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Building My First Desktop

C

Crazej

n00b
Joined
Jun 13, 2011
Messages
6
Hey guys, this is going to be my first ever attempt at building a computer so any advice or feedback is greatly appreciated. My budget is 600$ CA. Ideally I would like to be able to run Starcraft II along with other multimedia software such as the Adobe Suite with ease. I don't plan on overclocking as I have zero experience with that. I already have a monitor that I use for my xbox which is around 22.5 inch if I remember correctly. I plan on buying and building this PC as soon as possible. My brother has an extra copy of Windows 7 I'm assuming 32bit but I'm not certain.

I quickly browsed TigerDirect last night and here are the parts Ive chosen. I could use some of your help and expertise on whether I should replace anything Ive picked out. Here goes:

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 BX80623I32100 Processor - Dual Core, 3MB L3 Smart Cache, 3.10 GHz, Socket H2 (LGA1155), Retail

Motherboard: ASUS P8H61-M LE CSM REV3 Intel 6 Series Motherboard - Micro ATX, Socket H2 (LGA1155), Intel H61 Express, DDR3 1333MHz, SATA 3.0 Gb/s, 8-Channel Audio, Gigabit LAN

Graphics: E145-0550 ::EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti Video Card - 1GB, GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0 (x16), Mini-HDMI, Dual DVI, DirectX 11, Dual-Slot, SLI Ready. Includes Digital Creativity Suite Bundle w/Registration

Memory: Corsair CMX4GX3M1A1333C9 XMS3 4GB DDR3 RAM - PC10666, 1333MHz, 4096MB

Power Supply: Corsair CMPSU-600CX Builder Series CX600 Power Suppy - ATX, 600 Watt, 120mm Ultra-Quiet Fan, Single +12V Rail

Hard Drive: Western Digital WD5000AAKS Caviar Blue Hard Drive - 500GB, 7200rpm, 16MB, SATA-300, OEM

Case: Thermaltake V3 Black Edition Mid Tower Case - ATX, Micro ATX, 120mm LED Fan, 4x 5.25 Bays, 5x 3.5 Bays

CD/DVD: Lite-On IHAS124-04 Internal DVD Writer - DVD+R 24X, DVD-R 24X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, DVD+R DL 8X, SATA (OEM)


The total comes down to 617$ without tax or shipping which I'll end up covering.

Thank you for your time and support.
 
Here's a better build from another great local supplier who also has 20 plus locations across ontario;

Intel Core i3-2100 Dual-Core Socket LGA1155 $129.99

Asus P8H61-M LE/CSM (Rev. 3.0) Socket 1155 Intel H61 $74.99

LG GH22NS50 Black SATA DVD-Writer $22.99

Thermaltake V3 Black Edition Mid Tower $39.99

Western Digital Caviar Blue (WD5000AAKX) 500GB SATA3 6GB/s $39.99

G.SKILL NQ Series DDR3 1333MHz (PC3-10666) 4GB (2x2GB) $40.99

Corsair Builder Series CX600 V2 600 Watt 80 PLUS� Certified $69.99

Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 6850 1GB $169.99

Total: $588.92

or you can go with a stronger amd quad core build and substitute these,

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (125W) Quad Core Socket AM3, 3.2GHz, 8Mb $119.99

Gigabyte GA-880GM-USB3 Socket AM3+ AMD 880G $94.99 - $10 mir this is the latest socket for AMD and its got sata3 6gb/s and usb3 and the other intel board doesnt.

total for this version of the build with the rest of the previous list comes to $598.92 - $10 mir
 
Last edited:
Hey hossdaddy, thanks for the reply. Ive actually changed a few things from a different forum so I'll post it here as well. Ive also decided to switch over and purchase everything from ++++.

Here goes:

CPU Intel Core i3 2100 Dual Core Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.1GHZ Sandy Bridge 3MB

Motherboard: I'm actually indecisive on which one I should get.
1) ASUS P8H61-M H61 DDR3 LGA1155 mATX PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 PCI HDMI VGA DVI B3 Motherboard
Or
2) Gigabyte GA-H61M-USB3-B3 mATX LGA1155 H61 DDR3 1PCI-E16 1PCI-E 2PCI DVI RGB Video Sound Motherboard

Graphic Card: EVGA GeForce GT 220 625MHZ 1Gb 1.58GHZ DDR3 PCI-E HDMI DVI-I VGA Video Card

Memory: Corsair CMV4GX3M2A1333C9 4GB DDR3 2X2GB DDR3-1333 CL9 Dual Channel Memory Kit

