Another First Build Advice Thread

[LinuxFan3E8]

Hello,

I'm looking to build my own computer that I will use for virtualisation and gaming. (Through Xen and or VirtualBox)
So far I've chosen the Intel i7-4770 as my CPU, as it's cheaper than the K model and from what I can tell better for virtualisation. (please correct me if I'm wrong)

This is my first build so I don't know a lot about what brands and such are good for what components. Could you guys please help point me in the direction of some reliable information that will help me select the rest of the parts?
I worry that going to random websites might not provide very accurate information which could end up negatively effecting the end product.

If you guys could recommend any parts, that would also be helpful. I don't play a lot of graphics intensive games, but I would like to install ENB mods and such in Skyrim without it ending up like a slideshow. Also I would much prefer a NIC that works in BSD and Linux without making me lose my hair.

And to be clear I will not be trying to play games in a virtual machine.

Thanks.

 

[woltej1]

What is your budget? Are there any parts you are carrying over from a previous computer?

 

[LinuxFan3E8]

What is your budget? Are there any parts you are carrying over from a previous computer?

My budget is about $3400, and there's no parts I'm carrying over.
In my country computer hardware costs a fair bit more than it does in the US and other countries, so that has to be taken into account with the budget.

 

[GorfTheFrog]

Congratulations on your choice to build! It's lots of fun and you'll get *exactly* the machine you want!

To get you started, I'd recommend going to the front page of tomshardware.com and scrolling down to the "Latest Articles" section. You'll find great articles and reviews on current products, which will give you a sense of what's out there.

Adding my personal 2cents to your question on reputable brands - there are lots out there. For my own personal biases. However, you'll find that there are lots of good brands out there.
- I'm partial to Intel CPUs.
- The "K" indicates that the chip is "unlocked," which means you'll have access to all of the tweaks you can modify to overclock the CPU.
- I don't think there's a difference in virtualization. What are your trying to accomplish with the virtualization, or why do you think you want to do this?
- I like Corsair for the PSUs, but go up a tier or two in their ranking - don't pick the bottom end of their product line.
- I have a prefernece for NVIDIA for the graphics chips, and I've had good luck with EVGA.
- MOBOs, I've built with ASUS and MSI. I'd also consider Gigabyte.
- You'll want to include an SSD (see the most recent Toms's article.) I've used both Samsung and SanDisk Ultra Plus.
- If you're overclocking, you'll need a better CPU cooler.
- For game requirements, try www.systemrequirements.com - you'll get both minimum and recommended configs for CPU, graphics, RAM, etc.

I'll defer to someone else to comment on whether or not the Socket 1150 is a good choice for supporting virtualization. Might be a better Mobo option for this...not sure.

Post your parts list back and let us know what questions you have. We'll give you lots of input.
###

 

[LinuxFan3E8]

Congratulations on your choice to build! It's lots of fun and you'll get *exactly* the machine you want!

To get you started, I'd recommend going to the front page of tomshardware.com and scrolling down to the "Latest Articles" section. You'll find great articles and reviews on current products, which will give you a sense of what's out there.

Adding my personal 2cents to your question on reputable brands - there are lots out there. For my own personal biases. However, you'll find that there are lots of good brands out there.
- I'm partial to Intel CPUs.
- The "K" indicates that the chip is "unlocked," which means you'll have access to all of the tweaks you can modify to overclock the CPU.
- I don't think there's a difference in virtualization. What are your trying to accomplish with the virtualization, or why do you think you want to do this?
- I like Corsair for the PSUs, but go up a tier or two in their ranking - don't pick the bottom end of their product line.
- I have a prefernece for NVIDIA for the graphics chips, and I've had good luck with EVGA.
- MOBOs, I've built with ASUS and MSI. I'd also consider Gigabyte.
- You'll want to include an SSD (see the most recent Toms's article.) I've used both Samsung and SanDisk Ultra Plus.
- If you're overclocking, you'll need a better CPU cooler.
- For game requirements, try www.systemrequirements.com - you'll get both minimum and recommended configs for CPU, graphics, RAM, etc.

I'll defer to someone else to comment on whether or not the Socket 1150 is a good choice for supporting virtualization. Might be a better Mobo option for this...not sure.

Post your parts list back and let us know what questions you have. We'll give you lots of input.
###

Thanks for the information. I don't plan on OC'ing, and I believe the 4770 is better than the 4770K for virtualisation because it supports VT-d.
I'm going to be running a FreeBSD server for Minecraft, and probably some other services for my LAN. I'll also likely be using VirtualBox for testing purposes, so I don't nuke the host OS...
I'll read up on those articles and select some hardware I think is appropriate, which likely will include a SSD.
I'll post back once I've selected some parts.

 

[gameboy1998]

If the system is not going to used for much gaming then I think you would want to get a Intel Xeon instead i7 and also preferably 32GB of 1600Mhz or more RAM.

Will you be running this PC 24/7 under full or partial load? If so I think you should go with a 80+ Platinum or Gold (Maybe Titanium!) Power supply.

You should go with atleast a 240GB SSD in this budget, I will recommend the Samsung 840 Pro.

