First build help?

[farestar]

So I'm about to actually set out on building my first pc but I'm just not exactly sure what to do, I have the basic idea and I'm sure once I get the parts, it won't be too hard. I did have a post on here earlier but wasn't sure where it went, but my price limit has gone up a little bit as well.
My price limit is about 1000$ less never hurts but I also wouldn't care if it's slightly higher either.
I've already picked out a case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119240 but I'm up for suggestions or other cases if they're better.
So that's basically where I'm at right now, I'm not to sure on the compatibility of parts is why I haven't gotten any further, any help and suggestions on cases and the rest of the computer would be awesome. Thanks again!

 

[bennaye]

What are you primarily using the computer for?

Where do you live?

Are you going to be OC'ing?

Are you going to be SLI/XFire'ing?

Do you need new peripherals and maybe an OS?

 

[farestar]

What are you primarily using the computer for?

Where do you live?

Are you going to be OC'ing?

Are you going to be SLI/XFire'ing?

Do you need new peripherals and maybe an OS?

Mainly for gaming, Bioshock, Assassins Creed, BF3, etc... Old games and new games

I live in Wisconsin

More than likely no SLI/CrossFire.

Not to sure yet, especially if it's not needed.

I do need an OS, Mouse, Keyboard and POSSIBLY a monitor.

Sorry I didn't include these things beforehand

*EDIT* And music, some movies possibly and I also need a gaming headset, preferably a good one that I can use on Xbox and Pc

 

[smorizio]

when it comes to gaming cases it the wire management of the case and how the case handles long cards if your going to use a long video card like the r300 and r400 case. the case you picked out is a nice case for the money. i pick up the 200mm led fan for the top of the case when you order the parts. (larger the fan the slower it can run to keep the case cool...slower fan less noise.
for the case look at it spec for cpu coolers (hight) they post the limit in mm. for the money the evo 212 not bad of a cooler. if you dont like tall coolers they do make 140mm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185180
that lower if you like that look better then the tall ones. for hard drive and good sata 6g with 32g of cache and 7200 rpm will be fine. try staying with wd black line..have a better warranty then there blue and green line. cd-rom burners the sambug/sony or asus in the 20.00 price range will work for any pc build. 8 gig of ram will be overkill for any gaming rig but it cheap..your better off buying two matched 4g dimm kits. dont have memory issues if you buy another dimm in a few months time.
650w power supply from crucial or another level 80 bronz is what you want to look at. dont cheap out on the ps the wrong one can take out your system if it fails.
80.00 for power supply.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145369
130.00 2t drive.
20.00 for dvd drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231544
43.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128545
179.00
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0388577
190.00
642.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161406
250.00
or the 660ti when they come out would be the best bang for the money right now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227726
100.00 for 120g ssd boot drive.

 

[smorizio]

going to watch dvd or blue rays on your pc then you need a blue ray drive.
if your in school or collage you can get windows 7 at a discount through microsoft edu program or you can get windows 8 for free. (if you dont mind wipping your drive in a few months and loading full version of windows).

 

[bennaye]

smorizio provides solid advice. Pay attention particularly to the PSU bit; a dodgy one can take out a whole system easy. You're much better off buying a PSU from a reputable brand such as Corsair, XFX or Seasonic.

You're going to be gaming, yeah? So no i7's; i5s will more than suffice. I chose SB simply because it's perfectly fine for gaming. It would be a different story if you were doing something other than gaming or had more money to work with. I picked a Z77 board to let you have the option of going for IB if you really wanted to.
Even though you don't know how to OC yet (I'm assuming), it's easy to do it with the SB series. Stock cooler will be fine on mild OCs. Emphasis on mild. If the budget permits you can get an aftermarket cooler down the road, namely the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ EVO; cheap and sweet.
The case would ideally have good airflow, but if you would like a silent build then let us know.
RAM is 8 GB since it's so cheap nowadays. But if you're looking to cut a bit here and there then downgrading to 4 GB is fine.
PSU I picked from Corsair since they've always been known to be very reliable, which is one of the main things you're looking for in a PSU.
SSD is a luxury, tbh, so if you really need some extra cash cutting it off is ok, I suppose. But a big part of the speed of this build comes from it, so think about it a bit first before dropping it.
Oh and for DVD readers any OEM unit from LG or Sony will do the trick for around $20. Blu-Ray capability will, of course, cost you a bit more.

