Need help building a pc please

[dstr]

I'd like to put together a desktop pc with Windows7 OS, Nvidia graphics card. I'm not really a hardcore gamer but I do have a couple of old Ubisoft games I play from time to time so something that could handle games would be good. I have a $1200 budget for the pc not including OS cost. That can be separate if necessary.

Would you guys help me put together a decent pc please?

[StewieTech]

Do you need monitor and other peripherals or just the computer itself?

Either way that´s a quite a nice budget, you should be able to build a great pc.

A socket 1155 mb with z77 chipset, 8gb ram, i5 3570k and a decent cooler, a 128gb ssd sata III, a gtx 660 ti, 1tb storage, a nice case and a reliable psu...that will do nicely.

[dstr]

Originally Posted by StewieTech

Do you need monitor and other peripherals or just the computer itself?

Either way that´s a quite a nice budget, you should be able to build a great pc.

A socket 1155 mb with z77 chipset, 8gb ram, i5 3570k and a decent cooler, a 128gb ssd sata III, a gtx 660 ti, 1tb storage, a nice case and a reliable psu...that will do nicely.

Hi StewieTech,
I posted a separate thread for a monitor so what I'm looking for here would be just the computer itself. Will need a DVD burner also. I don't think I would need an ssd though. I may need an external hardrive for backups(?).

[StewieTech]

Ok so 1200$ is 950€, more or less. Also i´m certain you can get better prices from where you live. So here´s what is would do with just over 1000€. This is just an example, but should give you some perspective, i´m sure you can get something like this for 1200$.



It´s an excelent rig!

[thatguy91]

I don't recommend getting a straight DVD burner, I would get a blu-ray player, DVD burner. No real need for blu-ray burners yet...

For the Blu-ray/DVD-RW combo drive, there are a couple of choices. The one I chose is this one:
http://www.liteonodd.com/en/bd-inter...ternal/ihes312

Just remember to update the firmware on it Actually, it's good advice these days to update the bios, dvd drive, hard drive etc's when new bioses or firmware become available.

You definitely and absolutely need a SSD, even if just for the operating system and main programs. I would say it's a necessity in 2012, not just a nicety like in the past. Games can then be put on a 'traditional' drive. I'm quite happy with my OCZ Vertex 4 128GB (which shipped with the latest 1.5 firmware).

Any reason for Nvidia specifially over AMD?

For the cooler, I would go the:
XIGMATEK Dark Knight II SD1283 Night Hawk Edition

I'm very happy with mine (even though I put different fans on it).

[lehtv]

Originally Posted by dstr

I'd like to put together a desktop pc with Windows7 OS, Nvidia graphics card. I'm not really a hardcore gamer but I do have a couple of old Ubisoft games I play from time to time so something that could handle games would be good. I have a $1200 budget for the pc not including OS cost. That can be separate if necessary.

Why do you have separate budgets for things that are part of the same PC? What's your overall budget for the PC, OS and monitor?

In any case, $1200 builds a very high performing rig even if you include the OS.

I don't think I would need an ssd though.

On your budget, you will want at least a 64GB SSD to speed up the OS and programs, preferably 128GB. Given that you're not a hardcore gamer, you don't need a super expensive graphics card. You would probably be fine with a $1000 PC including OS and SSD, will see what I can do shortly.

I may need an external hardrive for backups(?).

Good idea.

Some additional questions before I recommend parts:

What do you do with the PC besides gaming? Are you looking to overclock the CPU? When do you plan to have the PC built? How much hard drive space do you need besides the external drive?

Originally Posted by thatguy91

I don't recommend getting a straight DVD burner, I would get a blu-ray player, DVD burner. No real need for blu-ray burners yet...

What good is a blu-ray player if you don't own any blu-rays or if you already have a blu-ray player on your TV set?

[thatguy91]

Originally Posted by lehtv

What good is a blu-ray player if you don't own any blu-rays or if you already have a blu-ray player on your TV set?

