First time building my own gaming PC

[usc50]

Hey everyone, new to the forum and I'm looking for advice on building my own PC.

I already have a list on PCPartPicker that I'll link here:Intel Core i7-3770K, EVGA GeForce GTX 760 - 2ndcpu - usc50's Saved Part List - PCPartPicker

I'm missing a SSD because I really know nothing about those and a case as well.

There's a deal for the Intel i7 at MicroCenter, buy it for just $270 in-store only (Intel Core i7 3770K 3.5GHz Socket LGA 1155 Boxed Processor 407643 - Micro Center).

I don't know a lot about coolers but after doing a little research I went with the one I chose, partly because of the combo with the 8GB stick of RAM.

For the motherboard, the one I chose is linked here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

However, at the MicroCenter location where I'm buying the i7, this is here for $15ish less:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/419739/H81M-HDS_LGA_1150_mATX_Intel_Motherboard

I don't know a whole lot about motherboards so if I can get some advice on the differences and whether or not the 1st one is worth it since it's more expensive I'd appreciate it.

For an internal hard drive, I chose this:
Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3

However, MicroCenter has this one for about $10 less:
WD 1TB 7,200 RPM SATA 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Recertified 927616 - Micro Center

Obviously it's hard to tell the complete difference between the 2 since the 2nd link doesn't have much in terms of specs. However, from what we can see they seem pretty similar. When I go to MicroCenter I'm going to look at the second one if it's still there.

For a graphics card, I plan on buying the GeForce GTX 760.

For power supply, I really don't know a lot about that either. The one I picked is 600w, I don't really know if that's too much or too few.

I didn't pick a SSD or a case simply because I know nothing about SSDs (although everyone says to get one) and I don't want to pick a case until I have everything else figured out.


I know that is a whole bunch of stuff for one post but I would really appreciate any comments and advice. Thanks guys!

 

[iParanormalx]

I notice the motherboard is for an mATX form case which have the dimensions of 9.6 × 9.6 in (244 × 244 mm), but some microATX boards can be as small as 6.75 × 6.75 in (171.45 × 171.45 mm). Your GTX 760 is 9.49" long so if it would fit at all it would be very tight. And would be excruciatingly frustrating when receiving your parts to not have things fit.

I also don't see any specific speeds of the motherboard; i would be afraid something like that being slow and bottlenecking your CPU or GPU.

I also would advise to get a higher wattage PSU. The GPU alone takes ~170 + the processor at ~77 thats just shy of half of its capacity.

Hope this helps!

 

[PP Mguire]

Alright first of all, the CPU you chose is last gen and for the money there is better.
Secondly, what's this PC for? If it's for gaming you don't need an i7.

Next up between the 2 boards. The Z75 is for 3rd gen, the H81 is for 4th gen. Different sockets.

Just get the cheaper HDD.

Unless you're buying right this instant, wait for the 770s to drop in price. Nvidia already announced the price drop so it shouldn't take long for etailers to represent this. Might as well get the 770 for a few bucks more (275).

The PSU, it's not so much wattage as it is quality. The CX600 is fine for what you want to do, and Corsair make quality devices, but the CX line is still budget. Don't expect 10 years out of it or anything.

For SSD, just go with the Samsung EVO. If you prefer function over looks, the Enthoo Pro is a great case for less than 100. For a cheaper case the Corsair 200r serves as my budget go to for airflow and cable management.

For RAM, stick with 1600MHz.

To clarify on the CPU/Motherboard scenario, for the money get a 4th gen. If you're a gamer, the i5 4440 or i5 4690k (whichever fits budget or on sale) is more than fine and can be mated to the ASRock H81 motherboard you chose perfectly.

I notice the motherboard is for an mATX form case which have the dimensions of 9.6 × 9.6 in (244 × 244 mm), but some microATX boards can be as small as 6.75 × 6.75 in (171.45 × 171.45 mm). Your GTX 760 is 9.49" long so if it would fit at all it would be very tight. And would be excruciatingly frustrating when receiving your parts to not have things fit.

I also don't see any specific speeds of the motherboard; i would be afraid something like that being slow and bottlenecking your CPU or GPU.

I also would advise to get a higher wattage PSU. The GPU alone takes ~170 + the processor at ~77 thats just shy of half of its capacity.

Hope this helps!

The size of the board doesn't dictate how long of a GPU you can have. The H81 board doesn't support the CPU chosen, but the SATA ports are out of the way of the graphics card so if it surpassed the size of the board there would be no clearance issues.

The CX600 is perfectly fine for practically all budget applications. 600-650w of quality PSU is sufficient for all single GPU applications.

 

[usc50]

Alright, I'll try to respond how I can. This PC is for gaming.

I switched the processor to the Intel Core i5-4690K (or at least in my head since the 4690k is not listed on PCPartClicker)Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz LGA 1150 Boxed Processor 301283 - Micro Center.

As for motherboards, I really don't know a lot on that subject (i.e. what the difference between 3 and 4 sockets is) so any advice on which one to pick is appreciated. Seems like I should get the H81.

