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Building a Gaming Rig for First Time

F

Fishy Justice

n00b
Joined
Dec 29, 2012
Messages
6
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
It will be used mostly for gaming, but I would like to leave it open to upgrades in the future. (for example, I may mess around with a RAMdisk later on) I would like to support dual monitors at a later date.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
800 is the official budget before shipping, but I can probably go up to 900 if the increase in performance is high enough.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
U.S., NH, Hudson

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU, RAM, Mobo, PSU, SSD, Gfx, RAM, Hard Drive (aiming for 1tb)

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
22 in Samsung monitor(2253bw), keyboard, mouse, Optical Drive

6) Will you be overclocking?
I have no plans to overclock at this point.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
22 in, 1680x1050

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next week or two.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
SLI support might be nice down the road.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, I will be running win7 64 bit.

Somebody suggested a build like this on another forum:
cpu: 165 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115089
mobo: 125 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157330
ram: 39 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231308
ssd: 100 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442
gfx: 215 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500270
psu: 90 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088


My original build I now understand to be overkill, but for reference: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/uSyV (Plus that lacks an SSD, which I do want)

On the case: Azza Fusion 4000 was given to me as a gift this christmas. I would not have gotten such a beast of a case myself, but that's what I have.
 
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None of your Newegg links works, man.

Which version of Windows 7 do you have? Home Premium? Pro?
How long would it take you to save up enough money (roughly $150 to $200) for a monitor with a larger resolution?

Yes your original build list is definitely a tad overkill for your low resolution.
 
The links should be fixed now, sorry. I caught that early and was in the process of fixing that.

Win7 should be Pro. I'm getting it from a friend and he thinks that's the one. If I don't get it through him I'll just purchase it with a student discount.

And honestly it would probably take a few months, but there's nothing wrong with saying I'll upgrade my monitor in the near(ish) future.
 
I say it's always better to be overkill then to be just right for now, because you'll find yourself lacking in the near future...(why do you think people have fast cars?.. because you never know... ) I say your current build-out looks fine. Happy Gaming.
 
Here's what I recommend instead:

$180 - Intel Core i5-3470 CPU
$95 - MSI Z77A-G43 Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
$34 - Corsair CMV8GX3M1A1333C9 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$190 - HIS HD 7850 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$120 - Samsung 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD128BW 2.5" 128GB SSD
$70 - Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$90 - Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU
----
Total: $779 shipped.

With the above build you're getting a better bang for the buck CPU and a more cost-effective mobo, RAM, and HDD. There's also a faster SSD and a replacement PSU since that Seasonic is out of stock at the moment.

If there's any part I would recommend buying RIGHT NOW, it would be that SSD as it's currently on sale for $30 less than its normal price.
 
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spend extra and get the i5 3570k or 2500k especially if you have a microcenter this might be cheaper. It over clocks like champ and will last a long time due to that.
 
OP has no plans to overclock so spending extra to get the k version may not be the best value IMO.
 
It is the best value in almost any case, i cant stress that enough. Anyone can go into bios and get 600 mhz out of these. stock cooler, stock case, one bios change. It gives you future proofing through performance or resale value. Its a crime at these prices the non k versions are ever sold. Just buy it as insurance in case you change your mind or the purpose of the rig.
 
Again, you are mentioning overclocking. As the OP has no intention of overclocking, the additional cost of getting a k processor is not necessary.
 
I also pointed out things like resale value, your old CPU isnt worth shit unless the next guy knows he can crank it up to 4.4 ghz and make some use of it. And lots of people have no intention of doing lots of things but a year or two down the line their desires change.
 
On the PSU: I don't suppose there's another good modular one within that price range. With the current case I probably won't need one, but considering the life of PSU's and the fact I may want a second, smaller case when I go to uni it would probably be a good idea.

I'm considering shoveling out the 140 for the seasonic, but I'd really rather not.

EDIT: I'm looking at this one right now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012

EDIT 2: Well maybe not. There seems to be a common defect in the model with the fan bearings making a chirping noise.
 
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rudy said:
I also pointed out things like resale value, your old CPU isnt worth shit unless the next guy knows he can crank it up to 4.4 ghz and make some use of it. And lots of people have no intention of doing lots of things but a year or two down the line their desires change.
Click to expand...

And you're shoving an opinion down everyone's throat. He's not overclocking, let it be at that. 3+ year old computer hardware isn't worth the cheapest tea in the China, so quit talking about resale value. This isn't a high value car that's going to be traded off when the owner gets tired of it.

To the OP, the PC Part Picker configuration you got there is quite decent, but the 660 is not the card to be using. It's price/performance ratio isn't all that great. Throw in the 7850 that Dan mentioned, and it would come out better in the end. The 7850 can't be beat right in price/performance, unless Nvidia is willing to shave the price on the 660 Ti (wishful thinking).
 
Fishy Justice said:
On the PSU: I don't suppose there's another good modular one within that price range. With the current case I probably won't need one, but considering the life of PSU's and the fact I may want a second, smaller case when I go to uni it would probably be a good idea.

I'm considering shoveling out the 140 for the seasonic, but I'd really rather not.
Click to expand...

You should grab this today then:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1737122
 
All right, thanks a lot. I ordered everything from Danny's build except the gfx (which, honestly, I regret a little bit but too late now. Went with the suggested one from the other site) and the RAM (I opted for the two 4's).

Still really happy about the PSU bit. Even funnier now that the Seasonic x series is back in stock.

You guys are awesome, thanks again.
 
I ended up with the 660. And no I didn't do it for the free game, I did it because somebody I know who sort of knows computers may or may not have suggested it (it was unclear). It wasn't the most thought out decision but the card should get the job done, I think.
 
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