Build Advice and Thoughts for Complete Beginner

[robbo15]

Hi guys,

I am building a gaming pc for my son and would appreciate any help you could give me.
This is my first time building. I have put together a list and need to know if there any compatability issues.
I would also appreciate any thoughts on improving my proposed set up.

Thanks.


Approximate Purchase Date: As soon as possible.


Budget Range: €1000 not including shipping.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, surfing the internet and general PC usage.

Are you buying a monitor: No


Parts to Upgrade: This is a complete new build.


Do you need to buy OS: Yes.


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Hardwareversand.de


Location: City, State/Region, Country - Dublin, Ireland.


Parts Preferences: Intel cpu and Nvidia 660 gti gpu.


Overclocking: Yes


SLI or Crossfire: Maybe


Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080


Additional Comments: Batman Arkham City, Skyrim etc.


Below is what I considering :

Mobo : ASRock Z77 Extreme3
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=67918&agid=1601

CPU : Intel Core i5-3570K
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=56296&agid=1617

CPU Cooler : Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=59387&agid=669

GPU : Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660Ti OC, 2GB
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=64931&agid=1156

Case : Cooler Master HAF Advanced 932 black
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=53126&agid=632

PSU : Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=30069&agid=1628

Hard Drive : Seagate Barracuda 7200 1000GB
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=53882&agid=1342

Optical drive : LG GH24NS
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=29537&agid=699

RAM : 8GB-Kit Corsair Vengeance Low Profile
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsps?aid=48850&agid=1193

OS : MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=29181&agid=185

Network Card : LogiLink Wireless LAN 300 Mbps PCI Karte 802.11n 2T2R
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=42568&agid=271

 

[manofchalk]

You have actually made quite good choices, nothing wrong with the components.

Only thing is the network card, the motherboard has that capability built in, no need for a dedicated NIC unless you have some kind of home NAS server.
Also you said maybe to the Crossfire/SLI, the mobo can support it but the PSU isnt strong enough for two cards. if you want to ensure Crossfire/SLI capability later on, you will want to upgrade to a 750W PSU like this.
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/700+-+800+Watts/46160/Corsair+Enthusiast+Series+TX750+V2.article

 

[robbo15]

No NIC needed so, I thought I would need that. Money saved can be put to the bigger PSU.
One other thing, would it be difficult to add an SSD when funds allow ?
Thanks for your help.

 

[manofchalk]

It would be more difficult than adding in a HDD down the line.

Primary reason for an SSD is to have the OS on it for faster booting and general operation. If you put the OS on a HDD and get an SSD later, you can move the OS to the SSD, but its better to just have a fresh install. Which means you will basically be back to square one when you do, will have to re-install and set up everything.
Maybe get the SSD now, then put on a HDD later. Use an external drive for mass storage or just be very limited in what you put on the machine until you can get the HDD.

 

[boulbox]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£163.19 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler (£36.86 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£93.97 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£36.23 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£49.14 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£69.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (£288.97 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XM (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£94.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£73.14 @ Aria PC)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£11.40 @ Aria PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£65.99 @ Aria PC)
Total: £983.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-09 00:53 GMT+0000)

would go with something like this

-i added a stronger GPU so the build can last longer in terms of power
-650W from seasonic OEM to allow for SLI(adding a second GPU in the future)
-left over room is for your wireless card
-added an SSD for fast speeds while inside budget
-added a stronger CPU cooler to allow for high overclocks(can be turned to the
-hyper 212 evo if wanting to save money/won't overclock that high)
-Added HAF XM which is pretty much the smaller version of the HAF series, will provide user friendly things such as cable management while giving high airflow

 

[robbo15]

Would a 128gb SSD be sufficient ?
I also might have an old 80gb HDD that I could use at the moment.

 

[manofchalk]

128GB is plenty, formatting and Windows will take up ~30GB, leaving plenty of room for programs and some games. My 128GB drive is only half full.

Might want to check if that drive is IDE or SATA, suspect its IDE given the capacity.

 

[boulbox]

In my build i also added inside a 1TB HDD

 

[ARICH5]

dont get that superflower psu...get a 80+ brand from antec or corsair

 

[robbo15]

Thanks for the help guys.
Off I go to do more research.
I will never build it at this rate, but want to make it as good as I can for the money available.
Great forum for total beginners like me.
Thanks again.

 

[robbo15]

I checked the HDD and it is an 80gb sata drive so would you think it would be possible to use ?

 

[manofchalk]

Yep, if it were IDE it wouldnt work with the system.