Power Supply: Corsair Builder Series CMPSU-600CX 600W ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 16MB Cache 7200RPM 3.5IN SATA Internal Hard Drive OEM

CPU Cooling: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro REV.2 CPU Heatsink Cooler LGA1366 LGA1155 LGA1156 AM2 AM3 W/ 92MM Fan

Case: Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio

CD/DVD: ASUS DRW-24B1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer OEM Black

Total: $626.89 (including tax + shipping)


Edit: Not sure why the website domain is censored out but I'll respect that.
Can I get some feedback on the graphic card Ive selected?
 
bud the gpu is a heap, the onboard gpu would be better. Are you looking at getting it from n c i x . com?
The setup I selected for you with the Intel build would smoke this build from a gaming standpoint.
Where do you live? Ontario?

None of those links work.
 
hossdaddy said:
bud the gpu is a heap, the onboard gpu would be better. Are you looking at getting it from n c i x . com?
The setup I selected for you with the Intel build would smoke this build from a gaming standpoint.
Where do you live? Ontario?

None of those links work.
Click to expand...

I'm located in Quebec and yes those links are from n c i x, where I plan on getting the parts. I respect your expertise so right after I'm done eating I'll reset my shopping cart on n c i x and let you know.
 
Is there any other graphic card I can go with that's a tad bit cheaper? Also is a CPU cooler a must?
For the links to work you must replace the '++++' with n c i x.

CPU: Intel Core i3 2100 Dual Core Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.1GHZ Sandy Bridge 3MB

Motherboard: ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM H61 DDR3 LGA1155 mATX PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 PCI VGA DVI B3 Motherboard

Graphic Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 775MHZ 1GB 4.0GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI DisplayPort HDMI PCI-E Video Card

Memory: G.SKILL F3-10666CL9D-4GBNQ PC3-10666 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1333 CL9-9-9-24 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit

Power Supply: Corsair Builder Series CMPSU-600CX 600W ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 16MB Cache 7200RPM 3.5IN SATA Internal Hard Drive OEM

CPU Cooling: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro REV.2 CPU Heatsink Cooler LGA1366 LGA1155 LGA1156 AM2 AM3 W/ 92MM Fan

Case: Thermaltake V3 Black Edition ATX Mid Tower Case Black 4X5.25 1X3.5 4X3.5INT Front USB Audio No PSU

CD/DVD: ASUS DRW-24B1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer OEM Black

Total: $663.87
Total with tax + shipping: $723.56
 
hossdaddy said:
bud the gpu is a heap, the onboard gpu would be better.
Click to expand...

Or put it this way, the GT 220 is not sufficiently faster than the i3-2100's integrated GPU to justify its current street price.
 
Crazej said:
Is there any other graphic card I can go with that's a tad bit cheaper? Also is a CPU cooler a must?
For the links to work you must replace the '++++' with n c i x.

CPU: Intel Core i3 2100 Dual Core Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.1GHZ Sandy Bridge 3MB

Motherboard: ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM H61 DDR3 LGA1155 mATX PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 PCI VGA DVI B3 Motherboard

Graphic Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 775MHZ 1GB 4.0GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI DisplayPort HDMI PCI-E Video Card

Memory: G.SKILL F3-10666CL9D-4GBNQ PC3-10666 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1333 CL9-9-9-24 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit

Power Supply: Corsair Builder Series CMPSU-600CX 600W ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 16MB Cache 7200RPM 3.5IN SATA Internal Hard Drive OEM

CPU Cooling: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro REV.2 CPU Heatsink Cooler LGA1366 LGA1155 LGA1156 AM2 AM3 W/ 92MM Fan

Case: Thermaltake V3 Black Edition ATX Mid Tower Case Black 4X5.25 1X3.5 4X3.5INT Front USB Audio No PSU

CD/DVD: ASUS DRW-24B1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer OEM Black

Total: $663.87
Total with tax + shipping: $723.56
Click to expand...

You don't need the third-party CPU cooler: The i3-2100 cannot be overclocked at all via the multiplier due to the CPU's lack of Turbo support, and the Sandy Bridge CPUs will hiccup if the BCLK is raised more than about 5MHz above the stock 100MHz. As a result, the i3-2100's maximum stable overclocked speed of only 3.255GHz is barely an overclock at all.

And even if you do need a third-party CPU cooler, the Arctic Freezer Pro that you linked to is not good enough to justify its current street price of $26 CAD. (Simply put, that HSF is a relatively poor bang for the buck.)
 
