First Build

[gamer jay]

Hi Guys,

Not only am I building my first computer but this is also my first post here.

I'm doing an IT support apprenticeship and feel that it would be good practice to build a machine myself. I still have a lot to learn so go easy on me guys!

Anyway I have most of my build picked out (haven't bought anything yet) but I thought that this would be the perfect place to get some opinions to help improve and/or cut down the cost of what I already have chosen.

The aim is to make a reasonably good gaming platform while keeping the cost down. I don't know alot about overclocking or anything so I'd like to avoid it for my first machine.

Here'es what I have so far...

Motherboard - Asus P8Z77-V

CPU - Intel Core i5 3570K, 1155, Ivy Bridge, Quad Core, 3.4GHz

CPU Cooling - RR-212E-16PK-R1 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

GPU - tbc

RAM - 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair Vengeance low profile 1600MHz

HDD - 500GB Seagate ST500DM002 Barracuda SATA 6Gb/s, 7200rpm, 16MB Cache

DVD Drive - Samsung WriteMaster SH-S222BB/BEBE 22x DVD±R, 12x DVD±R, DVD+RW x8/-RW x6, SATA

PSU - tbc

Case - tbc

Case Cooling - tbc

The case is my biggest headache as I don't know if everything will fit in whatever case I get and I don't want to overdo it.

I am also considering leaving the graphics card until another day as they can be extremely expensive.

 

[Dingleberg]

If you're worried about having to get extremely expensive gpus then have no fear. Those that you see are just the new, high performance gaming gpus. They can go for as cheap as $25 with a 8600 gt (which I do not at all recommend unless you absolutely wont be playing games, even flash games.) Why don't I help you finish your build off. Can you give me a budget and what you'll be using it for?

 

[gamer jay]

If you're worried about having to get extremely expensive gpus then have no fear. Those that you see are just the new, high performance gaming gpus. They can go for as cheap as $25 with a 8600 gt (which I do not at all recommend unless you absolutely wont be playing games, even flash games.) Why don't I help you finish your build off. Can you give me a budget and what you'll be using it for?

Thanks for the quick reply!

That would be great if you could help me finish off my build, I'm trying to keep my budget below £500. I've always been a huge gamer (On consoles) and would like to give it a go on the PC. I already currently have a desktop but it struggles to even play Star Wars: The Old Republic. Sometimes even Warcraft!

My case is currently a small cramped Dell and theres a big broken panel on it so I don't really want to reuse it.

 

[TheBigTroll]

here you go. gets everything done and has room for future crossfire/SLI

price is 1200 dollars. i can go cheaper if you dont want to do dual video card setups or overclock
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kiyZ

 

[TheBigTroll]

or this
http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/kiBD

 

[gamer jay]

here you go. gets everything done and has room for future crossfire/SLI

price is 1200 dollars. i can go cheaper if you dont want to do dual video card setups or overclock
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kiyZ

1200 is quite a lot of money and I really don't want to tinker with overclocking for my first time. That's also why I'd like to keep the cost down a little incase I mess up.

 

[TheBigTroll]

if you are not overclocking, why did you get a i5 3570k?

http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/kiFd

 

[gamer jay]

Seems like a good CPU for the price, I heard a lot of good things about the i5 processors for gaming. I'm not expecting to run all games at Ultra but would still expect a good frame rate.

 

[Dingleberg]

if you are not overclocking, why did you get a i5 3570k?

http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/kiFd

Yeah man this is a great build right here. If I were to change anything though get like a 40gb or 64gb ssd on the side for your OS. Just a thought bro if you are able to get the extra cash. Boot times will drop tremendously.

 

[TheBigTroll]

id personally never bother with small SSDs. the smallest ones id consider are the 128gb ones

 

[Dingleberg]

Why not?

 

[TheBigTroll]

they cost a lot in terms of price/GB and they dont perform well. and they cant store much

 

[Dingleberg]

they cost a lot in terms of price/GB and they dont perform well. and they cant store much

Hmm I guess I never thought of that

 

[gamer jay]

What was wrong with the i5 3570k?

 

[Dingleberg]

What was wrong with the i5 3570k?

If you're not going to be overclocking then it just wouldn't be worth it. The K means that it is unlocked so you can overclock but it is just a little bit more than the one he chose for you (3450) is just as good and cheaper as the normal 3570. It saves money for something you wont even be using.

 

[gamer jay]

Okay I get you. Also, that micro ATX doesn't look like it has alot of room for expansion later.

 

[TheBigTroll]

there isnt any room for expansion anyways with a 550w power supply

 

[gamer jay]

Touché. Anyway, thank's a lot for the help guys, much appreciated! I have some apprenticeship work to get on with now though.

 

[gamer jay]

I'm back and I have made new changes!

http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/kpq1

What do you guys think? not bad I hope? I at least believe it's all compatible.

 

[Dingleberg]

Cheaper case http://www.amazon.co.uk/CiT-Vantage-Gaming-Audio-Reader/dp/B0071KZNUY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350331971&sr=8-1

Better gpu http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-Radeon-HD7770-Graphics-GDDR5/dp/B00761YFGQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1350332073&sr=1-1

Pretty much evens out

 

[TheBigTroll]

its not that great. get this
http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/kiFd

way more performance in the graphics card (lets say double or more)
the 3550 isnt noticeably faster than the 3450
the cx series arent that great
ram that is a dollar cheaper

 

[gamer jay]

The Only thing is that it's about £60 more expensive.

I'd say that £600 is my limit and not a penny more.

 

[TheBigTroll]

if 60 pounds more means double to triple the gaming performance, i would instantly spring for it

ok made it a dollar over
http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/kq5y

a i5 and a 7750 will NEVER beat a i3 and a 7870. NEVER unless you are doing CPU intensive workloads

 

[gamer jay]

This does look very good,

Ah! I'll need to consider this as it is just so much money!