Maximum PC

Hi, I'm from Australia and I want to build a pc. I am new to this and have never done it before, I researched quite a bit for what I need for the PC but I wanted some advice from people that have done it before just to make sure everything will run fine. Any form of help would be appreciated. I have not yet ordered any parts, but here is what I am planning to get:

CASE: Aerocool Strike-X Advance Black
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS P8B75-M Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i5 3470
GPU: Powercolor Radeon HD7770 GHz Edition 1GB
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB ST1000DM003
SSD: OCZ Agility 3 120GB SSD
RAM: Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8R 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3
PSU: Thermaltake Litepower 600W
OPTICAL DRIVE: Pioneer DVR-220LBKS Black 24xDVDRW
SOFTWARE: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
PERIPHERALS: Acer S240HLBD 24in Widescreen LED Monitor
Razer Arctosa Gaming Keyboard
Gigabyte M6900 Optical Gaming Mouse
Razer Electra Black Essential Gaming Headset


What do you guys think?
Thanks, Jayden

Awesome you are looking to build a custom PC. I have never read or heard about a person who regrets doing so. Remember patience and planning

First off though, what is it you want to do with your build in terms of computer usage? And in terms of gaming, I see you indicated a 24-inch panel at 1920 x 1080 resolution, but what games and at what settings will you play? And most importantly, what is your budget? These questions will be relevant in order to suggest appropriate parts for your build.

Off hand, today's ideal gaming set up might look something like:
- Intel Core i5-3570K CPU
- 1155 socket, Z77 chipset motherboard with necessary connections/ports
- Best GPU you can afford
- SSD for OS and select programs
- Appropriate capacity PSU based on parts above

Your i5-3470 CPU is an i5, but I can't find any compelling reason to get that over a 3570K. Iirc, the 3470 is a less efficient and non-overclockable version of the 3570K. Now if the price difference was significant, I can see why the 3470 might make sense. But it's not. Get a 3570K.

Your mobo chipset is Z75, which is imho not worth getting over a Z77 mobo. The lack of features and not much of a savings I can't justify. For example, your Z75 mobo has only one 6 GB SATA connection but it's only maybe $20 less than a more feature-rich Z77 mobo. Mobos are parts that are not easily or cheaply replaced, so get what you need and want.

The rest of your selected parts are debatable in a positive or negative way, but I will give you a typical gaming build and you can ask any relevant questions later:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jNAH

One big problem is that I'm giving you parts for the U.S. that you may not have access to in Australia. But we can figure that out, as the parts I suggest are not necessarily the only parts to get. They are indicative of the type of part I suggest. I think that's somewhat intelligible.

Thankyou for your extremely helpful reply. Building my own seems like a much better thing to do, mainly experience wise.
I uprgraded my CPU to the 3570K as well as my motherboard, to a Z77 model.
My budget for the entire setup is around $1200 and at the moment in Australia it is up to $1187.
I plan on playing games such as diablo 3 and black ops 2.
Do you think my current PSU will be enough to power these parts ?
Please explain more about my moniter and what you think would be the better option. And as for the other parts feel free to give your opinion on the negatives and positives.

Thankyou again.
Jayden.

Np


A 600 watt PSU should have no problems with your proposed build, but I would not necessarily recommend a Thermaltake PSU. Perhaps I will come off snobby and perhaps that PSU (although I have no knowledge of it) will be fine, but I would guess that you can find a comparable (what I would call) better PSU for about the same cost. Look for a Corsair, Antec, Cooler Master or OCZ that is between 500 - 600 watts for about $60-80 USD and you will probably be better off.
I think there was some miscommunication. Your monitor is fine, but what I meant to ask was what game settings you will playing and what games. You already indicated a 24-inch monitor which displays at 1920 x 1080 resolution, so I didn't need to ask that. You see, GPUs are generally the most expensive part in a gaming build, so it makes sense to know what you expect in terms of gaming performance in order to select the right video card. For example, do you want 60 FPS playing Battlefield 3 at ultra high settings at 1920 x 1200 resolution or are you okay with 35 FPS? Check this benchmark comparison between your originally selected Radeon HD 7770 vs the GTX 660 GPU:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/536?vs=660

And how are you getting $1200? Would you mind inputting your parts onto PCPartpicker.com so it would be easier to reference your build?

I created the updated build on PC Part Picker - http://pcpartpicker.com/au/p/k6mM
I now see what you mean about the monitor and GPU. I will need to find something with better performance as the HD 7770 but not to costly, as the GTX 660 is more then double the 7770. But then again it seems so worth it. I'm not going to be entirely fussed on playing every game on ultra settings. I was just trying to balance out price/performance.

