First time builder; $1600 Budget

[Asmeret]

Hello all, I've decided to try my hand at building a computer myself to save some money over a pre-built one and for the learning experience. It's my first time building one and will be my first desktop (coming off a laptop that was never really suitable for gaming). Any advice on my choices will be greatly appreciated!

1. What YOUR PC will be used for.

Primarily gaming with some multitasking (Browsing with 30+ tabs, music, a game in window mode and MSN would be worst case scenario).

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

Under or around $1600.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

United States, California.

4. IF YOU have a brand preference.

No, but I've read just about everywhere that Intel is the preferred choice for my budget.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

No, I don't have anything I can use; even this mouse must go.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

I have read plenty for weeks and adjusted accordingly.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

No overclocking, don't know how.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.

I plan to play on 1900 x 1080.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

I plan to start buying between now and Black Friday.

I prefer to buy from Amazon simply because Newegg charges sales tax to my state. The few parts I have from Newegg are because I either couldn't find them on Amazon or they came out to be the cheaper deal even with tax.



Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel - 89.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0026FCI2U/ref=asc_df_B0026FCI2U1321629?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pg-409-100- 20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B0026FCI2U

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 - 119.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0034CL26C/ref=asc_df_B0034CL26C1321629?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pg-474-100- 20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B0034CL26C

CPU: Core i5-760 - 205.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VANRAQ/ref=asc_df_B003VANRAQ1321629?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pg-408-100- 20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B003VANRA

GPU: HIS Radeon HD 6870 1 GB - 262.99
http://www.amazon.com/HIS-Eyefinity-Mini-DisplayPort-Express-H687F1G2M/dp/B0047N0XBW/ref=sr_1_3?
s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1289976845&sr=1-3

Ram: G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS - 64.94 (newegg, +tax)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...0666CL9D-4GBNS

SSD: OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD3-2VTX90G 3.5" 90GB - 184.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003WT4XZ4/ref=asc_df_B003WT4XZ41321629?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pg-465-100-
20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B003WT4XZ4

HDD: Samsung F3 HD103SJ 1TB - 67.15
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U3S5S0/ref=asc_df_B001U3S5S01321805?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pg-465-100-
20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B001U3S5S0

PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 - 69.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HEZFZO/ref=asc_df_B000HEZFZO1321805?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pg-401-100-
20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B000HEZFZO

DVD: Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive IHAS424-98 - Retail (Black) - 25.99
http://www.amazon.com/Lite-LightScri...&s=electronics

OS: Windows Home Premium 64-bit - 94.99
http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Home-Premium-System-Builder/dp/B002NGJO4M/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1289978382&sr=8-3

Network card: TP-LINK TL-WN781ND PCI Express Wireless Adapter - 21.64 (newegg, +tax)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-WN781ND%20PCI

Keyboard: Logitech 920-000914 Black 106 Normal Keys USB Wired Ultra-thin Illuminated Keyboard - 69.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001F51G16/ref=asc_df_B001F51G161321805?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pg-442-100- 20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B001F51G16

Mouse: RAZER DeathAdder Precision Optical Gaming Mouse - 3.5G Infrared Sensor - 44.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002Q4U5DK/ref=asc_df_B002Q4U5DK1321629?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pg-441-100-
20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B002Q4U5DK

Monitor: ASUS VE246H Black 24" 1920 x 1080 2ms Full HD HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor w/Speakers 250 cd/m2 50,000 - 204.99
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VW246H-24...9978694&sr=1-2

Total: $1530ish


I also have a couple of questions if anyone can be so kind as to answer, thank you!

1. Is changing to a 470 and a higher watt psu worth it? I just want to be sure I can run Shogun 2 when it comes out in March-ish.

2. Should I get a retail DVD reader? Or is it better to go OEM and buy the cable separately?

3. If I'm playing my game while it's in the drive since it's required, will speed on the optical drive make a difference?

4. What is a good length for the few SATA cables I have to buy?

5. Do I have to plug in headphone/microphone front panel connectors to the motherboard? I'd prefer to plug my headphones in from the back (and I've read that you can't use the back connectors when the front panel ones are plugged in to motherboard) because I've heard problems with the front panel connectors. And can I still plug in the USB front panel connectors to the motherboard?

6. Should I get a UPS? The power cuts off a couple times a year around here and it's an older house.

7. I'm going to get an anti-static wrist strap.. but should I go as far as to get a mat too? I'm overly cautious and don't wish to harm anything (am getting drive caps for unused psu connectors as well).