CPU: Intel i5 2500K - $219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

MOBO: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $114.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

GPU: HIS H785F2G2M Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - $249.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161406

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL - $45.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply - $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020

CASE: COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769

SSD: Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD1 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC 7mm Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006670&isNodeId=1&Description=M4&x=0&y=0

TOTAL: $941

That leaves you $59 to play around with the peripherals of your choice. But I'm sure you can extend your budget slightly by around $70 to get:

RAZER DeathAdder Black 5 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Precision Optical Gaming Mouse - 3.5G Infrared Sensor - $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006670&isNodeId=1&Description=deathadder&x=0&y=0

Logitech G110 Black USB Wired LED Backlighting Gaming Keyboard - $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006670&isNodeId=1&Description=g110&x=0&y=0

Hope that helps you. Of course everything is your choice, especially on items that are very subject to personal preferences, such as the case. I just chose what I would like on a rig for ~$1000. You are overbudget by a bit though, so I'm hoping you're a student so you can get the OS for the cheap. Otherwise...

And a final word; when asking for build advice next time, answer the questions I posed to you in the OP. That way we can answer you that much faster. You're doing yourself a favour, really

Happy spending

 

[farestar]

Does this build seem good, up to date and compatible? I did copy some of the other though I'm also going for assured future upgradability, so the core parts (IE; Case, Psu and Mobo are all somewhat future ready etc...)

Also, I would need an OS for sure, I have an old external dvd drive but I don't think that's gonna cut it, but internal ones are fairly cheap. So yeah, I'd say the very HIGHEST I would go is about 1200$ But I'm really trying to stay right around 1000$ or less Thanks again for all the help, I'm still slowly learning all of this and I'm sure once I actual do my first build hands on, I'll be good to go

Also, I'm more than open to criticism and totally different parts etc...

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119240&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Cases+(Computer+Cases+-+ATX+Form)-_-Cooler+Master-_-11119240

Psu: I decided to opt up for something a little bit higher, I'm not sure if it's overkill or not though?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153157

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Motherboards+-+Intel-_-ASRock-_-13157293

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Processors+-+Desktops-_-Intel-_-19115072

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161406&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Video+Cards-_-Hightech+Information+System+Ltd.-_-14161406

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=4176827&SID=o31jyu04umtx

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=4176827&SID=sht3627mguwa

SSD: I'm not to sure about this one, I would be willing to invest in one though if everyone is recommending it (Again, I'm not sure if this is the best one I could get, or if compatible, but it looked good and had a good price) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148529

 

[bennaye]

The PSU doesn't need to be 750W. The 7xxx series don't require a lot of power. I'm currently running mine on 450W PSU *from Dell*. Don't ask. But the point is 750W is overkill for the 7850. You could get away with a 500W, tbh.

That's why to save some money I would go for this one, which is still a good unit:

XFX Core Edition PRO550W (P1-550S-XXB9) 550W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI - Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - $74.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013&Tpk=550W%20XFX

And sorry I didn't properly link you to the SSD page, but yes you chose the right one. The SSD isn't absolutely required for a new build, but it's highly recommended. What people do is that they install their OS on the SSD so the boot times are reduced considerably. Then they install the most used applications on it so the load times for those applications are also reduced. For you, you can get away with installing a couple of games on it. So the question is are you willing to sacrifice speed for a bit more money to play around with.

And to answer your question, this build is up to date except for the processor. The 2500K is last gen, but it is perfectly adequate for gaming. The mobo is current (Z77 is for IB as well as SB), and the RAM clock is 1600MHz, as compared to 1333Mhz from aeons ago. you could go up to 2800MHz, but that would be more money again.

 

[farestar]

The PSU doesn't need to be 750W. The 7xxx series don't require a lot of power. I'm currently running mine on 450W PSU *from Dell*. Don't ask. But the point is 750W is overkill for the 7850. You could get away with a 500W, tbh.

