Help me on my new PC please

[huntern321]

Hello I have just finished figuring out what to put in my new PC. I have a unibody MacBook with boot camp and I love it, but the nvidia 9400m is no beast of a graphics chip. Since this my first time putting together my own system, i'm not 100% sure everything i've picked out is compatible. here is what i've picked out.

Motherboard 79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

CPU & GPU Combo 369.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.208054

Ram 95.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820609427

Case 69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146025

Power Supply 49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817148022

HDD 74.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145233

DVD Drive 28.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188

Speakers 9.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836150037

Mouse 9.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826129028

KeyBoard 9.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823204011

Wifi Card 24.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833156243

I think everything will work when I throw it all into the case. But I don't want to turn on the computer for the first time and have it blow up in my face... thanks

 

[hunter315]

What was in that combo? They probably refreshed it and it got a new number, but right now that link returns an error.

You only need triple channel ram for an i7 and that board is AMD so i assume you arent trying to do an i7 build so this ram will work.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227286

Need to know what graphics card you are getting before i can suggest a PSU but i definitely advise against the Apevia. Your PSU should be from one of these five brands: Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Antec, Seasonic, OCZ

 

[huntern321]

yeah im not going i7. i chose amd and ati because the give more bang for your buck... anyways i had a amd phenom II x4 955 with an xfx radeon hd 4890 graphics card

 

[hunter315]

What resolution monitor are you going to be using? And are you planning to crossfire eventually? Unfortunately some of the AMD ASUS mobo combos have been ending lately, hopefully the one with the 790gx will come back.

 

[huntern321]

i have a 1080p monitor and i do not plan to use crossfire in this pc. i wanted to find a mother board with 2 pci-express 2.0 slots but non that fit in my budget fit my ddr3 ram and were not open box

 

[hunter315]

Okay, in which case we can cut down the price of that PSU quite a bit, an EA650 is plenty to power a single 4890 and will save you $33 over the price of that PSU you had selected
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015
Hopefully better motherboard combos will show up soon but right now that is the best value if you never intend to crossfire.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

+1 to changing the RAM to a dual channel kit like suggested above. Like hunter315 said, the RAM you picked is triple channel and designed for the Intel i7 CPU. The AMD chips have a dual-channel RAM controller, so you want to get a kit with an even number of RAM sticks.

I also agree with ditching that POS Apevia PSU. You certainly don't want to try to save a buck on the PSU since a cheap PSU will cause problems ranging from system instability to fried components. Since the motherboard you chose doesn't support crossfire, a quality 500W - 600W PSU is all you need. Here's a few to consider:

PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS500D 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703016 $74.99

SeaSonic M12II SS-500GM 500W ATX12V 2.2 /EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151056 $89.99 - $10 MIR

Antec earthwatts EA500 500W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007&Tpk=ea500 $74.99

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016 $58.99 - $25 MIR

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022&Tpk=ocz%20550w $74.99 - $25 MIR

 

[huntern321]

i chose my first psu because it was half the price, it must have been a one day deal

 

[huntern321]

thank you, besides that are there any other things to consider???

 

[Onus]

+1 @ shortstuff, although I'd put OCZ a notch below those others, and perhaps add Enermax to replace it. I've never read a non-negative competent technical review of an Apevia PSU; generally they melt or smoke when loaded (so yes, they are steaming piles). Even their newest "Warlock" units are overrated.

 

[huntern321]

i think i am going to go with the OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W for my computer and changed the ram to 4gb because there was no 6gb ddr3 dual channel ram i could find. let me know if you can find some.

 

[huntern321]

ok... i think i've got everything settled now
Motherboard 79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

CPU & GPU Combo 369.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.206736

Ram 64.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193

Case 69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146025

Power Supply 58.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016

HDD 74.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145233

DVD Drive 28.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188

Speakers 9.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836150037

Mouse 9.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826129028

KeyBoard 9.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823204011

Wifi Card 24.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833156243

I think that will do it... right?

 

[shortstuff_mt]

+1 @ shortstuff, although I'd put OCZ a notch below those others, and perhaps add Enermax to replace it. I've never read a non-negative competent technical review of an Apevia PSU; generally they melt or smoke when loaded (so yes, they are steaming piles). Even their newest "Warlock" units are overrated.

I agree that OCZ is a notch below manufacturers like Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, etc..., but they're still light years ahead of the Apevia POS.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The RAM can still be improved. The kit you chose has a pretty slow CAS 9 speed. You can get faster CAS 7 RAM for not much more $.

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600EB4GK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227286 $75.99 - $10 MIR

Just keep in mind that this RAM runs at 1.9v, so it will be undervolted and underclocked out of the box for compatibility reasons. You'll need to go into the BIOS and manually set the RAM speed/timings/voltage to the manufacturer's specs (DDR3 1600/7-6-6-24 timings @ 1.9v).

 

[huntern321]

now... final issue, when I throw all this into the case properly and start it up, the whole thing won't fry up in my face. I can just plop in the install dvd and then put the drivers on and be on my way?...

 

[shortstuff_mt]

That will depend entirely on how much time you spend reading the motherboard, case, and PSU owners manuals before rushing into the build. I'm surprised at how many first time builders can't be bothered reading the manual then wonder why their computer won't work. Of course there's always the possibility of DOA components, but the parts above are quality components so you shouldn't have any trouble.

This checklist should help you avoid some of the most common mistakes:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-read-posting-boot-problems

 

[huntern321]

Y is the OCZ better than the G.SKILL?

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Y is the OCZ better than the G.SKILL?

Because it has a faster (numerically lower) CAS rating which means it's faster. 7-6-6-24 is considerably faster than 9-9-9-24.

 

[huntern321]

thanks for the checklist, i'll use it, but i mean that all the parts are compatible.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

thanks for the checklist, i'll use it, but i mean that all the parts are compatible.

Yes, all the parts are compatible.

 

[huntern321]

thank you

 

[huntern321]

one last thing, just making sure that this can run the newest games at 1080p with decent if not full settings

 

[shortstuff_mt]

You'll have to check one of the many GPU benchmarks out there for the specific games you are planning on playing, but the 4890 is a good GPU that will work very well at that resolution.

 

[KyleSTL]

And generally OCZ is regarded as better quality than GSkill in the computer community. Also, if you pay $10 for speakers they'll sound like $10. I'd suggest some better (and more powerful) speakers for a much-improved gaming experience (having bought junk 4W speakers myself before).

 

[huntern321]

You'll have to check one of the many GPU benchmarks out there for the specific games you are planning on playing, but the 4890 is a good GPU that will work very well at that resolution.

yeah, but the benchmarks are mixed