First Build, need advice+help

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brbk

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Dec 5, 2012
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Okay, well for the first time ever I am building I am building my own PC. Before the last couple of weeks I knew absolutely nothing about pcs so I am not sure about compatibility, PSUs, maybe graphics cards.

Approximate Purchase Date: 10-31 December

Budget Range: $1000-$1200 (this won't be entirely accurate as in my country we don't use USD+import costs)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, School work, Internet Surfing, Movies, possible photo-editing, light programming(relative).

Are you buying a monitor: Monitor will not be included in budget

Do you need an OS: No

Preferred Website: www.wootware.co.za (Due to my location)

Location: South Africa

Parts Preference: Intel core i5 CPU, preferrably nVidia graphics card (can be changed)

Monitor Resolution: Full HD (1920x1080)

Additional comments: I am getting this mainly for gaming (new games, anything from an FPS to minecraft to strategy games). I don't particularly want anything over the top, I just want something that runs games and in general very well.

What I have been considering for a build:
(Please comment on it and provide possible alternatives or if there are problems with my selections. I really am quite the noob to this sort of stuff so your help will be greatly appreciated)

Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz LGA1155 Quad Core Ivy Bridge CPU

ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA1155 Intel Z77 ATX Desktop Motherboard

EVGA GTX660 2GB SuperClocked Edition 192-Bit PCI-E 3.0 28nm Desktop Graphics Card

Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB SATA III

Corsair XMS3 2x4gb DDR3-1600mhz 1.5v Desktop Memory

Antec 200 V2 Case

Antec VP550P 550W 12v: 540W, Black Power Supply

Samsung SH-S223C, 22x, SATA, Black, with SAT

Thanks in advance :D

Also I want to know how long this will be able to last, when adding revisions etc. keep how long it will last in mind.
 
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smorizio

smorizio

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Jan 22, 2010
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nice build it should last you a long time. the only tweaks i would do is swap the power supply for a 700-750w unit. make sure it bronze rated link a sesonic. the extra wattage is for when the ps is a few years old you have some head room for cap aging. also it not the total output now that you have to be care full of but the 12v leg of the power supply. most of the power draw is on that 12v leg for the cpu and video card. if the cpu is 70w and the video card is 200w at make load. 270w is 23 amps. that a lot of amps that a power supply. has to put out. in real world you dont want to max load a power supply. you want to load it 50-60 percent of it rated load. the only other tweek and it a cheap one is replace the stock intel plastic cooler with a 212 cooler or another tower cooler that you can pick up. the better cooling you can get for the cpu the longer it last. also if the ac dies in the hot time you wont have to worrie about the system over heating. depending on the fans in the case and the mb. you may want to pick up a fan controller. 80mm-120mm fans running at full speed can make your pc sound like it taking off. fan controller you can set the speed of your fans..so it a balance between cooling and sound.
 
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larrym

larrym

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Oct 29, 2012
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This is almost the exact build I did a few weeks ago. It is very fast. I did however add in a SSD for super fast load times, a CM 212 Evo for cooling and OC it to 4.2 GHz. I only put the OS on the ssd and everything else goes on a 500g WD blue drive. It is all very quiet in the antec case.
 
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brbk

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Okay so I should change the PSU to a 700-750W bronze rated psu. How about
CoolerMaster PSU
Can you please link me to a cpu cooler. Also how would I go about replacing the stock cooler. EDIT: How 'bout this CPU Cooler

Lastly, overclocking. Never done it, should I? If I should then how etc.

 
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larrym

larrym

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Here is the cooler..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

The stock cooler is not attached when you receive it with the CPU. You just put the after market one on when you build it.

Here is a guide to overclocking..
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/272214-29-wolfram-beginner-guide-overclocking

For what your getting, and the board you are getting..you can do a quick newbie overclock in the bios by just changing the CPU multiplier in the bios to 42. But you really won't need to now, but in the future you may want too.
 
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brbk

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Dec 5, 2012
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bumping for more opinions and nobody has mentioned anything of compatibility so I assume it is okay.

Also I'd really like it if you guys could provide a full list of components you think think I should purchase, not REALLY needed though.

Also I am probably going to be assembling a pc for the first time so any good tutorials on that. WHat do you think of Click Me
I don't really see a point in paying someone else to do it, but at the same time I don't want to mess anything up.
 
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larrym

larrym

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The only thing I would add to your build which is not really needed is a SSD. It's one of those things you don't know what your missing till you use one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147192

I only linked one, but there are many to choose from. The Samsung 830 is also very nice. Put your OS and a few games on it, it will boot up super fast and load maps super fast. But is it really needed...no..wanted...yes
 
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brbk

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Dec 5, 2012
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Okay, well one of the ways I could cut a large chunk off the price is switching the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 for MSI Z77A-G43 Z77. Will this detriment the computers performance and if so does it overway the fact that this could make the build +/- $100 cheaper. Also I have decided to stick with the stock CPU heatsink for a while
 
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smorizio

smorizio

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Jan 22, 2010
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when your looking at the z or h line of mb it going to be the ports on the back of the mb and the video card and extra slots that are on the mb. the h chipset you cant over clock the cpu. if your not going to sli or crossfire (use two video cards) then you can pick up a mini axt motherboard. with one video card slot. most mb are going to use the same onboard sound chipset so you just need a slot if you want built in wifi card or have a lot of use slots to plug in a usb wifi dongle. also se ewhat the prices for an amd video card are to to save some money or see if seagate or wb drives are on sale.
 
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brbk

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Dec 5, 2012
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New setup (Only a slight revision), tell me what you think. Base your answers in regards to its overall performance potential in regards to gaming and in general. Also where I can make changes to save money without affecting the performance.

• CPU: Intel i5-3570k 3.4hgz Ivy Bridge Quad Core
• Mobo: MSI Z77A-G43
• GPU: EVGA GTX660 2GB SuperClocked Edition 192-Bit PCI-E 3.0 28nm Desktop Graphics Card-R2650
• HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB SATA III 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
• Case: Antec 200 V2, black, no PSU
• RAM: Corsair XMS3 2x4gb DDR3-1600mhz Desktop Memory
• Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S223C, 22x, SATA, Black, with SAT
• PSU: XFX ProSeries P1-750S-NLB9 Core Edition Full Wired 750W 80 Plus Bronze Certified Desktop PSU

EDIT: This goddam mobo is what I can't decide upon
 
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brbk

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Dec 5, 2012
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Larrym, thanks for the help. What PSU do you recommend, also what do you think of a mobo. Could you suggest an alternative. Btw I do need a Network adaptor
 
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larrym

larrym

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I would try to get one with 2 2+6 pin PCI-e connections (this one only has one). If you get a more powerful card in the future or add another GTX 660 you will also have to get an molex adapter or new PSU.
 
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