That's why to save some money I would go for this one, which is still a good unit:

XFX Core Edition PRO550W (P1-550S-XXB9) 550W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI - Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - $74.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013&Tpk=550W%20XFX

And sorry I didn't properly link you to the SSD page, but yes you chose the right one. The SSD isn't absolutely required for a new build, but it's highly recommended. What people do is that they install their OS on the SSD so the boot times are reduced considerably. Then they install the most used applications on it so the load times for those applications are also reduced. For you, you can get away with installing a couple of games on it. So the question is are you willing to sacrifice speed for a bit more money to play around with.

And to answer your question, this build is up to date except for the processor. The 2500K is last gen, but it is perfectly adequate for gaming. The mobo is current (Z77 is for IB as well as SB), and the RAM clock is 1600MHz, as compared to 1333Mhz from aeons ago. you could go up to 2800MHz, but that would be more money again.

Awesome! Thanks for your advice, you're helping me learn more and more.
I'm glad to hear that to 750W isn't needed, so I'll probably just go with the 650, (Or 550, depending on the final build, I'll post it on here once I can finally decide lol) like you posted before. Also, would it be worth it to spend an extra 10$ and get this?: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504 You convinced me on the SSD, I think from what I've seen it's a worthy thing to invest in. But should I still keep the HDD now? Or drop that and put more into buying a larger SSD? (Like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227727 ) Or just keep both? I only have around 15G of music and other random files, not including games. OR is it a better idea to buy a smaller SSD, save some money and wait until the price drops on them and get a bigger one? (Keeping all regular documents, music, pictures etc... on the HDD. Using the SSD for the OS and Games only?) All just random thoughts, whatever you think would be the best way to go! Thanks again for all the help and teaching lol any and all criticisms, ideas, different parts and build totally accepted, I'm really just excited about this lol

 

[bennaye]

Lol I didn't know it was only $10 more. Well getting the newest stuff now prolongs the life of your build, so I don't see why not. The IB chips perform better than it's SB counterparts by a small margin, according to the benchmarks. Just that the IB chips' temps at higher OCs are higher than the SB chips at the equivalent OC. Something you want to keep in mind if you want to OC in the future.

As for the SSD, it's generally not a good idea to put lots of small files that are frequently accessed such as videos and music, but I'm not too sure about that. If someone else is reading maybe they can clarify. If you want to go for a smaller size than 128 GB, then 64 is the next step down. The OS install itself takes ~20 GB. Then you have some of your common stuff such as Microsoft Word, and then there's all the updates and service packs. In short, you'll have a much harder time making sure your SSD doesn't fill up. You'll probably be able to safely fit only 2 games on it.
Speaking of which, SSD's perform better at less than full capacity; that is to say its performance will degrade when it's full. Or so I've heard. If I were you I'd go with the 128 GB; it's the sweet spot right now, imo. The price is very good for that capacity anyways.

Hahahaha don't get too excited though. There's still the building bit and I've read on people having nightmares completing this most important step. A bit of static electricity can fry the mobo or GPU; DOA components and shitty customer service and stuff like that in general.

Don't be afraid to ask more questions. I think we'd all rather answer them now than to answer your cries of woe as your build screws up due to some misshap that could've been prevented if you had only asked

 

[farestar]

Lol I didn't know it was only $10 more. Well getting the newest stuff now prolongs the life of your build, so I don't see why not. The IB chips perform better than it's SB counterparts by a small margin, according to the benchmarks. Just that the IB chips' temps at higher OCs are higher than the SB chips at the equivalent OC. Something you want to keep in mind if you want to OC in the future.

As for the SSD, it's generally not a good idea to put lots of small files that are frequently accessed such as videos and music, but I'm not too sure about that. If someone else is reading maybe they can clarify. If you want to go for a smaller size than 128 GB, then 64 is the next step down. The OS install itself takes ~20 GB. Then you have some of your common stuff such as Microsoft Word, and then there's all the updates and service packs. In short, you'll have a much harder time making sure your SSD doesn't fill up. You'll probably be able to safely fit only 2 games on it.
Speaking of which, SSD's perform better at less than full capacity; that is to say its performance will degrade when it's full. Or so I've heard. If I were you I'd go with the 128 GB; it's the sweet spot right now, imo. The price is very good for that capacity anyways.

