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Building a PC for the first time

C

CynanMachae

n00b
Joined
Feb 17, 2014
Messages
5
I've been wanting to build my first PC for some time now, and finally decided to dive into it.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Multipurpose PC, mostly for gaming, web browsing, video/streaming, a little basic video editing here and there
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I'm aiming around 1000-1200 but this is kinda flexible (I can spend a few more)
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Quebec, Canada
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.
  • Computer case
  • Case fans if not included with the case
  • Power supply
  • Motherboard
  • Processor
  • Heatsink
  • Heatsink fan
  • RAM
  • Hard drive
  • Video card
  • Bluray player

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers will all be reused
6) Will you be overclocking?
Don't think so
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1360x786, 19 inches, plan on maybe getting a 2nd monitor in the next year or so
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Obviously sooner the better, but I can wait for a month or two if this means some difference
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.
Standard stuff
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, windows 7 64 bit


So far, the parts I've chosen are:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($304.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($92.29 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($279.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($70.48 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1052.72
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-17 13:47 EST-0500)

Talking to some friends and people who could help me a bit, so far I've already made the following changes (hopefully good ones?):
Processor from AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor to Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
SDD from Intel 320 Series 160GB 2.5" Solid State Disk to Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
HDD from Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive to Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Upped Power Supply from CX 430 to CX 500

My last comp was a GX640 laptop that I bought in spring 2010 I'm looking for a good upgrade (shouldn't be hard since this was a laptop) than can last me probably around the same time or a bit longer.

So since my budget is not set in stone, I'm looking for recommandations as well as comments on the changes I've made so far, and if my goals are realist with this PC. Also I'm not sure about stuff like cooling/fans/heatsink so any help here would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
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You're close but not quite there:
- Since you're not overclocking at all nor are you doing any really CPU intensive tasks, there's no reason for you to get the Core i7 4770K. You'll be fine with the cheaper Core i5 4570 CPU.

- With your low resolution, there's no real point in getting that R9 270X card since it's basically extreme overkill. You'd have to upgrade your monitor to one with a resolution of 1920x1080 before the R9 270X makes sense. If you're not going to buy a new monitor within the next 2-6 months, drop the video card down to the R7 260X.

- Case wise, I'd go with the Corsair 230T as it's newer and has some improvements over the Corsair 300R like better HDD cooling and slightly more space behind the motherboard tray to hide cables.
 
Thanks!
Yea, I was having doubts about the i7 so I'll downgrade to the i5.

About the vidcard, well I do plan on getting a new monitor (my LG W1953T is getting old, but right now I have no problem with it) because I'm quite used to using two screens (laptop + standalone) so it could be rather soon. But let's say I'm getting a new on in 6-12 months from now and get a R7 260X, how much would I be loosing out on the resolution? I'm aiming for a PC that will last me a few years without having to upgrade anything really, so I dont mind paying a bit more if it's worth it down the road.

Also, I've been suggested this CPU Cooler ( Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler). Do I need it?
 
Given that it is your first comp, i want you to be able to play inside of it really easily, you should get a bigger case, so you can add things, swap things at will, easily, and since you arent trying to pinch every dollar.

Also, 1100$ us or canadian?
 
Well, I'm fine using USD in the topic cuz it's easier, but obv in CAD I'm aiming closer to 1100-1300.

For the case, does the Corsair 230T suggested above seems big enough or do you have another to suggest?
 
IMO, the 230T is big enough.

As for the CPU cooler, only get it if your home gets really hot during the summer time and you can't afford to run the air-conditioning on all the time.

In regards to the GPU, 6 to 12 months is just too long IMO to justify spending the extra cash for the R9 270X, especially considering the somewhat inflated pricing right now. Though at $280 CAD for the R9 270X, that's kinda overpriced for it considering that you can get the slightly faster eVGA GTX 760 2GB for about the same price.

Though it appears that you have the money to get a new monitor if my head math is right.

Oh yeah, the PSU: I would not recommend getting any of the Corsair CX-M PSUs as they are of lower quality than their CX brothers. My general PSU recommendation has been the Seasonic SSR-550RM 550W Modular PSU.
 
CynanMachae, don't use PCPartsPicker because it uses U.S.-based retailers for its parts selections.

The NCIX site you should look at is ncix.com.
 
Yes I agree with changing to the i5. Recently the R9 270x has been overpriced and the GTX equivalent are slightly more expensive ($20), but quite a bit more performance. My pricing info is US based so it might be different there. I'm just saying you should look into it.
 
Ok so after checking some more stuff I think I'm pretty much decided. I'll probably be ordering by the start of this week, but just want to post this, making sure it should be alright :p Also, all price are now in CAD and pricematched on ncix (which is where I'll be ordering)

CPU: Intel Core i5 4570 Quad Core 3.2GHZ Processor $214.79 CAD
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard $150.06 CAD
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 $89.99 CAD
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk $99.99 CAD + 5.99$ shipping (this one I'm ordering from newegg since it's back order on ncix and can't be pricematched)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $64.75 CAD
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX760 2GB $279.99 CAD
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 230T Black Gaming Case ATX $65.97 CAD
Power Supply: Seasonic G Series 550W ATX 80PLUS Gold Modular $94.99 CAD
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer $85.05 CAD
Total: $1151.57 CAD (or $1,034.10 USD)

I hesitated for a while on the GPU and PSU, and decided I'd put a bit more into it and will get a new monitor in the following weeks. Seems the GTX 760 is about the same price as the R9 270X around here. The Seasonic G Series 550W really had good reviews too.

Thanks guys!
 
I recommend the following motherboard instead of the Asus Z87-A:

$90 CAD - Asus B85M-G LGA1150 micro ATX motherboard

While the Z87-A is a good motherboard (Asus' customer service and RMA issues aside), you haven't given any indication that you need its advanced features. You're not overclocking (and with the i5-4570, you can't), you don't really have a need for SLI or CrossFire (given the current resolution you're using), and you gave no indication that you're going with some sort of RAID configuration. The B85M-G can meet all of your motherboard needs for significantly less.

Speaking of which, you can save some more money by switching out your RAM kit for:

$80 CAD - Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM (sale price, expires 2/26)

There is no noticeable performance loss from going with a single stick of RAM versus using a dual-channel set.
 
I would highly recommend you get a larger SSD:
Samsung 840 Evo Series MZ-7TE250BW 250GB for $198.99.

If you plan on keeping your computer for a while, then 120GB will start to be a pain really soon.

A minor thing is, why would you not overclock your CPU? Lots of people here will help you, and since you plan on keeping your PC for a while overclocking can help you extent the life of your PC, not to mention your immediate desire to do some video editing.

The i5 4670K is on sale at ncix.com for $254.99, and with that Cooler Master CPU cooler you mentioned you would have a pretty much top of the line PC processor performance.
 
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For the SSD, since I mostly aim to use it for the OS and the stuff I'm using the most, I feel that the 120 GB + 1TB HDD should be enough, but I'll look into it.

About the overclocking, I do plan indeed to do some occasional video editing, but nothing really serious and since I already downgraded from an i7 it seems I wouldn't need as much CPU performance. But I really don't know much about overclocking and it's effects, so maybe I'm wrong :p

Thanks for the Crucial RAM, seems I missed that, and also the motherboard, I guess I wanted to keep my options open since it's not a part you want to change down the road. But yea. it might be unnecessary,
 
Buy the GTX780 Ti for gaming will be best choose for GAMING if you plan to :)
 
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