Because it doesn't cost that much more for a Blu-ray ROM player, and it's there if you need it You never know when the need may arise!

So, why the need for DVD Rom? most programs and games you can get as download, and you can install Windows off a USB flash drive. You may say, 'what about store bought games', and that is where the the need for a blu-ray comes in. In year or two time, I'm guessing he will still be running the same system, and who knows, large games may only come on blu-ray disks (so you don't have to swap and change three or four+ dvd's.

[lehtv]

Originally Posted by thatguy91

Because it doesn't cost that much more for a Blu-ray ROM player, and it's there if you need it You never know when the need may arise!

It does actually cost around 300-400% more than a DVD player. If the need arises, it makes more sense to upgrade from DVD to Blu-ray because DVD players are so much cheaper. I don't think "you never know" is a good enough reason. You never know when you might need some dog food even if you don't own a dog and don't plan to own one, do you still store dog food in your cellar just in case?

So, why the need for DVD Rom? In year or two time, I'm guessing he will still be running the same system, and who knows, large games may only come on blu-ray disks (so you don't have to swap and change three or four+ dvd's.

That's an if. If games go on Blu-ray, Blu-ray players will probably become cheaper as DVD drives become more and more obsolete. So it's easier to just upgrade. And that's also assuming the using still buys physical copies of games at that time, and that Blu-ray hasn't been superseded by something else.

In any case, for someone who's not a hardcore user, I think it's easier to pay $15 for a DVD burner than go through the trouble of making a USB install thumb drive, even if we assume the user has no other DVD's than the OS disc.

[dstr]

@thatguy91 and lehtv,
Thanks for the advice so I agree with what you're telling me about the SSD and DVD burner. I wouldn't really need Blu-ray though. As far as the GPU, I just prefer Nvidia.

@lehtv,
My total budget is around $1500 which would include the pc, OS and monitor. I posted a different thread on the monitor. Perhaps I should have kept everything in one thread.

Besides a couple of old games I play, I mostly use the pc for Office type apps, internet, email. Nothing really intensive and wouldn't be looking to overclock. The pc can be built when ever we figure what I really need. No rush.

500 gigs for a harddrive would be more than I would ever use.

I guess $1500 is more than I need to put out but wanted to make sure that I could put together something that I can depend on and last for a few years. I'm 55 yrs old now and wouldn't be looking to upgrade every time new hardware comes out so to speak.

[lehtv]

OK. Sounds like you really only need to spend around half your budget. But since you have the money, I think spending more on a good monitor is worth it, it's what you'll be staring at 99% of the time on the PC...

i3-3220 $130
Asrock H77M $70
Patriot 2x4GB 1600 Limited Edition $41 ($31 AR)
MSI GTX 660 $234
OCZ Vertex 4 64GB $65 ($50 AR)
Seagate 500GB $55
DVD burner $20
PC Power & Cooling MK III 400W $60 ($40 AR) (only a few left)
Fractal Design Core 1000 $38

= $713 shipped ($668 after rebates)

Monitor: Dell U2412M $290 AP 1920x1200 IPS
Backup: 32GB flash drive $27

total = $985 after rebates and promos

FWIW the 660 might be overkill for the games you play but it's good if you pick up a new game in the next couple of years.

[thatguy91]

I wouldn't bother with an i3 for gaming, and definitely not coupled with a mid to high end GPU. The i3-3220 is literally half an i5-3570k, with the disadvantage that it can't be overclocked. If you were on a very tight budget the system Lehtv listed would be okay, but since you have a budget of $1200 there is no need to skimp. No point regretting it in 6 months time and having to do another upgrade.

