Search
Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in

Gaming Build Questions

Last response: in Systems
Share

Hello everyone,
I'm working on building a new gaming PC and just have some questions about what I should aim for in certain categories. This is my first build so I'm not sure about a few things since I'm new to this. My budget is about $1600, but I might be able to go up to $1700. This is my current build right now:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ChB1

I was wondering a few things about the parts I selected, like if there are cheaper options for the same value. I'll look into any of your recommendations that I might not have listed. Thanks in advance for the help!

1. Is the Noctua NH-U12p at $60 good enough or should I go for the NH-D14 at $80 or even the Cooler Master 212 EVO at around $30?

2. Should I bother having less storage for the more expensive SSD drives, or just get one huge HDD?

3. Is the sound card necessary? I usually use Turtle Beach X12's for gaming and otherwise just some $30 SkullCandy earphones. I don't have any external speakers. This is the one part of building that I'm a little more confused on, so if anyone can explain, that would be greatly appreciated.

4. Right now I feel safe going for the Fractal R4, but there are several slightly cheaper options that are making me unsure. These are: Cooler Master HAF 922, NZXT Tempest 410, Raidmax
ATX-823BR, Rosewill ARMOR-EVO, Rosewill BlackHawk, and Rosewill THOR V2-W. If you have any favorites, either out of these or your own, go ahead and tell me. But I'm still leaning towards the Fractal R4.

5. Is this Kingwin 550W power supply good enough for its price? I know there are cheaper options, but I think that this might be my best option. Let me know if you agree or not.

6. Is the DVD drive fine or should I bump it up to Blu-Ray?

7. The monitor seems to be very nice, but if there are cheaper options I would be glad to know. Anywhere from 20 to 24 inches is fine.

8. I have a Razer Deathadder mouse but need a good keyboard. Any recommendations you have, let me know.

9. Finally, is Windows 7 Professional necessary for its price over Home Premium? Or can I use the Professional disc I have for my laptop to use on the new computer? Also, can I install the Microsoft Office 2010 disc I used on my laptop on this one without a problem? I saw something about a limit of 3 computers owned by the same person, so I just want to be sure.

Sorry for the huge mess of questions. Again, I'm new to PC building and want to make sure I get the best parts for the money so that the PC is fast, quiet, and cool. I'll take all your recommendations into account, and thanks again for the help.

More about : gaming build questions

Register or log in to remove

go for the d14 or h100 get a 3570k no point in a good a cooler if your not going to overclock and how are you going to overclock with a locked procesor the turtle beach x12 dont benefit from a sound card because they have a built in one form the usb but you can get something called a dss2 witch is a sound card for turtle beach headset the thor v2 is a great case but so is the r4 your choice get 650 watt psu that will be much cheaper http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

a dvd drive is fine no need for blu ray

this is a cheaper monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

do you want mechanical or non mechanical keys then we can discuss you can only use windows 7 once unless you have a 3 pack and windows 7 premium will be fine
and you can use office 10 for your computer

btw great choice on the video card

omaroma11 said:
go for the d14 or h100 get a 3570k no point in a good a cooler if your not going to overclock and how are you going to overclock with a locked procesor the turtle beach x12 dont benefit from a sound card because they have a built in one form the usb but you can get something called a dss2 witch is a sound card for turtle beach headset the thor v2 is a great case but so is the r4 your choice get 650 watt psu that will be much cheaper http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

a dvd drive is fine no need for blu ray

this is a cheaper monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

do you want mechanical or non mechanical keys then we can discuss you can only use windows 7 once unless you have a 3 pack and windows 7 premium will be fine
and you can use office 10 for your computer

btw great choice on the video card


Ok thanks for all that. I switched my cooler to the D14, switched to the 3570k in case I want to overclock later on, and I took out the sound card. I fixed the storage to one Western Digital 1TB 7200 RPM drive and one OCZ Vertex 128GB SSD. I also put on Windows 7 Professional since it supports above 16GB RAM in case I want to bump my RAM above that later, but if having Professional over Home Premium is pretty much pointless let me know.

http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/386085/windows_7_...

I made a couple other minor changes like adding a keyboard (I decided to go with the Microsoft Sidewinder X4), and also that monitor looks great. Thanks so much, you helped bring my total from about $1700 to just under $1600 so far. Here's the new list, and if anyone has any other recommendations, let me know.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Cjgw
Register or log in to remove
Ask the community
Read discussions in other Systems categories
!