New build starting soon

[tjgypsy2]

Hi there,
1920
I'm going to be building my first self-built computer here shortly, and I'm wondering how I'm supposed to go about choosing a Motherboard/CPU combo? I've tried reading several of the gaming budget build articles on here, but not all of the components referenced in those articles are still available (at least according to my searches.)

So the question is, as a gamer who's looking to play his games on high resolution at 1920X1080 (specifically DIII and Warcraft: MoP when it launches) what sort of Motherboard/CPU combo am I looking for? I don't much of anything else with my computer, just casual web browsing, E-mail stuff like that. The variety of options and acronyms and numbers that I find when I'm looking at sites like Newegg and Amazon.com are intimidating and confusing.

Thanks for your time and advice, it's much appreciated.

 

[carlosb]

Welcome to the great world of building PCs
Try reading this guide first: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/288311-31-homebuilt-buying-guide Ill put some info anyway.

Well first of all you should start researching, alot. Get familiar with all the names and manufacturers of components there is in the market. Your first build will never be perfect and by this i mean there will be 1 or more components that you wished to spend a little bit more on.
Basically at the start you will want to get the best components according to your budget. Altough not exactly accurate, this list will show you more or less which processors reign over another:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

Same goes for video cards:
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu_list.php

This list is not exactly accurate but it will be enough for a beginner. I myself am not an expert but consider myself somewhat experienced. This lists will be enormous tools for you right now. Then as you go along you should be able to know which video cards are better than others by looking at the specifications or just reading reviews about it. Im not gonna (as some might say) "spoon-feed" you all the rest (no offense). This is all stuff you'll have to research on your own. The guide basically contains everything you need to know about it. However I will suggest a video card and a processor which should more than suit your needs. Happy building!

 

[tjgypsy2]

So what I've come up with so far is the following.

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231461

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116506

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840

Case (already owned): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233&Tpk=haf%20912

PSU (already owned): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139024&Tpk=corsair%20PSU%20700W

I'm just going to re-use the mouse, keyboard, monitor and DVD drive that I already have.

At least initially, I'm also going to keep the GPU I'm using: http://www.amazon.com/BFG-BFGE981024GTGE-GeForce-Graphics-EcoIntelligence/sim/B00288BH9K/2

I'm open to suggestions/tweaks/money saving tips or comments of any kind.

 

[dedekind]

You have a great build there. Depending on your budget, you might want to improve your video card. You can save $30 going with i5-2500k (more than excellent for gaming, even in the not so near future) (this is $170 on microcenter), and maybe with that and a little extra money you can get a new video card.

 

[tjgypsy2]

You have a great build there. Depending on your budget, you might want to improve your video card. You can save $30 going with i5-2500k (more than excellent for gaming, even in the not so near future) (this is $170 on microcenter), and maybe with that and a little extra money you can get a new video card.

Do you have any relatively low-budget suggestions? I'm open to upgrading the card in the future, but was planning on keeping the old card at least long enough to get the computer built.

 

[carlosb]

Do you have any relatively low-budget suggestions? I'm open to upgrading the card in the future, but was planning on keeping the old card at least long enough to get the computer built.

Very good build you made there. As dedekind said, you might want to upgrade your video card since you already have a powerful build. How much would low budget be? Here is a great card that performs well for just under $140. Remember to spend your money wisely, if your going to buy a card that you might not be happy with later, then I suggest spending a bit more money on it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

EDIT: Typo

 

[tjgypsy2]

Remember to spend your money wisely, if your going to buy a card that you might not be happy with later, then I suggest spending a bit more money on it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

EDIT: Typo

That isn't outside the realm of possibility, probably not AT the time of the build, but likely to happen soon(ish) after. Unless of course I can find it on sale somewhere.

As for your advice about spending money, I agree completely, which is why I posted the build here before I bought anything, just in case I was missing something, or choosing something that's a known problem. I haven't done this before, and I'd REALLY like it to go as well as it possibly can. In that vein, what do you think of the rest of the selections?

 

[carlosb]

That isn't outside the realm of possibility, probably not AT the time of the build, but likely to happen soon(ish) after. Unless of course I can find it on sale somewhere.

As for your advice about spending money, I agree completely, which is why I posted the build here before I bought anything, just in case I was missing something, or choosing something that's a known problem. I haven't done this before, and I'd REALLY like it to go as well as it possibly can. In that vein, what do you think of the rest of the selections?

Everything is fine and is the way it should be. To be honest I wish my first build was this good and I regret not going all expenses when I built it.
One suggestion about the CPU is that the Sandy Bridge i5 2500k is faster than the one you've got selected and I would suggest going for the 2500k if it wasn't for it being $20 dollars more. Since you're a casual gamer this upgrade is most likely not needed and you can skip it, besides the one you selected is newer technology.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Another suggestion is to get a better heatsink for your CPU.If you plan on playing CPU demanding games like BF3 you might find that the CPU will overheat no matter how good your case cooling and ventilation is, especially if you live in hot weather like I do.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

The rest is fine and should be for you to enjoy and explore. Good Luck!