Ok since you are ordering from them here are a few substitutions I would recommend;
(note I am not providing links because hardocp is blocking them anyway)

XFX radeon 6850 $179.99 - $30 mir (comes with double lifetime warranty)

Antec High Current Gamer 620W $59.99 (this is an awesome psu and better than the corsair you picked)

for $10 more this is a much better case
Coolermaster Haf 912 Black Mid Tower ATX sku:55583

Other than that I agree with E4g1e with regards to the cpu cooler. You do not need it.

Good luck and don't forget to post pics when your done!!
 
Here is my new list. I managed to price match everything lower, and ended up with $600 on the dot. The total before the price match would have been $645 so I saved a nice $45. Total for everything now including tax + shipping will be $657.81 and I'm satisfied with that. That being said, here is hopefully my final list.

CPU: Intel Core i3 2100 Dual Core Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.1GHZ Sandy Bridge 3MB

Motherboard: ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM H61 DDR3 LGA1155 mATX PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 PCI VGA DVI B3 Motherboard

Graphic Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 775MHZ 1GB 4.0GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI DisplayPort HDMI PCI-E Video Card

Memory: G.SKILL F3-10666CL9D-4GBNQ PC3-10666 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1333 CL9-9-9-24 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit

Power Supply: Seasonic S12II 620W EPS12V 20/24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 80+ Bronze 6+8PIN PCI-E W/ 120MM Fan

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 16MB Cache 7200RPM 3.5IN SATA Internal Hard Drive OEM

Case: Thermaltake V3 Black Edition ATX Mid Tower Case Black 4X5.25 1X3.5 4X3.5INT Front USB Audio No PSU

CD/DVD: ASUS DRW-24B1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer OEM Black

Should I go for it? Any objections?
 
You really should answer the questions in the sticky, because for instance if you are flexible on price somewhat you could get more value out of certain components. Also for better matching components.

But more or less the same thing without price matching (might be less after, check with pricebat.ca) -

CPU - Intel Core i3 2100 - $118 (I'd really try for quad cores at this point, unless you are really on a budget)
http://www.++++.com/products/index.php?sku=58339&vpn=BX80623I32100&manufacture=Intel&promoid=1339

Mobo - Gigabyte GA-H61M - $80 (what do you need here?)
http://www.++++.com/products/index....61M-USB3-B3&manufacture=Gigabyte&promoid=1339

Memory - G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL Ripjaws PC3-12800 4GB 2X2GB- $44 (maybe 8gb?)
http://www.++++.com/products/?sku=42745&vpn=F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL&manufacture=G.Skill&promoid=1339

Video - XFX 6850 Custom- $170 -> $150 AR (what resolution? this should be ok for SC2 up to 1920x1200, did you want a reference card?)
http://www.++++.com/products/index.php?sku=57284&vpn=HD685XZDFC&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1339

HD - WD Caviar Blue 500gb - $45
http://www.++++.com/products/index....X&manufacture=Western Digital WD&promoid=1339

PSU - Seasonic S12II 620W - $84 (I'd pay a few dollars more for the Corsair TX650 v2, but even this isn't that necessary for your current load out)
http://www.++++.com/products/?sku=52174&vpn=S12II 620&manufacture=Seasonic Electronics

Case - Thermaltake V4 - $40 -> $30 AR (not sure what you are looking for in case)
http://www.++++.com/products/index.php?sku=54705&vpn=VM30001W2Z&manufacture=Thermaltake&promoid=1339

CD/DVD - Samsung SH-S243D/BEBE 24X Black DVD Writer SATA OEM - $21
http://www.++++.com/products/index.php?sku=45667&vpn=SH-S243D/BEBE&manufacture=Samsung&promoid=1339

$582 -> $552 After rebates

Also for N C I X, you need to click the sale banner or the "hot deals" link to get the best prices on many components.

Just to add -
For Starcraft 2, AMD cards have an issue with alt tabbing, in that it is slow to restore. I'm not sure if they have fixed this or not. Otherwise you need to play in seamless window mode to get around this if it matters to you.

Your productivity apps in Adobe Suite may benefit from a quad core and 8gb ram. Although Starcraft 2 is not likely to.
 
That Gigabyte H61 mobo linked above is one of the few mobos with such a low-end Intel chipset to feature an onboard USB 3.0 controller and two USB 3.0 ports. All of the other significant features of that mobo are typical of an H61 mobo.
 
I highly recommend the xfx radeon 6850 over the Sapphire version. The double lifetime warranty is great whereas Sapphire is only 2 years. I have the xfx 6870 and it is very well made and runs quite cool at low gpu temps.
 
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