relatively forgiving in terms of installation.
 
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