first PC build on my own, help appreciated

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Barrelrider123

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Aug 28, 2015
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Hi community,
I've decided to build myself a computer on my own for the first time. My goal is to put together a computer with which I will be able to play lag-free (Dota 2) for the next couple of years. I don't care about design and just want a solid computer with which I will enjoy playing. My budget is round about 800€ and after my research on different sites I had the impression that this could be what I am looking for:

GPU: AMD Radeon R9 280 X
CPU: Intel I5 4430
Main Board: ASrock H97M PRO4
Monitor: HannsG HE225DPB
DVD burner: LG GH-24NS
HDD: Seagate ST1000DM003 1 TB
power supply: Enermax MAXPRO 600W
Case: Corsair Carbide 100R
RAM: GeIL DIMM 8 GB DDR3-1600 Kit

I think the parts should work fine together but as I am new to this I wanted to ask for opinions on whether a system consisting of these parts would work nicely. I am also not sure if I prioritised correctly, for example I am not sure if the CPU is "too good" relative to the GPU and I am wasting money. When it comes to the case I am not sure if the DVD burner fits and if I will need extra cooling (btw are the fans controlled by the main board or just working on full power all the time - all the different fan ports are quite confusing).

As i said, I am new to this and appreciate any comments and thoughts. Thank you in anticipation!
 
Solution
jmsellars1
The i5-4440 and i5-4430 are almost exactly the same, it is just that the i5-4440 is 100Mhz faster (around 2-3%). Certainly not a noticeable difference.

The XFX R9 280X IS an AMD Radeon R9 280X, just made by XFX so the cooling and clock speeds will be slightly different but the differences are generally minor, 5-10% maximum usually. If you've seen one that just says AMD then it is most likely a reference model so the XFX one will almost definitely be faster.

If you're only playing Dota 2 and less demanding games then you could get a much cheaper system. Dota 2 isn't demanding at all. Even with an i3/Athlon x4 and a $100 graphics card you shouldn't ever dip below 60FPS. Here are some benchmarks that show this...
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jmsellars1

jmsellars1

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Dec 31, 2010
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Fans will come with a 3 pin or 4 pin connector. A motherboard will typically have 1 x 4 pin fan connector and 2-3 x 3 pin ones. The 4 pin fans will automatically speed up and slow down based on the temperature of your CPU and the 3 pin ones are physically capable of slowing down and speeding up but they're not really designed for doing it automatically, you usually just choose low (5v), medium (7v) or high (12V) and leave it. Some boards have sophisticated fan control settings built into the BIOS though, depends on the motherboard. Another option is to get a 3 pin fan to molex adapter and plug it directly into the PSU, then it just runs at full tilt all the time.

Are you just playing Dota or do you anticipate playing any other games? Do you use your PC for anything else?
 
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Barrelrider123

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Aug 28, 2015
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Thanks a lot for the fast answer...

Well, except for some standard stuff for university ... not really, at least nothing too demanding

Btw: I think about taking the Intel I5 4440 instead of Intel I5 4430, that shouldn't make a big difference (or does it?) but is easier for me to get. And I wonder if the XFX R9 280X Dual Fan is basically the same as the AMD Radeon R9 280 X. I mean is it the same GPU just produced by another company? Do these things matter?

 
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jmsellars1

jmsellars1

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The i5-4440 and i5-4430 are almost exactly the same, it is just that the i5-4440 is 100Mhz faster (around 2-3%). Certainly not a noticeable difference.

The XFX R9 280X IS an AMD Radeon R9 280X, just made by XFX so the cooling and clock speeds will be slightly different but the differences are generally minor, 5-10% maximum usually. If you've seen one that just says AMD then it is most likely a reference model so the XFX one will almost definitely be faster.

If you're only playing Dota 2 and less demanding games then you could get a much cheaper system. Dota 2 isn't demanding at all. Even with an i3/Athlon x4 and a $100 graphics card you shouldn't ever dip below 60FPS. Here are some benchmarks that show this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/dota-2-performance-benchmark,3481-8.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/dota-2-performance-benchmark,3481-6.html

If you don't see yourself playing more demanding games then anything more expensive than the following would be a waste of money because you wouldn't even notice any difference;

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A78M PRO3+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($51.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.78 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($112.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 100R ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ B&H)
Monitor: Acer G236HLBbd 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $609.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-28 11:46 EDT-0400


If you change your mind and think you might play more demanding stuff, let me know your budget and I could suggest something else.
 
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Barrelrider123

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Aug 28, 2015
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Hi Jmsellars1,

first: thanks for your help :D

second: i really think I am going to stick with dota for the next time (never have been a fan of new released games) and I already had a feeling that what I got is more than I need. Most likely its just that I am frustrated that I never could play with high graphic settings and almost never could play without fps lag (maybe it' s just a bad idea to play on a laptop ^^). My other thought was that I hope not to have to buy a new Pc too soon, so I said too myself, if I buy a little bit more than I need and after 1 or 2 years the PC starts to slow down it still will be enough. Is that a wrong trail of thoughts?

third: I tried to find the parts you proposed (thanks againg for that btw) and I could find almost all of them on the internet site (only had to change from Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory to Crucial DIMM 8 GB DDR3-1600 and from Gigabyte Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card to XFX R7 260X - last one most likely doesn't matter again) from which I am going to buy my PC and in the end it was 705€ and the composition I posted is like 830€. So my first idea is a good 100 € more but bit better, even though i most likely won't notice. Btw: I guess the parts cost a little bit more here in Germany.


PS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_GXRG5fLeg
 
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jmsellars1

jmsellars1

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Hi, the PC won't get slower over time. It just seems like that because people will usually run more demanding software over time. If you won't be then this should be fine. Just do the standard maintenance like defragging the hard drive (not the SSD) and shutting down the PC fairly regularly. I tend to do a fresh install of windows every few years as well
 
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