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[Jharp]

Computer is assembled and I'm now at the cable phase where I need to plug everything in, and this is a bit scary. I'm not sure all of what I need and what goes where. I've been using this guide (http://lifehacker.com/5827491/how-to-build-a-computer-from-scratch-lesson-3-building-the-computer) and the cables he lists for the PSU are all different than the ones I'm using to some degree. I have no four pin connector, but I do have an eight pin connector and two four pin connectors that are tied together, with one open eight pin slot on the mobo. I got the 24-pin main connector easily enough, but everything else is a bit scary.

Neither of my hard drives nor my optical drive came with any cables. Are they included with the mobo or PSU? Do the three drives connect to the mobo, PSU, or both? I'm assuming both...

 

[RedSwirl]

Will I or will I not need a sound card? CPU cooler? I haven't seen the former discussed in this thread at all.

 

[t-ramp]

Computer is assembled and I'm now at the cable phase where I need to plug everything in, and this is a bit scary. I'm not sure all of what I need and what goes where. I've been using this guide (http://lifehacker.com/5827491/how-to-build-a-computer-from-scratch-lesson-3-building-the-computer) and the cables he lists for the PSU are all different than the ones I'm using to some degree. I have no four pin connector, but I do have an eight pin connector and two four pin connectors that are tied together, with one open eight pin slot on the mobo. I got the 24-pin main connector easily enough, but everything else is a bit scary.

Neither of my hard drives nor my optical drive came with any cables. Are they included with the mobo or PSU? Do the three drives connect to the mobo, PSU, or both? I'm assuming both...

Hard drives and optical drives need both power and data cable connections. The smaller connector is for a SATA data cable, which should have come with your motherboard. The larger one is for power, which comes from the PSU.

The 4+4-pin power connector is used for CPU power, which is the 8-pin port on your motherboard. If you have a 8-pin cable that does not separate into two parts, that may be a CPU power cable as well. What PSU do you have?

Edit: If you did get the Seasonic, you can use either the 8-pin or 4+4-pin cable with the 8-pin CPU power port on your motherboard.

 

[t-ramp]

Will I or will I not need a sound card? CPU cooler? I haven't seen the former discussed in this thread at all.

Motherboards have built-in audio capabilities, but a dedicated card may yield higher quality audio. A CPU cooler is a requirement, but retail CPUs come with a small one capable of cooling at stock speeds. For ~$25 you can get aftermarket coolers that are vastly superior, though, for overclocking or less noise.

 

[Nabs]

Damn you Microcenter, you know how weak I am...

 

[coopolon]

My SATA ports went out 2 years ago and took out a HD. I've been using an old Parallel for the last 2 years =/. I blame my mobo ECS. I had an E8500 as well

Yikes! I'm kind of bummed, the e8400 was really fine for now, there are a few games it doesn't run all that well but the vast majority are still just dandy. So I was hoping to last another year before upgrading, but now that I'm losing HDDs (they're fine, but they just don't show up on the PC) I figured it was time. I wish I had your perseverance!

 

[Jharp]

Hard drives and optical drives need both power and data cable connections. The smaller connector is for a SATA data cable, which should have come with your motherboard. The larger one is for power, which comes from the PSU.

The 4+4-pin power connector is used for CPU power, which is the 8-pin port on your motherboard. If you have a 8-pin cable that does not separate into two parts, that may be a CPU power cable as well. What PSU do you have?

Edit: If you did get the Seasonic, you can use either the 8-pin or 4+4-pin cable with the 8-pin CPU power port on your motherboard.

I did get the Seasonic, and so if I can use either cable on the eight-pin connector on the board, then what is the other one for? Did they just give me two connectors for the same thing?

And my case came with a ton of wires that I can't make heads or tales of. I assume it's all usb, power button, sound, and fan stuff. Any of it go to PSU or is it all motherboard?

 

[mkenyon]

Will I or will I not need a sound card? CPU cooler? I haven't seen the former discussed in this thread at all.

Would help to read the OP thread rather than jumping in and asking questions you've asked before with direct responses. Not to be an ass, but it sucks to answer this stuff only to have it ignored due to laziness. These are also pretty common topics in here.

