First system ever built, just wanting some advice

merker85

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Nov 12, 2012
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I have been contemplating building a computer for a while and so i have done a little research, but i just want to see what the community thinks. This is what i was thinking:

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
IN WIN BUC Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ATX 12V, PSII Size, Not Included Power Supply
Seagate Barracuda Green ST1000DL002 1TB 5900 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Bare Drive -Bare Drive
ASUS M5A99X EVO AM3+ AMD 990X SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
XFX Double D HD-687A-ZDFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with ...
CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC ...
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX
OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-128G 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

I was just wondering if everything will work together, and if i should make any changes or different parts that would work better. I plan to do a bit of gaming, video editing, and normal computer usage.
 
Solution


It's cheap in terms of pricing, but it's still quality and actually has features only available on more expensive boards from other brands.

I would always get a full ATX board over a micro, more expansion slots and more room. The only reason to go micro is when budget is heavily tight or you want a mATX build.

2x4gb is the general consensus now and dual-channel, so yes. They're about...

cutebeans

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Never get an AMD CPU right now, it is not the best. It is only a waste of money.

Don't get OCZ SSDs, Samsungs and Crucials are one of the popular brands in the neighborhood right now.

Green drives which are 5200rpm are pretty slow compared to 7200rpm drives and the prices aren't that much different nowadays.

a 6870 with a 750w PSU?? Lastly, I have never heard of that case.

what is your budget? I think we can make a better build that the one you posted.
 

excella1221

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Aug 23, 2012
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Not necessarily, the FX-4300 and 6300 are about the same price as Intel i3's and it basically trades blows with them.

In this benchmark, it even outperforms the i3 in the 2 games tested on(Skyrim and Diablo 3).
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/700?vs=677

The OCZ Vertex 4 is the best Marvell SSD you can get at that price point. It's faster and more efficient than Samsung 830 and Crucial M4. Though I see where you're coming from since all OCZ SSDs before Vertex 4 had issues and utilized a SandForce controller.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-recommendation-benchmark,3269-3.html

I agree Green drives isn't really the way to go, and yeah 7200RPM price difference isn't that big. Though if budget is tight, it shouldn't be a big issue since he has the SSD for boot and loading OS plus programs/games, and the HDD will just serve as a storage drive.


You can get a decent i5 build with a high-end GPU for a $1,000 build. I'm confused as to why you got a Phenom and a 6870.
 

Zed_Spooge

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Nov 11, 2012
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i5 3570k
1TB WD caviar blue
ASRock Z77 Extreme4
Radeon 7870
Hyper 212 EVO CPU cooler
8 GB any 1600MHZ RAM (The standard G.Skill would do)
750w psu if you wanna add more drives/another 7870 in the future, a 500w if not (corsair and seasonic/antec make good psu's)
and If I were you I'd wait to get an ssd, prices are dropping pretty fast.
did i miss anything? any old 15 dollar cd/dvd burner would do.
 

cutebeans

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($26.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.86 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $765.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-12 01:12 EST-0500)

Better, if you want to max out your budget just tell and any plans on overclocking? The case also has a black one which is more expensive by $10
 

eddie jr

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Nov 7, 2012
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I like your style. Look at my build :sol:
 

merker85

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Nov 12, 2012
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Alright, i like it. i probably will overclock once i get everything in order. i do have a few questions about it as well:

1. I have always heard that asrock is a cheap motherboard(I could be wrong, but that is what i have heard)
2. would going to a full atx motherboard be a big improvement?
3.for memory, would having 2x4GB be better than 1x8GB
 

excella1221

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Aug 23, 2012
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It's cheap in terms of pricing, but it's still quality and actually has features only available on more expensive boards from other brands.

I would always get a full ATX board over a micro, more expansion slots and more room. The only reason to go micro is when budget is heavily tight or you want a mATX build.

2x4gb is the general consensus now and dual-channel, so yes. They're about the same, but I believe that dual RAM kit has more efficiency.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($127.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.86 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Challenger-U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $983.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-12 01:27 EST-0500)

This is overclock and Crossfire ready for when you want to add another 7950 in the future.

Take note of the $50 discount on the PSU, you should get that ASAP.

The 3570k's price is only a walk-in deal @ Microcenter by the way. If you have one near you, I suggest you go there as you'll also get a $50 discount on the Extreme4 when you buy it with the CPU.
 
Solution

Zed_Spooge

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Nov 11, 2012
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CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819116504
GPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814125418
HDD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136767
MOBO - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157293
PSU supports crossfire - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139021
PSU for 1 card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] air%20500w
RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231314
CASE - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] r%20haf912
CPU COOLER - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
OPTICAL DRIVE - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
total : approx 930 dollars. You'll be happy with this build. even if you buy an OS it only exceeds your budget by 30 bucks, in which case you can drop the CPU cooler and buy one later.
EDIT: And that cost is WITH the more expensive PSU.
 

eddie jr

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Nov 7, 2012
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I pieced mine together between Newegg November sales and Amazon. Just built it. Still waiting on the 7870 :/

Seriously though... A nice fairly future proof PC that can do more than just gaming if need be... And the price is right.

You're going to have to search out a good deal on an SSD. I got my 180gb Intel 330 for $99.99 on Newegg.
 

cutebeans

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This is a nice build but what is he going to do with a 750w powersupply??
 

eddie jr

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Nov 7, 2012
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More room to upgrade. 750w is ideal if you want just a little more room for add-ons later.
 

Zed_Spooge

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Nov 11, 2012
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I still suggest a 7870. 2 7870's in crossfire are amazing.. anywhoo, if you didn't want to, you could buy a CX500w Corsair PSU.