For HDD, I'm going to definitely go cheaper and probably not either of the ones I chose. I want to get a 250GB SSD and so my HDD probably won't be more than 512GB, if that. I didn't really know how a SSD works before the OP but now have a better understanding so I won't need nearly as much space on the HDD as I thought. The Samsung EVO looks good to me.

I'll probably wait for the 770s then. Any idea how long until the price drop? I was hoping to have the whole thing done and built by early November (I'm being patient finding the parts so I get the right stuff and find good deals).

The PSU is also something I don't know much about. I guess the one I chose is OK?

Any advice on anything else is appreciated.

 

[usc50]

For HDD, how important is the cache if I'm mainly on the SSD? Someone I know said to install the OS and games on the SSD and other less important stuff on the HDD. So does cache really matter at all for the HDD?

I'm looking at this 320GB HDD from WD, cache is 8MB. Does it matter if it's refurbished? http://www.microcenter.com/product/434191/320GB_7200_RPM_SATA_30Gb-s_35_Refurbished_Internal_Hard_Drive

 

[PP Mguire]

Gaming? Good, i5 is the way to go. Yes, just get the H81.

Gaming isn't beneficial to SSDs besides only a select few that actually load quicker. Due to this, I'd say 120GB is fine for now on the SSD. I'd stick with the 1TB as well for the HDD as the price difference between 500GB and 1TB is minimal. If you are going to be playing BF4 or Skyrim those need to go on your SSD. Otherwise the rest can be left on the HDD.

If you're waiting until November, pricing, deals, and availability will all be different. I say this in almost every thread. You'll basically have to start from scratch again adjusting pieces. The 770 will be the lower price by then, but then the newer 900 series will be out too.

 

[usc50]

Gaming? Good, i5 is the way to go. Yes, just get the H81.

Gaming isn't beneficial to SSDs besides only a select few that actually load quicker. Due to this, I'd say 120GB is fine for now on the SSD. I'd stick with the 1TB as well for the HDD as the price difference between 500GB and 1TB is minimal. If you are going to be playing BF4 or Skyrim those need to go on your SSD. Otherwise the rest can be left on the HDD.

If you're waiting until November, pricing, deals, and availability will all be different. I say this in almost every thread. You'll basically have to start from scratch again adjusting pieces. The 770 will be the lower price by then, but then the newer 900 series will be out too.

Alright. I'm not really waiting until November, I'm buying stuff as soon as this weekend if I can, I just kind of set that as my goal.

So for the SSD, pretty much any newer games (past 3-4 years and future ones) go on there and the rest should go on the HDD. Got it. Should I also install the OS on the SSD like someone else mentioned?

 

[iParanormalx]

The size of the board doesn't dictate how long of a GPU you can have. The H81 board doesn't support the CPU chosen, but the SATA ports are out of the way of the graphics card so if it surpassed the size of the board there would be no clearance issues.

You're right but different size motherboards are compatible with different size cases. An mATX case would lead to the size problems mentioned.

 

[PP Mguire]

No, even some newer games don't really make a difference. The SIms 3, Metro, Mechwarrior Online, pretty much any Valve game, or literally any console port simply wastes space on an SSD.

Yes, OS is a must on the SSD and pretty much the point. The HDD is literally the slowest piece in your computer, and it lags behind when accessing multiple small files all at once. An SSD not only trumps a HDD in raw throughput (generally in the 500MB/s sequential range) but in IOPS or in and out operations per second. An SSD doesn't have any moving parts, so seek times and access times are nonexistent. This being said, an SSD knows where each file is you want and access several tiny files simultaneously making loading small apps or doing day to day things on the OS incredibly fast compared to even a RAIDed set of Raptors. So the OS, browser, and other productivity apps you may use should go on here. Storage, large games, or large libraries like Steam should go on a HDD.
To explain why most games don't take advantage of an SSD is because they are made for an optical drive or 5400RPM HDD from a console. Typically peaking about 10MB/s with extremely **** IOPS. They have to take this into consideration when developing for loading screens and don't usually fix this when porting to a PC. BF4 and Skyrim on the other hand aren't the case as it can reduce BF4 time to map from a minute or two to 20 seconds. Being first on the map is always a plus. There are a couple other games but they evade me right now.

You're right but different size motherboards are compatible with different size cases. An mATX case would lead to the size problems mentioned.

Any standard ATX case will fit an mATX board. I typically only chose an mATX board for recommendation like the H81 boards due to the price rather than size. An ATX case can be expanded easy without needing a new case for a bigger board.

 

[iParanormalx]

Should I also install the OS on the SSD like someone else mentioned?

I would install the OS and the most commonly used software to the SSD. That way you're utilizing that fast seek time SSDs provide to the max but still within budget.

I'm the same way right now too I dont think its worth it quite yet to go to SSD for mass storage - but in time hopefully sooner rather than later you can get a 1TB for $130.