Building a computer for the first time. (Halp)

I'm no computer guy, but make sure you have some duct tape handy.

 

I would recommend a Corsair PSU over a Rosewill PSU but that's just me. That one should be fine but I know a lot of people stand by their Corsair PSU as being reliable. I would not recommend using a bunch of "rice" components such as that case or the fans but that's also personal preference. I would just go for more functionality at the price bracket but there might not be anything better. I don't think that 200mm is compatible with that case though.

I don't know what you're going to be using it for but you will need to purchase a Windows OEM CD if you plan on gaming. If you want, I would recommend getting more hard drives for the sole purpose of having different operating systems. If you like Mac OS, I would recommend getting a Gigabyte motherboard though because they're usually your best bet for making a Hackintosh to be honest. It will be a few months before a stable release though because the Intel Haswell CPUs just hit the market recently and obviously OSX hasn't added support for them but I can assure you that they will. Just for the sake of stability, I would recommend getting two 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black drives because the higher the capacity, the higher the failure rate.

I recommend looking at benchmarks for whatever you plan on playing or doing as well because the GTX 780 isn't always a significant increase in performance compared to the GTX 770 or even the AMD Radeon 7970, especially when taking price into consideration. I know some models have SLI/Crossfire configurations too but some might cause more harm than good. You'll have to do more research on this yourself though. I haven't really kept up with this generation too much. For me though, my GTX 560 ti does just fine in games like Skyrim, League and other games that aren't like Battlefield 3. It really just depends what you're playing though and if you wanna play on a tri-monitor display on Ultra. You don't need to spend all that money when you can use it for maintenance down the road.

Check the dimensions of your case and compatibility with the graphics card. It might be a little snug but you'll have to approximate both and make sure you can fit it in there. Relax on the accessories too. You might regret spending that much on a keyboard. Up to you though.

Edit: Check out different SSDs as well. Some have better read/write speeds for just a bit more that will last significantly longer than that one. It depends though. Also, are you really going to watch/burn blu-rays on your computer? Just get a standard/cheap one for installing Windows and the occasional legacy ware. You'll have to download the new drivers from all of the sites anyways.

Edit 2: Newegg usually has great promotions and discounts for all of your components, whether it be games, combos or just straight discounts.

 

You'll want to use Newegg for most of your purchases because of the cheaper starting prices and the savings with combos, but do check Amazon or TigerDirect just to be sure. For instance, cases are sometimes cheaper on Amazon.
A 780 is a waste of money. Video cards always have diminishing returns as they increase in power. What you get instead of a 780 would depend on what you plan on playing, though.
Your keyboard is far too much. Don't fall for "gaming" traps.
16 GB RAM isn't necessary, but it's not a big deal if you want to go for it. RAM is a little more expensive now than when I last bought it, but whatever you do, remember that it's easy to upgrade later if you want to. Also, I'd go for 8x2 instead of 4x4. Just pick one of the highest rated ones from Newegg like G.Skill or Corsair, they usually always have combos, too.
You'll want to spend some time researching a good SSD. They used to have relatively high failure rates considering their price, but it's easier to find one now than it used to be.
I would wait on any additional fans or aftermarket CPU coolers. A good case will already have plenty of fans, and you won't need a CPU cooler unless you overclock. If you do get a cooler, you can't go wrong with a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo/Plus. It's tried and true at half the price.
I wouldn't go with Rosewill anything, as Furry said. They mostly just rebrand other products, so while they might be decent sometimes, why take the chance? Your PSU is too important. However, you will want something that is 80 Plus certified; bronze/silver/gold are all fine. You may consider a moduler PSU, too. You will probably have extra cords, so it's nice to be able to take them out. I like Seasonic and Corsair.
I don't think you'll need additional thermal paste, but that's up to you. Just be careful with it.
Don't buy Windows, lol. Get yourself a 4GB flash drive and put Windows 7 Ultimate on it.

If you want more details and some helpful links, you're welcome to Skype me at this name.

 

Sounds good then. Just search for better deals and you should be set. I don't really see any kind of compatibility errors and I think you'll be pretty happy once you get it up and running. Is it just for gaming or do you do anything CS-related on it? Or any multimedia stuff?

Edit: Forgot to mention, you don't need an OEM version if you already have Windows through your school.

 

First thing i'd do is the following;

Select your parts on pcpartpicker
Don't spend money just because you have it.

As a few pieces of advice; you don't need to spend that much on a case, it won't really mean anything practical for you. Don't just pick a mechanical keyboard. There are a few types of switches that you will want to consider before you purchase. have a look here for a guide. As a general rule, DO NOT GET BLACK. Blue/Brown/Red would be my advice. If you are coding, my recommendation would be blues (VERY loud and clicky) or browns (same as blues, but less loud) Razer stuff is overpriced. Have a look at a Corsair Storm XT or Storm Pro or even X90 if that's what you want. They are pretty neat, and way better than the Razer. You also get a choice of switches.

For an optical disc drive, just get the cheapest. The end.

As for fans, go for well named brands. Same applies to power supplies. And you will want to throw on a copy of Windows 7 on top as well.

