- Apr 1, 2013
- 32
- 0
- 10,530
About a week ago I posted a thread asking for a good place to start regarding my first attempt at building a gaming PC. After an incredible volume of advice and suggestions on that thread, I've put together a first attempt at selecting parts for this PC. I'd like to put this build up (which I'll be buying in approximately 3 weeks) and get some advice regarding compatibility of the parts and the quality of the parts themselves.
*****
Purpose: Mostly gaming, though this will be used for most forms of entertainment (movies, etc.) as well as work, since this will serve as my central computer.
Budget: $1800-2200
Purchase Date: Approximately 3 weeks from now
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/OQhM
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/OQhM/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/OQhM/benchmarks/
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($80.84 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.49 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($133.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card ($426.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VE248H 24.0" Monitor ($177.58 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1964.78
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-06 14:06 EDT-0400)
*****
A few specific notes and questions to keep in mind:
- I do plan to try overclocking in the future when I feel comfortable with this build; that's why I'm going with a K-series CPU and a supporting motherboard.
- I also want to do SLI eventually, but not at the moment; I'd rather stick with a single card right now.
- I know the i5 is best if you're going to use a computer strictly for gaming, but as this is going to be my primary computer/entertainment system, I'd like to go with an i7 to take advantage of HT in non-gaming situations.
- I've been told that extensive modding on games such as Skyrim may require higher vRAM; this is why I went with the 4GB 670.
- I'd like to select a Blu-Ray compatible optical drive to fit into this build as well, but I'm not sure which brand I should select for that, as those tend to become pricey.
- I initially thought that my university offered Windows 8 for $15; turns out they only offer an upgrade for $15, not the full OS. As such, given my preference for W7 (after trying them both), I'd like to go with W7 for this build. Will I be seriously hurting myself by sticking with an older OS?
-On a related note, if this is the only computer I plan to use it on, am I okay with getting the OEM version rather than the retail version of the OS?
- I wanted to include a higher-power PSU for future-proofing, but is 850 too much if I eventually want to overclock + get another 670 for SLI? Furthermore, is the quality of the PSU I chose good? I'm aware that a bad PSU can fry the rest of the build, which would be catastrophic.
-Is EVGA a good brand through which to get the GTX 670? Or is there another brand to be recommended?
Thank you all again for your advice and aid!
*****
Purpose: Mostly gaming, though this will be used for most forms of entertainment (movies, etc.) as well as work, since this will serve as my central computer.
Budget: $1800-2200
Purchase Date: Approximately 3 weeks from now
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/OQhM
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/OQhM/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/OQhM/benchmarks/
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($80.84 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.49 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($133.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card ($426.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VE248H 24.0" Monitor ($177.58 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1964.78
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-06 14:06 EDT-0400)
*****
A few specific notes and questions to keep in mind:
- I do plan to try overclocking in the future when I feel comfortable with this build; that's why I'm going with a K-series CPU and a supporting motherboard.
- I also want to do SLI eventually, but not at the moment; I'd rather stick with a single card right now.
- I know the i5 is best if you're going to use a computer strictly for gaming, but as this is going to be my primary computer/entertainment system, I'd like to go with an i7 to take advantage of HT in non-gaming situations.
- I've been told that extensive modding on games such as Skyrim may require higher vRAM; this is why I went with the 4GB 670.
- I'd like to select a Blu-Ray compatible optical drive to fit into this build as well, but I'm not sure which brand I should select for that, as those tend to become pricey.
- I initially thought that my university offered Windows 8 for $15; turns out they only offer an upgrade for $15, not the full OS. As such, given my preference for W7 (after trying them both), I'd like to go with W7 for this build. Will I be seriously hurting myself by sticking with an older OS?
-On a related note, if this is the only computer I plan to use it on, am I okay with getting the OEM version rather than the retail version of the OS?
- I wanted to include a higher-power PSU for future-proofing, but is 850 too much if I eventually want to overclock + get another 670 for SLI? Furthermore, is the quality of the PSU I chose good? I'm aware that a bad PSU can fry the rest of the build, which would be catastrophic.
-Is EVGA a good brand through which to get the GTX 670? Or is there another brand to be recommended?
Thank you all again for your advice and aid!
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