To answer though, your headphones and personal subjective need for audio quality determines whether or not you need a sound card. Onboard sound is adequate for a vast majority of people. If you are hooking up to a receiver or TV, then the audio will be passed through the HDMI connection undecoded.

The CPU fan is necessary for overclocks above 4.0GHz or if you just want your system to run quietly.

 

[mkenyon]

I did get the Seasonic, and so if I can use either cable on the eight-pin connector on the board, then what is the other one for? Did they just give me two connectors for the same thing?

And my case came with a ton of wires that I can't make heads or tales of. I assume it's all usb, power button, sound, and fan stuff. Any of it go to PSU or is it all motherboard?

They provide two for a few reasons. Some boards only have a single 4 pin for the CPU. Some have an additional 4 pin for a total of 12. Some boards have two different processors on the same board to where you would need both cables. So, compatibility pretty much.

All the stuff from the case will plug into the motherboard. The manual will show you which plugs go where on the motherboard. They are most likely to be along the bottom edge.

*edit* apologies for double post, driving down to PDX, so posting from phone.

 

[Jharp]

Case cables: two usb cables, both equipped USB 3.0 and USB 2.0, with a total of four usb ports on the case- is each cable for two ports? I only have one 3.0 slot on the board, but three 2.0 slots.

 

[OatmealMu]

It's that time again. I've had terrible luck with BSODs on my last build. I'm wondering if the processor is at fault. With that in mind, it's time for an upgrade. I'm coming from an Athlon II X4 635 mated to a Gigabyte 870A-UD3 and 4 sticks of G.Skill RAM. I'm replacing the CPU, board and memory. Here's what I'm looking at:

Intel Core i3-3220
BIOSTAR TZ77B
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB

I've basically followed the guide in the OP. What I'm really looking for is improved performance in Xsplit. I recently started live streaming myself painting in Photoshop on Justin.tv. Xsplit noticeably slows down my computer, and this is before I start the live stream. Something about it does a number on my system and I'd like to speed things up. Does anyone have experience with Xsplit and the i3-3220?

 

[RedSwirl]

Would help to read the OP thread rather than jumping in and asking questions you've asked before with direct responses. Not to be an ass, but it sucks to answer this stuff only to have it ignored due to laziness. These are also pretty common topics in here.

To answer though, your headphones and personal subjective need for audio quality determines whether or not you need a sound card. Onboard sound is adequate for a vast majority of people. If you are hooking up to a receiver or TV, then the audio will be passed through the HDMI connection undecoded.

The CPU fan is necessary for overclocks above 4.0GHz or if you just want your system to run quietly.

Oh okay. I didn't see much info on sound cards in the OP, and I don't intend to overclock, not at first anyway.

As for motherboards, all I've figured out is that I want to get a z77 that will work well with the parts listed here:

CPU: i5 3750
RAM: Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DRR3-1600
GPU: Asus Radeon HD7850 2GB
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 ATX Mid Tower
PSU: Antec Basiq Plus 550w ATX12V
Optical Drive: Sony DDU1681S-0B DVD/CD Drive

Edit: is a "Mid Tower" big enough?

 

[Xyber]

To answer though, your headphones and personal subjective need for audio quality determines whether or not you need a sound card. Onboard sound is adequate for a vast majority of people..

For just doing normal stuff like music, games etc. onboard is just fine. But then it comes to using the microphone it's whole different story and that's where many motherboards just straight up suck. Buzzing and a lot of background noise (if you are unlucky, not saying this happens for everyone) that will annoy the people you are chatting like crazy.

If I change my mic between my Asus Xonar DS (a really cheap sound card) and my onboard mic input the difference is like night and day.

So keep that in mind if you are thinking of buying a sound card, it will in most cases improve your quality for others when voice chatting.

 

[kharma45]

Oh okay. I didn't see much info on sound cards in the OP, and I don't intend to overclock, not at first anyway.

As for motherboards, all I've figured out is that I want to get a z77 that will work well with the parts listed here:

CPU: i5 3750
RAM: Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DRR3-1600
GPU: Asus Radeon HD7850 2GB
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 ATX Mid Tower
PSU: Antec Basiq Plus 550w ATX12V
Optical Drive: Sony DDU1681S-0B DVD/CD Drive

Edit: is a "Mid Tower" big enough?

