Building a Desktop

[pcb]

Hi everyone,

I am looking at building myself a desktop pc in the somewhat near future. I have begun to look for parts and have assembled what I think I will build.

However this is my first time ever building a computer so input about my choices would be very welcome.

Also any online resources, how-to's that you feel would be helpful to a first time builder would be greatly appreciated.

The goal of this computer is to serve as a home theater pc for itunes, and movies and internet surfing on my tv.

However I would also like to be able to play computer games on it. I am not a competitive gamer or anything like that. I just want to be able to enjoy some games from time to time on it.

So here is what I have come up with and the links to the items.

LITE-ON Black 24X $18.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

NZXT Lexa S $64.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146060

Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200RPM $44.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148316

GIGABYTE Radeon HD 5770 1GB $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125327

SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) $97.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

AMD Athlon II X4 635 Propus 2.9GHz $100.49
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103702

GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3 $88.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036Z65EG/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

TOTAL BUILD PRICE: 666.42


So questions, comments, concerns, thoughts.

Any and all help is appreciated.
pcb

 

[wordoflife]

Looks good.

Why is this in a Mac forum?

 

[pcb]

Looks good.

Why is this in a Mac forum?

Because many of the people here have built custom computers and know what they are talking about and I respect their opinions. Also this is one of the best forums I have ever found on the internet. Further many of the questions in the buying advice section are not mac items, such as headphones, printers, hard drives, etc.

 

[wordoflife]

Because many of the people here have built custom computers and know what they are talking about and I respect their opinions. Also this is one of the best forums I have ever found on the internet. Further many of the questions in the buying advice section are not mac items, such as headphones, printers, hard drives, etc.

Hmm, I guess. It's just that its under "Mac Hardware" and I thought there might be a different, more appropriate place to put this, but it doesn't matter I suppose.

Anyways, if you're interested, I put this build together a couple months back.

Gigabyte P55A-UD3
G.Skill 4GB 1333 RAM (or was it 1600?)
Nvidia GTX 260
Core i5-750
1TB WD Caviar Black
Antec 900 (two)
Windows 7 Home Premium.

I don't really game anymore, but I still like having high end stuff (even if that computer is only for word processing, powerpoints, internet, etc .... shhh ) Payed about $1,100

I got my Mac though 2 weeks back.
I kind of want a decked out Macbook Pro 13", 2.66ghz, 8GB RAM ... but yeh, that wont happen for a while. $2000 bucks!

 

[pcb]

Hmm, I guess. It's just that its under "Mac Hardware" and I thought there might be a different, more appropriate place to put this, but it doesn't matter I suppose.

Anyways, if you're interested, I put this build together a couple months back.

Gigabyte P55A-UD3
G.Skill 4GB 1333 RAM (or was it 1600?)
Nvidia GTX 260
Core i5-750
1TB WD Caviar Black
Antec 900 (two)
Windows 7 Home Premium.

I don't really game anymore, but I still like having high end stuff (even if that computer is only for word processing, powerpoints, internet, etc .... shhh ) Payed about $1,100

I got my Mac though 2 weeks back.
I kind of want a decked out Macbook Pro 13", 2.66ghz, 8GB RAM ... but yeh, that wont happen for a while. $2000 bucks!

I had looked at doing something similar, but being a college kid, 1,100 is a little bit out of my budget right now.

How do you think what I specd out will do for light gaming?

 

[macbookairman]

I think you should be fine for gaming. I do some gaming, and I built a computer with a significantly less powerful GPU this time last year, and it runs games fairly well. I don't think you'll have any problem.

Also, I see you chose a Gigabyte motherboard. That's what I chose, and I absolutely love it.

Good luck!

 

[Raje]

The 5770 is a great card and will handle just about any game you throw at it, so it would be great for light gaming. Right now Newegg has the Sapphire brand 5770s on sale and you can get one for $140 after $15 Mail in rebate, I just bought one myself
The one thing I would change is that you don't need a 620 watt PSU, so you could buy one for cheaper a 500 watt should be just fine.
Other than that the build looks great and don't forget to budget in the $100 or so that you will have to spend on Windows.

EDIT: You may want to buy a bigger hard drive if you plan to save a lot of movies and music to your computer.

 

[wordoflife]

I had looked at doing something similar, but being a college kid, 1,100 is a little bit out of my budget right now.

How do you think what I specd out will do for light gaming?

I think it will do very well especially if your a gamer like me ... you play maybe one or two video games every couple of months. ( I probably would play more, but high school and other things are taking up a lot of my time.

