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First Build

W

Wysockisauce

n00b
Joined
Apr 21, 2012
Messages
47
Long time lurker here. Decided to make an account since I'm building my first PC from the ground up.

1) The PC is for gaming and general computing.
2) Budget is $4,000 but I'm not looking to spend $ for the sake of e-peen.
3) I live in Chicago.
4) I'll be buying everything so Monitor, Mouse, Keyboard, Computer
5) I wont be reusing any parts.
6) I will be overclocking
7) I'm looking to game at 1080p
8) I'll be building as soon as I can get my hands on a 690gtx
9) I don't need any specific features on the mobo but having them for the sake of upgrades etc. would be nice.
10) I will be buying a new copy of windows 7 64 bit.

I want to make a pc that's fairly mobile since I'm going to be taking it with me when I travel. I've already done a bit of research and so I'm making this post to make sure I didn't miss any components that might be better for the money.

Case - LIAN LI PC-V354B (I wanted a langear dabox 100 but I cant seem to find them anywhere)

Psu - SeaSonic Platinum Platinum-860 860W (Probably overkill for these components but I'm looking to reuse it in future builds)

Mobo - ASUS Maximus V Gene

RAM - Mushkin Redline 8 GB : 2 x 4 GB Memory - DIMM 240-pin - 2133 MHz

HDD - Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe 240GB (Will be the only HDD in the system)

CPU - Core i7-3770K

GPU - 680gtx

Cooler - Antec KUHLER H2O 920e (Will be mounted on the exhaust vent)

Monitor - Dell UltraSharp U2412M

Keyboard - Ducky Shine DK9008S - Green LED Mechanical Keyboard (Red Cherry MX)

Mouse - RAZER Naga Hex

Disk Drive - ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner

Case Fans - GELID Solutions FN-FW12PL-18 120mm Green LED Case Fan (Will replace the stock blue fans)



Any comments are appreciated, thanks in advance.
 
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Great choice of parts IMO, I would lose that keyboard though because the layout looks crappy and there are some better options out there such as the FILCO, DUCKY, WASD and etc. I would take a look at the mech keyboard thread here for lots of info.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1468692


edit:

Also that monitor does not look too special based on the specs. With that kind of budget maybe you should look into screen with better panels like the u2410 or these 27" 2560x1440 monitors going for around $400

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1675393
 
master noran said:
Great choice of parts IMO, I would lose that keyboard though because the layout looks crappy and there are some better options out there such as the FILCO, DUCKY, WASD and etc. I would take a look at the mech keyboard thread here for lots of info.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1468692


edit:

Also that monitor does not look too special based on the specs. With that kind of budget maybe you should look into screen with better panels like the u2410 or these 27" 2560x1440 monitors going for around $400

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1675393
Click to expand...

Don't know much about keyboards, thanks for the link there.

As for the monitor this one is probably just a temp since I won't be bringing it along with me when I'm traveling. Wouldn't want to break the bank on it. Just looking for a solid 24in.+ 1080p display. I only really picked the asus cause of the new egg reviews :)
 
Nice collection.

I don't have a problem with the monitor, as a cheaper monitor will make it easier to eyefinity if you decide to. I like the screens with 16:10 better tho. The 1920 x 1200 resolution gives more viewing area. Don't know about price or if they still make em like that.

Also, I would cut back a bit on the SSD a bit to be able to afford a high capacity HDD. I mean like, get a 120 or 128 GB for your OS and 1, 1.5 or 2 TB HDD for everything else. I got a 60 GB SSD for my budget build (a month old) and reused a 160GB HDD from my previous system. I'm already needing to add another cos of all the documents and games i'll accumulated. Didn't think i'd need it for a while but now i do.
 
I'm actually pretty set on the hdd size. I've been using a laptop with a 250 gig hdd for 3 years and have no space issues. Probably because I don't keep a lot of movies and only a few gigs of music on it.

I also want to remove both hard drive cages in the case to improve airflow. I don't know if I'd like to add a mechanical hard drive internally. Might just get an external one if I run out of room.

I've been looking over the keyboard thread and I must say the Ducky Shine has really caught my eye. I think I'll like the cherry mx red switches and the red back lighting will go along with the theme of my build nicely.

Edit: Huh, I just noticed they have green backlit ducky shine keyboards, I think I might change the color scheme of my set up.
 