For the 7850 it is, and I'd swap to either the MSI(s) or Gigabyte one.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

quick question to clarify, if I buy a Z77 Mobo, I can use my 2500K correct? and I can upgrade later on to a 3770K?[/QUOTE]

asking again.

 

[Shawn6661]

Yes.

 

[HarryDemeanor]

quick question to clarify, if I buy a Z77 Mobo, I can use my 2500K correct? and I can upgrade later on to a 3770K?

Yes.

 

[RedSwirl]

For the 7850 it is, and I'd swap to either the MSI(s) or Gigabyte one.

What's the difference? Just brand? My current HD6850 is from HIS.

 

[mug]

What's the difference? Just brand? My current HD6850 is from HIS.

Brand choice usually based on cooler preference and reliability.

 

[MrBig]

2500k for $100 if you've got a microcenter near you

 

[crimsonheadGCN]

My specs are:

ASrock Z77 Extreme4
Intel i5 2500k
G.Skill Ripsaw X 8 GB DDR 3 1600
Seasonic 620W
XFX Radeon HD 6850 1GB
M4 64GB + 2 HD

Well, I built the above computer a few months ago and in the first week, it blue screened once when I was installing video card drivers. Then it was fine for a few months until one night, the PC was restarted by Windows Update and it hung before the post. The problem would occur a few more times when I restarted the PC. This continued until a power outage occurred and seemingly fried both the PSU and motherboard. I RMA'ed the PSU and bought another Extreme4 while I RMA'ed the motherboard. I rebuilt the PC a few days ago and everything was fine at first then it started to hang when I restarted the PC and it stopped recognizing one stick of memory.

Is it possible that the RAM stick was faulty and it just died completely? Should I just switch the sticks positions to check if it's the ram or the ram slot?

 

[Xyber]

My specs are:

ASrock Z77 Extreme4
Intel i5 2500k
G.Skill Ripsaw X 8 GB DDR 3 1600
Seasonic 620W
XFX Radeon HD 6850 1GB
M4 64GB + 2 HD

Well, I built the above computer a few months ago and in the first week, it blue screened once when I was installing video card drivers. Then it was fine for a few months until one night, the PC was restarted by Windows Update and it hung before the post. The problem would occur a few more times when I restarted the PC. This continued until a power outage occurred and seemingly fried both the PSU and motherboard. I RMA'ed the PSU and bought another Extreme4 while I RMA'ed the motherboard. I rebuilt the PC a few days ago and everything was fine at first then it started to hang when I restarted the PC and it stopped recognizing one stick of memory.

Is it possible that the RAM stick was faulty and it just died completely? Should I just switch the sticks positions to check if it's the ram or the ram slot?

Run memtest and check the RAM.

 

[kharma45]

What's the difference? Just brand? My current HD6850 is from HIS.

Yeah what mug said basically.

 

[Mangotron]

Does anyone have monitor suggestions? My 3+ year old rebranded Acer 21.5in has these purple lines that are visible sometimes (namely movies and the solid-color W8 screens), so I'm looking to get a new one.


Until recently I was heavily considering one of the 27" Korean ones, but reading the Overclock threads on those makes the whole process sound pretty hellish.

 

[Jharp]

Posted at first boot! Installing windows as I type this. Only one problem- I can't figure where the fuck to plug my case fans into. They use a slightly different plugs than the chasse ports on my mobo suggest, which fit perfectly the plug on my heatsink. But the case fans are different, smaller, with three thin silver prongs.

What do?

 

[RumblingRosco]

Does anyone have monitor suggestions? My 3+ year old rebranded Acer 21.5in has these purple lines that are visible sometimes (namely movies and the solid-color W8 screens), so I'm looking to get a new one.


Until recently I was heavily considering one of the 27" Korean ones, but reading the Overclock threads on those makes the whole process sound pretty hellish.

I can only speak from experience, but I have an ASUS VE247H I picked up last summer for about $145 after rebate. It has some ghosting on really white backgrounds, but otherwise has been great. If you're not in a hurry, I'd just keep an eye out on NewEgg/Tigerdirect/Amazon. Just check in briefly once a day and sort by price, look at your price range, and see if anything has landed in a nice discount.

