Looking into building my first computer!

[PinkPunishert]

Hey all,

For my grad/birthday present I've asked my parents for a laptop but now I'm debating on whether or not to build my own pc. I've always thought it would be cool to do it anyways so why not give it a shot? I'm a complete noobie in this area, I know what I need to make it work, just not how to decide on what I need or what to pick or something else.

I want a computer I can do normal things with but I also want it to be able to do some gaming. Mainly I'm interested in games like Starcraft 2, it doesn't need to be on the best settings but I just wanna be able to play it on normal graphic settings at leave!

I'd also like to get the most bang for my buck with what I buy. I'm not sure if I would ever overclock, to be honest I don't even really know what it would require. All I know is it pushes your computer to the limit and makes it go faster.

So if you guys could suggest to me certain parts or brands to look into that would be awesome.

 

[Joe C]

What type of budget do you have?

 

[PinkPunishert]

Alright so I've narrowed down my search of parts and done a lot of reading. I think I came up with a list of parts that will work together but I still need your assistence in telling me if they will all work, if something isn't good enough, if I'm wasting my money somewhere, etc.

CASE: I've been debating between three, whats your opinion on them?
1. Newegg.ca - COOLER MASTER Storm Enforcer SGC-1000-KWN1 Black SECC / ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ATX PS2 / EPS 12V (optional ) Power Supply
2. Newegg.ca - RAIDMAX Hurricane ATX-248WB Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
3. Newegg.ca - AZZA Toledo 301 (CSAZ-301) Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

MOBO:
Newegg.ca - ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Video Card:
Newegg.ca - PNY VCGGTX260CXXB GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

CPU:
Newegg.ca - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

RAM:
Newegg.ca - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM

HDD:
Newegg.ca - Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

PSU:
I really have no clue what one to pick.. any ideas/suggestions?

DVD Burner:
Newegg.ca - ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

And to reply to what was asked earlier I'd like $800 to be my absolute max, if possible I'd like cheaper. I've also decided that if overclocking is possible with this rig I definatley want to go for it.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Everything looks to work alright.

The graphic card, I am not sure on.

Get this PSU: Newegg.ca - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
$90 after MIR

The case is all up to personal preference. All three look like a good option. Might want to look at the CoolerMaster HAF models.

 

[jasonalwaysready]

it wont take much to max out starcraft 2.

but i would go for either a Newegg.com - XFX HD-685X-ZDFC Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
or maybe a Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-1372-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

 

[PinkPunishert]

So I've switched from 8Gb of Ram to 4Gb, same brand and everything. Will that cause an issue? The only games I'll really play will be Starcraft 2 and Minecraft so I can see either of those really taking a huge amount of RAM. Also I looked on Blizzard to see the recommended video card and it said for Intel a 8800GTX was recommend and my 260GTX was higher on the Graphic Performance list thingy so I think it will be alright.

I have a question about the cases.. they say they have USB 2.0 and 3.0 and audio ports in the front, how would I connect those to my MOBO? I would imagine they would give me the required cables to connect them but I don't know where I would? I know what the USB 3.0 on board port looks like so I know where I'd attach that, but what about the USB 2.0 and the audio?

What does it mean for a hard drive to be "recertified" ? That it was broken but now works? They are much cheaper so I was wondering if it was worth it to buy one of those instead?

So he is what I switched

RAM:
Newegg.ca - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-4GBXM

HDD:
Newegg.ca - Western Digital Caviar Green WD15EARS 1.5TB 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

The HDD I switched out for a 1.5TB version but its only 3.0GB/s compared to the 500GB 6.0GB/s HDD... is that a big deal or was it worth the switch? I get the 1.5TB for less too so I would imagine that its the 3.0/6.0Gb/s that makes the big price difference?

 

[Fat.Clown]

Newegg.ca - ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

NCIX.com - Buy Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 7200.12 1TB SATA 32MB Cache 3.5IN Internal Hard Drive OEM - Seagate - ST31000524AS - in Canada

Newegg.ca - Rosewill CRUISER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Side Panel Window, comes with Four Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, 1x Side Blue LED 190mm Fan

Newegg.ca - ASUS ENGTX460 DirectCU TOP/2DI/768MD5 GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

NCIX.com - Buy OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W ATX 20/24PIN SLI Ready Modular Cables 135mm Fan Active PFC Power Supply - OCZ Technology - OCZ600MXSP - in Canada

Newegg.ca - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

NCIX.com - Buy G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Memory - G.Skill - F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL - in Canada

$806.42 if i did my math right.



or....
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=54534
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=42349
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=61400&promoid=1324
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=58746&promoid=1324
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=60896&promoid=1324
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=57953&promoid=1324
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=33041&promoid=1324
$902.93
2 free games (just cause 2 and mafia 2), free shipping on entire order, $20 bucks nicx gift card. extra liquid cpu cooler and an awesome case (imho). video card is back ordered though.

 

[Joe C]

If that Rosewill Black Cruiser case is anything like my Rosewill Challenger case, you'll like it. I have an Antec 900 case and then got my Mrs. the Rosewill Challenger a few months later ( I thought I would go cheap on her)....I wish I had the Challenger case for myself now

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

 

[PinkPunishert]

So I'm stuck on my video card.. I'm debating between these;

Newegg.ca - XFX HD-485X-ZNFC Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card I'm not sure if its the 4850x2 or not?
Newegg.ca - PowerColor AX6850 1GBD5-DH Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
or this
Newegg.ca - PNY VCGGTX260CXXB GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

What are your thoughts?

Also I'm looking at this case.. it has a PSU, is it good, or probably crap?
Newegg.ca - RAIDMAX SMILODON Extreme Black ATX-612WEBP 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB Computer Case With 500W Power Supply

 

[Slaymate]

Don't buy a Raidmax power supply, buy a good reliable brand like Corsair, Antec, OCZ. The HD 4850 and the GTX 260 are old, almost obsolete models, don't waste your money on either of them. And the WD Green Harddrive is another poor choice, buy a better drive unless you like waiting.