If you go the i5-3570K on a decent z77 motherboard, a system closer to like what StewieTech listed, it will be a lot more 'future proof'. According to rumours, Haswell won't be leaps and bounds ahead of Ivy Bridge in terms of performance, it's main focus is on efficiency, and the real 'next gen' Intel won't come until the following year with the Broadwell CPU (integrated chipset rumoured, requiring a new board). So, that in mind, the i5-3570K will last you a minimum of say, 2 years, and even then it should handle games fine.

The GTX 660 will probably be the only thing you need to replace in the next couple of years with those specs Stewietech listed (if you don't need a blu-ray player in the future ), with the cooler and the 128GB SSD I listed above instead.

Having a bit larger SSD (the 128GB) can be advantageous. Sure, the system files may only need 40GB, but it means you can install some of your 'current play' games on the SSD instead, and remove them when completed. If you play a whole heap of games concurrently, you can simply just install the slowest loading ones (or ones that require streaming etc) on the SSD and leave the rest on the mechanical drive.

[StewieTech]

Fractal Design Core 1000 on a 1200$ budget? Really? You must be joking. Even the core 3000 is way better, by a long shot.

PC power psu? When there´s good brands for the same price? That´s a bad choice.

The cpu i´m not sure. It´s enough but a quad might be important down the line and no reason to exclude a quad considering his budget.

The monitor is a excellent choice.

[thatguy91]

I'm not too fond of the 500GB drive listed either, $55 for an old gen 500GB drive, where a performance (for a mechanical drive anyway) 1TB Seagate, single platter 64MB cache etc drive, model ST1000DM003 is $69. It's well worth the extra $14. If you want to double the space again (remember, 4x the size of the 500GB), you can go to the ST2000DM001, which is $89.

Comparatively the 2TB is the best value for money (performance and size wise).
For 2TB of storage:
4xthat 500GB drive = $220
2xthat 1TB drive = $138
1xthat 2TB drive = $89

Of course, if you don't need 2TB go the 1TB, but definitely not worth getting the 500GB due to it's size, cost, and less performance.

I should point out that even though the 500GB sports a new model number (ST500DM002) it still belongs to the 7200.12 family, the other drives are from the 7200.14 family.

The S00GB sports an areal density of 329Gfc/in^2, the 1TB or 2TB has 625Gfc/in^2. Basically the data is stored much more densely, meaning per revolution more data can be read, so is faster . That is backed up by 64MB cache vs 16MB cache.

[StewieTech]

1500$=1160€

Here, made this in 5 minutes:

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64 bits EN OEM : 100€
Dell U2412M LED IPS 24": 265€

i5 3570K: 222€
ASRock Fatal1ty Z77 Performance: 145€
Corsair 1600Mhz 8GB Vengeance CL9 (2x4GB): 45€
EVGA GeForce GTX660 SuperClocked 2GB: 233€
OCZ ZT Series 550W: 71€
Fractal Design Arc Midi tower: 87€

Total: 1168€

- From a a tecnical point of view, the best sub-100€ mid-tower case.
- Modular psu, reliable, enough power for single gpu system.
- Unlocked quad core cpu that will last years.
- Best gpu in his price range at the moment from a performance/price perpective and the most adequate for your budget.
- Excellent monitor.
- One of the best motherboards for it´s price.
- RAM. Good.

I´m done here really.

EDIT: forget some things, but you get the ideia.

[lehtv]

Originally Posted by thatguy91

I wouldn't bother with an i3 for gaming, and definitely not coupled with a mid to high end GPU. The i3-3220 is literally half an i5-3570k, with the disadvantage that it can't be overclocked. If you were on a very tight budget the system Lehtv listed would be okay, but since you have a budget of $1200 there is no need to skimp. No point regretting it in 6 months time and having to do another upgrade.

In 6 months? Really?

What I listed is more than enough for the uses he describes. Look at his sig, that's the PC he's upgrading from. I stand by my parts choices, everything in the rig is good quality and fast enough for many, many years when it comes to non-hardcore gaming and basic tasks like internet and so on.

