Building first system - Need ideas and advice

mookial

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Jun 6, 2012
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Edit: I will be using this computer for streaming my game as well as gameplay.

Hey guys, I'm pretty new here but after looking around this looks like the place to go.

I'm currently building a new machine and I'm not 100% on the ins and outs of machine building. I currently have a premade Dell which I purchased roughly two years ago, the machine is excellent but I want to go beyond and build my own for customization in the future.

I'm looking to build a gaming PC that will last for years and thinking about overclocking my processor to about 4.0-4.4~. The items on my list so far are as follows:

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V
Processor: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz
Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB DDR3 1600
Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212

And some arctic silver compound.

Now my questions to the community :)
1.) What case is cheap and has some fans built in to give extra cooling?
2.) What PSU would be good?
3.) What are the benefits of getting a SSD to install the OS on?
4.) Would Nvidia or ATI be recommended, and which model from their respective line of cards would give me the most bang for my buck?
5.) Would the cooler master be enough for this machine and is something like this neccessary?

and finally, what other items are necessary to building this PC?

As stated before any suggestions are appreciated. Suggesting new parts or better parts for the same/less price is also appreciated.

Thanks and I hope I didn't ask for too much. :??:
 

target50

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Nov 18, 2011
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case wise, there are my two favorite cases that i always recommend to everyone.

COOLER MASTER RC-1100-KKN1-GP COSMOS S Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.eio.com/p-26585-cooler-master-rc-1100-kkn1-gp-cosmos-s-black-aluminum-atx-full-tower-computer-case.aspx

NZXT PHAN-001WT Phantom White Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.eio.com/p-30776-nzxt-phan-001wt-phantom-white-steel-plastic-atx-full-tower-computer-case.aspx


PSU wise, it depends on what youre trying to do with your computer. but just looking by your cpu, you're looking for somewhat powerful setup... so i would recommend something like this

CORSAIR CMPSU-700G Gaming Series GS700 700W
http://www.eio.com/p-42149-corsair-cmpsu-700g-gaming-series-gs700-700w-atx12v-v23-80-plus-certified-active-pfc-high-performance-power-supply.aspx

but if your going to want to have a SLI setup, i would suggest you to get something more powerful than 700W PSU.


SSD is still a little more expensive than getting a regular SATA III, but the difference is ridiculous. once you go SSD, you will never go back. if you want instant loads on your OS and softwares, you'd want to go SSD. no questions.
 
To answer your questions:

1) Look at the Antec 300 illusion model. 1000 feedback reviewers can't be far wrong:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

2) Do not go cheap on the psu. My short list of quality units would include Seasonic, PC P&C, Antec, XFX, and Corsair.
How many watts you need will be determined by your graphics card choice. You are probably looking at a 500-650w psu.

3) A SSD will make your pc feel much more responsive. I highly recommend one. 120gb will hold the os and 6-10 games.
If you need more storage space for big files, like videos, then add a hard drive.

4) Pick your price point and for gaming, buy the strongest graphics card you feel comfortable paying for. It is the engine of gaming, more so than the cpu.
Here is a good article for selection"
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html
What is your budget, and what resolution will you game on?

5) The hyper212 is a good cooler at a bargain price. No more is needed.

Now, some other suggestions:

6) Few games use more than 2 or 3 cores, making the hyperthreads of the 2600K largely useless.
The 2500K will game just as well and save you $100 that can be used better elsewhere.
There is little value in upgrading a sandy bridge cpu to a ivy bridge cpu. But, for a new build, I would go with a 3570K.
It runs cooler at normal overclocks, and is 5% faster clock for clock.

7) No game I know of can use more than 2-3gb of ram. 8gb in a 2 x 4gb kit is more appropriate.
If you will be running 64 bit enabled apps, then lots of ram is good.
Do not buy vengeance ram with high heat spreaders, they are unnecessary for 1.5v ram, and may impact your cpu cooler. Look for a kit with low heat spreaders, or even none at all.

8) Take the time now to download and read, cover to cover the case and motherboard manuals. Many questions will be answered.

-----------------good luck---------------
 

mookial

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Jun 6, 2012
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Approximate Purchase Date: Within the month, hopefully before the beginning of July.

Budget Range: $1,000 is my budget, but a little more won't hurt.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming. Hoping to run most games within the next 2-3 years at max settings.

Parts Not Required: I already have keyboard, mouse, speakers, monitors and a headset. Just looking to build the actual computer.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg is preferred, but if anything has the products cheaper -- I'm open to ideas.

Country: United States

Parts Preferences: I'm using an Intel i7 2600k CPU and currently have a ASUS mobo in mind, although I'm hoping someone can tell me whether or not that mobo is good and if something out there is better/more cost efficient.

Overclocking: Yes, to about 4.2+ and hopefully 5 if I can have it running smooth and cool.

SLI or Crossfire: No just one video card is sufficient.

