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First Timer: New $800 PC Build

Forum Homebuilt Systems : Homebuilt First Timer: New $800 PC Build

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Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP

Budget Range: $800 after rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming - WoW and eventually BF3, watching movies/videos, surfing the web

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, HDD, and DVD

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg, any site that is legitimate

Country: US

Parts Preferences: No preference

Overclocking: Once I learn more about it.

SLI or Crossfire: Most likely not.

Monitor Resolution: not sure

Additional Comments: I will be eventually adding a SSD after I save a little more money and use my current HDD as a secondary. Will I be fine using my current HDD until I get the new SSD?

I will also be purchasing a CPU fan if needed once I save a little more as well.

Both parts are linked in the bottom section.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below are parts I picked out. Big question is the PSU.

Case:COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119233

GPU: GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA Series GV-R685OC-1GD Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814125353

PSU: SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817151095

Rosewill CAPSTONE Series CAPSTONE-650 650W Continuous @ 50°C, 80 PLUS GOLD Certified, Single +12V Rail, ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92, SLI Ready, CrossFire Ready, Active - PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817182071

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231314

MOBO: Intel BOXDZ68BC LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813121533

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115072

Current HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822144415

Current DVD: LG Super Multi DVD Rewriter Model: GSA-H55N
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/reviews/sto [...] -39288213/

This will be my first build and would like your input. Please let me know if you like it, would change something, and what to. Thanks and hopefully I can start purchasing soon.

Message edited by akim1220 on 02-08-2012 at 12:48:07 AM

Reply to akim1220

cooler master haf 912 $60
Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 $70
i5 2500k $230
ram(same as above) $47
asrock extreme3 gen3 $122
Gigabyte GTX 560ti $235

There's a SATA RAID 0 for your SSD when you get it. The graphics card is better than the one you picked and will run BF3 at high settings compared to low-medium settings with your 6850.

Reply to somekidxd

Hi there! Welcome to the forums.
Good build! I would make some changes though.
-Drop to a cheaper PSU. Something like this, maybe? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139027
-Drop the mobo to something more manageable. Try this for size: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] p67%20gen3 Save $50.
-Next, we need to bump up the GPU. Something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814125401

That should give you some things to think about

Reply to striker410

^+1

If you don't plan to CF/SLI no need in getting a PSU more than 550w/600wish. Check out my $890 ($900) here:
http://www.squidoo.com/electronicandmore

Just drop the SSD and pick it up later. You can also drop down the PSU to this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817151096
And save some money. That'll bring you to below $800. Plus you'll get a solid MB and a better GPU.

Reply to aznshinobi

Thanks all for the input. I looked over your recommendations and decided to change what I have to the following:

GPU: GIGABYTE GV-N560OC-1GI GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814125363

PSU: SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817151096

MOBO: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157271

I understand why upgrading the GPU to the 560 Ti is better and I don't know anything about the PSU so just went with seasonic. As far as the mobo goes, what makes the one I originally posted not as manageable? went through the specs on the 2 mentioned above vs the one I posted and couldn't find anything. This is for my edification and not questioning your opinon. I went with the ASRock Z68 because it had an hdmi port.

With the above changes, how do I look? Am I ready to order? With shipping I am at $764.04.

If everything looks good, will everything be compatible and fit the case? And as for me reusing my HDD, will it be compatible with the new setup? Thanks again.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by akim1220 on 02-08-2012 at 01:47:07 AM

Reply to akim1220

akim1220 wrote :

As far as the mobo goes, what makes the one I originally posted not as manageable? went through the specs on the 2 mentioned above vs the one I posted and couldn't find anything. This is for my edification and not questioning your opinon. I went with the ASRock Z68 because it had an hdmi port.

It was a price thing, really. That mobo is very expensive for what you get, the ASRock is a better deal.

Reply to striker410

i have the COOLER MASTER HAF 912 case. its a great case its slightly bigger than other mid tower cases. it even fits the cool master 212 plus heatsink and fan. i have a graphics card thats 1 inch less in width than the one youre planning to get and it fits in the case fine. You should fit everything fine

Message edited by computernewb on 02-08-2012 at 02:14:41 AM

Reply to computernewb

Well I'd just go with that seasonic I posted since it has a good deal right now.

The Asrock has more features for the buck plus it is a bit more better built than Intel boards. Intel boards are nice but really only for stability which isn't exactly necessary as Asrock/Asus/MSI/Etc. Are just as stable for about the same price with more features.

Everything is compatible and the build looks great.

Reply to aznshinobi

@striker410 - I have been looking at the prices for all the components but somehow missed the price for the intel MOBO. can't believe i missed that.

