Building a PC for the first time!

[3demons]

Hey guys,

Just wanna say thanks in advanced for any advice given.
Im building a new PC bottom up, since I sold my Alienware desktop, and have always wanted to build one from absolute scratch. Ive got most of it down, but i specifically need help on motherboard and PSU.

Heres what i got so far:

Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced

GPUs: EVGA Nvidia GTX 670's (x2 in SLI)

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W

PSU: ?

MOBO: ?

HD: Western Digital WD Black 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive



The thing im specifically looking for in regards to the MOBO, is proper cooling since there will be 2 670s slapped on together (I would like some space between the two cards). Other than that, I will not really be OC'ing at all, just gaming on 1080p. The price range for the Mobo for me is about 250$ max. More importantly, I'm really worried about what PSU to get, since I have seen a friends PSU go "nuts and die" once, so im willing to spend as much as it take to get an extremely good one. Which brands should I stick to in regards to the PSU? and how much power will I need? I'm thinking i need about 900w-1000w.

Overall though, any advice or critique on anything would help out, but specifically, the MOBO and PSU. THanks!

 

[Thomas Creel]

If you are going all out get the Western Digital Velociraptor @10000RPM it is an absolute monster. Also if this is your first build don't water cool, in my experience the people who mess up water cooling the most often are the people whos first attempt it is. The HAF 932 is good, I'd buy aftermarket case fans as it has a lot of optional fans spots I would take advantage of.

Buy from reputable brands on the power supply, Seasonic, XFX, Corsair, among others ( http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/323296-28-best-brands ).

 

[Spartin503]

What is your budget for the whole build?

 

[lawsonj65]

1000w should be more than sufficient. Your PSU will only draw what is needed. Look for ones with the 80 Plus rating for higher efficiency.

You can use this wattage calculator to get a good ball park estimate of what kind of power you need:

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

 

[JackNaylorPE]

MoBo - Separation is huge on boards like the Asus P8Z77 WS revolution but that's a $300+ board. The Sabertooth ($250) is a bit less but more than adequate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131822
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131821

PSU - With twin 670's, I'd use a Corsair TX750 if not using factory overclocked boards or overclocking CPU and GPU yaself .... the HX850 is ya overclocking CPU and GPU's

The 932 is quite a bit "long in the tooth" as the saying goes. I'd recommend the Corsair 500R and the $88 newegg price for a $140 case is a killer buy. $18 more for the white version.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139009

If this is a gaming box, I'd drop to the 3570k and save $100 since hyperthreading will be of little use on a gaming box.

For the HD, w/o an SSD in the build, I'd take a long hard look at the Seagate Momentus 750 GB hybrid SSD / HD

For the GFX ...... $313 each for the MSI factory overclocked GTX 670
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127675

RAM - low voltage / low profile
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233199

 

[putthisasit]

Remember that even though something is new, it ALWAYS has the option of dieing (This is regarding the psu)


CORSAIR HX Series HX850 is my pick.
Contrary to popular belief you don't need a 1000w psu.
That PSU is perfect. Just make sure it has all the connectors you'll need. (It should)

 

[geofelt]

My thoughts:

1) For a single 1080P monitor, I might suggest that you start with a single GTX670 or GTX680.
I think it unlikely that you will need more unless you are planning on triple monitor gaming or are using a 2560 x 1440 monitor.
I am not much in favor of dual cards unless a great single card will not do the job. But, it does not cost too much more to plan for dual cards.

2) To answer your question, I think you want a Z77 based full ATX motherboard.
Here is a decent ASRock Z77 Extreme4 motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

3) For gaming, I would not pick a 3770. Few games use more than 2-3 cores, so the extra hyperthreads of the 3770 are largely useless and not a good return for the extra $100 spent. And, I would buy a "K" version to preserve your option to oveclock.
You will pay a 5% premium and get a potential 25% performance boost back.

4) Newer 28nm based cards use less power. SLI GTX670 will need only a quality 750W psu.
For other options, look at this chart:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
Above all, buy a quality psu. They have protections, and will operate past their advertised power.
Pick a tier 1 or 2 unit from this list:
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx
It is not wrong to overprovision the psu a bit since it will only consume the power demanded of it, not the advertised wattage.
My top pick would be the SeaSonic X Series X-850:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151102
Keep your eye out for sales this time of year.

5) With your budget, definitely buy a ssd for the os and some games.
A 120gb ssd will hold a handful of games, with 180gb or 240gb, you may not need a hard drive at all.
If you need to store large video files, then add a large hard drive later.

6) Buy a $30 cpu cooler like the cm hyper212. It will keep your cpu cooler and quieter.
The backplate mount will be easier for the novice to install than the tricky intel stock pushpins.

 

[3demons]

Alright, thanks for all the advice in advanced, and heres what i have changed/concluded:

Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced ($159.99)

GPUs: EVGA Nvidia GTX 670's (x2 in SLI) (im still gonna stick with 2) ($779.98)

CPU: Intel Core i5-3550 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo) (alot of peeps have told me not to get the i7, so... ($209.99)

PSU: CORSAIR HX Series HX850 850W (this one has sold me) ($174.99)

MOBO: ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard ($249.99)

HD: Intel 520 Series 2.5" 120GB SATA III Solid State Drive (SSD) (i totally caved on buying an SSD) ($139.99)

RAM: G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) ($49.99)

total coming to $$1,764.92

and coming to realize this is about 500$ cheaper than what i payed for my Alienware, lol! custom builds FTW.

anyways, last thoughts from anyone? constructive criticism? If this set-up isnt compatible, let me know! this IS my first build. Thanks again for all the advice and directions from the peeps.

 

[geofelt]

With your budget, you are crazy not to get the 3570K for $10 more.

I think the motherboard is overpriced by $100, but no harm will be done.

 

[3demons]

With your budget, you are crazy not to get the 3570K for $10 more.

I think the motherboard is overpriced by $100, but no harm will be done.

yeah your right, ive been doing some more reading on motherboards, since i thought it might be adequate to know what one is buying, and i got the one you suggested. so i saved some more money. thanks again!