Now What?

[STNICK_85]

So this is what I am ordering. Most of the parts are already on their way. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jqcS

However, I am pretty new to this stuff. I have read alot about the part and need some help. Example. I read that the vengeance Ram does not always run at 1600 but more around 1300 but just needs to be set in the bios. How do I do that?

Some PSUs need to be upside down. Is mine like that?

Just things like that. I am sure I will be updating this as my parts come in. Only the tower and CPU have arrived. Mobo ram and storage wed of next week.

Any hints and tricks would be awesome. I am new to this site and already surprised how many people just like to help. Most forums people are snappy and trying to one up everyone.

Thanks.

 

[TheBigTroll]

you messed up some parts

-there is cheaper ram than the vengeance
-scorpio hard drives were meant to be in laptops
-evga is overrated. a asus 7870 is a much better option
- you need a hyper 212 to overclock the CPU

everything should be good from the get go. the ram should be easily detected at 1600mhz since this is a ivy bridge build

 

[STNICK_85]

you messed up some parts

-there is cheaper ram than the vengeance
-scorpio hard drives were meant to be in laptops
-evga is overrated. a asus 7870 is a much better option
- you need a hyper 212 to overclock the CPU

everything should be good from the get go. the ram should be easily detected at 1600mhz since this is a ivy bridge build

Other than the mother board and CPU the parts can be stopped. also this is the hard drive I actually got. I forgot to update the PC picker.
Western Digital WD Blue WD2500AAKX 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Also the reviews for the vengeance said it was great for gaming. What else do you recommend?
And you are like the 5th person to say to the the 7870! I may make that change. I will see how much it cost.

 

[STNICK_85]

also for the sake of learning how would I change the RAM speeds and such. Is there a good website to learn?

 

[Wolfshadw]

I won't say you "messed up" some parts, but I do agree with some of what TheBigTroll states.

1) Yes, there is cheaper RAM.
2) 2.5" mechanical drives are meant for laptops, but can be used in desktops.
3) EVGA < ASUS = Opinion (in my opinion). I 'd say don't worry about it.
4) You don't need a third party HSF in order to overclock. One is recommended in order to get the most out of it, however.

Concerning your questions: Since the motherboard natively supports DDR3-1600 RAM there shouldn't be any reason to change anything in BIOS. ATX power supplies can only be installed one way in cases. The fourth screw is off-set. If all four screws are used to install it, the PSU is installed correctly.

-Wolf sends

 

[TheBigTroll]

you could have gotten a 500gb for the same price

and the 7870 would be found here
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=69863&vpn=HD7870-DC2-2GD5&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1389

 

[evilqueens]

Other than the mother board and CPU the parts can be stopped. also this is the hard drive I actually got. I forgot to update the PC picker.
Western Digital WD Blue WD2500AAKX 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Also the reviews for the vengeance said it was great for gaming. What else do you recommend?
And you are like the 5th person to say to the the 7870! I may make that change. I will see how much it cost.

At your price point, the 7870 would be better than the 660. If you can part with another $50 you can even get a 7950 which would be excellent.

Also, I don't know if this is possible for you, but try squeezing in a 64GB SSD into your budget - you will gain a noticeable difference in performance.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

The HDD is about the only thing that I would change. The 212 +/Evo or another cooler is something that you should add before you overclock the Intel Core i5-3570K.

On the RAM the Vengeance is fine (it is a matter of taste) you have the low profile which is important to ensuring that you are not haivng problems mounting the 212 +/Evo.

Outside of the HDD you have put together a solid build.

 

[TheBigTroll]

i hate the fact that evga buyers make a huge deal about a superclocked edition beating any other custom design when it is just a reference design that is completely inferior. the only reason id buy evga is when its cheap or because its cheap and the warranty is good

 

[evilqueens]

ATX power supplies can only be installed one way in cases. The fourth screw is off-set. If all four screws are used to install it, the PSU is installed correctly.

-Wolf sends

This isn't entirely true. Certain power supplies have multiple screw threads that allow both fan-up, and fan-down mounting. I can do this with my Corsair Pro HX850. It depends on the specific power supply that you purchase.

 

[TheBigTroll]

changing ram speeds wont get you more performance. theres no point of high speed memory

 

[Wolfshadw]

Just to clarify my earlier statement:

3) EVGA < ASUS = Opinion (in my opinion). I 'd say don't worry about it.

I was referring only to brand names. I did not realize you were recommending a different model card. For the record, I tend to purchase (in alphabetical order) ASUS, EVGA, and Sapphire graphic cards.