Thank you for any and all help and taking the time to read my post !

 

[memory]

Hi and welcome to the forums.

I know you said you don't know how to overclock but really it is not that hard and you just take your time. I was in the same boat when I first built mine. If you ever decide to overclock, the people on here can show you how.

2 and 4, you should not have to buy sata cables as they will come with the motherboard. An OEM drive will be fine.

Nice choice on the monitor, I have that same one and it is nice.

Sorry I couldn't help you out anymore.

 

[Asmeret]

Thank you for the welcome!

When I first looked into overclocking I thought there was a standard type guide depending on what processor you used; I see that is not the case and it came off as more overwhelming than I thought. I may look into it in the future after reading more on it and getting a bit of assistance, but stock speeds will do me fine for now, yes?

I saw a picture on Newegg that shows what comes in the box and only one sata cable comes with this board, I'd need 3 (If I got an OEM optical).

I was a tad on the fence about paying an extra $30 for 1/2 an inch of screen, hope it's worth it.

Thank you for your time and help!

 

[Silenus]

It looks to me that you have a pretty good selection of parts already. However, there are two things I noticed that you might want to think about:

1) More RAM. I think that in your given worst case scenario you could possiblyl run into a situation where more ram would help. I'd think about doubling it to 8GB. This is less critical then number 2.....

2) Where/what is your backup solution?! That means something for both local backup and offsite. At the minimum you might have TWO extra 1TB drives, one that stays local and just gets regular back up data on it, and another that you can take to alternate location. Alternately..you might consider an online backup service to your offsite backup (this would be in addition to your local backup). I know it's easy to forget about this when pricing out a new setup...but it is critical!

 

[Asmeret]

1. I had thought about using 8GB, but I kept reading constantly that 4GB would be enough for other people with similar builds. Is this good compatible ram?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231308

2. I see.. but to be clear, do you mean have an extra TB drive inside the computer that does images and whatnot, and an external one? I was already considering an external backup, maybe getting a 100GB one that I could also use to transfer files from my laptop to my new computer, but I'm not sure what companies would be the most reliable.

Thank you for responding!

 

[IGemini]

I agree with the extra RAM, 64-bit does chew through memory a bit faster, especially with the amount of browsing (30+ tabs? That's a lotta porn :biggrin on top of gaming.

Intel stock coolers tend to suck, I always suggest getting an aftermarket cooler and Arctic Silver 5. Many coolers come prestamped with thermal pads but they don't tend to be as effective, in my experience.

For a backup, sometimes it's cheaper to just get a standard internal hard drive with an enclosure and make your own. Depending on what you want to save, 100GB might be a little small.

As for your other questions:

3 - Not in this day and age. Pretty much any drive exceeds minimum requirements and then some.

5 - I haven't heard that front panel audio doesn't work if the back panel is used, not with newer hardware anyway...it kinda defeats the purpose of having them. It could be that most people are using HD audio connectors with switching ability that people don't know how to use (it turns the speakers off if headphones are plugged in). And yes, USB front panel headers are on virtually every board these days.

6 - UPS might work for your purposes, but you have to pay a substantial amount to get a good one ($100+).

7 - It's understandable. AS-bands are good to err on the side of caution, but static discharge isn't as common as people believe. I got one with the same logic but honestly I've probably used it once. For the most part you should be fine with touching unpainted case parts to ground yourself before handling hardware (also depends on how dry your building area is).

 

[schenley101]

You might want to look at a different motherboard. That one has sata connectors facing out instead of to the right. If you have a long video card in that slot, it will block th sata connectors. Otherwise its seems to be a good build. i'll second a better heatsink.

 

[Asmeret]

Thank you for the responses!

Would this be a good back up solution?: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-339-_-Product
It has a nice warranty so I thought it would be. I really only see myself putting backup images on it in case of a system failure and my music which hasn't exceeded 10GB yet.

I had a Hyper+ 212 and some thermal compound on my original list, but I read if I'm not overclocking there is no need for it. How much more effective would an aftermarket cooler be then? A few degrees? Anything I'd notice?

You might want to look at a different motherboard. That one has sata connectors facing out instead of to the right. If you have a long video card in that slot, it will block th sata connectors.

If I put the video card in the PCI Express closest to the processor, it can still block those connectors?

 

[mfenn]

First off, your build looks very good! The main comment that I have is that you should not game over wireless if at all possible. I'll go point by point on your questions.

1. Is changing to a 470 and a higher watt psu worth it? I just want to be sure I can run Shogun 2 when it comes out in March-ish.