Sorry to repost a question so soon, but I'm still totally at a loss as far as looking online goes, although it -seems- like I cannot put a TFX PSU into the case because it really just won't fit into the molding properly... still not sure though:

Trying to figure something out with the Cooler Master Elite 120 mITX case I'm buying.

It says it "Works with standard desktop ATX PSUs," but I am wondering if there is a way to tell if I can use a smaller PSU? I'm looking at getting this modular 400w ATX PSU or this modular 500w ATX PSU (but, I'll use these shorter cables)... or if it'll fit, this modular 350w TFX PSU that is quite a bit slimmer, which will be very helpful with fitting in my CPU heatsink/fan and overall help with case airflow. If I can't use a TFX PSU, I may need to get a small form factor CPU heatsink/fan, as the stock Intel one supposedly only fits with ~0.5" clearance at most... and that doesn't make me very comfortable in regards to keeping things super cool with great airflow.

So, basically, can anyone tell me if I can use a TFX PSU with the Cooler Master Elite 120 mITX case? And, if not, how can you tell? I am already aware the cutout int he back of the case wouldn't line up totally, but I can't help but feel that I could probably still attach the PSU somehow with a bit of extra work?

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Somnid]

Someone want to recommend me a good case? The one I have now is a bit cramped and I'd like a bigger one, a full tower perhaps. I'm looking for something that can easily accommodate a multi card setup and has good cable management and leaves the door open to water cooling. My budget is about $200.

 

[ntropy]

Someone want to recommend me a good case? The one I have now is a bit cramped and I'd like a bigger one, a full tower perhaps. I'm looking for something that can easily accommodate a multi card setup and has good cable management and leaves the door open to water cooling. My budget is about $200.

xigmatek elysium $139

 

[Somnid]

xigmatek elysium $139

Oh wow, looks nice but that might be a bit too big.

 

[Hazaro]

psu is like the heart of your pc. you want a strong reliable one that lasts. i think seasonc x750 is worth double the price. the antec is a basic unit with over-rated power. i dont think you will save in power consumption to cover unless you 24/7 but your pc will be much safe! savings will come from x750 lasting you through more upgrade cycles...like you are planning for a new hd8970 next year..
550w? more like max 380w...before something something happens to it!

intel stock heatsink terrible if you are going for a z77 + k built. have you seen pics of it? so small, there is no place for it in a gamer's pc! sd1283 will bring tons more room!

asus z77 all use digital power while asrock advertised as digital but in reality is hybrid analog-digital. digital is easier for overclocking and tweaking your low idle states.

New BP550 is 444W on the 12V. You aren't going to get a solid, low DOA, modular PSU that comes with 2x6 pin PCI-E at that price range yet. It's a very easy recommendation.

Posted at first boot! Installing windows as I type this. Only one problem- I can't figure where the fuck to plug my case fans into. They use a slightly different plugs than the chasse ports on my mobo suggest, which fit perfectly the plug on my heatsink. But the case fans are different, smaller, with three thin silver prongs.

What do?

Plug the 3 pins into the 4 pin connectors.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Does the AsRock Z77 in the OP benefit from having four sticks of RAM in instead of just two?

 

[kennah]

Nope

 

[ColonelSkills]

Anyone in this thread rocking a Thermaltake Level 10 GT?

I'm a fan of the aesthetic, (probably because I have bad taste in things), but it sure looks like it'd be a fun chassis to build on and work with.

Anyone got any experience with 'em? Pros, cons, and so on?

 

[SolarPowered]

Desktop questions
Budget: Sub $900, USA
Main Use: High end gaming 5, Indie gaming 5, Emulation(dat Dolphin) 5, word processing 3, math related programs(Maple and such) 4, heavy PDF usage 5, HEAVY(lots of tabs) internet usage 6, DVD/Blu-ray/Hi-def playback 5
Monitor Resolution: I got an Asus VW246H a couple of months ago so I'll be sticking to 1080p and 720p for just about everything.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: EVERYTHING at 60FPS. I'll be willing to drop down to 720p down the road when unoptimized or next gen games show up.
Looking to reuse any parts?: Don't think so
When will you build?: By December 31st 11:59PM
Will you be overclocking?: Never ever and no SLI/crossfire either

Rig:
Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
PSU: Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W
Motherboard: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155
GPU: MSI N660 Ti PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
HD: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
Optical Drive: LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04

Questions:
1. Will this jumble of parts catch on fire when I turn it on?
2. Would a 2500k be too much of a downgrade from my current CPU choice? $100 in savings is no joke. I could use that for a good sound card or a blu-ray drive.
3. I've been seriously considering an upgrade to a 670GTX. It seems to be the card to get for longevity right now. I have no interest in buying AMD any time soon. Which 670 is the one to get right now? I'm mostly interested in good warranties and the best cooling I can get on the card.

