Author Topic: Need help choosing parts for a desktop.  (Read 3000 times)

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Offline Fur

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Need help choosing parts for a desktop.
« on: June 25, 2013, 03:40:29 am »
I have £800 to build a gaming PC. I'll be using this for gaming, programming, and just about everything else I do.

Here is some stuff I've already decided on:
    RAM: Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB 1600MHz - £58.29 // Cheap and has good reviews.
    Monitor: ASUS VE247H - £129.99 // Pretty good reviews (and price). Will try to find a cheaper one.
    HDD: Western Digital 1TB internal Hard Drive - £50.97 // Cheapest I could find.
    Wireless card: TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 N900 - £27.98 // Bit overkill, may select a cheaper one.
    DVD drive: LG GH24NS95.AUAA 24x SATA - £14.99
   
CPU:
    I'm looking for an Intel i5.
    Arbitrary overclocking is a must (unlocked chip).
    I'm currently considering the i5-3570K.

Graphics card:
    I want to be able to run most 2012 games on high (maybe that's pushing it?).

Motherboard:
   32GB of RAM support.
   At least 4 SATA ports.
   
PSU:
    I'll sort that out after I've got everything else chosen.

Case:
    I was thinking about the Corsair Carbide Series 300R CC-9011014-WW or the Zalman Z11.
    Lots of cooling support would be nice.

Fans:
    I'll decide on case fans once I have decided on a case.
    I'll decide on a CPU fan when I have decided on a motherboard.


This will be my main machine for 3 - 5 years (I'll upgrade it from time to time).
I don't really want to spend the full £800, but will if it is necessary.
I've never built a computer before, although I have watched some videos of people assembling them (seems straightforward enough).
What else will I need (even small things like cables) aside from an ESD wristwrap?

So, what do you recommend?

P.S: Sorry if I sound like an idiot, hardware has never really been my thing (> TFW poor).
P.S.S: If my expectations are unrealistic, I can just sacrifice graphics card performance.
« Last Edit: July 30, 2013, 01:05:17 am by Fur »

Offline Darkvision

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Re: Need help choosing parts for a gaming desktop.
« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2013, 05:31:04 am »
fur, do you have a mic and a voice chat program? when helping someone build i prefer to just be able to talk...as this shit gets super detailed.


anyway some basics:
a wrist strap is unnecessary so long as you ground yourself to the case(ie always have an arm touching it.) not saying you cant use a wrist strap or some such, just that if you are careful it is an unnecessary purchase. i built my first machine something like 16 years ago, and built/been inside who knows how many hundreds since. never fried a component.


When building a PC always start with your mother board. this informs the parts your going to purchase. if you do it the other way around you end up excluding parts that could be used.


when looking at a PSU ALWAYS spend the extra cash for at least a 2 rail, preferably 4. Make sure to figure out what wattage your system is going to total under load, and get a PSU that is at least 50w over that. preferably 100-150w over. This is to prevent it from working its ass off during peak load of your components. it will last longer, and you shouldnt get crashes from lack of power. the 4 rail(or 2 rail) simply helps ensure that your components dont get damaged. I recommend replacing the PSU EVERY new build(3-5 years). When one of these things starts going bad it can fry your components. trust me its no fun spending 800$ on a system, skimping on the PSU and watching it fry your system.


ignore this if your going water cooled:
Buying a super high end case generally isnt worth the investment, you can generally find a very good case for between 50-80$. Just make sure to purchase extra fans for the system. high temps shorten the life of your hardware.


With that being said, id say of the two you are currently looking at the corsair case is better. zalman z11 only has 2 120mm and 2 80mm fan locations. If you intend to reuse the case, or upgrade the systems potential, you will hit a limit of how much the case can cool your parts very fast. When adding extra fans remember you want some of them pulling in and some pushing air out, generally you would do 2 pushing out the back/top. side pulling in, front pulling in. Also keep in mind its better to have your case on top of your desk and clear of obstructions to maximize airflow/prevent it from sucking in heated air from the back.




eh this scratches the surface.....hope it helps :)
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Offline lucid

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Re: Need help choosing parts for a gaming desktop.
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2013, 05:53:45 am »
Well, I'm not at all hardware inclined and I've never built my own PC before so the next bit of advice I'm going to give should be taken as such.

