First Time Building Help Please

[biggoose62]

Here is a list of the parts I’m looking at buying. If anyone has any tips, I would love some feedback. I'm going to use it as my everyday computer, as well as HTPC. Not much gaming, but some. If you need more info, just ask. Thanks for the help!


•Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-Z77-D3H Intel 7 Series Motherboard - ATX, Socket H2 (LGA1155), Intel Z77 Express, 1600MHz DDR3, SATA III (6Gb/s), RAID, 7.1-CH Audio, Gigabit LAN, USB 3.0, PCIe 3.0, CrossFireX Ready
•CPU - Intel Core i7-3770 BX80637i73770 Processor - Quad Core, 8MB L3 Cache, 3.40GHz (3.90GHz Max Turbo), Socket H2 (LGA1155), 77W, Fan, Retail
•RAM - Patriot PG38G1600EL G2 Series Desktop Memory Module - 8GB, PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, 240-pin DIMM, 1.6V, CL9, Enhanced Latency, XMP Ready
•Video Card - EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti FPB Video Card - 1024MB, GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0 (x16), 2x Dual-Link DVI-I, 1x Mini-HDMI, DirectX 11, Dual-Slot, SLI Ready
•DVD Drive - Sony Optiarc AD7280S-OB 24x DVDRW Drive - 24x, SATA, Black, OEM
•HDD - Seagate ST3000DM001 Barracuda 7200.12 Hard Drive - 3TB, SATA III (6Gb/s), 3.5", 7200RPM, 64MB
•SSD - Corsair CSSD-F240GB3A-BK 240GB Force Series 3 Solid State Drive - 240GB, SATA III, 550 MB/s Read, 520 MB/s Write, 2.5”
•Power Supply - Thermaltake TR-500 TR2 ATX Power Supply - 500W, 120mm Fan, Active PFC
•Case - Apex Vortex3620 Gaming Mid-Tower Case - 10x Drive Bays, USB, eSATA

 

[geekapproved]

I question the need for an i7 for those uses, sounds like an i3 or at the most an i5 would be more than enough.

That power supply is crap, what's your budget for the psu?

I also wouldn't buy DDR3-1600 cas 9 that's 1.6v. There are plenty of cas 9's that are 1.5v. It's not a big deal, it just tells me they are older chips if they need 1.6v or they are made for overclocking, which I doubt your planning to overclock your ram.

 

[biggoose62]

I know the i7 is overkill, but I figure it's a little more money and I can have a CPU that's going to last me a long time and keep my pc relevant. My fiance enjoys photo and video editing to an extent, so I guess it wouldn't hurt imo to get the best.

Why do you say the power supply is crap? Is 500w not enough? Or is the brand not a trusted one? It got a 4.9/5 on tigerdirect, so I'd love to hear some other feedback on it.

I will definitely look into the RAM as well. I'm trying to find a 1x8GB so that I can have 3 open slots and never need to replace a 2x4GB. and of course it needs to be DDR3 1600MHz.

And I'm not currently planning on overclocking.

Thank you for your reply

 

[geekapproved]

You need 2 dimms for dual channel mode, if you buy one 8GB dimm you'll only be running in single channel mode, so get 2x4GB sticks. Your never going to use more than 16GB no matter what.

The TR-500 TR2 is going to work, but I wouldn't use it, it's not very efficient, it doesn't even meet the basic 80+ efficiency rating. It also isn't really 500w. For instance it has one 17a rail and one 18a rail. My 380w psu has one 17a rail and one 16a rail. The 500w Antec I recommend below has one 22a rail + one 22a rail, so you see it's really 400w and inefficient to boot. The Thermaltake does have a 5yr warranty though, I'll give it that, but you can almost guarantee the Antec is going to last more than 5yrs.

You get what you pay for, I recommend this one it's 80+ bronze rated.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371035

 

[biggoose62]

That makes sense. I am, however, getting my OEM Win 7 with 2x4GB Corsair memory as an added bonus. I forgot to mention that. So really I guess I would have an 8GB and two 4GB RAM cards. They are only 1333MHz, but that would work, right? And why do you not think I would use more than 16GB RAM? My mobo supports up to 32GB RAM if I have 4x8GB. Is there something I'm missing? Cause I definitely don't want to overlook something like that.

After you said that Thermaltake was crap, I looked around and found this:

Ultra LSP550 550-Watt Power Supply - ATX, SATA-Ready, SLI-Ready, 135mm Fan, Lifetime Warranty w/ Registration
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3276574&pagenumber=1&RSort=1&csid=ITD&recordsPerPage=5&body=REVIEWS#CustomerReviewsBlock

How does this compare to the one that you recommended? It seems to have a lifetime warranty, which is awesome. Not sure what that warranty covers though.

I have 2 more questions for you, if you'd be so kind. Is 500w about right for me? Based on this setup that I have? I was told that more is better than less, just in case.

Also, my mobo says 24 pin, but these PSUs are 20+4. Am I correct to think that that means the 4 is simply separated from the other 20, but they are all still there? Instead of it being 24 all together?

Thanks again for your help!

 

[biggoose62]

something else that comes to mind is that I need 6 SATA connectors. The one you mentioned and the one I found only have 5 and 4, respectively.

 

[geekapproved]

Ultra is even worse. I'm sure it'll be fine, but I wouldn't use it.

No you cant run a 8GB and two 4GB dimms, that's still single channel mode, you would need 2 sticks or 4 sticks for dual channel mode.

Yes 500w would be more than enough for your system, even with a gpu upgrade, as long as it's a QUALITY unit unlike Ultra and Thermaltake.

24 pin and 20+4 pin are the same, just separated.

 

[biggoose62]

Ok, scratch the Ultra lol. What about this Corsair?

Corsair CP-9020003-NA Enthusiast Series TX750M Modular Power Supply - 750W, 80 Plus Bronze, Single +12V Rail

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=580996&pagenumber=1&RSort=1&csid=ITD&recordsPerPage=5&body=REVIEWS#CustomerReviewsBlock

Now for the RAM, would it be best for me to buy 2 of the 8GB dimms, then I would have 2x8GB and 2x4GB. The only other thing is that the 8GB dimms are 1600MHz and the 4GB dimms are 1333MHz. Will this cause a problem?

Thank you for your help

 

[geekapproved]

Thats a really good deal on a really good psu, but you don't need more than a 500w.