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1st time builder seeking advice

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 10:14 pm
by TRM
Hey everybody!

I am planning on building my first computer and I would like some advice on both building and parts.
This computer would be used for modern gaming (Battlefield 3 and similar), video editing and recording, movies, music and photos, and web browsing.

The budget for this computer is about $1000. I am switching from a Mac and therefore have nothing to start with. Even a mouse, keyboard, monitor case will be needed since my current setup has mac specific keys and the iMac is one with the monitor.

I live in the U.S. and will be using Newegg for most of my purchases. I do live near a microcenter. I have read the "System Guide"

The following are parts I have picked out on my own and from guides.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129180
Antec Three Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Upgraded 2 x USB 3.0
Cost (on Newegg): $59.99

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128550
GIGABYTE GA-H77-DS3H LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Cost (on Newegg): $99.99

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
Cost (on Newegg): $219.99

Graphics card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125443
GIGABYTE GV-N660OC-2GD GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Cost (on Newegg): $229.99

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B
Cost (on Newegg): $40.99

Storage: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533
Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Cost (on Newegg): $109.99

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151093
SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Cost (on Newegg): $69.99

As for the operating system I have that covered with windows 7. I also have keyboard, mouse, monitor picked out.
I anticipate purchasing soon. Within a couple of weeks. Any recommendations for different components I could swap? Will this system be capable of what I expect out of it? Again I have no experience building a computer so advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

Re: 1st time builder seeking advice

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 8:35 am
by southrncomfortjm
Hey TRM! Congrats on the first PC build, I just finished my first one over the weekend. It was an HTPC build though, not gaming.

Do you plan on overclocking? If not, have you considered a a dual-core i3? It'll run you $70-$100 cheaper (3225 v. 3220 models) and probably provide the same basic performance if you aren't overclocking.

Also a nice solid state drive would be great for gaming - if you get the cheaper processor the prices would come close to balancing out.

Re: 1st time builder seeking advice

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 8:50 am
by Arclight
I wouldn't trust that mobo too much and i'd def. not OC on it. The build is well ballanced, i'm guessing you're trying your best to get the most out of your money. I'd advise getting an aftermarket cooler for the CPU a little later if you can't spend the money now (i presume you already stretched the budget to the max already). Also since black Friday is so close keep a look out on special deals. There was (still are?) special deals on Core i5 2500K which could be had for $99,9 just a few days ago at Microcenter.

Re: 1st time builder seeking advice

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:06 am
by theadder
southrncomfortjm wrote:
Also a nice solid state drive would be great for gaming - if you get the cheaper processor the prices would come close to balancing out.


I agree with this. Don't buy a PC in 2012 without a solid state drive.

Intel is preferable.

Re: 1st time builder seeking advice

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:29 am
by Chrispy_
southrncomfortjm wrote:
Also a nice solid state drive would be great for gaming - if you get the cheaper processor the prices would come close to balancing out.


I'll second this as well.

Intel (any model) is my first choice for reliability, Samsung is next on the list - and both of them are unique in that they've been selling certified SSD's to OEM's since the beginning of SSD technology, and OEM's impose much higher reliability and compatibility than drives made for the consumer space like those from Corsair, OCZ, Patriot, Kingston, Crucial etc.

Re: 1st time builder seeking advice

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 11:10 am
by TRM
southrncomfortjm wrote:
Hey TRM! Congrats on the first PC build, I just finished my first one over the weekend. It was an HTPC build though, not gaming.

Do you plan on overclocking? If not, have you considered a a dual-core i3? It'll run you $70-$100 cheaper (3225 v. 3220 models) and probably provide the same basic performance if you aren't overclocking.

Also a nice solid state drive would be great for gaming - if you get the cheaper processor the prices would come close to balancing out.


As of now I do not plan on overclocking. However it is a future possibility. Thanks for the advice, I'll check out some SSDs

Re: 1st time builder seeking advice

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 12:36 pm
by Aezen
TRM wrote:
As of now I do not plan on overclocking. However it is a future possibility. Thanks for the advice, I'll check out some SSDs


If you're going to OC in the future, you'll want a Z77 board.

Re: 1st time builder seeking advice

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 7:26 pm
by TRM
If you're going to OC in the future, you'll want a Z77 board.

Oh okay. I'll go take a look at some. Thanks.

Re: 1st time builder seeking advice

Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 7:31 pm
by TRM
Thanks for helping out. System is built. So far so good. :)