Will you be needing an OS? Can you Link us to the site from where you will be buying your parts from? Which country are you from? Have you go some prefernce for parts (Like Nvidia for GPU or Intel for CPU)?

 

[LinuxFan3E8]

If the system is not going to used for much gaming then I think you would want to get a Intel Xeon instead i7 and also preferably 32GB of 1600Mhz or more RAM.

Will you be running this PC 24/7 under full or partial load? If so I think you should go with a 80+ Platinum or Gold (Maybe Titanium!) Power supply.

You should go with atleast a 240GB SSD in this budget, I will recommend the Samsung 840 Pro.

Will you be needing an OS? Can you Link us to the site from where you will be buying your parts from? Which country are you from? Have you go some prefernce for parts (Like Nvidia for GPU or Intel for CPU)?

The system will used more for gaming, and it won't be running 24/7. (I would get a dedicated server if that were the case)
I'm from Australia and will be buying the parts here: http://www.umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=4
I prefer Intel CPU's and I don't have much of a preference for GPU's.

I'll be running Windows 7 and Gentoo on it, and as I've said I'll be virtualising FreeBSD. I checked out the SSD you recommended, it looks good.

I was looking at 16 GB RAM because I don't think I'll quite need 32 GB, at least not right now, and I could use the money saved to get some better quality parts I need more, such as a better quality PSU. What brand of RAM has the best value for the money right now, and which is the best quality?

Thanks

 

[gameboy1998]

Here is a build quickly put together for you:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($399.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z87 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($308.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($408.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($255.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($649.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($649.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($148.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($220.65 @ Mwave Australia)
Optical Drive: LG BH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($88.00 @ CPL Online)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($159.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $3422.65
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-08 04:05 EST+1100)

I was too lazy to go to the site you mentioned and look for parts so I did what I do best and used PCPartPicker.

I went with dual Asus GTX 780s which will MAX out most games at even 2560x1440 and a i7 4770K with a Asus Sabertooth Z87 motherboard to overclock it.

I chose to go with 32GB of 1866Mhz RAM from G.Skill which is overkill for gaming but very helpful for Virtual Machines and/or Video Editing.

I also included a BluRay drive in this build but you can opt out for a DVD Drive or even no drive at all.

Finally, I went with Windows 7 Pro because Windows 7 Home will just not be able to utilize all those RAM.

 

[gameboy1998]

Here is a build quickly put together for you:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($399.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z87 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($308.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($408.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($255.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($649.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($649.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($148.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($220.65 @ Mwave Australia)
Optical Drive: LG BH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($88.00 @ CPL Online)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($159.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $3422.65
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-08 04:05 EST+1100)

I was too lazy to go to the site you mentioned and look for parts so I did what I do best and used PCPartPicker.

I went with dual Asus GTX 780s which will MAX out most games at even 2560x1440 and a i7 4770K with a Asus Sabertooth Z87 motherboard to overclock it.

I chose to go with 32GB of 1866Mhz RAM from G.Skill which is overkill for gaming but very helpful for Virtual Machines and/or Video Editing.

I also included a BluRay drive in this build but you can opt out for a DVD Drive or even no drive at all.

Finally, I went with Windows 7 Pro because Windows 7 Home will just not be able to utilize all those RAM.

 

[LinuxFan3E8]

Here is a build quickly put together for you:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($399.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z87 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($308.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($408.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($255.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($649.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($649.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($148.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($220.65 @ Mwave Australia)
Optical Drive: LG BH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($88.00 @ CPL Online)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($159.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $3422.65
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-08 04:05 EST+1100)

I was too lazy to go to the site you mentioned and look for parts so I did what I do best and used PCPartPicker.

I went with dual Asus GTX 780s which will MAX out most games at even 2560x1440 and a i7 4770K with a Asus Sabertooth Z87 motherboard to overclock it.

I chose to go with 32GB of 1866Mhz RAM from G.Skill which is overkill for gaming but very helpful for Virtual Machines and/or Video Editing.

I also included a BluRay drive in this build but you can opt out for a DVD Drive or even no drive at all.

Finally, I went with Windows 7 Pro because Windows 7 Home will just not be able to utilize all those RAM.

Great list, thanks. However I think it's a bit overkill. I would prefer the non K version of the i7 4770 as I don't plan on OC'ing it and it supports VT-d, and would 16 GB RAM be a better option for a small server? 32 GB is glorious but I don't see that I need it right now, and if I do in the future I can upgrade easily.

How many games support SLI nowadays? Those two GPUs together would produce a lot of heat and use quite a bit of voltage, wouldn't they? What would the performance be like with just one?

I didn't know about the 64-bit Home edition only supporting 16 GB, thanks for letting me know.

 

[woltej1]

hmm, in that case for a mobo msi, asus, gigabyte and evga make good boards. I recommend an h87 chipset as you have a non K series so you don't need the full OC ability of the z87.

Power supply: evga, corsair, xfx, antec and seasonic.

GPU: AMD- Asus, MSI, sapphire. Nvidia-Evga, asus and MSI.

RAM: G Skill, patriot, corsair.

 

[LinuxFan3E8]

How is this build?