If you go the i5-3570K on a decent z77 motherboard, a system closer to like what StewieTech listed, it will be a lot more 'future proof'.

For his uses it will not be any more future proof. Just faster CPU, but none of his tasks are CPU intensive. They are GPU intensive at most.

So, that in mind, the i5-3570K will last you a minimum of say, 2 years, and even then it should handle games fine.

Yep, an i5-3570K will be fine for non-hardcore gaming for the next 5 years. An i3 3-4 years. That's already a long enough time that it's wiser to spend on an upgrade then than on more expensive equipment now. The best way to future proof is to save money an spend it on future products.

Having a bit larger SSD (the 128GB) can be advantageous. Sure, the system files may only need 40GB, but it means you can install some of your 'current play' games on the SSD instead, and remove them when completed.

The OP doesn't seem to care much for an SSD so I downplayed that. I doubt he'd see $50 worth of benefit from a bigger SSD, the main benefit is the boost to OS and programs.

[lehtv]

Originally Posted by StewieTech

Fractal Design Core 1000 on a 1200$ budget? Really? You must be joking. Even the core 3000 is way better, by a long shot.

How much did the rig in my post cost, $1200 or $700?

PC power psu? When there´s good brands for the same price? That´s a bad choice.

Surely you're kidding? PC Power and Cooling is one of the top tier brands in power supplies and always has been. What brand would you say is better, Seasonic? The unit I listed is made by Seasonic. And it's modular and 80+ Bronze with 5-year warranty yet costs only $40 AR! It's the best 400W unit deal at the moment.

i5 3570K: 222€
ASRock Fatal1ty Z77 Performance: 145€
Corsair 1600Mhz 8GB Vengeance CL9 (2x4GB): 45€
EVGA GeForce GTX660 SuperClocked 2GB: 233€
OCZ ZT Series 550W: 71€
Fractal Design Arc Midi tower: 87€

Why are you quoting euro prices when he's located in the US? You're wasting board space.

The Z77 board and the unlocked CPU are not needed as the OP is not looking to overclock. Do you read his posts before posting?

550W is overkill for a rig that uses less than 200W at load. Keep in mind that requirements for power are going down over time, not up. PCP&C > OCZ.

The EVGA card has a noisier cooler than the MSI I linked.

The Fractal Design tower is nice but not needed, he'd be fine with the Core 3000 you mentioned if going ATX.

- One of the best motherboards for it´s price.

Z77 Extreme4 is better, although also overkill. He doesn't need SLI compatibility or overclockability.

[thatguy91]

I still see no point on coupling an i3 with a GTX 660, they just don't 'mesh'. An i3 is certainly not future proof, its purely a budget cpu without going super budget like the Pentium branded CPU's.

Since no overclocking, what about:
- Asrock H77 Pro4/MVP
- i5-3470

That is a much, much better match with a GTX 660.

[lehtv]

Originally Posted by thatguy91

I still see no point on coupling an i3 with a GTX 660, they just don't 'mesh'. An i3 is certainly not future proof, its purely a budget cpu without going super budget like the Pentium branded CPU's.

It certainly is future proof for the OP's uses. And it will handle a 660 with zero issues in all but the most CPU intensive or limited games. An i5 would be faster, sure but when the only benefit is 1-2 years more longevity it's not worth it. As I said, it's better to save money on future upgrades than spend it now if upgrading in 3-4 years.

Since no overclocking, what about:
- Asrock H77 Pro4/MVP
- i5-3470

That is a slightly better match with a GTX 660 in CPU intensive games.

FTFY

[Icanium]

Originally Posted by thatguy91

I wouldn't bother with an i3 for gaming, and definitely not coupled with a mid to high end GPU. The i3-3220 is literally half an i5-3570k, with the disadvantage that it can't be overclocked. If you were on a very tight budget the system Lehtv listed would be okay, but since you have a budget of $1200 there is no need to skimp. No point regretting it in 6 months time and having to do another upgrade.