As for RAM, i'd just recommend an 8GB module.


I would buy This I also threw in some speakers I would heartily recommend (I have some myself), aswell as a better keyboard and a mouse. If you want throw on a decent sound card, but it won't really make a difference. I think you will still need to buy some SATA cables and what not, i'm not sure.

EDIT; I just read your above post(s). Take out the copy on Win7. I'd probably also advise you to take it to somebody to put it together for you, just to be sure. They won't want much. Probably 70 dollars or so.

And that build comes in at 1700 USD. And frankly, it's more than adequate. Couldn't get that much in the UK For me, that would work out at around 2500 USD. DAMN MURICANS. Want an extra £20 for a mechanical keyboard! Priced me out of the market sadly.

 

A single 8GB for RAM? No, always use dual channel. 4x2 or 8x2.
Mechanical keyboards are purely a preference. Though you should consider the various switches, you may not want mechanical to begin with.
100$ for a case is a great amount. As with video cards, you start to see diminishing returns as you go up in price, but keep in mind that your case will last you much longer than all of the parts you put in it because you can use it throughout all of your upgrades. I'm currently using a Corsair 400r, and you can get it for 80-100.

pls Oli, pls stop telling people to buy Windows.

 

He already has windows, no one has to tell him to buy it.

The OS is the last concern anyway.

 

Please read the quotes.

Not even 50% of games support linux/unix. Vegas, Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere, (I don't think 4D) don't run natively on linux. He also said he wanted to use Windows.


Chron, please understand that the vast majority (and I mean VAST) use windows because
a) they are used to it,
b) it's compatable with a lot more programs than linux/mac If you take mass offence into me defaulting to put Windows on a machine purely because there are cheaper alternatives (whilst the guy goes and spends $2000 dollars) then honestly, why not say "hey, you could save money by using linux/debian" (which yes, is a version of linux...) then go right ahead.

I use windows, and I don't see myself changing. Why would I recommend something I know nothing about? Reviews from fanboys of something generally mean nothing (not to say that you are of course). And linux is one of those things where to a greater extent than others, it is installed by people who want to make a stand against MS, to use it as a conversation starter, to say "OMG DUDE BUT I USE A FREE OS AND IT IS FREE AND LIKE WINDOWS THEREFORE IT IS BETERTERTERERERER GETITITITITITITITITIIT XDPOOOO ITTTT AND THEN WE CAN SPEAKZ." And when I see people talking about how great linux is, that is generally what I see spoken/written.

For all I know, I could be advising him to install linux when all the programs he uses won't be compatible, and will have wasted a load of time and effort in the process. And yes, wine or whatever you call it exists, but it isn't bug free, and is a huge hassle. If you are spending 2 grand, why not do it in a more convenient way?

pls Chrono, pls stop telling me to base my advice on how I could relate my computing needs to him.


ANYWAY, back on track. Definately get dual stick (or 4 stick if you are going 16GB, but make sure you get an X79 motherboard in that case, and if you are using Windows, a copy of Ultimate, as HPremium only supports up to 12GB of RAM.)
Also, if you are using a version from school, make sure you get an activation code. When I put Windows onto my build, it wanted the CD, then it would activate as a 30 something day "non-licensed version," in which I would have to put in an activation code.
If your school has burnable ISOs, they should probably have some license keys lying around

 

I did read them, you still told him to buy it originally along with the person from the other comp thread.
To be clear, I'm not saying don't use Windows, there's just no reason to pay for any operating system when you can put the money towards something like a SSD or a better video card. I don't care which OS someone uses, and that's not what I was implying with my playful plea. My fault for not making the distinction.

 

OS is a personal choice. The vast majority of people will want a copy of windows. If you don't want it (which you will already know or not) take it off the order, job done.

I didn't say "BRO. YOU MUST BUY WINDOWS." It's the same as putting in a hard drive. How am I to know he doesn't have one to transfer from his mac, or if he owns a hard drive manufacturing company?

I'm only making suggestions anyway.

Sorry for the misinterpretation.

 

lol, I'm saying download it instead of buying it. I've even got a safe one ready to go if he didn't already have one.

 

I'm actually planing on upgrading my graphics card/ Case. Pretty solid on going with the HAF X Full tower. And the gaphics card will prob be the ASUS GTX650TI boost.

 

That card isn't much of an upgrade. At least make sure it's the 2GB variety.

 

From my current card it is. I'm not looking to run Crysis max settings or any other game. I just want to be able to play them without lag and decent settings, which this new card does.

 

Building a computer was extremely fun, but you know what is more fun?



Don't believe their lies

 

1GB vs 2GB makes pretty much 0 difference. Relevant. Almost every game sees a 0% increase from 1GB to 2 GB

For that price, get an AMD 7870. About 5 dollars more than a 650ti, and a 7870 is about level with a 670.

 

Did you actually read your own article?

That article is nearly a year old, too; I would argue that you should be looking for at least 3 GB VRAM at this point, especially with all of the next-gen games that will start taking advantage of higher RAM on consoles. However, it's understandable if he doesn't want to spend that much.