Help building around motherboard!!!

[rick123123]

Hey everyone,

This is my first time building a computer and i'd like some help if you could. So far i only have the motherboard, and storage. I have another $3-400 for the last remaining parts.


What I have bought so far:

Motherboard: Intel Desktop Motherboard LGA1155 DZ77BH55K (It was on Amazon Lightning Deals so i got it for $89 instead of its normal $169. otherwise i probably would have picked a different mobo.)

Storage: Kingston 120gb solid state drive and Seagate Barracuda 3 TB 7200RPM. ($220 overall)




What i need:

CPU: either i5-3470 or i5-3570k (The motherboard is supposed to be good for O.C. but i've never done that so that's not a major issue for me in picking cpu although if its not too hard i might learn how to do that in the future.)

Case (i need something that would give me best functionality and looks cool if you can but functionality is most important.)

Memory ( I read that there was a problem with some types of RAM on this motherboard so im not sure what i need exactly but i want about 8GB)

Video Card (I want to play games but I'm not a heavy PC Gamer (i am for ps3 though ). I surf the internet a lot, download heavy files, and use animation and drawing software. I'm also studying engineering so in the future i'll use autocad and some other stuff like that. So is the integrated graphics enough or do i need something better? and if so what do you recommend.)

Cooling unit: Do i really need one?





And as a general question, overall would this computer be able to last me 5+ years without being obsolete?

Thanks for all the Help!!!!

 

[malbluff]

Hey everyone,

This is my first time building a computer and i'd like some help if you could. So far i only have the motherboard, and storage. I have another $3-400 for the last remaining parts.


What I have bought so far:

Motherboard: Intel Desktop Motherboard LGA1155 DZ77BH55K (It was on Amazon Lightning Deals so i got it for $89 instead of its normal $169. otherwise i probably would have picked a different mobo.)

Storage: Kingston 120gb solid state drive and Seagate Barracuda 3 TB 7200RPM. ($220 overall)




What i need:

CPU: either i5-3470 or i5-3570k (The motherboard is supposed to be good for O.C. but i've never done that so that's not a major issue for me in picking cpu although if its not too hard i might learn how to do that in the future.)

Case (i need something that would give me best functionality and looks cool if you can but functionality is most important.)

Memory ( I read that there was a problem with some types of RAM on this motherboard so im not sure what i need exactly but i want about 8GB)

Video Card (I want to play games but I'm not a heavy PC Gamer (i am for ps3 though ). I surf the internet a lot, download heavy files, and use animation and drawing software. I'm also studying engineering so in the future i'll use autocad and some other stuff like that. So is the integrated graphics enough or do i need something better? and if so what do you recommend.)

Cooling unit: Do i really need one?





And as a general question, overall would this computer be able to last me 5+ years without being obsolete?

Thanks for all the Help!!!!

As you have a Z77 motherboard, there is no point, in not getting the unlocked i5-3570K. Anyway, it has better graphics, than most of the other i5s. If you have access to a Microcentre, they've currently got about $45 off the i5-3570K, making it cheaper than lesser i5s. Even if you can't use that offer, it's still worth getting that one.
Unless, and until, you overclock, the stock cooler, that comes with it, is fine. You will need to upgrade that when overclocking.
I'm not aware of any unusual needs, in terms of RAM, for mobo. You should get low profile RAM (to avoid a clash, if you fit aftermarket CPU cooler), with voltage 1.5v or lower. Suggest GSKill Ares, Crucial Ballistix Sport, or Corsair CML. Ideally you should use a matched pair of RAM, so for 8GB get a pair (2x4GB). 1600MHz Cas9 DDR3 is ideal.
For a case, the best quality, not to big, at reasonable price, is Corsair Carbide 300R, but there are plenty of others. Almost any mid tower ATX would be fine, if you avoid the real cheapies. It's important YOU like case, it's going to be sat in front of you, for a while. If you pick a couple YOU like, can advise if one is "best".
You probably need a graphics card. On board graphics isn't bad, but not really up to much gaming. Question is which? I would check, if any software you are going to use, has a specific requirement. Then it's a question of what funds left, after everything else, to get best possible GPU. If you say what money left for GPU, could advise on best one. Also if you give monitor resolution, gives better idea, what you really NEED.
As for life before becoming obsolete, basically if you've done the best you can, it will last the longest. Newer tech will be brought out, of course, but it's a question of how much more demanding software becomes, before today's tech gets too slow. No reason why it shouldn't still be going, and reasonably competetent in 5 years, it's a question of how up to date you want to keep.

 

[malbluff]

PS You will also need power supply. You are likely to need somewhere between 450 and 550w, but IDEAL size can be better chosen, once you know what graphics card, you will use.

 

[rick123123]

Thanks. For my gpu, Gigabyte AMD Radeon HD 7850 or SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon HD 6870. Is there a HUGE differnce between them that it justifies the extra $50 or can i go with the cheaper one.

This is what my final build after the gpu looks like:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/osue
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/osue/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/osue/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219
Motherboard: Intel DZ77BH55K ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($89.95 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V200 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Logisys CS206BK ATX Mid Tower Case w/480W Power Supply ($28.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)

 

[malbluff]

Not a HUGE difference, here are benchmarks. The actual performance difference is slightly more, due to driver updates, not included, in these figures.
<a http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/540?vs=549 /a>
I recommend you do NOT buy a case with built in power supply, at that price will be total junk, and likely to destroy your other components. Would also recommend more than 480w, especially if using HD6870.
Would recommend you use Samsung 830, for SSD (or Crucial M4, if a lot cheaper)
If using Corsair Vengeance RAM, be sure it is a CML model (low profile).
If/when overclocking CPU, you will need better cooler, suggest Coolermaster Hyper 212Evo.

 

[rick123123]

Best answer selected by rick123123.