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/2OYgu

I stuck with the Z87 mobo as it supports 1866 MHz DDR3 RAM. This build also leaves me with a bit of money left over to purchase a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and other peripherals. (I've never owned a desktop before)
Is the RAM I selected of good quality?

 

[gameboy1998]

Sure, this build is overkill! I personally wouldn't go for it

16GB should be enough for a couple virtual machines. 16GB of RAM is also more than enough. You can go with a single 780 if you are going to game on a single monitor.

 

[LinuxFan3E8]

What about the cooling system?
This hardware is liable to get very hot, and will definitely need cooling.

 

[gameboy1998]

A noctua DH-14 should do the job of cooling.

 

[gameboy1998]

Why a get a asus Sabertooth when getting a locked processor? There is virtually no gain going with faster RAM than 1600MHz in games.

 

[LinuxFan3E8]

Why a get a asus Sabertooth when getting a locked processor? There is virtually no gain going with faster RAM than 1600MHz in games.

Thanks for all the info.
How much would getting 1600MHz instead of 1866MHz impact virtualisation?

 

[gameboy1998]

None. But if the price difference is negligible between both (20-25$) I say go for 1866Mhz.

What motherboard are you going to use?

 

[LinuxFan3E8]

None. But if the price difference is negligible between both (20-25$) I say go for 1866Mhz.

What motherboard are you going to use?

Here is the modified build: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/2Pha5
What do you think of this mobo/RAM?
The 1600MHz RAM costs the same as the 1866MHz RAM, though that mobo doesn't support 1866MHz.

 

[gameboy1998]

The build is fine. If your motherboard doesn't support more than 1600Mhz RAM then the 1866Mhz RAM will run at 1600Mhz, there is no performance to lose.

I recommend you to go with the 1866Mhz RAM.

 

[LinuxFan3E8]

Thanks again, I'll definitely go with the 1866MHz RAM then, as I can reuse it and it costs the same.
I don't know a great deal about monitors, so what ones would you recommend? I don't particularly care about keyboard or mouse, as long as the keyboard has a numpad.

 

[gameboy1998]

How much are you willing to spend? Are you a professional gamer or just play games for fun? Will you be doing somethings other than gaming? All being said you will have to physically look at a monitor to see which one you like more.

You may also want to get a mechanical keyboard, not a necessity though. Microsoft Sidewinder Keyboards are great budget ones.

 

[LinuxFan3E8]

How much are you willing to spend? Are you a professional gamer or just play games for fun? Will you be doing somethings other than gaming? All being said you will have to physically look at a monitor to see which one you like more.

You may also want to get a mechanical keyboard, not a necessity though. Microsoft Sidewinder Keyboards are great budget ones.

The build is about $1000 cheaper than I thought it would be, so I can use the rest of my budget to purchase a good display and peripherals. I'll be using it for virtualisation, casual gaming, programming, and probably game development in the future, so I definitely don't want to get a low quality display, or one that isn't worth the cost. I haven't heard of a mechanical keyboard, though they seem interesting. I might give one a try.

 

[gameboy1998]

I will recommend the Asus PB278Q for the monitor, its a 2560x1440 IPS Monitor and also has only 5ms response time. It costs 550$. Here is the link for that prodcut: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009C3M7H0/?tag=pcpapi-20

I will recommend the Corsair Vengeance K70 for the keyboard, Its a mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Red Switches. It costs 130$. Here is the link for the product: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823816010.

I will recommend the Mad Catz R.A.T 9 for your mouse. It is wireless and highly customize. It costs 100$. Here is the link for that product: https://pcpartpicker.com/part/mad-catz-mouse-mcb4370900c2021 Its is currently 50$ Off so I recommend you pick that up as soon as possible.

Do you want a speaker or headphones as well?

 

[LinuxFan3E8]

I will recommend the Asus PB278Q for the monitor, its a 2560x1440 IPS Monitor and also has only 5ms response time. It costs 550$. Here is the link for that prodcut: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009C3M7H0/?tag=pcpapi-20

I will recommend the Corsair Vengeance K70 for the keyboard, Its a mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Red Switches. It costs 130$. Here is the link for the product: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823816010.

I will recommend the Mad Catz R.A.T 9 for your mouse. It is wireless and highly customize. It costs 100$. Here is the link for that product: https://pcpartpicker.com/part/mad-catz-mouse-mcb4370900c2021 Its is currently 50$ Off so I recommend you pick that up as soon as possible.

Do you want a speaker or headphones as well?

I'm not too fussed about sound as long as long as it doesn't sound absolutely horrible, and I can always pick up some speakers at a later date if necessary. The mouse looks really nice, as does the monitor and keyboard.
One of the things I was worried about was that I might get some component that doesn't have good drivers for Linux. The programmable buttons on the mouse and the backlighting control on the keyboard may not be fully functional, or may not even work on Linux.
Will this machine be able to connect to the gateway wirelessly? It will be too far away from the gateway and in an impractical place for the use of ethernet.
Also what NIC does this mobo have? I've had bad experiences with Broadcom ones under Linux, so I'd like to avoid them if possible.

Thanks for all the help, it's made things quite a bit easier.