The 6870 and 470 are pretty darn close in performance, so I suggest the quieter and more power efficient solution. Creative Assembly games always run like crap when they first come out anyway. (Veteran of Shogun, Medieval, Rome, Medieval II, Empire, and Napoleon speaking here!)

2. Should I get a retail DVD reader? Or is it better to go OEM and buy the cable separately?

Just get the OEM.

3. If I'm playing my game while it's in the drive since it's required, will speed on the optical drive make a difference?

No, it will not matter. All modern games install everything to the drive for performance reasons. The disk is only used to check that you physically possess it.

4. What is a good length for the few SATA cables I have to buy?

I count two SATA cables coming with the P55-USB3, so you should only need to buy one (unless you have additional drives not listed). 18" is a pretty standard length. Just make sure that you get cables with latches!

5. Do I have to plug in headphone/microphone front panel connectors to the motherboard? I'd prefer to plug my headphones in from the back (and I've read that you can't use the back connectors when the front panel ones are plugged in to motherboard) because I've heard problems with the front panel connectors. And can I still plug in the USB front panel connectors to the motherboard?

No, you don't have to plug in the front-panel audio. The front panel USB is completely independent. That being said, I've never heard of a situation where simply having the FP_AUDIO header plugged in causes the rear panel connectors to be unusable.

6. Should I get a UPS? The power cuts off a couple times a year around here and it's an older house.

Probably a good idea in your case.

7. I'm going to get an anti-static wrist strap.. but should I go as far as to get a mat too? I'm overly cautious and don't wish to harm anything (am getting drive caps for unused psu connectors as well).

Wow, you are paranoid! Just make sure that you touch the case occasionally (will generally happen in the course of just assembling the thing) and you should be fine.

Thank you for any and all help and taking the time to read my post !

No, thank you for taking the time to make such a thoughtful and detailed post.

I had a Hyper+ 212 and some thermal compound on my original list, but I read if I'm not overclocking there is no need for it. How much more effective would an aftermarket cooler be then? A few degrees? Anything I'd notice?

The temps will likely be lower with an aftermarket cooler, but that's not the reason people get them. 65C vs. 60C is really unimportant since they are both well within the safe range. The Intel cooler is perfectly fine if you are not going to overclock, but a Hyper 212 will be quieter.

If I put the video card in the PCI Express closest to the processor, it can still block those connectors?

You should be fine with the P55-USB3. In fact, I prefer the connectors to be perpendicular to the board (like with the P55-USB3), because the parallel ones are a PITA to plug in while the board is in the case.

 

[Asmeret]

Thanks a ton for answering my list of questions!

I unfortunately am not able to game wired; everyone uses laptops here and having a cord go through the house is not the best option, especially with dogs.

I still have just a few and then I'll be on my way to looking up how to actually put these things together!

1. You said to get cables with latches.. metal ones? Seems a bit.. weird, dangerous even, metal on metal? http://www.amazon.com/XON-SATA918ML_...0058973&sr=1-2 I'm only getting the drives listed, I don't have other hardware.

2. Do you have a good recommendation for an UPS? It's okay if it goes over budget a bit, I can buy it early next year if need be.

3. Is this 8 GB ram good and compatible? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231308 I picked the cheapest one that was within the voltage I saw you suggest in many other threads.

Thanks again, really appreciate the help!

 

[mfenn]

Thanks a ton for answering my list of questions!

I unfortunately am not able to game wired; everyone uses laptops here and having a cord go through the house is not the best option, especially with dogs.

I still have just a few and then I'll be on my way to looking up how to actually put these things together!

1. You said to get cables with latches.. metal ones? Seems a bit.. weird, dangerous even, metal on metal? http://www.amazon.com/XON-SATA918ML_...0058973&sr=1-2 I'm only getting the drives listed, I don't have other hardware.

Yes, those are the exact kind of latches you want. They cause the SATA cable to clip into the port and thus not work themselves loose. The early SATA cables didn't have latches and over time, they would loose contact. Really annoying.

2. Do you have a good recommendation for an UPS? It's okay if it goes over budget a bit, I can buy it early next year if need be.

APC is a good brand. Something like the this 750VA unit should give you plenty of time to shut everything down and to bridge brief outages.

3. Is this 8 GB ram good and compatible? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231308 I picked the cheapest one that was within the voltage I saw you suggest in many other threads.

Sure, that RAM will be fine, though I would probably get the DDR3 1333 version.

Thanks again, really appreciate the help!

You're welcome.

 

[Asmeret]

Great, thanks a ton all!