@aznshinobi - I did decide to go with the PSU you suggested. Thanks.

thanks again for all of your input. will be placing the order after this post.

looking ahead, fan/heat sink and SSD would you recommend for my setup?

Message edited by akim1220 on 02-08-2012 at 04:10:53 AM

Reply to akim1220

Depends on your budget. The Hyper 212+ EVO is an excellent fan, quite affordable too at just $35.

For SSD's, things are more expensive. I'd suggest a 120GB SSD, though you could do 60GB. Crucial M4, Samsung 830, or Vertex 3 gets my pick. Corsair GT (has to be GT) is another excellent option though.

Reply to striker410

For the SSD, the Crucial M4 and Samsung 830 is great as stated. The Mushkin Callisto's are nice at a lower price of $140 for 120GB even though it's SATA II, the THG article reviewing SATA 3 vs SATA 2 in SSDs said go for the one that fits your budget since real world performance isn't exactly noticeable from SATA 2 and 3.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820226152

Reply to aznshinobi

Does the i5 come with it's own fan? How loud does the Hyper 212+ EVO get? The current cooler master I have is LOUD and my wife hates it.

I should have all the parts tomorrow except for the case. Since I will be using my old HDD with the OS on it, will I be able to turn the computer on and start using it? Or will I have to go into the BIOS and change the settings? I have virus protectoin software on my thumb drive ready to install before I start using the web and I know I will have to update all the drivers. Never turned on a new build before so not sure what to do.

Reply to akim1220

Yes, the 2500k does indeed come with it's own fan, though it's quite small and noisy. You won't notice the noise coming from the EVO, your GPU fans and case fans will be louder. It's very quiet.

Nope, you need to wipe the OS and install it again. It's a pain but it's necessary since Windows links itself to the motherboard. Do a full wipe of the HDD, format/partition as needed.

Reply to striker410

Ah that's what I get for assuming. Might be a stupid question but can I reformat my HDD when I first turn on my system? Or do I have to plug in a "new" HDD?

Sounds like I might as well purchase a SSD now to save some time since I planned on purchasing one at a later date. Probably best route to go?

Message edited by akim1220 on 02-08-2012 at 09:15:15 PM

Reply to akim1220

You should be able to. I've never had to mess with it luckily. I'd probably go ahead and use a something like an Ubuntu live CD, but I'm sure there are more elegant solutions available.

Reply to striker410

I personally would just go get a SSD now so you don't have to mess around with the OS and stuff later, even if it is passed your budget. It saves the hassle of having to reinstall and redo the files.

Reply to aznshinobi

got all my parts in tonight and i am almost finished the build. only problem is, my old cd/dvd drive has an old ribbon connection with no where to connect to my motherboard. is there anything i can do right now or do i have to wait until i purchase a new one?

Reply to akim1220

If it's IDE, then you're going to have to upgrade to SATA CD/DVD drive. Not too bad but a hassle to wait for it to come it.
http://www.amazon.com/Lite-LightSc [...] B002SIMPXM

Reply to aznshinobi

I say go with this one. No nasty writing. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827118067

Reply to striker410

I think I will just stop by best buy tomorrow, don't feel like waiting. Thanks again guys, will update after I get her up and running. I never thought that I would ever see computer parts this way, but the parts look sexy.

Message edited by akim1220 on 02-10-2012 at 04:56:21 AM

Reply to akim1220

Alright no problem! Good luck!

Reply to aznshinobi

need some help. tried turning on my computer and it seemed like it turned on ok but i do not get a display on my monitor. i tried the motherboard slot and my GPU slots for my monitor. any thoughts?

i tested the mobo, cpu, and gpu outside of the case before putting in to see if it worked and it worked fine then.

Message edited by akim1220 on 02-11-2012 at 01:37:00 AM

Reply to akim1220

Sounds like it's your monitor. If you tried the integrated video as well as your GPU, it can't be your system. Do you have another computer you can plug your monitor into? maybe a laptop?

Reply to striker410

yea i tried my old pc and it worked ok. it might be my mobo, there's an led by the onboard power switch and its not lighting up anymore. whats the best way to check if the mobo is still working?

Reply to akim1220

Hmm. What's your PSU doing? There could be a short in the case somewhere, if it worked when you bread boarded... Skim over this: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] o-problems

Reply to striker410

nvm....didn't realize there were 2 power connections to the mobo...

Reply to akim1220

Haha, no problem. Everything working right?

Reply to striker410

just need to figure out how to boot from usb, don't see it in the options in the bios. is it possible that the mobo doesn't offer that option?

Reply to akim1220

I'm not sure. You should be able to set boot order. What are you trying to do?

Reply to striker410

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