Why not go for an i7? Also, I'm not sure if this applies to just laptops or if it's all screens but maybe find something other than an Asus monitor. It seems to me that everyone happens to buy Asus monitors for their rig so maybe I'm wrong and there just fine but, I've heard a lot of bad things about Asus hardware. Particularly the screens. Also, I've had an Asus laptop for about two years and the hardware is kind of crapping out on me. The screen has dead pixels. I love my laptop but I'm not sure I'd get Asus products again. Someone correct me if I'm wrong about this.
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Offline proxx

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Re: Need help choosing parts for a gaming desktop.
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2013, 06:15:42 am »
This may sound old fashioned but saving money on your CPU is not the way the go.
You can upgrade almost anything but that.
I have a i7-3770k running stock 3.5GHz.
Overclocked the 'turbo' to 4.4 running stable.

Ive considered those cheap watercoolers but after reading a lot of reviews I decided to go with air cooling.
The noctua D14 is really good and keeps my system on idle at roughly 30 degrees C.
On high load it never comes much above 60, which is very acceptable for i7 cores.

I suggest you go for an SSD drive as main (small is fine) and some slower drive for storage.

When you have that the rest is up to you :P
You could expand this to a decent gaming rig with a good GPU.

RAM is not that important , you can always stick in another module.
DVD drive lol .. what is that :P

I believe I have exactly one in some laptop somewhere, thats so 2005.
 
« Last Edit: June 25, 2013, 10:49:55 am by proxx »
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Offline Snayler

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Re: Need help choosing parts for a gaming desktop.
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2013, 10:30:04 am »
If you're thinking of using your GPU to process data, go with AMD. They can process more by a cheaper price than NVIDIA.
DVD drive lol .. what is that :P
Lol. I'm currently thinking of switching my HDD with an SSD and switch my DVD drive with the original HDD, since I rarely use the DVD drive and having a bigger storage capacity would be more advantageous for me. Oh, I'm talking about a laptop, as this would be just stupid on a desktop.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2013, 10:34:45 am by Snayler »

Offline NovaCygni

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Re: Need help choosing parts for a gaming desktop.
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2013, 12:09:30 pm »
If you're thinking of using your GPU to process data, go with AMD. They can process more by a cheaper price than NVIDIA
Very true, for gaming id also say Nvidia but if you want to crack hashes anytime go with ATI, I had a Triple GTX690 setup and the gaming was amazing... the Hash cracking was pathetic though with a single HD6990 outperforming all 3 Nvidia cards.

Also, Get a SSD and a normal drive, then run the Operating systems of SSD but use the larger drives for storage.
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Offline Darkvision

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Re: Need help choosing parts for a gaming desktop.
« Reply #6 on: June 26, 2013, 02:43:34 am »
@lucid/proxx/fur :CPU is not all its cracked up to be. while its good to have a strong cpu, going with an i7 would leave him with a crap computer for what he wants to do. The only real difference between an i7 vs i5 quad core is an extra 2mb l3 cache. is that worth 100$+? no. especially when looking at the fact he wants to game, very few games are nearly as CPU intensive as GPU intensive. As for cracking, obviously he can still use GPU power in addition to the CPU. going with a quad core i5 is a better choice. if he were actually advanced he could do his research on an i3 save even more and pick up an i7 for a steal. but that would take a long time to get into...so just going to recommend i5 for what he wants to do. (well really id recommend amd over intel, more bang for the buck, but meh)


anyway aside from that ram is VERY important. its not just "stick another stick in" channel speeds, cas latency and compatibility matter. This is why its better to pick up a duel or quad channel kit vs buying them as singles. they actually test that the ram works well together. As far as the cas latency goes for what he is looking at its rather decent, especially while over clocked. assuming the motherboard he gets has good overclocking support/unlock potential the ram will suit his needs well.


To me, if your gaming in the past hell decade, ATI has been ahead of nvidia. That being said always be careful of your final manufacturer.(for either nvidia or ati) Different manufactures use different quality parts and quality of tests on their cards. Which is why you will see things like one card(of the same chipset) having a faster memory/clock speed than another.


few last general things:
1:Acer has gone WAY down hill these past 5 years as far as quality goes. i would NOT recommend anything that they make.
2:if you notice a component missing stats.(using GPU as an example) such as its clock speed or memory speed etc, its 99% of the time because the company's specs cant compete, ie they used really shitty part their. do not buy that card.
3:SSD's are great for booting/playing games off of. downside is security wise they suck at erasure from a security standpoint.
4:Do not look to buy a "next" gen mobo. the latest PCI standard is out soon, meaning it will NOT be good for upgrading. find a solid i5 board to do you for the next 2-4 years then upgrade everything.


well i was more awake for this one...but its still just the surface :P. hope it helps.
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Offline Fur

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Re: Need help choosing parts for a gaming desktop.
« Reply #7 on: June 26, 2013, 03:29:21 am »
a wrist strap is unnecessary so long as you ground yourself to the case
Better safe than sorry :P Also, a wrist strap is always nice (especially for a couple of quid).