 

[tjgypsy2]

One suggestion about the CPU is that the Sandy Bridge i5 2500k is faster than the one you've got selected and I would suggest going for the 2500k if it wasn't for it being $20 dollars more. Since you're a casual gamer this upgrade is most likely not needed and you can skip it, besides the one you selected is newer technology.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Another suggestion is to get a better heatsink for your CPU.If you plan on playing CPU demanding games like BF3 you might find that the CPU will overheat no matter how good your case cooling and ventilation is, especially if you live in hot weather like I do.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

The rest is fine and should be for you to enjoy and explore. Good Luck!

I've added the heat sink to the buy list, I'd rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it. I'm curious as to the CPU recommendation, though. I've looked at it, and it is indeed faster than the one I'd picked out. Is that the only reason your recommending it? I had thought the one I had chosen was newer, and hence better for "futureproofing" but I'm open to information.

 

[dedekind]

Well, futureproofing with Ivy Bridge (the one you chose) means nothing really.. the platform is the same as Sandy Bridge (i5-2500k), with some minor differences. But in the future this platform will change (as all platforms do, otherwise manufacturers wouldn't earn money), so it's not like Ivy Bridge will give you too much advantage.

And the i5-2500k has been tested by millions of users and confirmed to be the best gaming CPU you could choose until two weeks ago. And maybe it still is!

EDIT: I mean the platform (mobo, etc.) is exactly the same, the minor differences are on the CPU.

 

[carlosb]

Well, futureproofing with Ivy Bridge (the one you chose) means nothing really.. the platform is the same as Sandy Bridge (i5-2500k), with some minor differences. But in the future this platform will change (as all platforms do, otherwise manufacturers wouldn't earn money), so it's not like Ivy Bridge will give you too much advantage.

And the i5-2500k has been tested by millions of users and confirmed to be the best gaming CPU you could choose until two weeks ago. And maybe it still is!

EDIT: I mean the platform (mobo, etc.) is exactly the same, the minor differences are on the CPU.

I think what you're trying to say is the socket. Anyways Haswell (next processor line after Ivy Bridge) will use a different socket to Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge. Not that your processor will be completely and utterly obsolete but you could always use Ivy Bridge and save $20 for a computer that, at the rate technology is going, will be quite old in 3 years or you could spend $20 and have a little more performance during those 3 years. The result is the same and just because it is old doesnt mean it's useless, so it is then up to you on what to do. As for futureproofing, nothing in the technology world is futureproof.

 

[tjgypsy2]

As for futureproofing, nothing in the technology world is futureproof.

True enough, and I wasn't thinking I could make it completely future-proof. However, I can respect Dedekind's reasoning with regards to the number of happy users regarding the I5-2500, so I've changed that in my build. $20 more a bit more piece of mind seems reasonable to me.

Is there anything else that I need, or do you think that about covers it? I'm probably going to order the parts next week. Looking forward to the challenge!

 

[dedekind]

Warning: this doesn't mean that the one you chose is going to perform badly. Honestly I believe that in 98% (?) of gaming situations, both will perform equally well, as they are both just great CPUs. But if the reason for going Ivy Bridge is future-proofing then the reason is wrong.

For example, if you can save those $20 and you can still add from your budget another $60 or so, you can get an SSD for a boot drive to put the OS and programs/games. That would definitely be a huge increase in performance (not at the moment of gaming itself, but loading the OS, loading the programs, games, etc., and general usage of the computer).

 

[tjgypsy2]

. But if the reason for going Ivy Bridge is future-proofing then the reason is wrong.

For example, if you can save those $20 and you can still add from your budget another $60 or so, you can get an SSD for a boot drive to put the OS and programs/games. That would definitely be a huge increase in performance (not at the moment of gaming itself, but loading the OS, loading the programs, games, etc., and general usage of the computer).

Well, since the primary reason I was choosing Ivy Bridge WAS futureproofing....point well taken. I found a 64GB SSD on Newegg of $70, so I added it to the build. I'd been looking, because I've heard they do amazing things to startup times, but hadn't found one that seemed reasonable.

 

[carlosb]

True enough, and I wasn't thinking I could make it completely future-proof. However, I can respect Dedekind's reasoning with regards to the number of happy users regarding the I5-2500, so I've changed that in my build. $20 more a bit more piece of mind seems reasonable to me.

Is there anything else that I need, or do you think that about covers it? I'm probably going to order the parts next week. Looking forward to the challenge!

Good luck!

 

[tjgypsy2]

Best answer selected by tjgypsy2.

 

[nikorr]

This topic has been closed by Nikorr