This will be my first ever build so I'm super anxious about everything. Feel free to make fun of me for missing basic shit. I'll order the extra cables and fans needed.

2500k for $100 if you've got a microcenter near you

I'd be willing to go out of my way to pick one of these up. The savings are huge for someone like me who has been looking for ways to lower the price of my dream system. A hundred dollars in savings could also help me get a blu-ray drive or a good sound card(got a receiver and some mid quality headphones).

It might be a bottleneck though...

 

[Petrie]

2500k for $100 if you've got a microcenter near you

Fuck the East coast.

 

[CatPee]

Desktop questions
Budget: Sub $900, USA
Main Use: High end gaming 5, Indie gaming 5, Emulation(dat Dolphin) 5, word processing 3, math related programs(Maple and such) 4, heavy PDF usage 5, HEAVY(lots of tabs) internet usage 6, DVD/Blu-ray/Hi-def playback 5
Monitor Resolution: I got an Asus VW246H a couple of months ago so I'll be sticking to 1080p and 720p for just about everything.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: EVERYTHING at 60FPS. I'll be willing to drop down to 720p down the road when unoptimized or next gen games show up.
Looking to reuse any parts?: Don't think so
When will you build?: By December 31st 11:59PM
Will you be overclocking?: Never ever and no SLI/crossfire either

Rig:
Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
PSU: Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W
Motherboard: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155
GPU: MSI N660 Ti PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
HD: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
Optical Drive: LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04

Questions:
1. Will this jumble of parts catch on fire when I turn it on?
2. Would a 2500k be too much of a downgrade from my current CPU choice? $100 in savings is no joke. I could use that for a good sound card or a blu-ray drive.
3. I've been seriously considering an upgrade to a 670GTX. It seems to be the card to get for longevity right now. I have no interest in buying AMD any time soon. Which 670 is the one to get right now? I'm mostly interested in good warranties and the best cooling I can get on the card.

This will be my first ever build so I'm super anxious about everything. Feel free to make fun of me for missing basic shit. I'll order the extra cables and fans needed.
I'd be willing to go out of my way to pick one of these up. The savings are huge for someone like me who has been looking for ways to lower the price of my dream system. A hundred dollars in savings could also help me get a blu-ray drive or a good sound card(got a receiver and some mid quality headphones).

It might be a bottleneck though...

Get a HAF912 or NZXT Source 210 Elite instead of the Three Hundred, ASRock Z77 Extreme4 board instead of the P67, 3570K instead of the 3570, and Gigabyte's Windforce 670 is the one to get. 2500K is just as viable as 3570K due to slightly higher overclockability. Even without OC, it's only ~5% slower, but still ridiculously good.

 

[SolarPowered]

Get a HAF912 or NZXT Source 210 Elite instead of the Three Hundred, ASRock Z77 Extreme4 board instead of the P67, 3570K instead of the 3570, and Gigabyte's Windforce 670 is the one to get. 2500K is just as viable as 3570K due to slightly higher overclockability. Even without OC, it's only ~5% slower, but still ridiculously good.

Took your advice and changed to a HAF912 and Z77. I'm not surprised about the Windforce. When I saw those three fans I knew my wallet would weep. The HAF only comes with two fans, right? I got an extra 200mm fan for the top and a 120MM fan for the side. Keep in mind that this is all in a newegg wishlist at the moment.

Looks like the 2500k was only an in-store deal and it is gone in NY. This week is gonna be freaking nuts. Thanks for the advice and recommendations.