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Wysockisauce said:
1) The PC is for gaming and general computing.
....
CPU - Core i7-3770K
Click to expand...
Since the big thing you're doing just gaming, you would be fine with the i5 3750K. No need for the i7 3770K unless you're doing a ton of video, 3D, or audo editing/rendering.
Wysockisauce said:

HDD - Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe 240GB (Will be the only HDD in the system)
Click to expand...
I'd recommend the more reliable Crucial m4 series or Intel 520 series if you want a Sandforce.
 
Do you plan on joining Team 33? If so, go with the 3770k. :p
 
I might do a bit of folding, so I don't mind spending $100 on HT. Don't think I'll be going with x79 and a hexacore cpu though :D

Thanks for all the recommendations.
 
I've been reading up on monitors and came up with the Dell UltraSharp U2412M. Seems like it's a good all-rounder.
 
Phewww.. For a budget of $4000 I would go the water cooling route. Wait for the 690 and water cool your entire rig. But that is only if you are going to spend $4000.
 
happyboy said:
Phewww.. For a budget of $4000 I would go the water cooling route. Wait for the 690 and water cool your entire rig. But that is only if you are going to spend $4000.
Click to expand...

That was my original plan, to sli and water cool everything (even had all the parts picked out :D ). But I learned I would be traveling a lot so I decided to go with a micro atx build that would let me bring my computer along as a carry on.

I've seen water cooling loops in micro atx systems but it seems pointless to me since there isn't enough rad area in these small cases to cool components effectively.
 
Good choice of components, I think your original $4000 budget was too much for 1080p gaming anyway.

As RAM is so cheap nowadays you might as well go with 16GB.
 
Wysockisauce said:
That was my original plan, to sli and water cool everything (even had all the parts picked out :D ). But I learned I would be traveling a lot so I decided to go with a micro atx build that would let me bring my computer along as a carry on.

I've seen water cooling loops in micro atx systems but it seems pointless to me since there isn't enough rad area in these small cases to cool components effectively.
Click to expand...

Ah, if you want a true gaming mITX form and also want it to be portable. Taking into consideration that budget too but then again this build will not exceed $4000. It would probably at most meet the $1700-1800 limit. I recommend getting one of those Shuttle barebones and you could just get a Blu-ray Rom of your choice. Pick up a i7 2600 and 690 when it comes out. What you get in return is a beast in probably the smallest machine possible.
 
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happyboy said:
Ah, if you want a true gaming mITX form and also want it to be portable. Taking into consideration that budget too but then again this build will not exceed $4000. It would probably at most meet the $1700-1800 limit. I recommend getting one of those Shuttle barebones and you could just get a Blu-ray Rom of your choice. Pick up a i7 2600 and 690 when it comes out. What you get in return is a beast in probably the smallest machine possible.
Click to expand...

mini ITX would be nice but there doesn't seem to be a lot of space in these cases. I think high end components would get toasty rather quickly, no chance of overclocking in one of those. Also the power supplies they come with are really weak, i doubt the 690 will run on anything less than a 700watt psu when it comes out.

That's why the da box 100 was such a great case, it was tiny, had a shit ton of fans and fit standard atx psu's and tower coolers. I think the v354 is a good compromise though since it's small enough to take as a carry on, yet big enough to fit and adequately cool the big boy parts.
 
Wysockisauce said:
mini ITX would be nice but there doesn't seem to be a lot of space in these cases. I think high end components would get toasty rather quickly, no chance of overclocking in one of those. Also the power supplies they come with are really weak, i doubt the 690 will run on anything less than a 700watt psu when it comes out.

That's why the da box 100 was such a great case, it was tiny, had a shit ton of fans and fit standard atx psu's and tower coolers. I think the v354 is a good compromise though since it's small enough to take as a carry on, yet big enough to fit and adequately cool the big boy parts.
Click to expand...

Hmm. I wouldn't say the v354 is that small actually. I actually bought that exact case from someone on here. A heads up for you. If you plan to use many HDDs and want to install a 690, you will have to sacrifice the HDD cage on the bottom making it 3 usable HDDs. Other than that, I think the v354 is a solid case, but kind of big in my opinion. Look at this one -->http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...83 600006320&IsNodeId=1&name=Mini-ITX Desktop
 
At a $4000 budget, why 8GB of RAM?

Might as well go for 16GB or even 32GB - it's so cheap right now. Even at a $1500 or less budget I'd say grab 16GB.
 
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