This isn't entirely true. Certain power supplies have multiple screw threads that allow both fan-up, and fan-down mounting. I can do this with my Corsair Pro HX850. It depends on the specific power supply that you purchase.

Did not know that EvilQueens. Thanks for the heads up!

-Wolf sends

 

[Guest]

changing ram speeds wont get you more performance. theres no point of high speed memory

Unless he does memory intensive operations. Which he didnt mention. But to overclock your ram just google search your model of ram and the work overclock. There are countless guides for each model.

 

[STNICK_85]

that what I have been hearing I am just wanting to learn how to do things. What would you guys recommend I concentrate on?

Also I think evil queen is right about the card... LOL i have set aside this exact amount of money so I will have to wait for next pay day to get the 50 bucks. I have clients who are Anti social and schitzo and all they do is computer stuff and they have got me hooked. They also think that people are stealing their thoughts so if they can do this I think I can too lol

 

[evilqueens]

changing ram speeds wont get you more performance. theres no point of high speed memory

Agreed. I hear of so many people paying unnecessary amounts of money to get that DDR3-2400 kit when it's really not worth it at all. A 1600 kit will be just fine, and will save you a nice chunk of change.

You could probably overclock a good set of 1600 RAM anyway, but it won't make much of a difference unless you really want that WEI score of 7.9

 

[STNICK_85]

Unless he does memory intensive operations. Which he didnt mention. But to overclock your ram just google search your model of ram and the work overclock. There are countless guides for each model.

And no nothing really heavy. Just alot of warZ and data for clients.

 

[STNICK_85]

so last question. What is the best (including price) virus protection. As I said I am a social worker as well as my girl friend. What ever home computer we have must have great protection. Any ideas? I may need a new thread for this

 

[STNICK_85]

At your price point, the 7870 would be better than the 660. If you can part with another $50 you can even get a 7950 which would be excellent.

Also, I don't know if this is possible for you, but try squeezing in a 64GB SSD into your budget - you will gain a noticeable difference in performance.

Which 7950 were you recommending. The AUS is way out of my range. The miss will kill be if I get a 350 dollars card.

 

[TheBigTroll]

id recommend a 7870. very good bang for the buck at 229.99 after MIR. one im talking about is the xfx 7870 and the asus 7870. both at us.ncix

both are about the same

best anti-virus is the free microsoft security essientials. its free and doesnt lag your computer like macafee and norton

 

[STNICK_85]

id recommend a 7870. very good bang for the buck at 229.99 after MIR. one im talking about is the xfx 7870 and the asus 7870. both at us.ncix

both are about the same

best anti-virus is the free microsoft security essientials. its free and doesnt lag your computer like macafee and norton

Thanks. Yea I think I am just going to wait a while and get the 7870. I will just need to wait one more weekk. I was going to go ahead and do it today but got caught talking on my phone in a constructions zone...broke

 

[TheBigTroll]

lol

 

[evilqueens]

Which 7950 were you recommending. The AUS is way out of my range. The miss will kill be if I get a 350 dollars card.

Ah - if you are in the US, unfortunately you miss out on some pretty good deals going in Canada at the moment. Also, the exchange rate works in our favour for now. It probably makes more sense to get the 7870 - especially now that you've gotten dinged by the cops!

What are your thoughts on the SSD? Think you can fit it in?

 

[STNICK_85]

Ah - if you are in the US, unfortunately you miss out on some pretty good deals going in Canada at the moment. Also, the exchange rate works in our favour for now. It probably makes more sense to get the 7870 - especially now that you've gotten dinged by the cops!

What are your thoughts on the SSD? Think you can fit it in?

Sadly no. atleast not one with enough memory to make it worth it. I will get a 500gb hhd for now. I will more than likely get a ssd soon though. I hope there will be a black friday sale or something. And yea the cops got me good. The total bill was close to 250. I am trying to get in the police academy and work for the fire dept (I have many jobs)so I almost always get off with a warning...not this time.

 

[TheBigTroll]

its better to get a SSD now than get one later since you will have to reinstall windows on the new ssd in order for windows to boot from the SSD. too much trouble for the money if you ask me

 

[evilqueens]

Sadly no. atleast not one with enough memory to make it worth it. I will get a 500gb hhd for now. I will more than likely get a ssd soon though. I hope there will be a black friday sale or something. And yea the cops got me good. The total bill was close to 250. I am trying to get in the police academy and work for the fire dept (I have many jobs)so I almost always get off with a warning...not this time.

Yeah I feel you - that's quite a bit of money too! As the poster above me said, you would need to re-install the OS to have the SSD working properly (disk cloning is possible - but a clean install is always recommended for best performance). But your budget is your budget - best of luck with your build.