So old I'm a newbie again... advice on a homebuilt please

[Guest]

The last time I put together a homebuilt it was a screaming hot 486/66, so I could use some help now.

I am thinking of using a Gigabyte "GA-Z77X-UP4 TH" motherboard with an Intel i5-3570k CPU; a Sapphire Radeon 7870 2Gb PCI-E video card; two Seagate 7200rpm 2TB HD's; and a Coolmaster 725w ATX 12v power supply. (I will not be overclocking)
My questions are:
1. Suggestions for better components at or near the same price? (Want onboard 7.1 sound.)
2. If I don't get the video card, will this (or another similar) MoBo support playing newer games like Skyrim?
3. I have an old Compaq Presario P4 with components I want to recycle into this new system. Can I use the case as well or do I need to get a more modern case?
4. Should I consider an extra cooling fan or some other cooling method?

PS: I intend to run this PC with Windows 8.

Your informed input would be greatly appreciated. (I've never had a video card that needed additional power, so I'm not sure this MoBo has the right kind of power connectors for a video card... like I said, newbie all over again.)

 

[manofchalk]

1. You can downgrade the motherboard a bit, a GA-Z77X-D3H is a good board that will cover you for near everything you would want to do. Unless your buying top tier motherboards, wouldnt expect much when it comes to audio quality. Always best to go with a dedicated card if you want high end sound capability.
EDIT: Also, Coolermaster arent the best when it comes to PSU's. You might want to switch to a unit from Corsair, XFX or Seasonic. 750W is pretty overkill for the rig as is unless you are leaving Crossfire/SLI open as a future upgrade, for the rig as is I say get a 550-650W supply.

2. The motherboard has little to no impact on gaming performance now that integrated graphics have moved from the mobo to CPU. But regardless, if you want good performance you need a dedicated card.

3. Not entirely sure, because its an OEM part made for that systems, its likely that it incorporates non-standard mounting holes and/or layout. You would have to open up the case to check for that.

4. Depends on what you decide for the case, if you do end up going with it then definitely yes. Though I'm unsure if you could mount any fans to it.
Only alternate method of cooling to air heatsinks is water-cooling (we'l just ignore phase change for a bit), and you will definitely need a new case for that. That being said, theres no practical reason to go that route.

A graphics card at most can pull 75W through the PCI-E interface on the motherboard, any additional power is pulled directly from the PSU.
When it comes down to motherboard and graphics card compatibility, it literally comes down too "does it have a PCI-E slot?". Any card will work on any motherboard made after about 2004, so your all good on that aspect.

 

[Guest]

1. You can downgrade the motherboard a bit, a GA-Z77X-D3H is a good board that will cover you for near everything you would want to do. Unless your buying top tier motherboards, wouldnt expect much when it comes to audio quality. Always best to go with a dedicated card if you want high end sound capability.
EDIT: Also, Coolermaster arent the best when it comes to PSU's. You might want to switch to a unit from Corsair, XFX or Seasonic. 750W is pretty overkill for the rig as is unless you are leaving Crossfire/SLI open as a future upgrade, for the rig as is I say get a 550-650W supply.

2. The motherboard has little to no impact on gaming performance now that integrated graphics have moved from the mobo to CPU. But regardless, if you want good performance you need a dedicated card.

3. Not entirely sure, because its an OEM part made for that systems, its likely that it incorporates non-standard mounting holes and/or layout. You would have to open up the case to check for that.

4. Depends on what you decide for the case, if you do end up going with it then definitely yes. Though I'm unsure if you could mount any fans to it.
Only alternate method of cooling to air heatsinks is water-cooling (we'l just ignore phase change for a bit), and you will definitely need a new case for that. That being said, theres no practical reason to go that route.

A graphics card at most can pull 75W through the PCI-E interface on the motherboard, any additional power is pulled directly from the PSU.
When it comes down to motherboard and graphics card compatibility, it literally comes down too "does it have a PCI-E slot?". Any card will work on any motherboard made after about 2004, so your all good on that aspect.

Thanks for your answers, I'll consider a different PSU.
1. If I'm going to switch mobo's, is there an Asus or other board you would recommend, or should I stick to the Gigabyte boards?
2. As for the dedicated sound card, some sort of Sound Blaster I assume?
3a. The Sapphire card uses a GPU made by AMD and the specs claim an AMD CPU is required.
3b. The MSI card uses an ATI GPU, is $90 cheaper, and has no CPU preference.
3q. Is there a recommended brand and/or manufacturer of the 7870's?

 

[manofchalk]

1. ASUS, Gigabyte and AsRock are currently the big names when it comes to motherboards, with MSI being a close 4th. The AsRock Z77 Extreme4, ASUS P8Z77-V LK and the Gigabyte board I mentioned before are what are typically used in enthusiast rigs, fairly similar spec wise.

2. When it comes to the nitty gritty of sound cards, I dont really know which one is better or how to tell. You'l ahve to get a recommendation for that from someone else.

3a. You dont need an AMD CPU to use an AMD graphics card.
b. AMD bought ATI in 2006, they are the same company now. The price difference is likely due to it being a different chip entirely, you sure your comparing the same GPU?
c. ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI and Sapphire are the bigger names when it comes to Radeon GPU's. Pick from one of them and you wont make a bad decision.

 

[Guest]

The MSI card does seem different but here is a link to a comparison between two Sapphire cards and the MSI card.
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/compare-result.aspx?ProductIds=%2C10214434%2C10206905%2C10206903&returnPath=%257e%252fcatalog%252fcategory.aspx%253fpath%253d04d566253a5abaedfbf24d162db4879cen01%2526category%253d25617%2526lang%253den
*Note: The MSI GPU is an R7870???

 

[manofchalk]

No idea why the prices are so different like that, and even the MSI is priced very high to what it should be.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127722&Tpk=MSI%207870&IsVirtualParent=1

I suspect the R7870 bit is just a shortened way of writing Radeon 7870, or its part of the product name. All those cards use the same GPU.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for pointing out it can be found at a lower price. I'll start looking for better prices on everything.

PS: Almost free healthcare and other services means higher taxes and higher prices. Personally I like the benefits of my higher taxes and would like Canada to adopt a more Swedish style of taxes/services.

 

[Guest]

After doing some searching and comparing I've decided upon using the following components:
1. Asus P8Z77-V LE Plus mobo for $161.
2. Intel i5-3570K CPU for $230.
3. Two Seagate 2TB 7200rpm ST2000DM001 HD's at $100 each.
4. Gigabyte 3GB Radeon 7950 900MHz PCI-E video card for $318.

But I'm still not certain about the power supply. My options are:
1. Corsair CP-9020061-NA 750 watt CX Series for $102.
2. Corsair CMPSU-650TXV2 650 watt TX Series for $89.
3.Corsair CP-9020039-NA 650 watt TX Series for $110.
4. Corsair CP-9020060-NA 650 watt Enthusiast TX Series for $110.

To me choice #1 seems best, but I would be welcome any suggestions (including replacing components I've decided to keep/buy).