Hahahaha don't get too excited though. There's still the building bit and I've read on people having nightmares completing this most important step. A bit of static electricity can fry the mobo or GPU; DOA components and shitty customer service and stuff like that in general.

Don't be afraid to ask more questions. I think we'd all rather answer them now than to answer your cries of woe as your build screws up due to some misshap that could've been prevented if you had only asked

Ok cool so I'll go with the Ivy Bridge one than lol but yeah for the SSD I'd only be using it for the OS and Games, so I may just go with the 128 just to be safe.
Also, for the build... I really don't want ANYTHING to go wrong, I suppose I can only hope for the best but we'll see what happens, I'm guessing that all the stuff all together will take awhile to get here, but it'll be worth it (Hopefully!) Also, is there anything you can do to prevent static frying the mobo or anything? I've heard of wristbands? Something along those lines? Not sure if it's all hokey though
Anyways! Here's the build I made up now, kinda combining everything, Using newegg and Amazon.
But there are some multiple choices where I could use your help deciding which ones to go with.
Case: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004WK3KKQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER (72$) Probably just gonna purchase this now, it's at a much lower price right now

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=4176827&SID=1b34m2cszrn18 (90$) OR http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Series-Supply-RS650-ACAAD3-US/dp/B0035WTD2G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1343725135&sr=8-2&keywords=PSU+650W (65$)

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Motherboards+-+Intel-_-ASRock-_-13157293 (133$)

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Processors+-+Desktops-_-Intel-_-19116504 (230$)

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428 (45$) OR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231468 (60$) OR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231519 (56$)

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=4176827&SID=o31jyu04umtx (70$)

SSD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148529&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Solid+State+Disk-_-Crucial-_-20148529 (110$)

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161406&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Video+Cards-_-Hightech+Information+System+Ltd.-_-14161406 (250$) OR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161410 (290$ 260$ after rebate?!?)

DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136247 (22$)

OS: http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343727492&sr=8-1&keywords=windows+7 (90$)

As a side note, I'm probably not going to be doing CrossFire or SLI... Also, I wasn't sure if heatsinks on the Ram was necessary, so I stuck mainly with what was suggested before. Also, after all this I'd still need Mouse, Keyboard and a Headset

Now before I go ordering all of this I'm just gonna wait (I'll probably order the Case for now at least) until I can verify with you that it'll all work together and is totally compatible (As long as it's not dead when it gets here and I build it correctly ) and it'll all work once I'm done building it. I'm more than willing to hear advice or different parts I'm more than willing to change if you've got better ideas thanks again for all your help! It's very appreciated

 

[bennaye]

There's no real difference in the RAM except for the clock speeds, so I would go with the cheapest set. The 2133 MHz sets are too fast for the current gen of CPU's and mobo's anyways so they'll just automatically underclock it to 1600 MHz or whatever is their fastest speed which is ~1800 MHz iirc. The heatsinks, for the most part, are for aesthetics. Any real concern with the heatsinks would be whether they would fit under your aftermarket cooler, since some are large. But since you're using the stock intel cooler there's nothing to worry about.

As for the GPU, I would do some research on both of them. The manufacturers have different designs and clocks which affect, in some undefined way, their respective performance. But I would think the performance is similar. But still, do the research. I normally might do it for you, but uni beckons

Otherwise your build is solid. In the end we still couldn't account for the peripherals, so gl with that aspect of the rig. Maybe you can get a cheap keyboard+mouse bundle off newegg or something

EDIT: Yes static wristbands are attached to your computer case whilst building so that any charge on your skin is discharged through the case instead of into the mobo. If you don't want to fork out the money, touch the case to ground yourself before touching any component. There are other tips and things to look out for, I'm sure, but I can't come up with any atm. Except for the one where you have to screw your mobo properly to your case, as the backplate might touch the mobo and that is known to cause short-circuiting.