Building my first gaming PC

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darkbloom

darkbloom

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Jun 14, 2014
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This is my first gaming build and I'm planning to use it for college this autumn as well since I'll be a graphics design major. I'm trying to stay under $1600 because I do not want to scare my parents too much. I don't plan on doing any intense gaming or any overclocking, probably just Sims and a few MMORPGs, so that's another thing to keep in mind.

I need help making sure that:
- The parts are compatible with each other
- The system does not bottle neck itself
- I'm not buying anything unnecessary
- And if there's anything else I need.

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card
Case: Antec Nine Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN722N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter

Complete System Build

I'm also open to any recommendations!
 
Solution
NBSN
This is just adjusting a portion of the parts to get something cheaper for similar performance for what you want to use it for.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QgdMTW
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QgdMTW
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QgdMTW/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($196.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-D PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($301.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Nine Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case...
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NBSN

NBSN

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Jun 2, 2014
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If you are not going to play intensive games or overclocking you can save a lot of money and go with a much cheaper build. You really don't need a 144hz monitor for that, a 60 Hz will do just fine.
 
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darkbloom

darkbloom

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Jun 14, 2014
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I thought about downgrading to i5 as well, hmm. I only chose i7 because I wanted to run my Sims game with high settings and absolutely no hiccups.



Thanks!
 
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NBSN

NBSN

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Jun 2, 2014
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This is just adjusting a portion of the parts to get something cheaper for similar performance for what you want to use it for.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QgdMTW
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QgdMTW
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QgdMTW/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($196.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-D PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($301.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Nine Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ TigerDirect)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G246HLAbd 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($129.99 @ TigerDirect)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN722N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1113.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-15 21:31 EDT-0400

If you don't plan on upgrading much of anything for years, then we can save even more money though.

 
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Solution
spooky2th

spooky2th

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May 18, 2010
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Might as well future proof your self some. The new Z97 boards are out and the new devils canyon CPUs are starting to come out now too. The Z87 boards do not support the new CPUs even though they are the LGA 1150 socket. Sata express runs the current sata out of town with the seriously higher speeds plus the new M2 sockets. The 97 boards & new CPUs are not priced much more than the 87 boards & older LGA 1150 CPUs either.
 
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darkbloom

darkbloom

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Jun 14, 2014
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This looks great, thank you so much. You saved me a lot of $$$.
I'm not sure if I plan on upgrading it in a few years, I feel like I want to say yes but I'm not really a huge PC gamer. I would certainly love to try though. My only concern is how limited the H81 motherboard is but to be fair, it makes sense that I should resort to that since I don't plan on doing any intense gaming or overclocking at the moment.

This would also support me as a graphics design student as well, correct?
 
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NBSN

NBSN

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Yes it would work decently with graphic design. Of course spending more on a system will give better performance, but to keep the costs down, this is probably ideal. I get what you are saying about the motherboard, but honestly without overclocking, and the other parts working well with the motherboard, there is not a huge reason to upgrade right now. The ones that are saying about trying to "future-proof" your computer do hold a valid argument to a degree, but that would require spending more upfront...then there is the whole points to consider of this system will already last quite a few years and by the time you want to upgrade or build a new system, you may have to switch out for an updated motherboard anyway.
 
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darkbloom

darkbloom

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Jun 14, 2014
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That makes valid sense. I could always upgrade anyway when and if I do decide to overclock/enjoy intense gaming so there's no rush. Thanks for helping me save a lot of money. I'm really new to this so as I was choosing my computer parts, I only chose the top reviewed items but now I realize we don't all need the same gear if we have different uses.

I guess I'll be purchasing my parts now and start building my first gaming rig!
 
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badboyrog2

badboyrog2

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Mar 5, 2014
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i suggest you this rig instead , a lot better performance and will last longer and futur proof ( but not for overclocking) and i add a cpu cooler...thats a very important hardware
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jwf2bv
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty H97 Performance ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($106.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($338.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12G 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($91.50 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G246HLAbd 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($129.99 @ TigerDirect)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN722N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1229.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-16 09:45 EDT-0400
 