 

[Ledsen]

Desktop questions
Budget: Sub $900, USA
Main Use: High end gaming 5, Indie gaming 5, Emulation(dat Dolphin) 5, word processing 3, math related programs(Maple and such) 4, heavy PDF usage 5, HEAVY(lots of tabs) internet usage 6, DVD/Blu-ray/Hi-def playback 5
Monitor Resolution: I got an Asus VW246H a couple of months ago so I'll be sticking to 1080p and 720p for just about everything.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: EVERYTHING at 60FPS. I'll be willing to drop down to 720p down the road when unoptimized or next gen games show up.
Looking to reuse any parts?: Don't think so
When will you build?: By December 31st 11:59PM
Will you be overclocking?: Never ever and no SLI/crossfire either

Rig:
Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
PSU: Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W
Motherboard: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155
GPU: MSI N660 Ti PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
HD: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
Optical Drive: LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04

Questions:
1. Will this jumble of parts catch on fire when I turn it on?
2. Would a 2500k be too much of a downgrade from my current CPU choice? $100 in savings is no joke. I could use that for a good sound card or a blu-ray drive.
3. I've been seriously considering an upgrade to a 670GTX. It seems to be the card to get for longevity right now. I have no interest in buying AMD any time soon. Which 670 is the one to get right now? I'm mostly interested in good warranties and the best cooling I can get on the card.

This will be my first ever build so I'm super anxious about everything. Feel free to make fun of me for missing basic shit. I'll order the extra cables and fans needed.

I'd be willing to go out of my way to pick one of these up. The savings are huge for someone like me who has been looking for ways to lower the price of my dream system. A hundred dollars in savings could also help me get a blu-ray drive or a good sound card(got a receiver and some mid quality headphones).

It might be a bottleneck though...

Bottleneck? They're basically identical when it comes to gaming performance...
Edit: i see that you already got the same answer. The 2500k is an insanely good chip, it will last for years still.

 

[LifEndz]

Okay, read the OP and used PC part picker to pick out what I want.

Desktop questions
Budget: Would love to spend 800 USD, but will go as high as 1K total (more on that below)
Main Use: Gaming on max or close to max settings.
Monitor Resolution: Plan on hooking this up to my TV and playing steam games. Not going to use it for anything else.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Any open world game. Would love to pick up the Witcher 2 and play it on the highest settings w/o any problems.
When will you build?: Probably around Jan or so. This is going to be my tax refund gift to myself.
Will you be overclocking?: Possibly.

Rig
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card
RAM: A-Data Premier Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333
HD: Western Digital Scorpio Black 250GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer

PC Part picker has all this going for a total of about 1100.00. I'm a little over what I'd like to spend so if you guys think I'm spending too much on something when a cheaper part will get me to a similar result, I'm all ears.

 

[Cystm]

EVGA Z68 FTW LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard is on sale @ newegg for 125$ ($99 after mail in rebate) down from 250$ for the next six hours only.

 

[Hazaro]

Okay, read the OP and used PC part picker to pick out what I want.

Desktop questions
Budget: Would love to spend 800 USD, but will go as high as 1K total (more on that below)
Main Use: Gaming on max or close to max settings.
Monitor Resolution: Plan on hooking this up to my TV and playing steam games. Not going to use it for anything else.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Any open world game. Would love to pick up the Witcher 2 and play it on the highest settings w/o any problems.
When will you build?: Probably around Jan or so. This is going to be my tax refund gift to myself.
Will you be overclocking?: Possibly.

Rig
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card
RAM: A-Data Premier Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333
HD: Western Digital Scorpio Black 250GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer

PC Part picker has all this going for a total of about 1100.00. I'm a little over what I'd like to spend so if you guys think I'm spending too much on something when a cheaper part will get me to a similar result, I'm all ears.

You'll want a bigger PSU and HDD and come back in Jan

 

[aznpxdd]

Okay, read the OP and used PC part picker to pick out what I want.

Desktop questions
Budget: Would love to spend 800 USD, but will go as high as 1K total (more on that below)
Main Use: Gaming on max or close to max settings.
Monitor Resolution: Plan on hooking this up to my TV and playing steam games. Not going to use it for anything else.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Any open world game. Would love to pick up the Witcher 2 and play it on the highest settings w/o any problems.
When will you build?: Probably around Jan or so. This is going to be my tax refund gift to myself.
Will you be overclocking?: Possibly.