If you go the i5-3570K on a decent z77 motherboard, a system closer to like what StewieTech listed, it will be a lot more 'future proof'. According to rumours, Haswell won't be leaps and bounds ahead of Ivy Bridge in terms of performance, it's main focus is on efficiency, and the real 'next gen' Intel won't come until the following year with the Broadwell CPU (integrated chipset rumoured, requiring a new board). So, that in mind, the i5-3570K will last you a minimum of say, 2 years, and even then it should handle games fine.

The GTX 660 will probably be the only thing you need to replace in the next couple of years with those specs Stewietech listed (if you don't need a blu-ray player in the future ), with the cooler and the 128GB SSD I listed above instead.

Having a bit larger SSD (the 128GB) can be advantageous. Sure, the system files may only need 40GB, but it means you can install some of your 'current play' games on the SSD instead, and remove them when completed. If you play a whole heap of games concurrently, you can simply just install the slowest loading ones (or ones that require streaming etc) on the SSD and leave the rest on the mechanical drive.

+1, If you have the budget, get something better than a "Budget System"
Processor, mobo, PSU, and case should be mainstream components.

Your profile have location Georgia.
If you are close to a MicroCenter you can get a good price on an i5.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/3...1155_Processor
http://www.microcenter.com/product/3...1155_Processor

[lehtv]

+1, If you have the budget, get something better than a "Budget System"

Not unless there's noticeable benefit to be had in doing so.

[Icanium]

Just do not want to see dstr buy into a budget system to end up regretting it.

I'm 55 yrs old now and wouldn't be looking to upgrade every time new hardware comes out so to speak.

[dstr]

Originally Posted by Icanium

Just do not want to see dstr buy into a budget system to end up regretting it.

Quote:
I'm 55 yrs old now and wouldn't be looking to upgrade every time new hardware comes out so to speak.

Yep. I'm also disabled and my wife just recently retired so we're both at home. We want to have a system that will do pretty much anything we want and it will most likely be the last system we invest in barring any hardware failure and hopefully that won't happen.

@lehtv...I appreciate all the points and concerns you have made and the time you've given me but I'm gonna go with an i5 3570k rig.

I'm attempting to put together a list of the parts discussed but I can't read the image list that StewieTech posted and with the discussions on some of those parts with thatguy91 and StewieTech , I'm kinda confused as to what to put together exactly but I'll post back a list and go from there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

@Icanium...nope, I'm not near any microcenter locations but thanks for the suggestion.

[lehtv]

@lehtv...I appreciate all the points and concerns you have made and the time you've given me but I'm gonna go with an i5 3570k rig.

Please at least reconsider the unlocked CPU. You said you're not overclocking so for your uses, an i5-3570K is just a waste of cash over locked i5's. The K means the base multiplier is unlocKed i.e. can be overclocked, and you have no use for this feature. The current best deal on an i5 is this: i5-3470 $191 @ ncix.

I still think an i3 rig would do everything you want. Most people here are enthusiasts and hardcore gamers who recommend enthusiast grade hardware. Most people also place a lot of weight on stated budget and less on the user's needs, I think this is why others are not agreeing with me on the i3. However, they argue the i5 is more future proof. The relevance of the future proof argument I've already dismantled: it is only future proof for hardcore gamers.

I'll concede though that i3 vs i5 is a minor issue; the difference between them is only around $70, while the difference between my rig recommendation and your budget is several hundred dollars. The more important thing is that you don't spend needless amounts of cash on things that don't actually translate into better performance or usability - don't buy a super expensive case, don't buy 16GB RAM, an overkill power supply and so on. That's the bottom line and that's where my rig recommendation stems from.

[StewieTech]

Sir, op has chosen, move along.

[lehtv]

Originally Posted by StewieTech

Sir, op has chosen, move along.

Yeah, I posted which i5 he should buy and that i3 vs i5 is a minor issue. What's the problem?