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Z

zenx

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Feb 22, 2013
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What others forgot to mention is that even if you choose to do some hardcore gaming, there is currently no game in existence that will not run on the cheaper system suggested by NBSN, in fact most would run on high and ultra settings and none of them would be bottle-necked by the processor anyway..
So gaming-wise ultra quality upgrades would probably start with another card for SLI or a super expensive card and not the cpu.
You're good to go with this build for quite some time.
What I could recommend at this point are 2 additional components, one of them already pointed out by badboyrog2 ==> a CPU cooler as the stock cooler will not suffice (I know cuz I have the same i5 from that list and under heavy games like watch dogs the temp warning kept buzzing so I just bought a thermaltace c4) and possibly a SSD for your OS I would choose an intel 120 gb :)

Cheers
 
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darkbloom

darkbloom

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Jun 14, 2014
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Now I'm stuck between badboyrog2's build which promises to be future proof and NBSN's build which is what I only need at the moment. Although I prefer the Windows 7 OS over Windows 8 any day.



That's a relief, I might just go with NBSN's if it can handle that much.
And I originally pondered whether I needed another CPU cooler or not. I only chose not to because many of the other threads said the stock cooler was good enough but I'll heed your guys' advice and go with a separate CPU cooler. I've also heard of putting all of the OS stuff into the SDD and everything else into the HDD but I fear that I would screw up along the way and corrupt something. I've found several tutorials, including this tutorial which seems very promising but I get a little lost in the writer's words.
 
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zenx

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Feb 22, 2013
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Well the stock cooler is 'decent' at best :) it's not a MUST to get a separate one but still I'd recommend it.
As for the SSD, yes that is a solution but you don't need to complicate it that much unless you actually want to..
The simple way is to just install the SSD, use it only for OS and use the hdd for storage. In the tutorial you linked some of the OS folders are moved to the HDD and the correct paths are set up so windows knows where to look for them... But the easy way is to just install windows on the SSD and after that whenever you install any games and stuff you simply select an installation path on your HDD (this will also allow you to simply format the ssd whenever you want to reinstall your OS and keep all your personal stuff unharmed on the HDD)
Also if you choose to buy the SSD at a later date, a cool software you can use is Marcium Reflect which will allow you to simply move your entire OS to the SSD

Cheers!
 
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NBSN

NBSN

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Agreed, stock coolers are typically just decent. I would definitely recommend keeping any eye on your temperatures, fan speeds, CPU usage, RAM usage, etc with any new build to see what you could adjust to get improved performance. If you see the temps are higher for the case or CPU, then you could add in another case fan or a non-stock CPU cooler. And of course you can adjust the fan speeds and other things to improve cooling and performance. Gotta start somewhere right. :)
 
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darkbloom

darkbloom

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So pretty much all I have to do is have only the SDD connected when I'm installing the operating system and updating the drivers. Then after it's all updated and ready I turn off my computer, go in and connect the HDD, and reboot it and just locate the HDD anytime I want to install something? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Also should I just keep only the SDD installed when I'm installing the OS and updates/drivers just to stay on the safe side? Or am I allowed to also have the HDD installed with the SDD and just select the SDD drive when I'm installing the OS?

Also here's the updated PCPartList, hopefully everything is compatible with each other and should fit in the case as well:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/forrestta/saved/CcL48d
 
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NBSN

NBSN

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Yes, everything looks good. You are supposed to be given an option of what hard drive you want the operating system installed to when you install it. But if you don't feel comfortable having to double check everything, then just hook up the SSD first and after the OS is installed, hook up the hard drive. Whatever works best for you.
 
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zenx

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Feb 22, 2013
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You can have them both connected since you can select which drive you want to install Windows on, and you simply select the SSD then that's about it (be sure to have SATA mode set to AHCI in the bios before beginning windows installation so that windows will install your ahci drivers correctly)
After you're done and you're in windows you will need to initialize your HDD since now that you have 2 disks the installation will only initialize the one it needs (eg. the SSD).. so you go into Control panel / admin tools / comp management / disk management.. right click the HDD select initialize and after you're done create a new volume for the full size and you're good to go :) (don't worry it's pretty straightforward once you're there - just a few clicks)
When you're done with all this your windows will be solely on the SSD and your HDD will be free to be used for storage. The idea is that the SSD would be about 120 GB or so.. so you want to install large programs (mainly games) on the HDD.. So instead of installing them to their default location in Program Files, you make a folder on the HDD... (for example D:\Games) and select that as the installation directory of your games... :p

Hope I managed to clarify it now :)
Cheers!
 
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