Building Comp - First time

[The_Arsonist]

So, I'm trying to build a custom gaming PC and I feel like my best choice for CPU is the "Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000".

From what I've learned so far, it's best to build a PC around the motherboard, but I really have no idea what to go with for motherboards. I've looked at GIGABYTE, ASUS, and ASRock, but nothing really was standing out for compatibility with the CPU and functionality. My budget is around 200 for the motherboard and I definitely want it to be USB 3.0 compatible. Any suggestions?

 

[daveybrat]

This is my favorite motherboard for the 3570K currently:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128544

GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Excellent quality board with tons of overclocking options and USB 3.0 ports.

Also has 2 PCI-E 3.0 slots if you ever plan to SLI or Crossfire.

I know your budget is $200, so you can use the $55 you'll save on this board towards something else in your system like ram or GPU.

 

[The_Arsonist]

That sounds really good. I just found one from ASUS that interested me:

ASUS P8Z77-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

I know that you said the GIGABYTE was your favorite, but how do you think these 2 compare? (not really worried about a little extra cost as long as it pays of when everything's put together)

I also intend to buy most of the components separate and whenever my cash flow allows for it.

 

[daveybrat]

That's a good board as well. The gigabyte has 6 USB 3.0 ports and the Asus has 4 USB 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0.

The gigabyte has a Msata connector on the board for SSD while the Asus does not.

The Asus does have Wifi built in if you need that (although hard-wired is the best).


Also, buying your parts one at a time is definitely not a good idea. You should really just save your money until you have enough to buy everything at one time.

Reason? Computer parts almost always drop in price over time and when you finally get all your parts to build the system, you'd better hope they all work.

Think about it, you buy parts as you go along, and say 3 months later you attempt to build the new system.....you find out the motherboard you bought 3 months earlier is dead, now you have to go through Asus or Gigabyte to get it repaired which can take weeks as opposed to being able to exchange it quickly through newegg's 30-day exchange policy.

 

[The_Arsonist]

That's a good point. I do hate dealing with lengthy customer service. Alright, so build so far:

Motherboard:GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000

Case: Thermaltake Chaser MK-I (VN300M1W2N) Black SECC ATX Full Tower Computer Case

So basically I have a lot of figuring out to do...

Power Supply: ?

Hard Drive: ?

RAM: ?

Graphics Card: nvidia?

Any suggestions or pointers would be much appreciated.

 

[Ketchup]

What is your budget for the rest?

BTW, I think you will be happy with either board.

 

[The_Arsonist]

I haven't really set a budget mainly because I don't know what I need to spend for quality components. So far the only piece that really worries me on cost is a graphics card. I'm not looking for overkill here, I just want a solid gaming PC and for everything to run smoothly together. Like I said before, this is the first time I've really sat down and decided to build a PC, so this is all new to me.

 

[Ketchup]

What games are you playing?

 

[The_Arsonist]

Well I played a lot of Blizzard games back when I had a PC like WoW (unfortunately), SC2 and Diablo. Basically the hardest thing on my old Asus laptop was SC2 and I'd like for this new PC to be able to handle the best settings on that with ease. I feel like if the PC I build can do that, I can pretty much play anything else.

 

[Steltek]

If you are buying a "k" processor, I always encourage purchase of an after-market cooler. After all, why have a high performance overclockable processor without a cooler which can allow you to experiment without having to pull the motherboard to install a new one?

 

[The_Arsonist]

Any way you suggest to go with the after market cooler? Liquid?

 

[Steltek]

Any way you suggest to go with the after market cooler? Liquid?

It really doesn't matter - either is good. I personally have a Thermaltake Water2.0 Pro, but it cost a good deal more than an equivalent good air cooler would. My main concern was noise when I wasn't overclocking (as I'm only sporadically wont to do) and DRAM clearance (my initial DRAM had heat spreaders, until I replaced them with Samsung DDR3 modules), so I was willing to pay more for it at the time. Installation was a snap as well, though I'm not that enthused with the fans that came with it (will probably buy new ones next time Newegg has Cougar Vortex HDB fans on sale).

You can get a good, cheap air cooler (like the Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus or Hyper 212 EVO, for instance) for a lot less that is just as effective as a water cooler.

One thing to watch, though, with air coolers is to make sure you don't have any have clearance issues with heat spreaders on the DRAM you select. You also need to make sure it will fit in the case you select.

 

[The_Arsonist]

Well, I think my next step is figuring out what power supply to go with / graphics card. I'll do more research on the cooling system after I get all of the main components locked in.

 

[Steltek]

Well, I think my next step is figuring out what power supply to go with / graphics card. I'll do more research on the cooling system after I get all of the main components locked in.

That works. Most times, your selection of power supply will be dictated by the graphics card as that will be the most power hungry component in your system.

 

[The_Arsonist]

Any thoughts on the caliber of graphics card I should start with?

 

[mlc]

something along the lines of an HD 7850, give or take, should do well...

 

[The_Arsonist]

Ok, updated build so far:

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000

Graphics Card: XFX Double D FX-785A-CDFC Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

Power Supply: High Current Pro HCP-750 750W TX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Case: Thermaltake Chaser MK-I (VN300M1W2N) Black SECC ATX Full Tower Computer Case

How is this so far?

 

[Ketchup]

Looks very good to me. Power supply is overkill, but that won't hurt anything. It's an Antec (pretty good quality) and Gold (good efficiency) and will be ready if you want to go Crossfire or add more hard drives down the road.

Have you thought about a hard drive yet? Going the SSD route?

 

[denis280]

I would go with a SSD. and put in a pair of 8gb hyper x 1600. but thats my choice.

 

[The_Arsonist]

I think that I'll definitely go with a SSD. Although I feel like I may need to pick up another hard drive in addition to this later on, but for now, it should work. Semi-final build:

Processor: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

Graphics Card: XFX Double D FX-785A-CDFC Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

RAM: CORSAIR XMS 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Hard Drive: SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128B/WW 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Case: Thermaltake Chaser MK-I (VN300M1W2N) Black SECC ATX Full Tower Computer Case

I will most likely add more RAM later on as well, but to start off I'll think it's ok. I am definitely still open to any suggestions and recommendations with this.
Also, is newegg the best way to go with this for pricing and return policy for any DOA or damaged components?