Rig
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card
RAM: A-Data Premier Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333
HD: Western Digital Scorpio Black 250GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer

PC Part picker has all this going for a total of about 1100.00. I'm a little over what I'd like to spend so if you guys think I'm spending too much on something when a cheaper part will get me to a similar result, I'm all ears.

Might want to go with a better power supply. Also what's up with the harddrive? I think most people would recommend a SSD for OS/Apps and a 5400/7200 rpm drives for storage.

 

[Canis lupus]

Is there such a thing as wireless audio jackets? The traditional ones to connect my headphones, not bluetooth headphones.

 

[SecretMoblin]

Should I be looking at Black Friday deals if I'm at least a few months away from making a build?

The markdowns on things like this EVGA Z68 FTW 160-SB-E689-KR ($250 to $60 after price cuts and a MIR) and this Fractal Design Arc Midi Black case ($110 to $60) look very tempting...

 

[StoppedInTracks]

Took your advice and changed to a HAF912 and Z77. I'm not surprised about the Windforce. When I saw those three fans I knew my wallet would weep. The HAF only comes with two fans, right? I got an extra 200mm fan for the top and a 120MM fan for the side. Keep in mind that this is all in a newegg wishlist at the moment.

Looks like the 2500k was only an in-store deal and it is gone in NY. This week is gonna be freaking nuts. Thanks for the advice and recommendations.

Good luck mang. And believe me Dolphin is worth the hassle.

 

[SolarPowered]

The Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W and Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive are both at very low prices right now. The power supply dropped from $90 to $60 and the HD went from $110 to $50. It seems like these two would be good buys right now, right? I'm thinking this week will be peppered with purchases from spontaneous deals that appear. The graphics card will probably be the last thing I buy because holy fuck they are expensive. I'm especially waiting for drops on the cases and processors.

Bottleneck? They're basically identical when it comes to gaming performance...
Edit: i see that you already got the same answer. The 2500k is an insanely good chip, it will last for years still.

I saw it after I searched around on google. It looks like I can get a 3750k from Micro Center for $160, but I'll wait as much as possible. Maybe I'll see another drop near the $100 mark for the 2500k or a lower price for the 3750k. They are both so close it doesn't matter which I get...

Good luck mang. And believe me Dolphin is worth the hassle.

I've seen the pictures. I can't imagine any amount of hassle could stop me from getting that IQ, AA, AF and dat 1080p on my monitor. I could wait out the Wii U for three years with that.

 

[chaosblade]

Should I be looking at Black Friday deals if I'm at least a few months away from making a build?

The markdowns on things like this EVGA Z68 FTW 160-SB-E689-KR ($250 to $60 after price cuts and a MIR) and this Fractal Design Arc Midi Black case ($110 to $60) look very tempting...

I don't know when exactly new stuff is launching or when you plan to build, but for some parts it doesn't hurt.

Case, SSD, HDD, PSU, stuff like that would be good buys if you find some really good deals.

I would probably hold off on CPUs, motherboards, and GPUs. New stuff should be dropping at the beginning of next year. Not sure when, could be as late as March/April, somebody else might be more up to date on that stuff.

Edit: And that is a Z68 motherboard. I'd imagine the Z7x ones are recommended now for most builds with Ivy Bridge. That's probably why it's so deeply discounted, >$200 for a Z68 board seems pretty crazy.

 

[Vigilant Walrus]

Okay, I'm an asshole. I'll take that. Forgive me PC gods of NeoGAF, I've been up all night, sleeping in 45-minute intervals when reaching moments where shit got too fucking stressful, like when my mobo wouldn't line up with the holes (my I/O panel wasn't in all the way) and when I got to assembling my heatsink (easier than it looked).

Let me be a lesson to other new builders.

Please don't assemble stuff if your new late at night. Be well rested and not illogical and crazy!! if you are tired mate you might do something not so good!

Removing the HDD cage is not removing major functionality IMO. Many cases have upper and lower cages, many can have cages installed in other ways. It's a feature, that's all. There are tiny cases that can hold a graphics card like that. Micro, Midi and Full tower cases are more terms to describe the overall dimensions of the case, as many of them in each class offers many different purposes.
Full towers can be extremely large. You could have gotten out and bought one, were some of your cables wouldn't have been able to reach the CPU or PSU.



