New Build Advice

[kerrigan93]

Hey tomshardware users!!!

Today I am finishing up my computer build that I have been thinking about for the last week or so

Beginning my search for newfound power, I have decided to go with an intel i5 processor. Using the website http://www.cpubenchmark.net/ I chose the processor I did for price/power. I used the same website to choose my graphics card


Here is the suggested things to post as by the sticky posed on the forums



Approximate Purchase Date:

The next week or two

Budget Range:

$900-$1200

System Usage from Most to Least Important:

1. Gaming (I currently play sc2, but will probably start playing more games as i start to realize how out of date my old computer is)
2. Media (listening to music, watching tv..... ect)
3. I am a mechanical engineering student so in the future using very intensive programs like cad and 3d graphing programs will most likely be a must
4. Web surfing

Parts Not Required:

ssd, large hdd, blu ray player, multiple hard drives

Preferred Website(s) for Parts:

probably newegg. Suggestions are appreciated

Country:

Arizona in the USA

Parts Preferences:

Most bang for your buck. Maybe upgradeable, but not my highest priority

Overclocking:

I'm not super techy yet, so this may come later. As of now and the near future i will probably not be over clocking

SLI or Crossfire:

This is the first i have heard of either of these. Im guessing using multiple graphics cards would not be advisable for a budget worthy build

Monitor Resolution:

I will be buying a monitor after this build (monitor is not included in 900-1200 range price)

Additional Comments:

Again I am getting my first performer pc and would not like to break the bank on my first build/purchase



Here is a wish list of a current setup i have going for >1000 on newegg.com


ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

XFX HD-685X-ZCFC Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9B

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5003AZEX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

LG DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH24NS90 - OEM

XFX Core Edition PRO850W (P1-850S-NLB9) 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active ...

and a 50$ case (tbd)




Thanks for your help tomshardware users!!! I hope i was specific enough in my query

-Ben

 

[shubham_66]

8GB RAM is enough even for hardcore gamming.

850W PSU is overkill for your system. get a PSU of 550W - 650W(maximum) of a good company like corsair.

From the money u save from RAM and PSU,
get a better GPU like 560ti or HD 7850(its better)

 

[TheBigTroll]

heres what i would get. it has room for both OC and crossfire setups in the future if you would like to upgrade then. i included a nice 128gb SSD to speed up boot times and application load times. you will install the OS, important apps, and some games on the SSD and the rest that dont need the speed on the hard drive. remember that a 1tb drive is only 20 dollars more

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bR9s

 

[kerrigan93]

I like what you have done with my wish list. The ssd is definitely a good upgrade.

Just curious about why you have changed my motherboard. One of my more tech savvy friends helped me set up this list and he thought that motherboard was gonna be very important

 

[TheBigTroll]

i trust asus more than asrock. asrock earlier was cheaping out on their caps. better to be safe than sorry

 

[TheBigTroll]

the asrock board works

 

[kerrigan93]

and its cheaper, so all the better for my graphics card!!!

Also im not too savvy with that case you picked out, no offense


Would this case work??? I can see that the motherboard will work, but other than that i'm not sure

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144261

 

[bigcyco1]

i trust asus more than asrock. asrock earlier was cheaping out on their caps. better to be safe than sorry

+1 another thing they cheap out on ASRock Z77 Extreme4 it's a flawed mobo read the last page of this review http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/asrock_z77_extreme4_review,1.html The only negative I have for this motherboard is that it slips outside of typical ATX specifications. It’s 3cm thinner than a standard ATX motherboard and as a result may lack secure mounting on the far side since this isn’t a common size, which also means you should be very careful when plugging in the 24-pin ATX motherboard power – as the motherboard may flex. P.S.Not sure why Asrock still selling boards like this but for me that would make it a NO GO they usually make solid motherboards i don't know what the hell happened

 

[rwayne]

Kerrigan,

I don't recommend Apevia cases. Yeah they are pretty to look at but they don't have features that most of the mainstream brands like NZXT, Cooler Master, & Antec have. They are not bad either. I think it would serve your build just fine but you may want to check out some of these for around the $50 price mark:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146058

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108407

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129180

 

[bigcyco1]

agree with rwayne check this case out you might like it. Case:NZXT Apollo Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146025#top

 

[bigcyco1]

Case:Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066#top


Case:Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153#top

COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

 

[kerrigan93]

That rosewill challenger case is great! I'm in love!

Thanks so much guys your hel is very much appreciated. I will post some more about purchasing/building when the time comes

 

[bigcyco1]

No problem your very welcome!

 

[TheBigTroll]

i generally chose cases for functionality much over looks. the challenger is great too

 

[bigcyco1]

i generally chose cases for functionality much over looks. the challenger is great too

That's because your using your head when picking a case looks should always come last :lol:

 

[kerrigan93]

Best answer selected by kerrigan93.

 

[kerrigan93]

So I have purchased all of my parts and put my machine together!

I Decided to go with these parts in the end

Asus VLK mobo

Intell 3570k i5 processor

Radeon 6850 graphics

Cruicial M4 SSD 120gb

4gb x 2 gskill ripjaws memory

LG disk drive

rosewill future case


With my friends help and all of your help I have managed to put this wonderful machine together. I would suggest it to anyone trying to get a nice gaming computer for under 900$ because just the parts alone cost a little over 800.

Thank you all for your advice and im now a very proud owner of my own machine!!!!