Hello, folks at Tom's Hardware. I am planning on finally going through with my first build. Most my life, I've stuck with prebuilt for general usage and consoles for playing video games, but I would like to move onto PC gaming. I have some knowledge on how to put together the PC, but I'd like to see what you guys can say on it.
This is what I'm currently looking at:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xzvz
CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
GPU: Zotac GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
DVD Drive: Samsung SH-224BB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer
As for the general questions:
Approximate Purchase Date: End of this month (January)/Early February
Budget Range: ~$850, at the highest (with shipping and without rebates
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, General Internet and Computer use.
Are you buying a monitor: No (I already have one)
Do you need to buy OS: No (I plan on using Linux and I have copies of Windows 7 and 8 from my University)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NewEgg, Amazon, but I am willing to work with other trusted sellers as these are the only two I really know of.
Location: Upper Peninsula, MI, USA. There isn't any place locally I could go to buy.
Parts Preferences: For the most part, none. I would like an AMD CPU due to future upgrades and possible overclocking in the future (if I get into it), but I don't care either way. I'd also prefer an NVIDIA card because I've heard they tend to do better on Linux than ATI.
Overclocking: Maybe. Considering this is my first build, it's not something I'm interested in right now. I'd rather not make this too complicated and screw something up. Learn bit by bit. That said, I'm not ignoring it as a possibility in the future if I need more juice.
SLI or Crossfire: Probably not.
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Additional Comments: I would prefer if it's quieter and/or runs cooler, but I'm cool with it just working, too. I'd also like for it to last for about 4-5 years. I know that I probably won't be gaming at max settings for that long, but even medium.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Mostly, I just want to have a PC of my own that I can use and upgrade at will.
Mostly, I just want to verify that my parts are compatible and that I have a large enough PSU for my build (tried multiple calculators and I'm getting varying results enough that I'm not certain). I'm also worried about cooling for my build, since I have no clue if the fans that will come with it will be enough (I don't plan on overclocking any time soon, though, if I do, I will probably end up looking for extra fans. I just want to make sure that, at default, my system won't be too hot). I'd also like to know if it will be necessary for me to buy cabling for my parts, as well (I don't think I will, but it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion). Do I need any thermal paste or a static wrist band, or would I be fine without either of those things? Also, any suggestions, tips, accessories, or any way to get my PC cheaper is alright, too. I mostly want a second opinion on my build from somebody who knows a lot more about this stuff than me.
I suppose I should also note that, while not often, I do sometimes do things that could be somewhat CPU intensive, which is why I went with the CPU I did as opposed to an i3 or the cheaper 965 BE. I don't have the money to go above my current selection into i5 or the FX 8350 territory.
Likewise, I went with the GTX 670 since I can get great performance out of it from NVIDIA. I was going to go with the HD 7950, but I'm a little leery of ATI on linux due to things I've heard and I've heard that you really need to overclock it to get it to shine (something I'm not comfortable with doing right now). Likewise, I've heard that the 660ti wasn't worth bothering with, and the standard 660 isn't really up to par with what I want out of performance from some of the benchmarks I've looked at.
Thank you for your time and help.
This is what I'm currently looking at:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xzvz
CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
GPU: Zotac GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
DVD Drive: Samsung SH-224BB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer
As for the general questions:
Approximate Purchase Date: End of this month (January)/Early February
Budget Range: ~$850, at the highest (with shipping and without rebates
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, General Internet and Computer use.
Are you buying a monitor: No (I already have one)
Do you need to buy OS: No (I plan on using Linux and I have copies of Windows 7 and 8 from my University)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NewEgg, Amazon, but I am willing to work with other trusted sellers as these are the only two I really know of.
Location: Upper Peninsula, MI, USA. There isn't any place locally I could go to buy.
Parts Preferences: For the most part, none. I would like an AMD CPU due to future upgrades and possible overclocking in the future (if I get into it), but I don't care either way. I'd also prefer an NVIDIA card because I've heard they tend to do better on Linux than ATI.
Overclocking: Maybe. Considering this is my first build, it's not something I'm interested in right now. I'd rather not make this too complicated and screw something up. Learn bit by bit. That said, I'm not ignoring it as a possibility in the future if I need more juice.
SLI or Crossfire: Probably not.
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Additional Comments: I would prefer if it's quieter and/or runs cooler, but I'm cool with it just working, too. I'd also like for it to last for about 4-5 years. I know that I probably won't be gaming at max settings for that long, but even medium.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Mostly, I just want to have a PC of my own that I can use and upgrade at will.
Mostly, I just want to verify that my parts are compatible and that I have a large enough PSU for my build (tried multiple calculators and I'm getting varying results enough that I'm not certain). I'm also worried about cooling for my build, since I have no clue if the fans that will come with it will be enough (I don't plan on overclocking any time soon, though, if I do, I will probably end up looking for extra fans. I just want to make sure that, at default, my system won't be too hot). I'd also like to know if it will be necessary for me to buy cabling for my parts, as well (I don't think I will, but it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion). Do I need any thermal paste or a static wrist band, or would I be fine without either of those things? Also, any suggestions, tips, accessories, or any way to get my PC cheaper is alright, too. I mostly want a second opinion on my build from somebody who knows a lot more about this stuff than me.
I suppose I should also note that, while not often, I do sometimes do things that could be somewhat CPU intensive, which is why I went with the CPU I did as opposed to an i3 or the cheaper 965 BE. I don't have the money to go above my current selection into i5 or the FX 8350 territory.
Likewise, I went with the GTX 670 since I can get great performance out of it from NVIDIA. I was going to go with the HD 7950, but I'm a little leery of ATI on linux due to things I've heard and I've heard that you really need to overclock it to get it to shine (something I'm not comfortable with doing right now). Likewise, I've heard that the 660ti wasn't worth bothering with, and the standard 660 isn't really up to par with what I want out of performance from some of the benchmarks I've looked at.
Thank you for your time and help.
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