9 replies to this topic

[Trevor4444]

I am currently looking to build my first PC. I am looking for some opinions on the project I have put together. Let me know if you see anything missing. My budget is $850 and that includes Windows and a wireless mouse/keyboard. So i figure I have about $725 to spend on hardware.

Thanks


LITE-ON DVD Burner Bulk Black SATA MODEL iHAS124-04 - OEM


Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan



HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.D HDS721075DLE630 (0F13179) 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive


HIS H687FN1GD Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card


Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply


Crucial Ballistix sport 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model BLS3KIT2G3D1339DS1S00


ASRock H61ICAFE LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard


Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K


Logitech Wireless Combo MK260 920-002950 Black 8 Function Keys USB RF Wireless Standard Keyboard and Mouse



Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM




$852.90

Thanks again!

[SpleenBeGone]

Quick review of what you have, it looks good.

DVD burners are pretty cheap now, any $20 one will do you good.

The case looks nice, and has a Tom's recommendation, it should work great for your first build.

I know at one point Deskstars were very unreliable, but I believe that has since been fixed, so there should be no problems there

HiS generally makes great cards, and 6870's are still probably the best you can get at that price range, it should also run most games flawlessly.

I've used various wattages of the EarthWatts line in different computers, all have been well made and I've had no problems.

The ram is your problem, you want pairs and no triplets for 1155.You could go for 4 gigs with room to upgrade later with something like this http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820576003 or spring for 8 gigs for just a few dollars more than what you already figured in, and get 8 gigs, again with room for more if ever needed: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231422
Most games don't take advantage of that much ram, but for less than $5 more than what you planned, I'd go for it anyways, in case you decide to do something more ram heavy.

The motherboard is good, But you won't be able to run a crossfire setup later if you wanted to. (probably won't need to, but just throwing that out there.)

And you really can't go wrong with an i5. I'm running one overclocked to 4.5ghz on my home computer with a $30 Evo 212 cooler, and it stays nice and cool all the time, they also offer amazing performance.

Good luck with your build! I hope you post pictures when you're done.

[Trevor4444]

Thanks for the info! I will definitely upgrade to the 8 gig RAM since it only adds $3 to my ending price. Thanks spleen!

[SpleenBeGone]

You're very welcome, glad I could help.

[Trevor4444]

Hey Spleen. So i've been told that the i2500k is a waste of money unless i plan to OC and i've also been told that my motherboard isn't even able to OC. How accurate is this? also will i need an after market heatsink for this setup?

I asked another kid to help me pick out the hardware and this is what he came up with:


Let me know if you like his setup or mine. You could even put together your own setup for $850 if you're bored.

I really want to make my first build as perfect as i can make it. Im not that intense of a gamer so overclocking isnt really a big deal to me. I dont even know how to overclock, I just need a good, fast machine that can multitask, run multiple java programs on at once as well as something that can handle Diablo's graphics.

Thanks

[SpleenBeGone]

The "k" at the end signifies an unlocked multiplier so you can overclock. If you don't plan on overclocking you can get the regular 2500, without the "k" on the end for a few dollars cheaper. From what I understand, some manufacturers have created h61 boards that you can oc on, you should check for that particular board if you do want to overclock to be sure it's capable.

Now, as far as the other setup, a phenom is a nice chip, but an i5 will blow it out of the water while running 30 watts less power, and you can get much better than the 550ti's for that price.

[Trevor4444]

I've been reading some reviews for some of the parts i've chosen in my setup and I've decided that I am going to go with my Intel setup but I want to switch a few things out. Let me know what you think of this setup. I think this one is it.

I'm switching out the ASRock H61ICAFE LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard for anASRock Z68 PRO3-M LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - This board is only $10 more and it gives me the chance to OC.

I'm also switching the HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.D HDS721075DLE630 (0F13179) 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive for a Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARX 1TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive. - I looked up some more reviews on the Hitachi after I read what you said about them not being very reliable in the past and a lot of recent reviews said the same thing is still going on.

Lastly, I'm switching up the HIS H687FN1GD Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card for a HIS IceQ X H687QN1G2M Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Car. - I heard these cards get HOT.


This is my new setup:



LITE-ON DVD Burner Bulk Black SATA MODEL iHAS124-04 - OEM


Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan


Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARX 1TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive


HIS IceQ X H687QN1G2M Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Car


Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply


ASRock Z68 PRO3-M LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard


G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT


Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K


Thanks a lot for helping me Spleen.

[SpleenBeGone]

Looks solid. The new motherboard should open up a lot of possibilities. and the new hard drive should be reliable. Also, going with an IceQ cooler will be nice for overclocking.

If you plan on overclocking your processor, I suggest getting one of these at some point: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835103099 The work as good as many of the more expensive coolers and will give you a lot more overclocking room without having to worry about temperatures.

edit - on second thought, not sure if that would fit in your case, be sure to double check the measurements before you buy any cooler, if you decide to at a later point.

[Trevor4444]

I was actually going to ask you to recommend a cooler for me, but youre one step ahead! I really appreciate your help. I'll probably be hitting you up in a month or two to assist me when I have all the necessary components to OC (and possibly crossfire) my computer.

One more time thanks again SpleenBeGone!


Trevor

I'll post pics of my machine as soon as it is fully assembled

Edit: One last change. I switched out the WD Caviar Green for a 1tb 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0 Seagate Barricude due to the WD Green being low power (5600 rpm).

[SpleenBeGone]

I can't wait to see.

I still have an old 80gb Seagate Barracuda that's running. Should be good for you.