New Build for Noob

[electricdreams]

Hey, I'm considering a PC after being on Mac's for few years, I have win7 loaded on a mac and tried to do whatever I need on the dark side and no issues, I'm also into audio recording and using "Cubase" which actually works somewhat better on windows side.

I'm looking to have a computer that does it all, high end gaming and my audio needs, * must have a firewire port*
I dont have a limit on the build but would like it reasonable and since I will be putting it together would rather not spend 3K on parts that will end up firewood in my hands (if)

I been gaming on the win side with the mobile gpu on an imac, so I'm sure the new gtx cards are a huge step in power.

Build could be $1200? $1500?




Question:

1-Motherboards, what is the diff, between current popular boards, why would one choose one or the other, besides SLI..
2- I understand that resolution matters, If im gaming at 1080p monitor, will a single 670 do the job well?, 680 be that much better?
1- Mid cases fit 670/680?, and is there room to put a firewire adapter on current boards, with the video card on board, (space wise)

Thanks, anything else would be good, I'm sure theres tons of threads. anyone with success recent builds in this price range let me know your system and how it handling things

 

[thetechnoobguy]

1. The newest chipset to my knowledge is Z77, it's the one most people try to go for. If you want new technology and extras that don't really affect performance, go for the Z77, otherwise any other LGA 1155 chipset would do just fine.

2. Yes and you want to make sure the resolution is big enough if you're going to get such a powerful card. I would recommend a 24". 680 is only 5% faster than the 670 and it's honestly not worth the extra 100 dollars for 5% increase in performance, I would only go for a 680 if it's on sale by like $50.

3. Yes, mid tower should fit it, some cards have been known to be massive and to drag down because of their weight, usually cards with 3 fans are the ones that do that, but you have to read reviews and usually people will mention if it's massive or not. Not sure about firewire adapter.

"I'm looking to have a computer that does it all, high end gaming and my audio needs"

Honestly, with a $1,200-$1,500 budget, you're not going to get a "do it all" PC. I would say upwards $2,000 gets you a "do it all" PC. You need to be more specific though, what exactly are your "audio needs".

 

[electricdreams]

thanks, my audio needs is mainly firewire port at this time, I have this gen 21.5 imac and power wise I never had a problem.
- what would a 1,500/ 2K pc have that matters?

 

[aqualipt]

thanks, my audio needs is mainly firewire port at this time, I have this gen 21.5 imac and power wise I never had a problem.
- what would a 1,500/ 2K pc have that matters?

Well basically a "do it all" PC is suited for gaming and professional usage, they have i7 CPUs wich allow a very fluid video editing and multitasking while offering the same level of performance in games as a i5 CPU.

They also have 16GB+ of DDR3 ram because multitasking can take a lot of memory, and so does video editing and trascoding.

For 1500$ this is what i recomend you to buy:

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 2.0 Extreme 81.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($112.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.98 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($82.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($419.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Whisper ATX Full Tower Case ($139.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $1455.89

Thats a "do it all" PC...i warn you, most people will advise NOT to get a closeed loop water cooler because they dont perform as a real WC loop or are simply not worth it, this is NOT the case for the thermaltake cooler i linked, you will be VERY pleased with it and it will allow you to overclock the hell out of that i7.

Add this Firewire card and you are ready to go! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815108021

btw... if you ever need more gaming power then you can grab a second GTX 670 for about 150$ (by time a single GTX 670 is outdated of course)