Quote
Acer has gone WAY down hill these past 5 years as far as quality goes. i would NOT recommend anything that they make.
Noted. I'll look for an alternative for about the same price.

always be careful of your final manufacturer.(for either nvidia or ati) Different manufactures use different quality parts and quality of tests on their cards.
This is what confused me when I was looking at the Nvidia GeForce GTX 660. There were so many manufacturers making the same thing. Thanks for that.

I suggest you go for an SSD drive as main (small is fine) and some slower drive for storage.
I was thinking of that, but then reconsidered as they're expensive (relative to platter-based drives in terms of storage capacity to price) and are hard to erase from. I'll probably get one later down the line (hopefully by then they'll be cheaper ;)).

fur, do you have a mic and a voice chat program?
Unfortunately not.

I think I love all of you.

I've considered all of your advice and am now looking for parts.

Offline mhtsaras

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Re: Need help choosing parts for a gaming desktop.
« Reply #8 on: July 17, 2013, 12:37:21 am »
I hope you don't need monitor
all 813$ or 882$ with 7950

Staff note: all bbcode shit removed along with the text. Post properly or don't post at all.
« Last Edit: July 17, 2013, 07:46:45 pm by Kulverstukas »

Offline Fur

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Re: Need help choosing parts for a gaming desktop.
« Reply #9 on: July 17, 2013, 03:18:04 am »
all 813$ or 882$ with 7950
I use British Pound Sterling, so $813 converts to £537.
That's bloody excellent for the price, but doesn't really suit my needs. Thanks anyway. Haz a cookie for your effort.
« Last Edit: July 17, 2013, 03:18:19 am by Fur »

Offline Darkvision

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Re: Need help choosing parts for a gaming desktop.
« Reply #10 on: July 17, 2013, 10:17:04 am »
I use British Pound Sterling, so $813 converts to £537.
That's bloody excellent for the price, but doesn't really suit my needs. Thanks anyway. Haz a cookie for your effort.


you never did answer/address a few things, are you still dead set on an intel chipset or say a nvidia card?
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Offline Fur

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Re: Need help choosing parts for a gaming desktop.
« Reply #11 on: July 17, 2013, 06:04:49 pm »

you never did answer/address a few things, are you still dead set on an intel chipset or say a nvidia card?
I'm going to go with an Intel chipset, but I'm not sure on the GPU.


Here is my current specifications:
CPU: Intel Core i5 4670K
GPU: ??? // Maybe a Nvidia GTX 660 TI or a 670.
PSU: ??? // 600 - 750 watts should be enough.
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z87X-OC
Case: Fractal Design Define R4
RAM: Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance 8GB
HDD: Western Digital 1TB internal Hard Drive

I'm just a little worried about which motherboard to get.

I'll post when I've purchased the parts.

Offline Darkvision

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Re: Need help choosing parts for a gaming desktop.
« Reply #12 on: July 17, 2013, 08:28:48 pm »
I'm going to go with an Intel chipset, but I'm not sure on the GPU.


Here is my current specifications:
CPU: Intel Core i5 4670K
GPU: ??? // Maybe a Nvidia GTX 660 TI or a 670.
PSU: ??? // 600 - 750 watts should be enough.
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z87X-OC
Case: Fractal Design Define R4
RAM: Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance 8GB
HDD: Western Digital 1TB internal Hard Drive

I'm just a little worried about which motherboard to get.

I'll post when I've purchased the parts.


by current specs you mean you already own these? if so upgrading to an i7 from taht i5 would be a waste of a lot of money. or if its the one you are looking at, i would say its not a bad pick at all for the 200$ range.


