Newbie needs help with PC build

[zanthia]

Last summer I bought a PC from one of the top boutique gaming PC companies. It cost me $2,100 with a 3-year warranty. Unfortunately it turned out to be a lemon and after 3 months it was returned, but I was able to get a full refund. I looked at other companies to buy a PC from, such as Main Gear and Puget Sound and they were much more expensive and I’ve heard horrible things about IBuyPower and CyberPower which were cheaper.

I really wanted to get a pre-built PC but didn’t know where to go, as I know nothing about parts, or how to build a PC. Pre-built ones will overclock and I’m afraid to do that.

Here are the part components for the machine I did get and would like a PC at least as good for the same money as I keep hearing that building it myself is cheaper:

Case: HAF 922
Processor: Intel Core i7 2600K
Motherboard: ASUS P8P67
Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
Power Supply: 750W Corsair TX
Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 1.2GB
Cooler: Noctua NH-U12P SE
Hard drive: SSD 120GB Solid State - Intel Model: 320
Hard Drive 2: 1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache)
DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x
Integrated audio
Windows 7 Home

Here are my answers to the questions about my future PC:


1: What will you be doing with this PC: Photoshop, gaming, and web browsing/

2: What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included: $2,000 – not counting rebates, includes tax and shipping

3: Which country do you live in: Seattle, WA USA

4: What exact parts do you need for that budget: Case, Processor, Motherboard, Memory, Power Supply, Video card, Cooler, Hard drive (2), DVD Drive, Windows 7 Home

For the hard drives, I would like a 120 SSD for the OS, and a 2TB for data.

5: If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing: None

6: Will you be overclocking: No – can the CPU be overclocked without voiding the warranty?
Are the overclocked video cards they sell worth it?

7: What is the max resolution of your monitor: 27-inch, 1920x1080

8: When do you plan on building/buying the PC: Within the next couple of weeks

9: What features do you need in a motherboard: USB 3.0: Don’t really know what any of the other things do. I will not be doing dual video cards

10: Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license: No.


I am interested in good quality parts, not necessarily the cheapest parts.


Thanks for your help

Zanthia

 

[Dangman]

So do you still want a prebuilt or are you planning on learning about how to build a PC?

Also, which PC Boutique did you buy from earlier?

And yes the CPU can be OC'd without voiding the warranty in a way.

 

[djgizmo]

Well, I'd swap out the 2600k for a 2500k for your specific use.

Also, at this point there is no reason not to go 16gb of ram.
( so that you can use win7 64bit in all it's glory )

The only other recommendation I have is swap the mother board for Maximus gene-z. It's has a lot of punch for the money. USB 3 and esata. Also has the option to use the onboard IGP to drive a 3rd monitor for desktop use.

 

[Quartz-1]

Any issues with size or noise that we should consider? Do you need the PC to be transportable?

 

[Tsuyoi]

Off the top of my head, if you want a pre-built computer with the ability to pick your own parts, I'd recommend AVADirect. I've used them before for laptops, they're pretty fast and have great customer service. They'll let you pick just about every single component in your computer.

However, they do of course charge a premium for their parts, so you'll end up paying a lot more than if you built your own. If you don't know how to assemble a computer, I would recommend looking around for smaller computer shops around your area, they'll probably have some employee willing to do the assembly for you for a fee, which'll still be cheaper than buying a prebuilt.

Anyways, in terms of parts, here's a list of replacements and why:

i5-2500k: performs as well as the i7-2600k for gaming needs, but cheaper.

16 gb of 1600 ram, cause it's dirt cheap.

ASUS P8Z68-V MoBo, more reliable than the p8p67 and more functionality like integrated graphics.

Nvidia GTX 560 Ti 448 core, 97% of the performance of the 570 for a lot cheaper.

CM Hyper 212+ HSF, one of the better HSFs on the market for a great price.

Crucial M4 SSD, one of the fastest and most reliable SSDs.

 

[zanthia]

The parts I listed are the minimum I would want. I don't want to downgrade any of them.

What I need to know is what brands and models I can get that meet my needs. I don't upgrade often so the requirements I listed are the minimum I want. I would go for better parts if it keeps within my budget.

Danny Bui: Good to know about the CPU, I'd rather not publicly say the name of the company - PM me if you still want to know. I plan on building the PC.

Quartz-1: It does not need to be transportable. It must be quiet though, but I don't want to get into liquid cooling.

Tsuyoi: I don't want to downgrade the CPU.

I was thinking of upgrading the RAM (does brand name matter or just go for the cheapest one in 16 RAM.) Also, what do the 4 numbers (ex: 9-9-9-22) mean that I've seen in New Egg's listing?


Thank you

Zanthia

 

[Forceman]

Okay, I'll take a stab at it for you. If you don't want to downgrade anything, how about this:

$355 Intel 2600K and Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB DDR3-1600
$185 Asus P8Z68-V Gen 3
$329 XFX AMD HD 6970 2GB
$195 Crucial M4 128GB
$139 (with $30 promo code) WD Caviar Green 2TB
$99 Corsair TX750 V2
$18 Samsung SH-222AL DVD Burner
$30 CoolerMaster Hyper 212+
$99 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

So thats $1450 (there is also $40 in MIR with those selections) and you'll just need to add the case of your choice.

 

[Dangman]

I recommend checking out these cases:

$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite Black ATX Case
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
$70 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K58 ATX Case
$70 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K56 ATX Case
$80 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K58W ATX Case
$65 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$98 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case
$90 - Cooler Master HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$120 - Lian Li PC-9F ATX Case
$120 - Fractal Design Define R3 Arctic White ATX Case
$130 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl ATX Case
$120 - Fractal Design Define R3 Silver Arrow ATX Case
$133 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$137 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$140 - Antec Performance One Series P183 V3 ATX Case
$143 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-W ATX case
$150 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$164 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$190 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case
$270 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Full Tower ATX Case

 

[zanthia]

Forceman:

Do you know the difference between the Crucial SSD drive you listed and this Crucial drive?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448


How does the 6970 compare to the 570 video card?

Thank you


Zanthia

 

[E4g1e]

Forceman:

Do you know the difference between the Crucial SSD drive you listed and this Crucial drive?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448

Only difference is that the pricier m4 includes additional software and cables to enable data transfer from your old system drive onto the new SSD. If you're just installing the OS and software from scratch, however, you don't need those extras, thus saving yourself $5 in the process.

 

[Forceman]

Forceman:

Do you know the difference between the Crucial SSD drive you listed and this Crucial drive?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448


How does the 6970 compare to the 570 video card?

Thank you


Zanthia

That one comes with the cable for transferring files - not really needed if you are doing a fresh install/build - otherwise they are the same.

The 6970 and 570 pretty much trade blows in games, but the 6970 has 2GB of VRAM so it has a little more legroom, and is a little cheaper (especially after rebate). The two cards are pretty interchangeable though, so if you have a preference one way or the other.

 

[Tsuyoi]

If you really have the budget for such a killer rig, why not spring out for a gtx 580, or even the 7970? So far all your components are pretty much top of the line except for your GPU.

Memory wise, typically any Gskill or Corsair or Kingston RAM will be fine, just make sure it's DDR3 and rated for 1.5V. The actual clock speeds (1333, 1600,1866) and timings (9 9 9 27, 8 8 8 x, etc) don't matter nearly as much as capacity, and are pretty much obsolete with sandy bridge processors.