(Cliche) First Build Tips/Advice

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izzyrae

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Sep 28, 2013
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10,510
Hiii all. :)
I'm building my first PC, cliche as it sounds, and I need a bit of advice.
Just a teeeeensy bit.

I would like to know how to determine the wattage needed from a PSU with my PC build configuration.
Yes, I know there are calculators out there, but I'm a bit confused as to how you would know how much or how little power you need because of the "minimum requirements" tacked on to GPU and the processor and so on.
Here is a detailed list of the parts I intend to buy.
Let it be known that I am NOT planning on overclocking or using the Crossfire configuration for my GPU.

NZXT Phantom ATX (full case) (I'm also buying the recommended 200mm & 140mm fans)
ASRock z87 Extreme6 Motherboard
Intel i7 Core 4770k
Corsair HX850 850w ATX 12V Modular PSU
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 RAM
Noctua NH-D14 CPU cooler
WD 2TB Internal SATA Drive
Sapphire 100351SR Radeon HD 7970 3GB GPU
Asus 48x DVD Writer
NZXT Sentry LX Fan controller

And if anyone has any input regarding z87 chipset motherboards and what's good, please feel free to give me your honest opinion. Of all the motherboards I researched and researched, it seems that most of them have mediocre reviews. I figured Asus was a good brand to go with as far as mobos are concerned.

AND, if anyone could point me in the direction of an amazing Radeon HD 7970 card with raving reviews, I'd love you for ever.


I guess it was more than a teensy bit. Oops. D8
 
Solution
smorizio
asus wants to buy out asrock to add there mb to asus line up. you pay extra for asus mb but i like there bios and how well built they are, ecs and other low cost mb stay away from them. gigbyte and msi are not bad if your short on cash. with a power supply and a mid range gpu a good 650w unit is fine it have extra over head for if there extra fan or cap age.
it the amp ratting on the 12v line you have to look at and you dont want to push a power supply more then 70 percent of it rated load. as you push more then that it run hot and you risk it burning out or rippling out or during hard gaming one of the legs dropping below the atx spec and your system locking up or crashing. a good bronse rated 750w unit should be fine for most gaming...
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CaptainTom

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May 3, 2012
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Wow. For a first time builder you sure have picked the perfect build. However I have some general pointers:

-Go Micro ATX: 99% of the time you do not need a full ATX-sized PC. You can even SLI in micro atx, and it is cheaper because the motherboards and cases cost less to make.

-Get an SSD: It is SOOOOOO worth it. In fact I would cut down to a 1TB HDD and a 750w PSU just to fit a 128GB SSD into this build. However 250GB and up is the best way to go. But if you can afford it, a 500GB SSD by itself works so beautifully :)

Get this 7970!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202008
 
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smorizio

smorizio

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Jan 22, 2010
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asus wants to buy out asrock to add there mb to asus line up. you pay extra for asus mb but i like there bios and how well built they are, ecs and other low cost mb stay away from them. gigbyte and msi are not bad if your short on cash. with a power supply and a mid range gpu a good 650w unit is fine it have extra over head for if there extra fan or cap age.
it the amp ratting on the 12v line you have to look at and you dont want to push a power supply more then 70 percent of it rated load. as you push more then that it run hot and you risk it burning out or rippling out or during hard gaming one of the legs dropping below the atx spec and your system locking up or crashing. a good bronse rated 750w unit should be fine for most gaming rigs. people use the larger 850 unit if they think they may sli or buy a 7990 or two gpu card that sucks power.
 
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izzyrae

Honorable
Sep 28, 2013
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Haha, yeah, that's the 7970 that I have picked out. :>
There really doesn't seem to be a lot of choices out there, but this one seems solid.
As far as the micro-ATX goes, I have already purchased and opened my case. I got it off Amazon and from what I remember, I wouldn't get a full refund if I went that route. What you're saying may be true, but the case I bought and the mid-sized case I was looking at also are only like a $20 difference in price. I didn't check out any micro-ATX motherboards, though.

I had been considering purchasing an SSD but I was being cheap. xD It's not something that I see as a primary necessity right now and I DO plan to add one later. Plus, I have a ton of pictures and music and I'll need like 1.5 TB or so, at the very least. However, I totally agree with you on how useful they are!

Yep, I spared no expense on this build (other than getting an SSD because I'm *kinda* on a budget). I don't want to have to keep adding parts over time. And you have no idea how many days I spent researching. xD
 
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izzyrae

Honorable
Sep 28, 2013
4
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10,510


Oh wow, for some reason I was thinking that Asus actually owned ASRock. Because the beginning of the name was similiar, haha.
As far as motherboards go, I am not concerned about the cost. I am willing to spend what it takes to procure a proper one so I don't end up rage quitting life later on down the road.
So from what I understand, you're saying a 750w is perfect for a gaming rig sans the overclocking and SLI/Crossfire. But an 850w would be for overclocking and SLI/Crossfire. Great~ Thank you very much!
 
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izzyrae

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Sep 28, 2013
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10,510


I have actually tried pcpartpicker.com. I was just worried that it might be estimating too low? The number just doesn't sound right to me. As such, I came here to get a second opinion just to be sure. I don't want to fry my PC or something. :'(

I'm not familiar with the ECS brand, only Gigabyte, MSI, Asus, and ASRock.
 
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CaptainTom

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May 3, 2012
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-The only reason I say go all SSD first is that it is much easier to just add an HDD than it is to reinstall windows, Redownload everything, and reconfigure your settings. But your way will work.

-ATX is perfectly fine, but I just hate big PC's. I can put my lil' asskicker anywhere!
 
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