Monitor Resolution: Two monitors at 1920x1080.

Additional Comments: Need a quiet, gaming PC that will suffice for games at max settings for a couple of years. Something that will be easy to upgrade in the future so I don't have to go through the process of rebuilding a new one. The original post contains the items I currently have and questions I need to be answered.

As stated before, I'm open to opinions and ideas. I'm not afraid to change parts that the community believes will benefit me further.
 

Merueth

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May 24, 2012
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Ok, I have my typical $1200 build here, rather than my $1000 build because you need to support 2 monitors:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9AGI

I wouldn't recommend an i7 for gaming, as it doesn't offer many advantages over the i5-3570k, even losing out to it in several game benchamarks. The GTX 670 is a very good card, and should be able to max out games for about 2 years or so, given how fast tech advances in the next few years.

Imo, at that budget, an SSD is not worth sacrificing graphics performance, especially since you are going to use a two monitor setup. As for the case, I believe the 302 has better cable management than the Illusion, which is why I decided on the 302 instead.

You can also feel free to throw in a CPU cooler for overclocking as well. :)
 

mookial

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Thanks for all the quick responses. I'm currently looking into a GFX card in my budget, but I have decided to switch to the 3570K after reading additional reviews and the replies here. Another concern was the mobo. Is the mobo I've chosen decent? Are there alternatives to it for the same or less price?

Once again I appreciate everything!

Edit: I will be using this computer to stream games as well. Will the 3570k still be suitable?

Also does this case mentioned above Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case handle USB 3.0? I don't see it in the specs :??:
 
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=67326&vpn=THREE%20HUNDRED%20TWO&manufacture=Antec&promoid=1060 $59.99 FREE SHIPPING
Antec Three Hundred Two Mid Tower Gaming Case 302 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB3.0 & Audio

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=antec+three+hundred+two+&oq=antec+three+hundred+two+&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_l=hp.3...2438.3920.2.4511.6.6.0.0.0.5.931.4149.5-2j3.5.0...0.0.OFEQWIhw38Y&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=34125657c9c088bd&biw=1440&bih=775 <---- Reviews of that case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.964659 $184.98 save: $15.00 - $20.00 Mail In Rebates
OCZ ZT Series 550W Fully-Modular 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom
ASRock Z77 Pro4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Pro4/ <----- another look at that board along with a link to the latest bios

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=70541&vpn=BX80637I53570K&manufacture=Intel&promoid=1060 $227.99 FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i5 3570K Unlocked Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.4GHZ Ivy Bridge 6MB Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099 $33.99 FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231544 $46.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-8GAO

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118067 $17.99
Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner, Bulk Package 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model AD-7280S-0B - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840 $99.99 FREE SHIPPING
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600315498%20600311820&IsNodeId=1&name=GeForce%20GTX%20670 $400 - $430
GTX 670

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5818/nvidia-geforce-gtx-670-review-feat-evga <----- GTX 670 review w/benchmarks

Total: $1,053.93 *not including shipping and rebates
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($107.85 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Mushkin Callisto Deluxe 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($419.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1256.75
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-06-07 04:14 EDT-0400)
 

mookial

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Thanks again for the replies. I'm taking all ideas and combining them to make the final product.

Another question, is it necessary to have the Corsair H100 liquid cooler with the 212 Evo, or will the EVO suffice alone with stock fans provided by the case?
 

Houseboratheon

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Apr 26, 2012
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As far as I know you can't combine the 2 but I might be wrong on that. Either way given your OC, the hyper 212 evo would be perfectly fine.
 

mookial

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So after reading through and doing research I finally settled on this build.

It seems like a system that's capable of being useful for a couple of years as well as streaming game play at 720/1080p and running games on max settings.

1.) Can someone run through it one last time and give any modifications/opinions (if needed)?
2.) Will I be capable of OC the processor to above 4.0 stable with what I have?
3.) And will this support my monitor setup? I'm using Dual Samsung 21.5 with both on HDMI.

Once again all help is appreciated and I'm grateful for all the feedback I've received!
 

Looks good although I'm not big on that Antec 900. It's a nightmare compared to other cases in it's price range when it comes to cable management. Look for the Corsair 400R for the same price on amazon and possible newegg...but it's usually cheaper on amazon with the free shipping. Combo that 3570K with that asrock board to save $15 (newegg), and you can find that same psu for $100 + free shipping on amazon.

Also maybe go with the normal 1600hz RAM so you don't run into any issues to where your having to mess with your timings.
 


You CANT have both, They are both cpu coolers. The hyper212 is very good for cooling, no more is needed.
 

Here's a case to consider. It has room for a dual card set up, good cooling, front 3.0 USB ports, etc...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006I2H0YS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER $77.13 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 300R Mid-Tower Gaming Case - CC-9011014-WW

http://www.corsair.com/carbide-series-300r-compact-pc-gaming-case.html <----- another look at that case along with links to professional online reviews