But still, it will do fine for most gaming unless you like to blast the settings on Crysis on super high (if you are into the game anyways)

If you can, try to upgrade the GPU to something better as its the heart and sole of most games. I could recommend a GTX 460.


Its not bad by any means though.

 

[Raje]

I think it will do very well especially if your a gamer like me ... you play maybe one or two video games every couple of months. ( I probably would play more, but high school and other things are taking up a lot of my time.

But still, it will do fine for most gaming unless you like to blast the settings on Crysis on super high (if you are into the game anyways)

If you can, try to upgrade the GPU to something better as its the heart and sole of most games. I could recommend a GTX 460.


Its not bad by any means though.

A 5770 can handle Crysis at max settings minus the anti-aliasing, I have seen my friend run it that way on his comp and that is what convinced me to get the 5770, a lot of bang for the buck. I find that the modern ATI cards are better than Nvidia and that a 5870 would be a better choice than a GTX 460

 

[pcb]

The 5770 is a great card and will handle just about any game you throw at it, so it would be great for light gaming. Right now Newegg has the Sapphire brand 5770s on sale and you can get one for $140 after $15 Mail in rebate, I just bought one myself
The one thing I would change is that you don't need a 620 watt PSU, so you could buy one for cheaper a 500 watt should be just fine.
Other than that the build looks great and don't forget to budget in the $100 or so that you will have to spend on Windows.

EDIT: You may want to buy a bigger hard drive if you plan to save a lot of movies and music to your computer.

What power supply would you recommend? How about this one?
SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W Modular $74.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151093

I do plan to store a lot of movies and things as I purchase them, but for now a 320GB would hold me fine for a while and then I figure I will just add on a 1.5 TB or something further on down the road. (I live on 120GB in my laptop now so 320GB is big for me)

I think you should be fine for gaming. I do some gaming, and I built a computer with a significantly less powerful GPU this time last year, and it runs games fairly well. I don't think you'll have any problem.

Also, I see you chose a Gigabyte motherboard. That's what I chose, and I absolutely love it.

Good luck!

Yeah I dont need to be the best gamer out there. I just want to it to perform well. Doesnt have to be a ferrari but doesnt have to be a civic either, maybe like a mustang or comaro. Good and enjoyable.

I think it will do very well especially if your a gamer like me ... you play maybe one or two video games every couple of months. ( I probably would play more, but high school and other things are taking up a lot of my time.

But still, it will do fine for most gaming unless you like to blast the settings on Crysis on super high (if you are into the game anyways)

If you can, try to upgrade the GPU to something better as its the heart and sole of most games. I could recommend a GTX 460.


Its not bad by any means though.

You think the video card isnt good enough? What specific card would you recommend instead?


On the topic of video cards, I plan to at some point further down the road put a blu-ray drive in when they come down in price some more. Is this card gona be good enough for that? I will be using it on a Olevia 37" 1080i HD tv when I do get around to putting a blu-ray drive in.

 

[Raje]

Any power supply with 500 watts or more will be good, just look around and find the best value out there.
As for the graphics card a 5770 will easily output Blu Ray movies to your HDTV, pretty much any dedicated graphics card could do that. The 5770 is enough card for what you want to do. Anything more than it is for serious gamers, guys who spend thousands on their rigs. And really a 5770 is probably good for them as well.

 

[wordoflife]

A 5770 can handle Crysis at max settings minus the anti-aliasing, I have seen my friend run it that way on his comp and that is what convinced me to get the 5770, a lot of bang for the buck. I find that the modern ATI cards are better than Nvidia and that a 5870 would be a better choice than a GTX 460

What resolution are you playing on? I find that hard to believe
You are right though, ATI cards are better value in my opinion. I didn't realize the pricing on each. I just knew the GTX 460 was roughly $200. Wasn't sure how much a 5870 would be.

You think the video card isnt good enough? What specific card would you recommend instead?


On the topic of video cards, I plan to at some point further down the road put a blu-ray drive in when they come down in price some more. Is this card gona be good enough for that? I will be using it on a Olevia 37" 1080i HD tv when I do get around to putting a blu-ray drive in.

i didn't say that. i was just saying to get the best you can afford - thats all.
you didn't really give a proper definition as to what light gaming would be.

 

[Raje]

What resolution are you playing on? I find that hard to believe
You are right though, ATI cards are better value in my opinion. I didn't realize the pricing on each. I just knew the GTX 460 was roughly $200. Wasn't sure how much a 5870 would be.

I found it hard to believe myself. I am not sure what resolution he is playing at, but the graphics were maxed out and everything was quite beautiful lol I think he has his card overclocked some though, but I am not sure.


