EDIT: I've moved this post to General Hardware. I think that is where it belongs. Sorry for any confusion!
Hey everyone!
This is my first post! A friend recommended that I post this question on the Anandtech Forums for expert advice.
So my situation is that I want to build a new computer to replace my 6 year old laptop (this will be my first build). My budget is $550 excluding the monitor, OS, KB+M, and other peripherals. I'll mostly be using the computer for gaming (i.e. CoD4, a couple older games, maybe some of the Never Settle Bundle games if there are any left?), scripting in Wolfram Mathematica (a statistical programming interface similar to Matlab), and editing video.
I just finished choosing the parts, what do you guys think? I'll probably be ordering sometime this week
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1d3sA
CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Asus B85M-E/CSM Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair XMS 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card (Purchased For $99.99)
Case: Apex Vortex 3620 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $529.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-03 21:59 EDT-0400)
Since this is my first build, I had some questions. I am particularly concerned about temperature. Will I need to buy any aftermarket coolers? I don't plan on overclocking (and I don't think OC is unlocked anyways on the Haswell card I chose).
I am also concerned about the motherboard, as there are no reviews yet for most Haswell mobos. Is my motherboard compatible with my parts (i.e. BIOS, sockets, chipsets)? Will it fail? I'm purposely buying my motherboard from Microcenter, since they have a brick and mortar store down my block. It seems to me that motherboards are the most failure-prone PC parts.
Speaking of the motherboard, PC Part Picker generated a warning along the lines of: "the motherboard has an onboard USB 3.0 header, but the case does not have front panel USB 3.0 ports." Is that okay, and will my PC still work?
Also, for the RAM, I only have one stick of 8gb ram, but I also read somewhere that you need two sticks of RAM to run in "dual channel mode." Do you guys think I should buy 2 sticks of 4gb instead of 1 stick of 8gb?
Lastly, I had some concerns about my power supply. Will my power supply be able to handle the wattage of my parts? Will it work with haswell (I read somewhere that older PSUs do not work with Haswell processors due to low idling wattages)?
Sorry for the question bombardment and thanks again for all you guys' help! Hopefully this computer will last me another six years :-D
Cheers!
pluto
Hey everyone!
This is my first post! A friend recommended that I post this question on the Anandtech Forums for expert advice.
So my situation is that I want to build a new computer to replace my 6 year old laptop (this will be my first build). My budget is $550 excluding the monitor, OS, KB+M, and other peripherals. I'll mostly be using the computer for gaming (i.e. CoD4, a couple older games, maybe some of the Never Settle Bundle games if there are any left?), scripting in Wolfram Mathematica (a statistical programming interface similar to Matlab), and editing video.
I just finished choosing the parts, what do you guys think? I'll probably be ordering sometime this week
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1d3sA
CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Asus B85M-E/CSM Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair XMS 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card (Purchased For $99.99)
Case: Apex Vortex 3620 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $529.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-03 21:59 EDT-0400)
Since this is my first build, I had some questions. I am particularly concerned about temperature. Will I need to buy any aftermarket coolers? I don't plan on overclocking (and I don't think OC is unlocked anyways on the Haswell card I chose).
I am also concerned about the motherboard, as there are no reviews yet for most Haswell mobos. Is my motherboard compatible with my parts (i.e. BIOS, sockets, chipsets)? Will it fail? I'm purposely buying my motherboard from Microcenter, since they have a brick and mortar store down my block. It seems to me that motherboards are the most failure-prone PC parts.
Speaking of the motherboard, PC Part Picker generated a warning along the lines of: "the motherboard has an onboard USB 3.0 header, but the case does not have front panel USB 3.0 ports." Is that okay, and will my PC still work?
Also, for the RAM, I only have one stick of 8gb ram, but I also read somewhere that you need two sticks of RAM to run in "dual channel mode." Do you guys think I should buy 2 sticks of 4gb instead of 1 stick of 8gb?
Lastly, I had some concerns about my power supply. Will my power supply be able to handle the wattage of my parts? Will it work with haswell (I read somewhere that older PSUs do not work with Haswell processors due to low idling wattages)?
Sorry for the question bombardment and thanks again for all you guys' help! Hopefully this computer will last me another six years :-D
Cheers!
pluto
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