Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

[HansSky]

Re: Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

With your CPU I'd definitely invest in an aftermarket cooler. This should fit in your case fine: http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-...rds=cpu+cooler

Also I would invest in a slightly higher wattage PSU for when you want to upgrade down the line. 750-800 should be fine. You can also get a 60GB SSD and save some money unless you plan on installing all of your games on the SSD.

[Garquillex]

Re: Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

get an i5 instead
amd gets beat out in processors for gaming at every price range. 8 cores is silly.

do you know what framerates in certain games you're aiming for? that's the best way to narrow what CPU and GPU to get

[Poison-]

Re: Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

I'm not going for Max settings or anything. There's also no way I'm getting a gtx 770. Not spending $450 on a GPU. Nope.

Intel is just way more expensive for everything. I'm not a hardcore gamer so most of it would be a waste.

[RNGRX]

Re: Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

I don't know about you, but I'm waiting for ddr4 motherboards and haswell-e intel cpu's before I upgrade my hardware.

Good decision. Those DDR4 motherboards should be coming by this summer huh?

[rushyrulz]

Re: Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

im no expert on this kind of thing, but i'd probably go for an 80+ certified psu

this

[Izzy]

Re: Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

While I agree with this sentiment, it's always going to be the case. No matter when you decide to purchase tech hardware (phones, computers, etc), there's always going to be something better right around the corner.

That's true most of the time, but this standard hasn't been improved upon in like a decade.

http://www.crucial.com/promo/DDR4.aspx

he's buying a new pc, not upgrading

I don't understand the relevance.

[Zageron]

Re: Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

Get a high quality PSU, but don't bother with high wattage.
For most machines a 550W is more than adequate. (Since I assume you will never get more than a single GPU.)
If you can, find a gold/platinum rated 550W PSU with good reviews.

The most important thing is to look at reviews and performance ratings of all of those components.

[MrGiggles]

Re: Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

Looks like a good build. You might not even need a GPU as powerful as the one you have, as you mentioned you aren't a hardcore gamer. Someone mentioned an aftermarket cpu cooler and I second that motion, stock coolers are sewage. Plus, aftermarket coolers will only run you maybe 20-50 bucks.

You might also consider a different power supply, I always hear stories about blown PSU's frying other components or exploding and 50 bucks for 800 watts seems suspiciously cheap. Corsair makes really nice, reliable PSU's if you're willing to shell out dat $$$

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16817139055

As a bonus, it's modular and significantly reduces clutter in your case.

as an aside, it's always nice when people are like 'hey i'm building a computer' and they list out parts in the mid to mid-high range for under a grand total, instead of shitting out some $3k+ part list with triple SLI and all sorts of superfluous bullshit like PSU's with 4 digits of wattage and water cooling.

[Reincarnate]

Re: Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

Skimping on the PSU = huge risk

[JurseyRider734]

Re: Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

i have a gtx760 & i5 processor & it pretty much runs anything & is really good so maybe you should consider that

i agree with the psu thing. and the aftermarket cooler.

also i found this site to be pretty good http://www.logicalincrements.com/

[Zageron]

Re: Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

Skimping on the PSU = huge risk

Don't take this as advice to buy an 850/1000/1200W PSU.
Get the highest quality PSU you can afford. You'll notice that the price difference between 450-850PSUs of similar quality is usually around $10-50.

With a simple low power system the only gains you will have by buying a high W PSU are:
1) Extendable. You can buy multiple PSUs in the future.
2) The fan on the PSU will kick in later, reducing noise levels slightly.

[Reincarnate]

Re: Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

What I meant by that was buying high-quality, not necessarily high-wattage, although it's important to have enough to adequately power the system, of course.

[MrGiggles]

Re: Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

The big variable in required psu wattage is usually the GPU, you can check the recommended minimum wattage for the GPU you want and use that as a rough guide.

according to this google result:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages...hmarks,10.html

Power consumption AMD Radeon R9-270X

System in IDLE = 116W
System Wattage with GPU in FULL Stress = 283W
Difference (GPU load) = 167W
Add average IDLE wattage ~10W
Subjective obtained GPU power consumption = ~ 177 Watts

AMD R9 270X - On your average system the card requires you to have a 500 Watt power supply unit.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139053 <- could work for him, 10 bucks cheaper than the 750W model but honestly I'd pay for the extra W's

[choof]

Re: Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

I don't understand the relevance.

if he was upgrading previous hardware, I would agree with waiting for the "next best thing"
but since he's building it new, it would be way better (and cheaper) to buy hardware that was "new" a year/year-and-a-half ago, then upgrade separate pieces as they come out

edit: also, unless you're an enthusiast (which he isn't) or you're doing really specific work, there's no reason to purchase a ddr4 mobo when they come out.

[Zageron]

Re: Building my first PC. Tell me how I'm doing.

What I meant by that was buying high-quality, not necessarily high-wattage, although it's important to have enough to adequately power the system, of course.

Yup, I assumed you meant that. Just making sure no one took it the wrong way. Sorry. :P