That mobo is both a good over all brand, as well as having some neat features. however a few points to consider:
if your looking at some of the larger(length wise) CPU heatsinks you need to be carefull that it doesnt block out ram slots and clears the built in sink around the CPU.  Most heatsinks wont be an issue, but a few you wont be able to use and if you plan on over clocking at all you HAVE to get a good after market heatsink. That aside id say it looks like a solid board, THAT being said 400$ for a motherboard? holy fuck. As stated earlier new gen mobos are just around the corner. meaning that 400$ mobo is a one off. so a few suggestions:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
pos/cons:
 heatsink can not be super wide with this design. if the cards are large you may not get full use of slots. still good capacitors and features especially for the price. Ive never used this brand board nor do i know anyone who has. still rather decent reviews, so i would say from what i see the best bang for buck by a long shot.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130642
pros/cons:
about double the price of the other board i listed(and about half the price of the one you are looking at. 3x pci x16 slots, its major downfall is only 2 usb 3.0 ports. other upsides include WELL known manufacture, good over clocking features, quality parts/components. really to me a tough choice, that would come down to how soon you plan on upgrading your system. if you plan on at least 2-4 years i would probably go with this board. otherwise the other one is the way to go.


PSUs: well since you seem to be relatively lost here i will toss out a few to give you an idea of what im looking at and why.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817374051
pro/cons:
Not a lot of reviews kicking around about this one yet, and its at the lower range (700w) power wise. but it has some AWESOME stats. destroys anything in its class and most stuff out of its class power consumption wise. High quality parts and looks nice too. Also passed a huge number of tests/has some great features. Obviously its a 4 rail.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152043
pros/cons:
a good PSU, 850w with a decent brand name behind it. i honestly dont think this stacks up to the one i posted before despite the extra wattage available. posted more for you to compare to the first and last one i will post so you can see WHY it doesnt measure up.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371053
pros/cons:
most expensive of the 3, and seems to have some DoA issues. Also sounds like the 20+4 pin isnt set up well. Aside from that the stats/parts going in are very nice, and its 850w, which should guarantee its never going to be stressed on your system. However between the price, the DoA issues, the cord issue, and the fact that it only has one extra "good" feature over the first one means that i dont think this is the best buy.


Some more general thoughts on this area: generally going over 4 rails increases price dramatically, and just isnt worth it. at the same time going 4 rails used to be SUPER expensive(and still worth it!) but now its at the point that even 4 rail PSU's compete decently with even single rail PSU's costs. So to me 4 rails is now a no brainer. its well worth the extra 15-40$ you will spend. On top of it you tend to get better parts/testing in a 4 rail PSU than a single or duel rail. Add in the energy savings from the first choice and it will over time pay for itself over anything else i can find.


GPU:
So basics, atm your paying a extraordinary amount extra for 670 vs a 660. by that i mean you can match all of its stats but its memory interface(192 vs 256) this over all is not worth what amounts to close to a 1/3rd price increase in the card.


near as i can tell this is the best price for the pound 660 card on the market:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121656


ATI:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127722
this is actually the closest ive seen the two competitors in a while. i would say that your real choice should come down to what games you plan on playing the most and what card they work with the best for a final decision. but the points on this card:
Its a little cheaper. the stats basically stack up against each other quite nicely the only real difference being the memory clock speed(slower on ATI 4800 vs 6008) and the memory interface(higher on ATI 256 vs 192) I would also say the manufacture/parts for the ATI card listed are better. but its really going to come down to in personal preference or what games you plan on playing the most. I would personally go with the ATI, but the nvidia is still a very solid option.


well hope that helps fur :)


Edit:holy balls i had like 80 enter lines below this. oops
« Last Edit: July 17, 2013, 08:29:39 pm by Darkvision »
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Offline Fur

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Re: Need help choosing parts for a gaming desktop.
« Reply #13 on: July 18, 2013, 12:07:49 am »
by current specs you mean you already own these?
No, I really should have said something along the line of "shopping list".

This is going to take longer than I anticipated.

And yes, it did help. You're a star. Haz a cookie.
« Last Edit: July 18, 2013, 12:24:10 am by Fur »

Offline Darkvision

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Re: Need help choosing parts for a gaming desktop.
« Reply #14 on: July 18, 2013, 01:56:34 am »
No, I really should have said something along the line of "shopping list".

This is going to take longer than I anticipated.

And yes, it did help. You're a star. Haz a cookie.


im gonna be busy for a few days so i dont really have time to spend the hours necessary to really look at your other stuff/suggest more items. however if you could give me an idea if you are looking to go with any of those it would help and i will get back to you when i can.
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