But even if GAF recommended wrong, it still is not a good idea to blame or get angry at other people. I think you should be a bit more paranoid - Always try and make a drawing, and simply do not rest on others advice and expertise just because. You should always (if you can) see if it makes sense in your head. Make a drawing of the dimensions and imagining how everything would fit - Get second and third opinions at what reference cards and cases at overclockers, hardkforum or whatever. Second opinions can be really good.

Because at the end of the day, if you take the advice of someone on the internet, they are not liable. And they could be wrong. They could have made a mistake.

I think this is a part of computer building. It wont be perfect in your first computer. Perhaps not even ideal. My Obsidian 650D case is my forth. I had a Fractal R3 which looks amazing, but didnt have room. Then I got an Antec Lanboy, which had room but was an open case, with 6 fans which made way to much noise. Then I got something else, before I ended up with this one.
Wasted money?

I don't really look at it like that. It was by my own volition and I learned so much from transfering my build over several times. So I have no regrets, I have only had fun doing it.


/rant

 

[kharma45]

Desktop questions
Budget: Sub $900, USA
Main Use: High end gaming 5, Indie gaming 5, Emulation(dat Dolphin) 5, word processing 3, math related programs(Maple and such) 4, heavy PDF usage 5, HEAVY(lots of tabs) internet usage 6, DVD/Blu-ray/Hi-def playback 5
Monitor Resolution: I got an Asus VW246H a couple of months ago so I'll be sticking to 1080p and 720p for just about everything.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: EVERYTHING at 60FPS. I'll be willing to drop down to 720p down the road when unoptimized or next gen games show up.
Looking to reuse any parts?: Don't think so
When will you build?: By December 31st 11:59PM
Will you be overclocking?: Never ever and no SLI/crossfire either

Rig:
Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
PSU: Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W
Motherboard: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155
GPU: MSI N660 Ti PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
HD: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
Optical Drive: LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04

Questions:
1. Will this jumble of parts catch on fire when I turn it on?
2. Would a 2500k be too much of a downgrade from my current CPU choice? $100 in savings is no joke. I could use that for a good sound card or a blu-ray drive.
3. I've been seriously considering an upgrade to a 670GTX. It seems to be the card to get for longevity right now. I have no interest in buying AMD any time soon. Which 670 is the one to get right now? I'm mostly interested in good warranties and the best cooling I can get on the card.

This will be my first ever build so I'm super anxious about everything. Feel free to make fun of me for missing basic shit. I'll order the extra cables and fans needed.

I'd be willing to go out of my way to pick one of these up. The savings are huge for someone like me who has been looking for ways to lower the price of my dream system. A hundred dollars in savings could also help me get a blu-ray drive or a good sound card(got a receiver and some mid quality headphones).

It might be a bottleneck though...

2500K is still a good buy, and of course overclocks well, plus if you get an Ivy Bridge CPU with a SB mobo you'll need to use another CPU to update the BIOS to accept IB, at least the 2500K will slot straight in. If you're looking at IB go Z77.

Change your RAM to this stuff

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00592002W/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Also, get the 670. The 660Ti isn't really that good a buy imo, gets trounced by the 7950 which is a much better buy than it. The 670 is the only Nvidia card worth buying now unless you're totally brand loyal.

On a side note, why no overclocking? Very easy to do and the performance gains would really benefit you in emulation.

 

[SecretMoblin]

I don't know when exactly new stuff is launching or when you plan to build, but for some parts it doesn't hurt.

Case, SSD, HDD, PSU, stuff like that would be good buys if you find some really good deals.

I would probably hold off on CPUs, motherboards, and GPUs. New stuff should be dropping at the beginning of next year. Not sure when, could be as late as March/April, somebody else might be more up to date on that stuff.

Edit: And that is a Z68 motherboard. I'd imagine the Z7x ones are recommended now for most builds with Ivy Bridge. That's probably why it's so deeply discounted, >$200 for a Z68 board seems pretty crazy.

Thanks! I decided to get the case; a ~40-50% discount on a nice case outside my likely budget proved too tempting.

I'll hold off on core components until my financial picture becomes clearer.

Thanks again!