I'm now in a better peace of mind for when I start shopping for my parts at least; though my paranoia has let something else creep up (There's only 2 prong outlets here and I found out the importance of the third one, how it's a safety measure for me and am getting more than a little worried, don't wanna touch my case and get zapped to death), but I've been doing a fair bit of reading on it and hope I can get things all sorted out short of hiring an electrician.

Thanks again everyone for your time and help; off to learn more about safety for my parts and I!

 

[Asmeret]

Well, now that I am finally able to order the rest of my parts (stupid me), the motherboard I choose won't get here until after Christmas, so I was wondering if this motherboard:
http://www.amazon.com/LGA1156-4DDR3-2200-CrossFireX-Motherboard-GA-P55A-UD3/dp/B002XDQC4K/ref=lh_ni_t
would be a good alternative. I saw it pretty much has the same things just with added SATA 6, but with the combo it'll end up cheaper then the previous board. I didn't buy it right away because a lot of reviews on newegg.com kinda scared me. Trying to buy within the hour so I can get the items via Prime.

 

[muskie32]

It looks good to me

 

[Asmeret]

Thank you!

 

[Asmeret]

Everything went together without a hitch! Am very proud of myself. ^-^

Looks great but.. doesn't sound great. The first time it started up and I looked around in the BIOS, it was quiet. While Windows was installing and even after, the tower makes a constant high pitch noise, it seems to be coming from the graphics card. What can I do about this?

 

[mfenn]

Everything went together without a hitch! Am very proud of myself. ^-^

Looks great but.. doesn't sound great. The first time it started up and I looked around in the BIOS, it was quiet. While Windows was installing and even after, the tower makes a constant high pitch noise, it seems to be coming from the graphics card. What can I do about this?

Sounds like coil whine. Pretty common on newer equipment I'm afraid. If you can isolate the chip that its coming from (take turns pressing down on each chip with a pencil eraser), you can take some clear nail polish and glue the chip down more solidly.

 

[Asmeret]

Chip? There doesn't seem to be much on the surface of this card, bunch of tiny squares everywhere and a little cluster of small pill shaped thingies on the end, and then a tight cluster of squares in the middle. Nothing resembles what I imagine to be a 'chip' (a flat large square, much like a processor). Maybe taking these bar code stickers off it will do the trick?

Ultimately, if I leave it alone will it do anything, other than drive me crazy, like shorten the life of anything in the computer or suddenly die?

 

[mfenn]

By "chip" I was referring to a surface-mount IC, not a processor. So yeah basically test everything that is mounted to the board. The whine is not really a problem though other than the annoying noise.

 

[Asmeret]

Ah, ok. Might be a bit difficult to pinpoint the exact noise since I'm scared to run the computer with the door off (I keep imagining something suddenly popping and destroying the side of my face), but I'll find a way, thank you very much mfenn!

 

[mfenn]

Ah, ok. Might be a bit difficult to pinpoint the exact noise since I'm scared to run the computer with the door off (I keep imagining something suddenly popping and destroying the side of my face), but I'll find a way, thank you very much mfenn!

You're welcome.

There's no harm in running it with the side panel off. You're definitely not going to be able to find the noise with it on!

 

[Asmeret]

Well, upon closer inspection, the noise is centered towards the back end of my case, the area of the graphics card still, but the motherboard is there too and there are cap like cylinders there. Is it possible that these could be the culprit? I did have a bit of trouble putting the motherboard in, with those stupid pointy metal things sticking off the I/O plate and all.

 

[betasub]

To narrow down your search, are you able to rule out the varoius fans? CPU heatsink fan, graphics heatsink fan, PSU fan, and case fans. Any of these can be stopped/obstructed briefly for you to check if they are the culprit.

 

[Asmeret]

Well, I put my ear real close to each of the case fans, doesn't seem to be any of them. Plus, the noise doesn't start right away, I hear case fans going for a few seconds, and then the noise starts. I don't think it's the cpu fan, as the noise get's louder when I move towards the end of the graphic card, where some holes are. How can I briefly stop said fans to see if they may be making the noise?

 

[mfenn]

Well, I put my ear real close to each of the case fans, doesn't seem to be any of them. Plus, the noise doesn't start right away, I hear case fans going for a few seconds, and then the noise starts. I don't think it's the cpu fan, as the noise get's louder when I move towards the end of the graphic card, where some holes are. How can I briefly stop said fans to see if they may be making the noise?

Stick a finger in one.

But seriously, usually you can lightly press on the hub to stop the fan.