My pc is around 10 years old and I want to build one to last me another 10 years. I am building this pc for gaming only. My budget is $2,000 max, but 1,400 or so is a better number, since I don't want to waste my money and I want the most performance per dollar.
I have done about 3 weeks of constant research and I know quite a bit now. However there are a few parts I could use help with. I will be using my simple mouse and keyboard on my old pc, so I don't need those parts. I want to build this computer as soon as possible, but I also want to make sure I get the best parts for the right price.
I will not be overclocking and I will be using the stock heatsink on everything, so I don't void the warranty. My computer will be fast enough that I don't need to overclock for gaming and if I need to in the future I can buy water cooling then.
I am open to using any vendor, but I trust newegg and amazon. I also plan on purchasing from microcenter and mwave and I was wondering if anyone knows how reliable these places are.
My computer build at pcpartpicker with best prices- System Build - PCPartPicker
The same computer with prices at each vender - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4jgb/by_merchant/
Here are my thoughts on my current build:
CPU - Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor $179.99 @ Microcenter
This will not change. It has the best price per performance in video games.
CPU Cooler - None
I don't want to void the warranty with overclocking or different heatsink. This pc can handle all the top games without overclocking anyway. If my computer can't handle games later on I will add water cooling and overclock it.
Motherboard - Asrock P67 Extreme4 Gen3 $100 @ microcenter since I get $50 off when I buy motherboard and CPU combo.
I was gonna buy the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ATX LGA1155, but it is not for sale at microcenter and I get $50 dollars off motherboards there for a combo deal. Someone said this is the next best board available at microcenter and with 50 dollars off it is cheaper. I like the overclock option since I may change my system later to overclock if it becomes too slow for games.
Memory - Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory $27.99 @ Newegg
This is the cheapest 2 x 4gb 1,333 memory available. The difference between 1,333 memory and 1,866 memory is only 1-2 frames per second on a video game and is not worth the extra money for the ram and not worth the extra money for a motherboard that supports higher speeds.
Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive $129.99 @ Amazon
This is the cheapest 2tb hard drive I can find that has decent reviews. I didn't pick an ssd, because it won't make the video game run faster. The game may take long to load without an ssd, but if it doesn't affect gameplay then I do not care.
Video Card - HIS Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card $557.86 @ Newegg
The videocard is my bottleneck for gaming and I chose the best video card available to get the best graphics and play the best games. I don't know the difference between the various versions of the radeon hd 7970, so I just chose the cheapest one for sale.
Case - NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case $109.99 @ Newegg
This is the cheapest full tower I found with decent reviews and good cooling including 4 fans. It looks ugly, but all I care about it price per performance.
Power Supply - Rosewill Capstone 650W 80Plus Gold $90 (10% off promo code) @ newegg
I am not sure if this is enough power. I am not overclocking, but I may in the future. I read 850 watts would be better, so I won't have to pay for a new PSU 5 years or so down the road when I decide to overclock. I definitely want my power supply to be very reliable since the cheap ones destroy other computer parts fairly often.
Optical Drive - LG GH22NS90B DVD/CD Writer $22.98 @ Newegg
This is the cheapest dvd writer I could find with decent reviews.
Monitor - Asus VE247H 23.6" Monitor $159.99 @ Mwave
Someone on another building forum recommended this as a cheap monitor that is high in quality. I know very little about Monitors and would appreciate some more info or advice on monitors.
Operating System - Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit) $138.99 @ B&H
I chose the 64 bit for better graphics and I chose professional because it is supported until 2020 but the home edition is only supported until the beginning of 2015.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Questions:
1. Is there anything I can save money on without sacrificing quality or possibly something much better for a little more money?
2. Are all of these parts 100% compatible with eachother?
3. Other than using that thing on my wrist to stop static electricity and being careful, is there anything else I should know about building a computer the first time?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I welcome all comments and suggestions. Thanks.
I have done about 3 weeks of constant research and I know quite a bit now. However there are a few parts I could use help with. I will be using my simple mouse and keyboard on my old pc, so I don't need those parts. I want to build this computer as soon as possible, but I also want to make sure I get the best parts for the right price.
I will not be overclocking and I will be using the stock heatsink on everything, so I don't void the warranty. My computer will be fast enough that I don't need to overclock for gaming and if I need to in the future I can buy water cooling then.
I am open to using any vendor, but I trust newegg and amazon. I also plan on purchasing from microcenter and mwave and I was wondering if anyone knows how reliable these places are.
My computer build at pcpartpicker with best prices- System Build - PCPartPicker
The same computer with prices at each vender - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4jgb/by_merchant/
Here are my thoughts on my current build:
CPU - Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor $179.99 @ Microcenter
This will not change. It has the best price per performance in video games.
CPU Cooler - None
I don't want to void the warranty with overclocking or different heatsink. This pc can handle all the top games without overclocking anyway. If my computer can't handle games later on I will add water cooling and overclock it.
Motherboard - Asrock P67 Extreme4 Gen3 $100 @ microcenter since I get $50 off when I buy motherboard and CPU combo.
I was gonna buy the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ATX LGA1155, but it is not for sale at microcenter and I get $50 dollars off motherboards there for a combo deal. Someone said this is the next best board available at microcenter and with 50 dollars off it is cheaper. I like the overclock option since I may change my system later to overclock if it becomes too slow for games.
Memory - Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory $27.99 @ Newegg
This is the cheapest 2 x 4gb 1,333 memory available. The difference between 1,333 memory and 1,866 memory is only 1-2 frames per second on a video game and is not worth the extra money for the ram and not worth the extra money for a motherboard that supports higher speeds.
Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive $129.99 @ Amazon
This is the cheapest 2tb hard drive I can find that has decent reviews. I didn't pick an ssd, because it won't make the video game run faster. The game may take long to load without an ssd, but if it doesn't affect gameplay then I do not care.
Video Card - HIS Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card $557.86 @ Newegg
The videocard is my bottleneck for gaming and I chose the best video card available to get the best graphics and play the best games. I don't know the difference between the various versions of the radeon hd 7970, so I just chose the cheapest one for sale.
Case - NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case $109.99 @ Newegg
This is the cheapest full tower I found with decent reviews and good cooling including 4 fans. It looks ugly, but all I care about it price per performance.
Power Supply - Rosewill Capstone 650W 80Plus Gold $90 (10% off promo code) @ newegg
I am not sure if this is enough power. I am not overclocking, but I may in the future. I read 850 watts would be better, so I won't have to pay for a new PSU 5 years or so down the road when I decide to overclock. I definitely want my power supply to be very reliable since the cheap ones destroy other computer parts fairly often.
Optical Drive - LG GH22NS90B DVD/CD Writer $22.98 @ Newegg
This is the cheapest dvd writer I could find with decent reviews.
Monitor - Asus VE247H 23.6" Monitor $159.99 @ Mwave
Someone on another building forum recommended this as a cheap monitor that is high in quality. I know very little about Monitors and would appreciate some more info or advice on monitors.
Operating System - Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit) $138.99 @ B&H
I chose the 64 bit for better graphics and I chose professional because it is supported until 2020 but the home edition is only supported until the beginning of 2015.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Questions:
1. Is there anything I can save money on without sacrificing quality or possibly something much better for a little more money?
2. Are all of these parts 100% compatible with eachother?
3. Other than using that thing on my wrist to stop static electricity and being careful, is there anything else I should know about building a computer the first time?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I welcome all comments and suggestions. Thanks.