Anyway, check that out on PC part picker and let me know what you think, i will need to do some more research to find the right GPU for the right price.

Again, thank you for your time.
Jayden.

Yeah do some research, read a lot of reviews and peruse the forums here and there.

At this moment (though this can change at any given moment) an arguable best bang-for-buck card in the mid to mid-high end segment is the Radeon 7850. For many reasons though, a lot of people prefer the GTX 660 over the Radeon GPU:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=660

Anandtech's bench is decent, but really do read separate reviews of both cards (or whatever GPU you are interested in) to make the best informed decision.

I have researched heaps and nearly changed my entire build.
I decided to just use a tv as a moniter for now and spend more on a GPU.
The current build:

Case - NZXT Phantom 410 Mid Tower Case Black
MoBo - ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Motherboard
PSU - Antec VP550P 550W Power Supply
CPU - Intel Core i5 3570K
GPU - Powercolor Radeon HD7870 GHz Edition 2GB
RAM - Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3
SSD - Intel 330 Series 120GB SSD
HDD - Seagate Barracuda 1TB ST1000DM003
OPTICAL DRIVE - Pioneer DVR-220LBKS Black 24xDVDRW OEM
KEYBOARD - Razer Arctosa Gaming Keyboard Silver
MOUSE - ROCCAT Kova [+] Max Performance Gaming Mouse
HEADPHONES - Razer Electra Black Essential Gaming Headset

The only thing i was concerned about is the PSU being enough for this system, what do you think?

PCPARTPICKER - http://pcpartpicker.com/au/p/l0Nf

Thanks, Jayden.

I'd recommend a 650w or 700w PSU at the most. AMD recommends 500w for that videocard minimum....you want room to grow in case you want to crossfire it or even upgrade to another card at a later date.

The 500W power supply requirement is a worse-case scenario. With all of the hardware, I can see the system eating at most 300W-350W on full burn.

Thanks heaps. Is a modular power supply worth the little bit extra?
And also, what's the minimum size SSD would you recommend for installing windows and maybe 1 or 2 games?

I'm not finding modular power supplies to be all that great an more. Mostly because you're left with extra cables that can't be used anywhere else. If space is tight, then yes. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about spending money on a modular supply.

And 64GB should be enough. Unless you're planning on putting Max Payne 3 that weighs in at 30GB for some reason.

No worries thanks heaps for your help.
Is there any other parts there you have any advice on or recommendations?

Thanks again, Jayden.

Not that I can see.

I concur. PSUs are normally installed once anyway. Just be patient and clean the first time around and you'll be good.

Nice overall imho. Just a couple of ?s for you though:
- Why the micro-ATX mobo?
- Radeon 7870 is a good choice, but I've read the reference design can be a bit loud compared better designed coolers.

Yes, I'm probably nit-picking

Price was the main reason for the mATX, it's only $20 more for the extreme4 in aus and i sound pretty tight but just trying to save a few bucks where I can even if the budget is $1200.
But feel free to share if you think there are any better full quality boards.
Thanks.

Okay so, I'm getting pretty close to finalising, I will be ordering next week. The reason it's been so long is just because I wanted to do lots of research, and get many opinions, but please if you recommend anything, or if you want to give your opinion that would be awesome.

The final build:
CASE - NZXT PHANTOM 410 MID TOWER CASE BLACK - $129
MOBO - ASROCK Z77 EXTREME4-M MOTHERBOARD - $115
PSU - Thermaltake 600W TR2 Bronze TR-600P - $85
CPU - Intel CORE I5 3570K - $233
GPU - GIGABYTE RADEON HD7870 2GB OVERCLOCKED - $250
RAM - CORSAIR VENGEANCE CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 - $46
SSD - Intel 330 Series 60GB SSD - $69
HDD - SEAGATE BARRACUDA 1TB ST1000DM003 - $75
OPTICAL DRIVE - PIONEER DVR-220LBKS BLACK 24XDVDRW OEM - $25
KEYBOARD - Logitech G105 Gaming Keyboard - $45
MOUSE - ROCCAT KOVA [+] MAX PERFORMANCE GAMING MOUSE - $39
HEADPHONES - RAZER ELECTRA BLACK ESSENTIAL GAMING HEADSET - $65

Total = $1,176 (AUD)

PCPARTPICKER - http://pcpartpicker.com/au/p/nqbq

Thanks, Jayden.

Anyone?

I'm from Australia and there is no way I could get any one of those parts that cheap.
But thanks for the reply.