EDIT: I was thinking the GTX 460 costs more than what it actually does. So yes it would be a little more powerful card for only a bit more money. But I am not sure the exact power increase and if it would be worth it. Of course that would also depend on what games the OP wants to play.

 

[pcb]

Gaming for me would be games like,

Need For Speed Shift
Dirt 2
Sid Meier's Civilization IV
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Need for Speed™ Undercover
Bioshock 2
Need for Speed™ Hot Pursuit (the upcoming one)
Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes From Liberty City

Whatever else shows up on the market.

I like racing games.

I will however be in college so gaming is not going to be my number one priority. I just dont want playing games to be a poor experience when I do play them.

 

[Raje]

Gaming for me would be games like,

Need For Speed Shift
Dirt 2
Sid Meier's Civilization IV
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Need for Speed™ Undercover
Bioshock 2
Need for Speed™ Hot Pursuit (the upcoming one)
Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes From Liberty City

Whatever else shows up on the market.

I like racing games.

I will however be in college so gaming is not going to be my number one priority. I just dont want playing games to be a poor experience when I do play them.

A 5770 or a GTX 460 will run those games just fine. The 460gets about 5fps better in Crysis: Warhead than the 5770. You can take a look at the benchmarks here and compare the two for yourself. It also breaks it down into bang for your buck fps/$

EDIT: More benchmarks comparing just the two cards here. It looks like the GTX 460 almost doubles the 5770 in several of the benchmarks, so if you can afford it the GTX 460 looks like the way to go. There is also a benchmark score for Dirt 2 and the 460 gets 90fps on high settings, compare to about 60 from the 5770.

 

[Darth.Titan]

Rethink the power supply. That exact PSU crapped out on me within a year, so I don't recommend it.

Might as well spend a couple more bucks on a decent sized hard drive as well. Other than that, looks ok.

 

[Hellhammer]

Switch the GPU for GTX 460, it's a lot better, currently the best bang for the buck. I would also look at decent CPU fan, especially if you plan to OC it (you should). I prefer Noctua NH-D14, it's pricey but the best fan on the market. If you want something cheaper, take a look at this. Also a pair of case fans are a good investment, will keep the airflow going.

 

[pcb]

When it comes to graphic cards I see that there are many brands that make the same model (5770 or GT460).

Is there one brand that is better than another or are they all the same?

Recommendations?

 

[wordoflife]

When it comes to graphic cards I see that there are many brands that make the same model (5770 or GT460).

Is there one brand that is better than another or are they all the same?

Recommendations?

Sapphire/XFX for ATI
EVGA for Nvidia

 

[7thMac]

Don't just buy any power supply. Stick to a top brand like Seasonic or Corsair. 450 or 500 watts is plenty for this build.

 

[Hellhammer]

When it comes to graphic cards I see that there are many brands that make the same model (5770 or GT460).

Is there one brand that is better than another or are they all the same?

Recommendations?

EVGA makes very decent GPUs as they only make NVIDIA stuff. To be honest, the chip is same in every card but the cooling system and outputs depend on the "brand". ASUS is great too

 

[pcb]

So after a busy week and some thought put into the graphics card I am thinking I just really dont need the extra power of the 460. Plus they are a lot more.

XFX was recommended for a ATI5770 card and I think this is the one I would get.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447

Any thoughts comments on this choice?

Also does anyone have any good resources on the actual building process of a computer? Picture assembly, video assembly? Detailed written instructions? I am a rookie builder so this just seems like it might be helpful.

 

[Hellhammer]

So after a busy week and some thought put into the graphics card I am thinking I just really dont need the extra power of the 460. Plus they are a lot more.

XFX was recommended for a ATI5770 card and I think this is the one I would get.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447

Any thoughts comments on this choice?

Also does anyone have any good resources on the actual building process of a computer? Picture assembly, video assembly? Detailed written instructions? I am a rookie builder so this just seems like it might be helpful.

That's a good card if you want to save some $. Nothing bad to say about it.

I build PCs for living but it's hard to give some instructions. I start with CPU and RAM, then mount the mobo to the case. Then put the PSU and start putting its wires. Then HDs, DVD drives and GPUs + other PCI(e) cards. It's very straight forward, the cable management is probably the hardest part

 

[wordoflife]

That's a good card if you want to save some $. Nothing bad to say about it.

I build PCs for living but it's hard to give some instructions. I start with CPU and RAM, then mount the mobo to the case. Then put the PSU and start putting its wires. Then HDs, DVD drives and GPUs + other PCI(e) cards. It's very straight forward, the cable management is probably the hardest part

This is what I do too.
If you start any other way (in my opinion) its gets a bit harder.